Talakad-Sandune covered Temples on Cauvery
Talakadu
Talakadu is an ancient town on the banks of river cauvery. Its history can be traced back to the Ganga kings of 3rd century AD. Talakadu is also associated with a legendary curse from a pious Queen! The Queen's curse turned the once flourishing Talakd into a desert. The old Talakadu town is buried under a mile of sand. Today Talakadu is a popular pilgrimage and picnic spot. Talakad is 3 hours drive from Bangalore and just an hour away from Mysore.
Talakadu Trip : Route and Stay Options
Talakad is around 130 kms from Bangalore by road. It can be approached either from Mysore highway or via Kanakapura Road. It is just 48 kms from Mysore. Most people come to Talakad as a day trip; however one can stay over at the Jaladhama resort which is besides the Cauvery river bank. Several options are available at the resort to explore the River like Coracle, Motor Boat and Water Scooter.
Brief History of Talakadu- The Legendary Curse
The legendary curse on Talakadu happened due to the following course of events! In the year 1610, Srirangapatnam was under the governance of Srirangaraya, the viceroy of Vijayanagar Empire. The viceroy had taken ill and had come to Talakadu to pray at a temple. His wife, Alemalamma, the Queen was left with the administration of the Kingdom. Concerned about her husband’s health, she too left Srirangapatnam and came to Talakadu. She brought with her priceless jewels which she used to adorn the deity at Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangapatnam. King Wodeyar of neighboring Mysore seized this opportunity and annexed Srirangapatnam. He also wanted the jewels of the Queen and sent his soldiers after her. Meanwhile the Viceroy passes away and a distraught Alemalamma throws herself and the jewels into the River at Talakadu. She uttered 3 curses before drowning.
“May Malangi become a whirlpool, Talakad turn into a desert and the Rajas of Wadiyar not beget male heir”.
What is amazing is that the curse is true till date! Talakadu is buried under mile deep sand and there has been no male heir to the crown of Mysore ever since.
What to see at Talakadu
Talakadu also houses a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The Keertinarayana temple, built using black granite and bricks, is a splendid example of Hoysala style of architecture. The highlight of this temple is the 2 meter tall main deity of the Lord.
Talakadu is one of the few places in India where remote sensing technology is being used to excavate archaeological remains. The evidence till date seems to suggest prevalence of a civilization at Talakad predating Christ. Some of the structures unearthed till now are a long wall six feet deep, canals, drainage pipes, and even a Jain Temple of 7th century.
There are two prominent theories doing the rounds regarding the explanation behind the Sand dunes of Talakadu, other than the Queen’s Curse that is! One school of thought blames this to an ecological disaster stemming from the construction of a dam in 1336 by Madhav Mantri a minister of the Vijayanagar Empire. This dam caused the sand on the river bed to be exposed to the strong winds that are frequent in Talakadu. Another school of thought blames the plight of Talakadu to a geological fault that runs across the Cauvery here. The theory is that the fault caused the land towards the east to subside, created a pool on the Cauvery’s channel which in turn accumulated salt and silt driven by the string winds.
Talakadu is also a great weekend getaway near Bangalore. It’s on the banks of River Cauvery. You can take the thrilling coracle ride over the river. Several varieties of birds like Kingfishers, Egrets, Storks and Cormorant can be spotted during this ride.
A good way to spend a weekend would be to come to Talakadu, take a walk on the mysterious sand here and ponder over the mysteries buried under your feet!
A Discovery
The best time to visit Talakad is during the Panchalinga Darshan, a fair held once is 12 years to honour the five Shiva temples. The next one is due in 2018. It is usually scheduled on the new moon day of Kartika month (Nov/Dec).
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
But that time the road was very bad,I don't know how is nowadays.
Thanks for the valuable information