Trip to Shivansamudram and Talakadu

After a long Planning we a group of 13 People set for a Picnic to Shivansamudram and Talakadu. It was Christmas day (25th Dec'2007). A 15 Seater Van was hired for the journey which was driven by the driver Kishore. We (Parvinder, Shandil, Amrut, Shanthi, Rahul, Chintamani, Valli, Jagdish, Ajay, Sonali, Vani, and Sowmya) left Bangalore by 7:30 ( which was already 0.5 hrs late as per the planned schedule). First, we got stuck in a traffic jam on the outer ring road which resulted in further delay. Neway, still hoping that we would catch sometime during the onward journey we halted for Breakfast at KADUMANE Restaurant near Bidadi. Had a very good breakfast there. The Restaurant has a lot of recreational facilities for children. After Breakfast we moved towards Maddur and En-route halted at a very ancient Temple (As the sign by archeological Deptt says) before Maddur. It was Aprameya Swami Temple, a very small temple with a dimly lit Sanctum and a huge Gopuram. Darshan at Temple was a good way to start the journey towards our destination. We took a diversion from Maddur to Malvalli and continued on the same road to Shivansamudram falls, Bluff. The road from Maddur to Bluff was not in good condition and was just going up and down, the final relief came only when we reached Gaganchukki falls at Shivansamudram. We reached the falls at 11 AM. There was, not much water in falls, but all of us enjoyed the beauty of nature and falls of course, and did a lot of photo shootings. Had something to refresh ourselves there and then moved on to Barachukki Falls which is 13 Kms from there. The road was very bad and there were a lot of old temples on the route. At Barachukki some of the enthusiasts tracked down to the base of falls and enjoyed boating. Others preferred to enjoy the natural beauty from the hill only. Because of the difference in activities at Barachukki, there was further delay and we reached Talakadu at 2:30PM. I would like to mention here that the 30 Kms traveled now were one of the worst roads I have ever experienced. We took our lunch under the trees near the Cauvery River. IT was a kind of Pot Luck, and then took a coracle ride in the Cauvery river. We even went whirling there. It was a great experience. Thereafter we went to see Vaidyanatheshwa Temple, one of the Panchlingeshwara at Talakadu. It was a beautiful temple with lot of Sculptures and wide passage. We didn't see other temples there as we wanted to move to Somnathpur (20Kms) which closes at 5:30. We left Talkad at 4:15 hoping to reach Somnathpur at 5:15, but because of extremely bad road conditions reached there at 5:35, and to our dismay, the temple was closed and we were not allowed to enter inside. To keep up the spirit, we moved to a nearby Ugra Narsimhaswamy Temple, which is a small newly built private kind of temple. We spent some time tere enjoying the farmland and then set off for Bangalore. We dined at Kamath Lokruchi on the route. It was one of the best foods I ever relished. After dinner, we started moving towards Bangalore and reached our homes by 11 to 12 PM. The best part of the trip was all the food we ate and above all spending time with each other. The worst experience being the roads of Karnataka. The Only advice which comes from this experience is that plan for only Shivansamudram and Talakadu for a day tour so that you can enjoy in a much-relaxed manner. And be prepared for the worst roads if you want to enjoy interior Karnataka

Osiyan To Gangani

Gangani (Gangadi) Jain Tirtha is around 45 Kms From Osiyan. It Has an Ancient, 2250 years old temple of Chintamani Parshwanath of the period of King Samprati. The last renovation work took place in VS 1982. The inscription of VS 1914 is identified on the Moolnayak idol. A mixed metallic idol of Shri Adinath Bhagwan has carvings of VS 937. This idol is very magical. The idol of Shri Dharamnath Bhagwan, which is present on the upper floor of the temple has a carving of samvat 1684. We started from Osiyan around 3 PM and reached Gangadi at 4 PM. As the temple was closed we had to call Pujari from the Village to open the temple. The Dharamshala nearby is poorly maintained and lack basic facilities. It might be because very few people visit this pilgrimage. The road to Osiyan to Gangadi is ver good except a small stretch of 7 KMs which is still under construction. The Place can also be reached from Jodhpur but very few buses are available from there. There aren't any restaurants at this place.

Visit to Osiyan Temple

Osian (Osiyan) is an ancient town located in the Jodhpur District of Rajasthan state in western India. It is an oasis in the Thar Desert, 65 km north of the district headquarters at Jodhpur, on a diversion off the main Jodhpur – Bikaner Highway. Osian is famous as home to the cluster of ruined Brahmanical and Jain temples dating from the 8th to 11th centuries. The city was a major religious centre of the kingdom of Marwar during the Pratihara dynasty. Of the 18 shrines in the group, the Surya or Sun Temple and the later Kali temple, Sachiya Mata Temple and the main Jain temple dedicated to Lord Mahavira stands out in their grace and architecture. We went to Osiyan (12th Nov'07) from Jodhpur. Hired a Trax, started from Jodhpur at 10 PM, and reached Osiyan at 11PM. Stayed there at Jain Dharamshala. Jain Dharamshala has decent accommodation with the attached lat bath at very nominal rates. The morning we went for Pooja to Jain Temple. Mahavira Statue in Jain temple is made of sand and is covered with gold color. This is only one of its kind in India. After Darshan walked to Sachiya Mata Temple and Offered Pooja there. Mataji is offered Lapsi which has to be Ordered in Bhojanshala 1-2 hrs beforehand. After Doing Pooja in Mataji Temple saw other temples in vicinity. Came down and did a Little bit Shopping. Osian is famous for dried food items. Ker-sangari, Dried vegetables, Condiments, Papads and other Rajasthani delicacies which can be stored for a long time can be brought from this place. Lunch: We did Lunch at Jain Bhojanshala which provides very good Lunch at Nominal rates. After Lunch we Left for Gangani another Jain Piligrimage 45 Kms from Osiyan