HERITAGE WALK

MADHUKESHWAR TEMPLE, BANVASI

LOCATION:

Banavasi lies in Malenadu region and is surrounded by forests and villages, with the Varada river flowing around it on three sides. Sirsi, is the nearest town about 23 km away. It is 400  km from Bengaluru. The nearest railway stations are 70  km away in Haveri and Talaguppa. The district Headquarters is Karwar.

INTRODUCTION:

Banavasi is an ancient temple town located near Sirsi in Karnataka. Banavasi was the ancient capital of the Kannada empire Kadamba that ruled all of modern-day Karnataka state. They were the first native empire to bring Kannada and Karnataka to prominence. It is 24 km (15 mi) away from its nearest large city Sirsi through SH 77.

WHY IS IT NAMED AS MADHUKESHWAR TEMPLE:

The Madhukeshwara temple gets its name from the honey-hued Shiva Lingam inside the sanctum. The temple dates back to the 9th century and hence is one of Karnataka’s oldest temples. It was commissioned by Mayura Sharma from the Kadamba dynasty.

HISTORY OF BANVASI:

The Kadambas were the oldest rulers of Karnataka and they reigned till the Chalukyas came to power. The Madhukeshwara Temple as it stands today is the result of a number of modifications that have taken place during the times of succeeding dynasties like the Chalukyas and Hoysalas.

ARCHITECHTURE:

A pair of stone elephants greets visitors to the temple. The main shrine of this temple or the Garba Mandapa has a very simple structure. It has minimal ornamentation in terms of carvings on pillars and walls. A honey-colored Shiva Linga is placed in this shrine. Under the reign of the Chalukya dynasty, a Sankalpa mandapa was added on to the temple.

 

The construction of the Nritya mandapa is attributed to the Hoysala rulers. The Nritya Mandapa is a sharp contrast to the Garba Mandapa in terms of ornamentation. This ceiling, walls and pillars of this mandapa are exquisitely carved. The pillars bear the Hoysala trademark of reflective convex and concave carvings one below the other. This goes to prove the expertise of the stone carvers of that time.

The temple also has 8 separate shrines for the Ashtathik Balahas, their consorts and vahanas. It is probably the only temple where this is seen.

UNIQUE ATTRACTION:

Unique attraction of this temple is a vertically sliced Ganesha idol. It is believed that the other half of this stone idol is in Varanasi.

PROBLEMS FACED IN POPULARISING THE SITE :

1.   The temple is located in the extreme interiors of the city.

2.   Modern aesthetics have taken over the vintage designs, more emphasis needs to be given to the ancient architecture.

3.   Lack of parking area hinders the visit of  large groups of people.

4.   Narrow roads restrict the movement of bigger vehicles.

  SOME POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO THE STATED PROBLEMS:

1.   Although the temple is located in the interiors of the city, proper directions through creative way of mapping can be done along with which the near by small/big shops(of all kinds of merchandise) can be made as landmarks which indirectly also promotes marketing.

2. Using various social media platforms, trends of vintage architectural designs can be promoted.

3. Space utilization can be planned properly and parking facilities can be provided.

4.As soon as the visitors reach the destination site, a link can be popped through the detected location which displays the history of the temple in a story format (by creating a video through animation).

TIBETIAN COLONY, MUNDGOD

LOCATION:

Mundgod is located at 14.97°N 75.03°E.[2] It has an average elevation of 567 metres (1,860 ft).

HISTORY:

As of 2001 India census,[1] Mundgod had a population of 16,171. males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Mundgod has an average literacy rate of 67%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 73%, and female literacy is 62%. in Mundgod, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.

with the help of the government of India, the Tibetan administration, in the early 1960s, proposed to start a number of settlements for the Tibetan refugees. tibetan settlement in Mundgod is one of them. government of India in consultation with the state government of Karnataka agreed to provide 4,000 acres (16 km2) of mostly forestland near taluk village in north kanara district 1900 feet (580 m) above sea level. the settlers were provided tents and bamboo huts for temporary shelter in the beginning. all the work in the settlement was done on co-operative basis and settlers were provided free dry ration. Doeguling Tibetan settlement in Mundgod was established in 1966.

ARCHITECTURE:

Architecture of Tibet contains Chinese and Indian influences but has many unique features brought about by its adaptation to the cold, generally arid, high-altitude climate of the Tibetan plateau. Buildings are generally made from locally available construction materials, and are often embellished with symbols of Tibetan Buddhism. For example, private homes often have Buddhist prayer flags flying from the rooftop.Religious structures fall into two main types: temples, which are used for religious ceremonies and worship; and stupas (Chörtens), which are reliquaries and symbols. Temples (gompas) come in a great variety of styles, generally reflecting local architectural traditions. The design of the Tibetan Chörtens can vary, from roundish walls in Kham to squarish, four-sided walls in Ladakh. In a few regions, especially Danba County, one may see tall and impressive stone towers, many over a century old.

PROBLEMS:

1. it is very difficult to make money here. there are barely any jobs here,” tenzing says.

2. Tibetans are not officially recognised as refugees in India. instead, on paper, they are designated as “foreigners”. 

3.  India has refused to sign the 1951 united nations convention on refugees. 

4. As a result, tibetans are not allowed government jobs. sometimes, even universities don’t admit Tibetan students,” says sonam norbu dagpo, the spokesman for the central Tibetan administration (cta), the Tibetan government-in-exile, which is based in Dharamshala, India.

SOLUTIONS:

(i)  Government should 'insure' the migrant workers, so on distress return, they can start their own businesses;

 

(ii)  Government can grant them soft loans; 

(iii)  These workers can also be given preference in opening up SMEs; 

(iv)  Government should establish a pension fund and contingency fund for them.

ATTIVERI BIRD SANCTUARY, MUNDGOD:

INTRODUCTION:

A reservoir was constructed by irrigation department at Attiveri in midst of forests of Mundgod range in Yallapura Forest Division in the year 1992. Birds started attracting by this reservoir in large numbers year after year noticing this Yallapur Forest Division started improving this area by taking up development works for birds habitat and sent proposals to declare this as a  sanctuary for the protection and conservation of the bird life. This area was declared as Attiveri Bird Sanctuary by the Government in the year 2000. Attiveri Bird Sanctuary is situated in Mundgod taluka of Uttar Kannada District. The sanctuary consists of a reservoir built across Tayavvanahalla at Attiveri in Mundgod taluka passing through the forests of Dundasi forest range in Haveri forest division. Extent of the sanctuary is 560 acres comprising 548 acres of reserve forest and 12 acres private lands.

LOCATION:

The Sanctuary is called as Attiveri bird Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is  located in the Borders of Mundgod & Kalghatgi taluka of Uttar Kannada and Dharwad District respectively.

MOST COMMONLY SEEN BIRDS:

Birds inhabiting this area include cattle egret, Indian and little cormorants, black-headed ibis, Eurasian spoonbill, pied and white-throated kingfishers, Indian grey hornbill and barn swallow.

Commonly seen birds: Red-naped Ibis, cormorants, hornbills, kingfishers, Spoonbill, Barn Swallow, egrets, bee-eaters, parakeets, and more.

PROBLEM :

The Attiveri reservoir is depended on rain water. During good monsoon it  fills up and overflow otherwise it would not be. Hence, it is to be manipulated so that the birds should get protected by creating artificial islands surrounded by water channels to maintain dead storage level around the islands which facilitates the birds to nest and roost even during bad monsoon without any disturbance. The cattle of villages belonging to Astikatta, Attiveri, Gouli Daddi, depends for grazing and drinking water on this sanctuary is a serious problem.

OBJECTIVES:

1.  Restore the degraded portions of the sanctuary through habitate Improvement .

2. To create awareness among the people about the need to protect the nature in general and the sanctuary in particular .

3. To maintain and develop to the extent considered necessary tourism for 

recreation, education and scientific exploration.