Solo ride to Somnatpur Kesava Temple!

Crew Members: Just me! ;)
Duration: 8 hours.
Expense: Fuel cost + 5 Rs entrance fee at the monument.
Date: 23rd February 2014
Round Trip: 307 Kms
Bike: Royal Enfield Electra.
Abstract: Deep dive into self and ancient heritage!

I had returned to Bangalore the very morning 5:45 AM of Sunday the 23rd. It was a three days stay at Hyderabad in conjunction with marriage of a friend of mine. As soon as I reached my room, I crashed for a two hours of deep sleep. Not that I was sleep deprived in the bus! The moment I boarded the bus, I had slept and I wouldn't have got down if my friends hadn't woke me up. :D

I woke up around 10 AM and I just sat thinking what to do! After such dynamic and colorful 3 days, I didn't want to lye at my room making the day a useless one. I had this idea to go for a ride with no destination in mind. It was too late to call any of my fellow riders. Moreover, it was a Sunday and most my friends prefer for such adventures for Saturday as the next day is going to be at office. But I ain't that type! I do what comes to my mind with little second thoughts! :D

I grabbed my goggles, helmet, buff mask and my camera. Rushed to Anand Bhavan, Marathahalli and had a chow chow bath. I was all charged up! Now I should making up my mind to take up the direction. 

Somnathpur was one place that was beckoning me ever since I saw a picture of it in some tourism promotion website. I never could plan a trip to Somnathpura as it was 140+ Kms of one way drive. So all of us sudden my craziness got multiplied and decided to drive to Somnathpur! I normally take NICE road to go to enter Mysore road. But considering the position of sun (right on top of my head! ;)) at the time I decided to drive, I felt NICE road isn't going to be a very good option. I decided to take up the City market - Kengeri - Bidadi road. Traffic wasn't very troublesome. Except at the corporation circle. And by 12 PM, I had crossed city market flyover and entered Bangalore-Mysore road.

There were lot of vehicles on the road, which is generally not the scene when I start with a ride. I drove through the traffic and could maintain only a consistent 40 Kmph untill I crosses Satellite bus depot. Bangalore mysore road is not as good a highway as Bangalore - Hyderabad or Bangalore - Tumkur or Bangalore - Salem, not just considering the condition of the road, but also of the occassional traffic. But I somehow love this road very much. I was just driving at consistent 70Kmph enjoying the scenes around. After Kengeri, one can see the place where the NICE road meet Mysore road, another 4-5 Kms ahead there is this Rajrajeshwari Medical college on the right side and the adjacent road to the college compound is the one that one should be taking to go to Manachanabele Dam, Dodda Aalada Mara (Big Banyan Tree) and Savanadurga. I had visited the first two places some time ago. I could see the yellow boards on the side of the road displaying the tourist attractions in the way one is headed and the distance towards the same. That's one thing I appreciate Karnataka Govt for. It was displaying Ramdevara Betta, Shivanasamudra, Talakadu and my destination, Somanthpur. I saw the deviation to be taken towards Ramdevara Betta (a.k.a Sholay Betta as the shot were Basanthi dances in Sholay movie was shot there) which I had visited couple of months ago. Its an easy climb and couple of hours of time pass. It was burning hot but I hardly got annoyed. I was deep into driving and gazing at every thing around. Immediatly after Ramnagara, I took a pit stop and had a glass of Sugarcane juice for 10 Rs. In no time, I was on the road and kept driving. I then realised, one should spend some time with ones self. It is an amazning experience. You sit idle in the room, you get bored and will want to go hang out with some one. But this kind of experience is awesome. I didn't realise I drove so long since I started. I came back to senses when I entered Chennapatna and both sides of the roads were showacsing the colourful wooden toys. I simply loved the wooden horse when I was a child and that is the main highlight of the place. Soon, I reached Kokkarebellur deviation. Kokkarebelllur is a birds sanctuary where I was taken by my parents when I was a kid. I have a very blurred recollection of the place. This place is definitely on my charter and will be doing a trip some other time. I kept driving and as per the maps I was refering I was supposed to drive till Mandya and then take a deviation on the left. But much before reaching Mandya, the yellow boards told me take a left turn and drive 70Kms to Somnatpur. Then I relised, I'll better trust the yellow boards than Google maps. I took the turn and the ride got even better. Both sides of the roads had cultivation - mainly sugarcane, tomato and some grain which looked like rice! There were lot of lorries loading sugarcane along the roads. I took another pit stop and had a tender coconut shot for 20 Rs. In another 40 Kms, I could see a gate way to enter Malavalli town. Little ahead, there was signal! A signal after 120Kms! I drove straight 5 Kms ahead and then saw the yellow boards again. But this time, Somnatpur was missing among the list! I could smell something fishy and I decided to refer Google one and realized from the signal I should have taken the right turn. Took a U-turn and go back on the right track.

Next town I should be hitting is Banur. Roads were a bit patched and rugged. I didn't notice couple of humps on the road and had to fly over them! :D

I saw the yellow board displaying the left deviation for Somnatpur and it said 7 more Kms. In 7.5 Kms, there was a board showing a right deviation and I could see the gates to Somnatpur. And finally, I am at the destination. It took me exact 3 hours for the ride. Parked my bike and took entrance fee of 5 Rs. There is no fee for camera. Entrance to the premises of temple is restricted between 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM. I walked in and I admired the neatness with which the place is maintained. There were a group of foreigners at the entrance and there were roaming around with cameras. I entered the temple and then I realized actual name of the place is Somnatpur Keshava temple. I took a picture of the board the described the temple.

As I moved in, I was dumbstruck seeing the beauty of the place. The temple as such looked like a piece of cake.

Carvings on the temple were so perfect and detailed. I have never seen such a detailed carvings anywhere else. Such beauty! Such majesty! I roamed around through the outer corridor with lot of pillars.

There were couple of foreigners sitting at the corridor and admiring the beauty of the craftsmanship. 

I stepped out of the corridor and went close to the outer walls of the temple. I was deeply immersed into the details of the skills men possessed in the past. I tried to make out the idols in the carvings but wasn't very successful! I could see all the incarnations of lord Vishnu. Bottom most part of the carvings were a group of elephants in line. It looked like they meant the elephants supporting the whole temple on their back.

There were lot of dragons and I just love the dragons in the Indian carvings.

I almost forgot that there is an interior for the temple and grabhagriha that is still to be seen. I clicked as many pictures as I wanted and walked into the final layer of the architecture.

It was dark inside and there was a notice saying visitors shouldn't be touching the monument. It was very cool inside. And I wanted take a picture of the entrance to the garbhagriha with out other visitors in the frame. This was the best I could manage though.

I went outside and sat in the outer corridor and browsed at the every detail on the walls and the gopura of the temple.

Spending almost 1.5 Hours there, I decided to start my drive back. It was 4:30 PM already and I decided to take road to Mandya and joining the Mysore - Bangalore road there. I drove with my my mind still pondering at the details of the temple. In between I felt like, I should be going back and looking out few more details of the place. But time was a constraint and I decided to drive ahead. I joined highway in 45 mins. I realized I didn't eat anything after the breakfast and decided to take a pit stop at the empire hotel before Chennapatna. That was a big mistake! The food was tasteless and costly! I will never ever visit the hotel next time I drive on this road. Sun had set by then and it stared getting dark. Drive almost became monotonous and all of us sudden a group of Royal Enfield bikers came in to the picture! They were all in proper RE costumes and looked like it was an organised trip. I drove with them unofficially! ;)

We all went together till Bidadi and some where in the traffic I overtook and them and they fell behind. Road was brimming with vehicles and it was all dusty! Thank God I had my buff mask on! Again the traffic didn't give me much trouble! By 7:30 PM, I was back in my room with lots of memory.

Do's:

1. Reach the place with in the entry permitted time of 8:30 AM and 5:30 PM.

2. Plan accordingly so that you can club couple more of places to make the best out of a day.

3. You can as well take up Kanakpura Road for one side and thus avoid the same road to and fro.

Things do remember:

1. Don't carry any eatables thinking you can take rest and eat inside the temple premises as there is a board at the entrance saying eating inside is not allowed.

There is no group pic this time as it was just me! And you wouldn't wanna see just me in a frame! :P