Srirangapatna, a legacy of TIPU SULTAN

Shrirangapattana is an ideal one day picnic getway from Blore. It is located on the old Mysore highway approximately 120 kms from Blore. One has to travel via Bidadi, Sholay’s Ramanagaram, Chennapatna, Maddur, Mandya and reach this place. The drive on the two laned highway is beautiful, but can be perilous for those who overspeed, many a accidents have occurred due to intermittent U turns in the middle and lorries swerving to the right due to bullock carts blocking their pathway in the morning and evening times. The road too tends to skid due to fine sand particles which are deposits from sand quarrying trucks from Mandya, which is the real downer.

The ideal breakfast halts are Ramnagaram Lokruchi Kamat, Maddur tiffin house, Amravathi Mandya, Sree Devi Mandya, and many more joints including Kadu mane which is before Bidaddi. Our favourite dinner spot is Shivu’s Dabba in Ramnagaram and a new Taj hotel has come up in Ramnagaram, which is not to be mistaken for the famous Taj group of 5 star hotels.

Historical legacy :

The real architects of Srirangapattna were rulers from the Nagamangal feudatories of the Vijaynagar Empire. Thimmanna Hebbar who under the patronage of Vijaynagar Emperor Devaraya II commissioned the construction of a mud fort in 1454 AD. In 1610 AD the wodeyars ( Kanteerava Narasaraja Wodeyar ) shifted their capital to Srirangapatna, who were instruemental in fortifying the citadel in 1654 AD.



Hyder Ali became a defacto ruler of Srirangapatna in 1761 dislodging the sovereignty of weak wodeyars. Tipu Sultan succeeded his father in 1782 and gained command over the region till he succumbed to the British in the IV anglo-mysore war in 1799.

Tipu Sultan utilised the services of the French architects to reconstruct the Fort in keeping with the Gun powder technology of war fare. The Fort walls were built with granite stones and with may gateways on the boundary of the river cauvery. The prominent gateways were Delhi gate, Bangalore gateways, Krishna gateway or Jibi gateway near the krishna temple.

Srirangapatna has been inhabited from ancient times with neolithic mankind flourishing due to abundance of water from the Cauvery basin. The migratory birds have found an idealyic habitat at Rangantitu which is now converted to a bird sanctuary by the govt of Karnataka.

Ranganatha Swamy Temple :

An inscription dated 894 AD mentions Thirumalaiah, the Ganga dynasty chieftain was instruemental in construction of this massive temple. The Hoysala king Veera Ballal in 1200 AD made grants for maintainence of the temple. This was a centre of traditional learning for priesthood, which was sponsored by Hoysala and Vijaynagar kings. The temple has seen successive renovations under various rulers who ruled the area.

A myth is associated in the form of Sage Gautama performing a penance ivoking Mahavishnu to bless this region with his presence. The serenity of the surrounding seems to have lead to the belief that Lord Vishnu appeared before him in the reclining posture known as Sheshashayi.

The huge statue of Lord Ranganatha in reclining posture on the coiled serpant with its hood raised is a magnificient sight. The lord is served by goddess Kaveria and sage Gautama. The temple has association to sage Ramunajacharaya and Deshikacharya who all belonged to the Vijaynagar era.

The figures of Lord Vishnu is embedded on the pillars in the courtyard, there are nearly twenty four forms when compared to the traditional Dashavataram. The main gopuram is in the typical Vijaynagar style which may have been commissioned by Deva Raya II ( 1424-1446 AD)

The enterance has the Gaurda pillar, which is now known as Patalankana which was commissioned by Hyder Ali. One will find a big temple chariot outside the temple premise. In one of the corners of the pavilion housing the chariot there are stone rings embedded in one corner outlining the skills of the artisans of the time, which is a tourist attraction.

Ranganatha swamy overshadows all other temples which are located nearby. At least 3 other temples which are in various state of neglect due to the absence of tourists visiting them. One of them must have used as a school for upcoming priests in olden days. Foreigners love to visit this temple which is unfrettered by artificial barriers. Guides throng the premise for dishing out historical, mystical and fanciful stories which may be amusing sometimes. It would be greek and latin to foreigners. Some guides do manage to speak English with aplomb. How much would you pay for the guide services is better to be bargained at the beginning rather than haggling in the end and cutting a sorry figure.

JUMMA MASJID :

As one enters the fort premises the first monument in sight is Jumma Masjid. This was constructed by Tipu Sultan in 1787 AD. The Masjid is adorned by two majestic minars on the corner of the Masjid edifice. There is pond for washing the feet in the premise. The Islamic archway is combined with beautiful floral designs on the ceiling of the Masjid which is two storeyed. The inscriptions on the walls contain extracts of Koranic verses. The minar is generally closed for public which has 200 steps to reach the balcony. Currently the premise is used as a madarasa to teach the younger generations. There is no enterance fee for this Masjid.

DARUA DAULAT BAGH :

When the wealth of the vanquished can sponsor the construction of a palace why not build a beautiful one. The Daria daulat bagh was built in commemoration of the victories of Tipu Sultan in the Konkan region. Daria Daulat is literally translated as Wealth of the Sea. The monument is built in classic fashion with landscape in plenty which may be precursor to the Lal Bagh in Bangalore. The palace is constructed mostly with Teak Wood. It is single storied rectangular shaped structure built on raised platform. This palace was considered to be summer palace for Tipu.

A mezzanine portion of the palace has two staircase which is built in a darbar fashion. The ceilings are beautifully painted in floral and geometic designs which are rich in colour and vibrancy. The western walls adorn with paintings of battle scene wherein Hyder Ali is shown riding an elephant. The second painting shows Tipu sultan along with French platoon on the battlefield. The third painting shows the victorious scenes in the battle of Poliluru. The fourth painting displays the Nizam army arriving late in aid of British. After the death of Tipu sultan the British general Arthur Wellesley occupied the palace from 1799 to 1804.

Museum : Currently the Daria Daulat Bagh houses a museum, which is on the ground floor which exhibits paintings, sketches,coins, medallions, costumes, furniture, arms and ammunition etc used by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. The british wanted to seen as heroes in the battle with their paintings adorning the palace. The storming of Srirangapatana an oil painting was commissioned and Robert Ker Porter executed it in 1800 AD. This was historical painting along with Robert Home painting depicting the capture of Tiups sons Abdul Khaliqu and Maiuddin along with Ghulam Ali Khan the trusted Vakil of Tipu are on display.

Tipu seems to have renovated a number of Forts and built many at Strategic locations. Many are displayed on the walls of the palace in Pencil sketches. Some of the Forts I have not been able to personally decipher. Maybe liesurely I will make a visit to jot down the details. Jamalabad, Manjarabad, are typical forts which signifies Tipu’s contribution.



The eco-friendly feature of the palace is the huge landscaped garden with maintained grass turfs. There are huge trees adorning the centre of the gardens with boundaries too filled with trees. It would have also been an ideal setting for the king to throw Dawat parties to the royal entrouge during the times of Id celeberations.

GUMBAZ :

A gumbaz or Mausoleum was commissioned by Tipu sultan in honour of his parents between 1782-84 AD. It became a resting place for Tipu too after his death on 5th May 1799 AD. There are number of other tombs which may be of the nobles connected with the Tipu Sultan family. The Gombuz edifice is elegant built in the Islamic architecture. An ornamented doors adorn the mauslem. A Mosque too built in the complex for those who want to pray for the departed soul and Allah.

TIPU s Death Plaque :

A small memorial is built on to the eastern boundary of the fort, where Tipu was felled by a bullet in the battle of Anglo-Mysore on the 4th May 1799. Tipu was valliantly trying to ward of the intruders issuing order to the soldier to fire the cannons and Tipu rockets on the enemy positions. He tried to cover the sieze by jumping over the water gate. The gateway was sealed by the advancing enemy, which seems to be treachery of sorts. Tipu was betrayed by his own commander Sadiq. Tipu thus was cornered by advancing army and was wounded among the heap of soldiers. His body was found among the heap of soldiers. He thus lived by the sword and perished by the same. A simple memorial symbolises the greatness of Tipu who died fighting the British.

Malabar Dungeons : A huge Dungeon was commissioned to imprison the British soldiers who were defeated in the first two wars. The dungeons were later used to imprison the war prisoners. There was a cannon firing point which was used as a surprise during enemy attack.

Baileys Dungeon : This dungeon was used to imprison High ranking officers and royalty from the Maratha empire. This is known as Thomas Immam’s Dungeon which was discovered in 1895 AD. There are two Cannons inside the dungeon which is strange occurance, one cannon seems to have fallen into the building while construction and so it was retained there itself. Other cannon must have been provided for as an artistic feature to complete the architecture of a royal prison.

TIPU’s PALACE :

This palace was originally belonging the Wodeyars which seem to have been renovated to be known as Lal Mahal. The visitors sing lavish praise on the construction and its interior designing. One such visitor Mr Francis Buchanan visited Srirangapatana in 1800 AD, which was after the death of Tipu Sultan left a glowing account.

It is mentioned that the verses of Koran were painted in gold, with tiger stripes adorning the walls, with zenana for the queens to bathe and live. The palace seemed to contain a mezanine floor too housing the king. It is obvious that all the wealth of the palace was systematically looted and taken into the personal possession of the invaders and conspirators.

Wodeyars Museum :

The small museum is located next to the demolished palace of Tipu Sultan. It houses a number of beautiful sculptures and artifacts belonging the Ganga dynasty. Visitors can visit and enjoy the collections of the Wodeyar family. The exhibition guard will act as a guide if one is interested.

The death of  Tipu Sultan signifies the end of  Indian resistance against the British Empire which was only plausible due to betrayal of the Nizams and Marathas.  Tipu even though seen as a villian in coversion by Hindus and vandaliser of Churches will be remembered for upgrading the technology of warfare with his missile type rocket bomb  quote u.k.derebail

Karkala, abode of Bahubali

It is located hardly 40 kms from my mils place in Karnad. A direct road connects via Moodbidri to Karkala, enroute one comes across the church of Attur. One gets to pass via the Soans farm in Belvai, Moodbidri too. This farm is built on eco tourism concept. The details of Soans farm can be obtained from the following link : http://www.moodabidri.com/soans/index.html

History : This region was ruled by the Alupa king and Kadambas in ancient times. The local feudatories known as Bhairarasa Odeyas, who owed their allegiance to Hoysalas. Later they followed the patronage of Vijaynagar. Their kingdom extended from Sringeri, Koppa, Balehonnur and Mudigere. The first king Veera Bhairava constructed a number of Basadis at Karkala. A lake known as Ramsamudra was constructed in honour of his second son who died early.

King Veera Pandya commissioned the construction of Bahubali statue on the rocky hill of Karkala. He thus fulfilled the wish of his Guru Lalitakeerti, who was the pontiff of the Jain Mutt. The statue was consecrated to public on 13th February 1432 AD. The Brahma deva pillar was installed in 1436 AD.

The Bahubali statue is built out of monolithic granite raising upto 42 feet in height. One has to climb nearly 400 steps to reach the pinnacle. There is a steel railing installed for support, one can park their vehicles below the hillock. Once in every 12 years Mahamastabisheka is performed when the Lord is bathed in milk, honey, sandalwood, ghee and other anointments.

Chatarmukha Basadi : This basadi was dedicated to the Jain teertankaras and completed in 1586 AD. There are 4 teertankaras located in four directions and the sanctum sanitarium contains the Bahabuli. The construction is undertaken with prevention heavy rain in mind. An arrogant priest with a black specs take care of the basadi, please don t enter with an argument with him.


1000 Pillared Basadi : This basadi was built in 1431 AD according to a stone inscriptions found in the temple premise. It was built by the strong jain community and patronized by Devaraja Wodeyar of Nagamangala. The innumerable pillars add to the temples beauty. Photography is prohibited by the staff, but if one gives a donation to the temple than one is allowed to photograph. Please do not take the trouble of counting the pillars you can hardly find 200 pillars.

Chauta Palace : A wooden palace is located in Moodbidri on the premise of which a kannada film on sale of heritage was filmed. The palace was supposed to have a huge fort boundary which is in various stages of ruin. The palace has a watch tower and it is generally locked, one has to enquire for the caretakers to have a view, which cute structure. The palace is shrouded in mystery with alleged curse of the devi, which bought their downfall. One of the noble belong to the Chauta family Veeravarman was killed. The governance of the rulers came under cloud and the villagers seem to have boycotted the royalty. Earlier to 1855 AD the kings used to visit the local festivity such as kambala, football matches being the chief guest. They used to visit the temple and pay their respects to the devi.

Vanishing Beaches and coastline

Baywatchers will become extinct breed of professionals who are meant to rescue the drowing tourists or swimmers. The increasing trend of receeding shore line of beach sand dunes will drive away tourists from most of the destination including Goa, Puri, Fort Kochi, Bekal, etc.

A huge managenese & iron ore transporting ship River Princes grounded on the shores of Goa is blamed to have caused erosion of beaches, by interfering in the continental drift and sand movement patterns on calangute and anjuna beaches, including Fort Aguada beach. The ship which belongs to powerful mangnate Salgoankars have gone to court to stay any attempt to remove the ship from its temporary berth. Just imagine a 787 feet ship beached ironically off the north Goa sea coast in June 2000 can wreck such havoc on the shoreline of Goa.

Enviromentalists are predicting further disaster on T.N, Orissa and Andhra belt with huge exploitation of coastal zones. The number of Ports being commissioned in orissa is astounding nos, which is a blatant disregard for the bays. Erosion by itself would not been a matter of concern but for its harmful effects. It is predicted that coastal land will be innudated by salt water, rendering land non cultivatable. The ground water could become salty if the sand dune cover is eroded.

Paulose, Mazhar, Azam and myself are living proof of savouring good drinking water in the middle of Marina beach. The water scooped out of the rich sand dune was surprisingly potable and an unique experience. This conclusive proves the importance of sand dune cover on the beaches.

Tourism will take a major hit if the sand dunes start vanishing from the Shoreline. Goa has been depending on the tourism for employment and revenue. A comprehensive study on the sand mining on the banks of river for construction can be another major cause for disappearing Sand dunes. Increased construction of resorts, construction of roads on the shoreline, Increased dumping of sewage, Shipping activity near the ports, Dredging, etc have all wrecked havoc.

I shudder the day when the virgin beaches of Konkan coast will vanish, the only way to save these shore lines is to undertake a scientific study to stop the erosion. An urgent need is felt after an NDTV report on vanishing coastline of India. Will there be seperate ministry be empowered to look into the matter.

If we fail to resurrect the coastline with more mangroves and other protective barriers, the future generation will be tormented without any beach for entertainment. Bikni clad sun tanners too might become extinct breed along with turtles.

Karwar & Sadashivghad Travelouge

The landscape of Karwar forms a natural harbour without much of rocky surface which is dangerous for sailing ships. The scenic beauty around the Kali river and Sadashivghad prompted Rabindranath Tagore to write his first treatise on Nature’s revenge :

Here in Karwar I wrote the Prakritir Pratishodha, Nature's Revenge, a dramatic poem. The hero was a Sanyasi (hermit) who had been striving to gain a victory over Nature by cutting away the bonds of all desires and affections and thus to arrive at a true and profound knowledge of self.

Rabindranath tagore described Karwar in utmost eloquence in Chapter 37 of his memoirs

The sea beach of Karwar is certainly a fit place in which to realise that the beauty of Nature is not a mirage of the imagination, but reflects the joy of the Infinite and thus draws us to lose ourselves in it. Where the universe is expressing itself in the magic of its laws it may not be strange if we miss its infinitude; but where the heart gets into immediate touch with immensity in the beauty of the meanest of things, is any room left for argument?

No wonder Karwar served as an important trading port during the Vijaynagar empire, later under the Bahmani’s, Portuguese and the British empire. Currently it is being developed as the biggest Naval base in India under the camouflaged umbrella.

Karwar is blessed with a decent port town from where the mines are exported in plenty from Goa and pockets of Karnataka. The beach is being developed with landscaping and Naval museum, Toy train, and acquarium.

Naval Museum : The INS Chapel, which took an important part in the Indo-pak war in 1971, which destroyed the Karachi harbour beyond recognition, which lead to Pakistan surrendering has been decommissioned in 2005. Thereafter in lieu of the naval base it has been converted as Naval museum, with entry ticket of Rs 15 per head. The timings of the museum is between 10 am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 8 pm. The video presentation on the big screen inside the warship is quite informative and should not be missed. The mannequins of the captain, crew are so real that one gets astounded by their finesse. The deck scenario is quite reminiscent of Titanic, may be a photoshop can create the effect, just try it. The torpedoes and missiles too on display. The highlight is the engine room and cabin room of this banana split war ship which wrecked havoc in the enemy camps.

Acquarium : For a nominal entry fee of Rs 3/- one gets to witness the unique verities of acqua species. The highlight being sting rays, sea snakes, in this museum. How we wish that a fish canteen is opened for tourists to enjoy.
Toy Train : A nice round trip can be had on the toy train around the museum and pine trees on the Karwar beach. We did not find it operating due to heavy downpour. The ride costs Rs 10/- per head. The timings of the ride are same as the museum.

Karwar Beach : A garden on one end, which is still to be completed. An old arched building for view point is battered due to the inclement weather. One can have a lovely view of the Karwar port, the horizons of the beach and fishermen folks. This is the ideal videography or photographic point in the entire beach. During the night times there almost a juhu chowpatty type of scenario on the beach front with pani poori stalls.



Sadashivghad Fort : Situated on the northern banks of the kali river Sadashivghad Fort served as a strategic point for the kings of the land, which acted as a watch tower. Originally there was a mud fort under the vijayanagar rulers, which was captured and destroyed by the Portuguese in 1510. Then under the tutlege of the pepper queen in 1552 the Fort seems to have been resurrected and served as her empires boundary till 1606. Shivaji Maharaj conquered the fort on 21st Feb 1665. Shivaji installed the Durga Devi temple, which was later converted into Shantadurga temple by the Bhandari community. The full scale fort was than rebuilt by Basavalingaraj in memory of his father Sadashivlingaraj in 1715. The fort was captured by Tipu Sultan in 1793 and was under his reign till 1799. Originally the fort was on huge hillock which has been now sliced to form a road and bridge across the river Kali for people to commute from Karnataka to Goa. The fort seems to have been pulled down by the British in 1883 by General Mathews for creating the access by road to Goa and it served as a strategic border of the territory of the Portuguese and the British. The british took guard for nearly 150 years over this strategic point to protect their interest against the Portuguese.



Currently Sadshivghad fort is being used as Estuary lodge under lease to a private outfit under the jungle lodge & resorts. There is one modern building for lodging with a restaurant overseeing the kali river, devbagh beach and the Arabian sea. The sunset can be beautifully viewed against the backdrop of the beach. The food order can take upto 1 hour, so better to order for the same and than have a good look at the landscape which seems to have been rebuilt with stone horse, carvings of dance postures, and cannon built in laterite stone. The rate quoted is 3600 for a couple with all 3 times meals taken care of.

Dargah :On the other side of the Sadashivghad fort is the Dargah dedicated to Hazarath Sayed Shah Shamsuddin. This dargah seems to have been built in the 17th century under the patronage Bahamani sultans and later by Tipu sultan. It attracts lot of pilgrims.

Temple : A durga temple was renovated & built under the patronage of Chatrapathi Shivaji in 1665. The current temple was renovated and built by the Bhandari community in 1928, who had the reputation of being sailors. However the ancient charm is maintained by the cannons of Shivaji Maharaj and Tipu Sultan on the staircase leading upto the temple. The irony is that cannons are pointed in the direction of the river bank of kali and its township. The heritage value of the temple is lost to a large extent, with whitwashed paintings.

Devbagh Beach Resort : This is run by Jungle Lodge and resorts with a steep tariff starting from Rs 2500/- per pax with AP. This isle resort is an exclusive spot which has water sports, houseboats, dolphin beaches and golden sandy beaches. One can enjoy nature with river and beach to the hilt.

Belum Cave, an underground experience

Belum cave is located in the dry and arid zone of Ananthpur district, lot of cuddapah stones are mined in the nearby area, with a huge cement plant too located in the vicinity.

These caves were inhabited in the ancient times by Buddhists and Jain monks, many of the relics discovered during the restoration process is housed in the museum located at Ananthpur town. It may have been dwelling of cavemen dating back to 4500 B.C., the potteries and beads discovered by ASI points to this fact.

Logistics : The Belum cave is approximately 272 kms from Blore via NH 7 with a deviation from Ananthpur town via Tadpatri town. There is no proper accommodation in Belum cave except for dormitory facility. The ideal place to book one’s accommodation is either at Ananthpur town or at Tadipatri town. The next alternative if one is traveling from Hyderabad 320 is take up accommodation at Kurnool or alternatively at Yaganti.

Belum cave is considered to be longest caves on the plains with 3229 meters and 120 feet depth, and second longest cave in India. Some of the longest caves are located in Meghalaya, Mizoram and Manipur belt. Majority of them are still raw and unexplored to a large extent due to thick forest cover.

Discovery & Mapping of Belum caves was officially undertaken by Robert Bruce Foote in 1884 AD. It remained under total neglect with the mining lobby dumping ground for all the waste in and around the area. A German team headed by Herbert Daniel Gabauer in 1982 and 1983 conducted a detailed mapping of the cave along with local reddies Chalpatti, Ramswami, Padmanabiah and Chinnaih.

APTDC : The Andhra govt. finally decided to step in and develop Belum caves as a tourist destinations in 1999. With a massive budget of 7.5 crores work began in the right earnest to ensure cleaning, lighting, ventilating, blowers, railings etc were installed at all strategic points. Belum caves were thrown open to public in 2003. There is a canteen for tourist, bathroom facility near the entry point. The guides who are available with torch to guide the tourist into the caves. We were lucky to get a free guide deployed, one of course has to tip them for their efficiency in guiding quickly and ensure that we emerge out of the cave safely. There are helmets available which is generally not used by the tourists.




A huge Buddha statue has been installed close to the hillock near the enterance to signify the original inhabitants of the Belum caves. On the hillock BELUM is engraved like Hollywood insignia.

Sections of Belum Cave :

Dhyan Mandir or Meditation centre : It is located near the enterance. A huge hall almost looks like a bedroom with a pillow on the horizon. Most of the Buddhist monks and sages resided in this portion and meditated. All the artifacts found in this portion have been relocated to the museum.

1000 Hoods : The stalactite formation on the wall looks like a cobra hoods, just imagine number of cobras opening their hood to strike, a scary scenario, but it is just a figment of imagination of the locals to describe the scenario being displayed.

Banyan Tree Hall : This section resembles a huge banyan tree spreading its roots and branches all over.

Mandapam : This huge stalactite hall looks like a marriage hall. Who knows marriages may take place in future……….for a movie Lol.

Musical chamber : The stalactite pillar formation give out musical notes when stuck with a wooden cane or once knuckles.

Patalganga : A perennial stream of water flows into the Belum village located 2 km away from this spot.



Overall a visit to Belum cave can be quite a thrilling experience, it is generally opened between 9 am to 5 pm. One has to be prepared for visiting the cave with plenty of water, and take due care while passing through some narrow passage. In certain areas one is bound to feel clausterphobic, but not very scary since the lighting is quite sufficient. There are ventilators and blowers at strategic points, it is better to take a breather under them and proceed further. Since the best of the caves are located in the explored spots, Belum cave is the best experience one can have underground. The sheer adventure and aura to experience an underground exploration is fulfilled at Belum.