Someshwara temple is particularly known for its magnificent architecture and its intricately carved pillars that produce music.

An amazing thing happened recently in the busy neighbourhood of Ulsoor. Researchers found a Kalyani (open pond) almost adjacent to the Someshwara temple, one of Bangalore oldest temples, buried under a craggy piece of land that housed a milk dairy and some houses. The ten-day excavation work uncovered a 1,200-year-old stepped open pond.

One of the unique features of this temple is that although Someshwara (Shiva or Eshwara) is the presiding deity, Vishnu, Brahma, Kamakshamma, Arunachaleswara, Bhimeswara, Nanjundeswara and Panchalingeswara are also worshipped here.

The beauty of Someshwara temple even attracted the prime minister of Canada, Stephen Harper and his wife, Laureen Harper to visit it. The temple is particularly known for its magnificent architecture and its intricately carved pillars that produce music. The five-tier Mahadwara Mantapa, elaborate with statues of gods and goddesses, and another well executed gopuram on the east entrance, are typical 16th century structures.

An exquisite pillar, Nandi Kambha, stands in front of a small but beautiful gopura in the open courtyard. There is a spacious open mantapa consisting of four large projecting ‘bays’ (area between four pillars) which leads to a closed mantapa whose walls are decorated with pilasters and sculptures.

A narrow passage connects the closed mantapa to the Garbagriha or the Sanctum. The open mantapa is covered with standard Yali (mythical beast) pillars. In all, there are 48 pillars with beautiful carvings of gods and goddesses that are said to produce the sounds of musical instruments when tapped.

To the north is the Navagraha temple, which has carved pillars depicting the 12 rashis. Two dwarapalakas (guards) watch over the main entrance to the garbagriha (sanctum sanctorum).

The temple also houses beautiful sculptures which narrate the story of King Ravana of Lanka lifting Mount Kailasha, Goddess Durga slaying Mahishasura and idols of the Shaivaite saints.

There are carving of Girija Kalyana (the holy wedding of Lord Shiva and Parvathi) on the outer wall of the sanctum sanctorum.

Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, the seven rishis, the twelve adityas and eleven rudras are also a part of the wedding procession, with King Himalaya performing the kanyadana.

A Sri chakra is found inside the Kamakshi sannidhi which is a rare, as they are usually found only in Shakthi Kshetras.

Another attraction of the temple is the Ashwattha Katte, a huge old banyan tree whose age is not known.

History of the temple: While the temple’s actual history is unknown, Benjamin Lewis Rice in the ‘Gazetter of Mysore’ (1887), describes a legend behind the construction of the temple.

King Kempe Gowda had a strange dream while on a hunt in which Lord Someshwara instructed him to build a temple in his honour using buried treasure.

According to a different version, it was King Jayappa Gowda (1420-1450 CE), uncle of Kempe Gowda, from a minor dynasty called “Yelahanka Nada Prabhu” built the temple. He employed a sculptor from Belur, a descendant of the famous Janakachari to construct the temple.

Another account attributes the temple to the Cholas Dynasty in the 10th century and renovated by rulers of Yelahanka.

Legend has it that the linga in the sanctum was the one that was being worshipped by sage Mandavya.

S K Aruni, historian of Indian Council for Historical Research, classifies the construction to three different periods – the Cholan period (inner most sanctum sanctorum, inner hall and its enclosing wall), the Vijayanagar period (outer pillared hall and mukhamantapa) and early colonial period (Kamakshi Amman temple, the nandimantapa and balipeeta).

The medieval historians say that Lord Cornwallis first camped here while mulling over methods to overpower Tipu Sultan.

It is also said that Abbakka Rani used to worship here five centuries ago.

Abbakka Rani was a 16th century princess who hated the Portuguese and even divorced her husband for accepting their impositions. She fought her husband and eventually gave up her life rather than surrender to the Portuguese.

The excavation of the Kalyani is still underway and the area is fenced to avoid people from crowding there. Even old-timers like Yuvaraj, who stays right next to the site, didn’t know about the pond till excavation started.

There are no records but legend has it that this pond was closed down by the British almost 150 years ago as the tank had dried up. However Laxminarayana Dixit, the 90-year-old Chief Priest of the temple, refutes these claims. “No one knows who or why this pond was closed,” he states.

The excavation struck water at 20 feet. “We don’t know how deep it is or its physical dimensions. We are eagerly awaiting the findings of the dig based on the survey conducted by the BBMP, Muzrai department and Archeological Survey of India,” explained  Govindaraju, President, Sri Someshwara Swamy Temple Development Committee.

Whatever be the physical dimensions of the Kalyani, one thing is sure, once it is restored to its past glory, the beauty of the temple will increase manifold.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by Dr. Mamatha B R – Bangalore / March 28th, 2013

Karnataka Janasahitya Samavesha, a two-day literary festival, will begin at Karantak Vidhyavardhak Sangha here on Saturday.

The event will discuss the past, present and future of progressive literature in Kannada and explore possibilities of launching a new literary movement to protect its pro-people tradition from commercial elements.

Organising committee member M.D. Okkund said the event was a response to the efforts by corporate interests to intrude into literary field in a bid to reap commercial benefits.

“Kannada literature has a tradition of contributing to the larger social good. However, the great ideals which guided us seem to be eroding in recent times. Of late, some writers are trying to introduce commercial interests in the guise of bringing in a revolution. This led to the reorganisation of progressive writers,” he said.

Session

Marathi writer Lakshman Gaikwad will inaugurate the event. Writers Nagesh Hegde, Banjagere Prakash and S.B. Joguyr will participate in a session on ‘Various dimensions of present day crisis in literary field’ on the first day.

Writers Sarjashankar Haralimath, B. Peer Basha, Veeranna Madivalar, and Anasuya Kambel will talk on ‘Society and my writings’ on the second day. There will be a poetic session and Nagara Mattu Nadi Kanive , a documentary directed by Kesari Haravu, will be screened.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by  Staff  Correspondent / Dharwad, March 23rd, 2013

Bangalore :

Those were the days when Bajaj scooters used to capture the middle-class imagination. As did Ambassador cars and HMT watches. Bangalore-based businessman Nikhil Tivari was in high school when his mother gifted him a HMT Rajat automatic watch in the 1970s.

Like the scooter, there was a waiting period for the Rajat — of over 10 months. Tivari’s mother booked a Rajat by paying a few hundred rupees as advance. “The watch could have been a future keepsake but it was stolen,” says the watch connoisseur, who owns over 40 one-off timepieces and popular brands.

But Tivari got lucky the second time when he bought an HMT Astra digital watch in the early 1990s. “I was one of the first 20 customers to own an Astra, which then cost Rs 392. They were selling it in the black market in Delhi for Rs 1,000. Long before luxury brands came into the country, HMT was the timekeeper of the nation. You would wear it with pride,” says Tivari, who treasures his HMT watch.

HMT is in a bad way, but many young watch lovers today love the idea of owning and investing in vintage HMT watches. The value of some of its brands has appreciated from a few thousand rupees to a couple of lakhs.

Working man’s timekeeper

Chennai-based Mukund Sivaraman owns 15 HMT watches, including a few Pilots and Janatas. These are popular for their 17-jewel manual wind mechanical movements. The jewels may not be of great value and are mainly used to reduce metal-to-metal friction. “I am fascinated by the mechanical movements, more so because they work like a machine. The Pilot and Janata were very affordable and represented the working man’s watch of the 1970s and 1980s. You could get them for less than Rs 1,000,” says the director of software consultancy firm Banu.com.

Sivaraman said collectors across the world are making enquiries for HMT’s mechanical watches. “They last a lifetime and are much cheaper than mechanical watches from Seiko,” he said. The mainspring does the magic and it’s hand wound.

For UK-based software professional Nimish George, his HMT watch has become a family heirloom. His grandfather James Puthuran, then 90, gifted it to him as an anniversary gift 50 years ago. “It still works perfectly,” says George.

HMT watches have become a talking point on many discussion forums like forums.watchuseek.com, PMWF.com (Poormanswatchforum.com) and thewatchforum.co.uk. Bangkok-based Christopher  Sisti, in a blog post last year, described HMT watches thus: “They look retro with a vintage feel, which is very cool if you ask me. The watches being mechanical is cool too, because for that price ($12) you could only get a cheap battery watch in America.”

VD Wadhwa, director of All-India Federation of Horological Industries, says he still treasures the HMT Janata watch he bought when he was in school. “HMT’s automatic watches powered by the Miyota movement from Citizen were hugely popular among watch enthusiasts for their durability and accuracy,” he says. Wadhwa has over 100 watches in his collection.

In keeping with time

* HMT set up a watch manufacturing unit in Bangalore in collaboration with Citizen Watch Co, Japan, in 1961

* First batch of hand-wound wrist watches was released by then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru

* Launched India’s first automatic day-date, quartz, Braille, ana-digi watches

* In 1975, the watch factory in Bangalore was expanded to manufacture main spring, hair spring and shock-absorber components. With this, HMT totally acquired the technology of mechanical watch-making

* Set up manufacturing facilities to produce 2 million watch components in Tumkur (1978) and Ranibagh (1985)

* Tumkur factory was partially converted to manufacture quartz analog watches in collaboration with Japanese watchmaker Citizen

(Source: HMT website and internet)

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Bangalore / by Shilpa Phadnis, TNN / March 25th, 2013