Anthara Gange, Avani, Kotilingeswara Temple (Day 2)

Dated: 17/12/2017

Crew: Madhu & Me

We reached the Bengaluru by the early morning and took the LALBAGH Express (Train No – 12608 Dep-6:42 AM, Arr – 7:33 AM). People from Bengaluru can reach to Chennai by this train.

 From there we took the bus to reach Kolar. The next trip is to visit Anthara Gange. It is about 3 KM from the Kolar Bus stand. The auto charge is about INR 40. People speak here Kannada and Telugu.

ANTHARA GANGE, KOLAR:

Timings : All time
Ticket Fare : Free
How to Reach: Only autos available to and fro. They charge heavily while return (INR 70). We have seen more Zoom Cars in the place.
Best time to Visit: Anytime
Duration: 4 hours
Highlights: Nice Pathway with trees on both sides, Can bath in a temple pool, Night Trekking for the Caves(https://tinyurl.com/y9yelqlb).

Beware: Too many monkeys in the temple. Rescue your bags keeping far from the temple. They opened the bags and took away the spectacles and carry bags etc.,

Sthalapuranam: Antara Gange (also known as Anthargange) is a mountain situated in the Shathashrunga mountain range in the southeastern portion of the Indian state of Karnataka, Kolar district. Antara Gange literally means "Ganges from deep" in Kannada. It is about two miles from the town of Kolar and seventy kilometers from Bangalore. Antara Gange has a famous for Sri Kashi Vishweshwara temple, also known as Kashi of South. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. In the temple is a pond which gets a continuous flow of underground water from the mouth of a Basava (stone bull). It is believed that drinking water from the pond cleanse one from many diseases.

Next we started to the Avani. Buses are available from Kolar. First one can visit the Ramalingeswara temples and then reach the hill top to visit the Seetha Parvathi temple.

RAMALINGESHWARA GROUP OF TEMPLES, AVANI:

Timings: 9 – 5 PM
Ticket Fare: Free
How to Reach: Buses available from Kolar.
Best time to Visit: Anytime
Duration: 4 hours
Highlights: Far from the City, Temple dated to 399 AD.

Sthalapuranam:

Avani is a place of great antiquity. According to the ASI, an inscription here dated 399 A.D. refers to it. Later inscriptions call it the "Gaya of the south". Legend has it that Avani was the abode of the Hindu saint Valmiki (author of the epic Ramayana) and that the Hindu god Rama visited Avani during his return to Ayodhya from Lanka. According to the legend, Rama's sons Lava and Kusha were born here on an existing hill (called "Lava-Kusha betta" in native Kannada) a short distance from the temple complex.

According to the art historian Madhusudan Dhaky, Nolamba temple constructions exist in the region historically known as "Nolambavadi", a region to the east of Gangavadi (a region in south Karnataka) but west of Andhradesa (modern Andhra Pradesh). He dates the temple to the early 10th century. According to the art historian James Harle, the earliest structure within the walled enclosure (prakara) may actually be what is known as the Shatrugnalineshwara shrine (or "Shatrugneshvara") and was built by the Western Ganga dynasty of Talakad (based on an Ganga inscription on the premises). This was soon followed by the Lakshmanalingeshwara shrine. According to Harle, this is the earliest example of a group of shrines with an outer wall enclosure in the Karnataka state.

SEETHA PARVATHI TEMPLE, AVANI:

Timings: 9 – 5 PM
Ticket Fare: Free
How to Reach: Buses available from Kolar.
Best time to Visit: Anytime
Duration: 4 hours
Highlights: Nice Picturesque from Seethamma Temple hill top.

Sthalapuranam:

I found this website while searching about the temple history.

http://temple-stories.blogspot.in/2012/09/seetha-parvathi-temple-avani-village-in.html

Then our plan is to visit the Kotilingeswara Temple, First we reached the Mulbagal and completed our dinner in the nearby hotel and took the KGF(Kolar Gold Fields) bus to reach Kotilingalu. People in the Mulbagal and Kotilingalu speak the Telugu even though Kannada and Tamil are near borders.

KOTILINGESHWARA TEMPLE, GHATTAKAMADENAHALLI:

Timings: 9 – 9 PM
Ticket Fare: INR 20
How to Reach: Buses available from Bangarpet, Mulbagal.
Best time to Visit: Anytime
Duration: 2 hours
Highlights: 1 crore Siva Lingas view, 108 feet Siva Linga and Nandi(35 Feet).

Sthalapuranam:

Before Kammasandra village was known as "Kammasandra" it was known as "Dharmasthali" and was where Manjunathasharma (CE 788-827) or Bhakta Manjunatha lived. Bhakta Manjunatha was born in Dharmasthali to a family of Shaiva Hindu Brahmins and was always a man of good character, but was an atheist who insulted Sri Manjunatha ever since he was little. He ran a local wrestling school and participated in local vigilantism instead of working in his family's catering business and participating in religious traditions. Later in his life, he realized the divinity of Sri Manjunatha and became an ardent devotee of Sri Rudradeva. Then, one day when Bhakta Manjunatha and his family visited the local Sri Manjunatha temple a few bad omens occurred and every Deepam became unlit. The other devotees accused Bhakta Manjunatha as the cause. Maharaja Ambikeshwaravarma, a local sub-ruler for the ruling Rastrakuta Dynasty and another Shaiva devotee, happened to be there at that place. He asked Manjunatha to prove his innocence by making every Deepam glow again. Bhakta Manjunatha sang the devotional song Mayakaya Deepam by Maharshi Veda Vyasa and made them glow brighter than ever before. Everyone realized that Manjunatha was a changed man and was the greatest devotee of Sri Maheshwara. He is believed to have insulted Sri Manjunatha ten million times in his lifetime, therefore, to acquit himself of his past sins, Bhakta Manjunatha, under the patronage of Maharaja Ambikeshwaravarma and help of his family, created ten million lingams, hence the name "Kotilingeshwara" where 'Koti' means 'crore,' and installed them in the area now known as Kotilingeshwara Temple. The temple structures themselves were built by Swamy Sambhashiva Murthy in 1980. The entire story of Bhakta Manjunatha was captured into a critically acclaimed bilingual feature film titled Sri Manjunatha.

Finally we need to catch the train from the Bangarpet to Chennai, plenty buses available from Kotilingeswara temple, Ghattakamadenahalli to reach Bangarpet.

For the whole trip we never cross the INR more than 25/- during our journey in the Karnataka. We reached even small villages by the Private travels. Thanks for the Karnataka Government.