Ajata Nagalingaswami temple in Navalgund town of Dharwad district has a unique practice of offering flowers and ‘arti’ and lighting oil lamps before a copy of the Bible. Nagalingaswamy, a yogi who lived in the 19th century, is the presiding deity here.

Temple head Veerendra Swami told The Hindu that the copy of the Bible in Kannada was published by a Committee of the Missionaries of Germans, London, and Wesleyan Missionary Societies, and printed at Mangalore in 1865.

Mr. Swami has an interesting story to relate about the origin of the temple.

Kallappa, from Mushtigeri village of Bagalkot district, was a devotee of the mother goddess. A group of Christian missionaries gave him a copy of the Bible.

Once when Nagalingaswami came to meet Kallappa, he hid the book from the yogi for some reason. However, in the course of their conversation, Nagalingaswami told him about his next birth and asked Kallappa to show him the Bible. The yogi pulled out a hook and drilled a hole in the book. He then dropped a Victorian silver coin into the hole, which came out from the other end. Nagalingaswami told Kallappa that he would take the rebirth when the hole filled on its own over a period of time. The story is part of the biography of the yogi published by the temple. Mr. Swami claimed that the hole had been shrinking over a period of time and the missing words on the perforated part had reappeared. The temple authorities have been recording the radius of this hole regularly.

One can see circular lines around the hole, which the temple authorities drew at different point in time. Anyone can access the Bible with prior permission before the morning puja. Even a ‘panja’ and a ‘sidgi’ brought here by the mystic have been preserved here.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by N. Dinesh Nayak / Dharwad – December 31st, 2013

Mysore :

JSS Mahavidyapeetha, under its Sri Shivarathreeshwara Cultural Endowment, presented ‘Sri Shivarathreeshwara award’ to Retd. Kannada Professor Dr. Veeranna Dande and Kannada Professor Dr. Jayashree Dande of Gulbarga University for their book ‘12th century Sharana memorials’ and their contributions to Kannada literature at a function held on Jan. 3 at Rajendra Bhavan in JSS Hospital premises here.

Suttur Seer Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Swamiji, who graced the occasion, presented the award which carries a cash prize of Rs. 25,000 and a plaque to the couple.

Dr. Veeranna Dande, who spoke on the occasion, said ‘Since I had the experience of having worked in folk field, collection of information on Sharana memorials was easy. Myself and my wife Jayashree have toured 91 villages in North Karnataka, collected information on 190 memorials in three years and compiled the book. This is not only an information book but also serves as a research work.’

Writer Prof. Morabada Mallikarjuna said the book has been written concentrating on Basavakalyana. The 12th century Sharana memorials have been depicted in their original form. The special feature of the book is that in addition to real aspects of life, it contains aspects on communal harmony of Hindu and Muslim communities, he said.

Mysore University Vice-Chancellor Prof. K.S. Rangappa presided. JSS Mahavidyapeetha Publication Department Director Prof. K.C. Shivappa welcomed.

About the authors: Dr. Jayashree Dande, Faculty, Dept. of Kannada Studies, Gulbarga University, has to her credit, more than 45 novels. Her special field of interest is ‘Vachana studies.’

Dr. Veeranna Dande, Retd. Kannada Professor, Gulbarga University, has about three decades of experience in teaching, research and administration. He is an expert in Vachana Sahitya, Folk culture and also a columnist. He has authored more than 50 books.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / January 05th, 2014

Revellers prefer Indiranagar, Koramangala

The New Year party in the city is no longer just at Brigade Road and M.G. Road. Those leafing through party announcements will find that Indiranagar and Koramangala are giving the central business district a run for revellers’ money.

Take 25-year-old media professional Sanjana Shetty, for example. For her gang of friends, for whom wining and dining at the most happening resto-bars every New Year is almost a ritual, heading all the way to M.G. Road from their homes in and around Marathahalli is no longer a sound option. “We obviously drink if it is a New Year party and being stuck in the chaos on Brigade Road past midnight is not a good idea as the group mostly has women. Indiranagar is a lot closer and the celebrations are more subdued,” she said.

Parthiv K., a 31-year-old advertising professional, is a resident of Vijaynagar. He will be driving across town with his wife and friends to Indiranagar 100 ft Road. “On that road alone, there are easily more than 50 good restaurants, pubs and microbreweries. The criterion is to usher in the new year with people you care about, at a nice place, over a good meal. Going to an overly crowded Brigade Road does not fit the bill,” he explained, when asked why they don’t find a place closer home.

Steady crowd

Ashish Kothare, president of the Association of Bars, Restaurants and Pubs, and owner of Le Rock and Legends of Rock, said Koramangala and Indiranagar are emerging as alternatives to the CBD. “Vehicles aren’t allowed in the CBD on that day in the evening. Our pubs have been getting steady crowds, being houseful every year. Places such as UB City too have been doing well, but are exorbitantly priced. Koramangala and Indiranagar have good places for people to go to,” he said.

Early deadline

The early deadline too can be a dampener. The police recently issued an order issuing ‘no objection’ from their side to pubs and restaurants staying open till 1 a.m. Pubs and restaurants were required to get a licence from the Excise Department to serve liquor beyond the usual deadline of 11.30 p.m., an excise inspector attached to the Ashoknagar division said.

However, some pubs in the CBD are happy to down their shutters early on New Year’s Eve. The manager of a popular pub on Residency Road, on condition of anonymity, said every year, they prefer to close by 9 p.m. “The number of guests increases after 9 p.m. as many come to Brigade Road. In pubs, which are already filled to capacity, it becomes difficult to handle more people. Business would double on December 31 but we want to avoid the risk of brawls and other unsavoury instances where people leave without paying,” he said.

One pub’s loss is another’s gain. The staff of a popular pub in Indiranagar said they already had 50 per cent reservations for December 31. The pub, usually known to serve food and drinks at reasonable prices, has an entry fee for that day — Rs. 5,000 per couple — and is expecting to be full house (the capacity is 350).

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bangalore / by Staff Reporter / Bangalore – December 27th, 2013