Kudli – A picturesque serene
place near Shimoga, Karnataka, India.
The place is confluence of two
important rivers of Karnataka. Tunga and Bhadra confluence here to form
Tungabhadra river.
In India the place where two or
more major rivers join to form another river becomes of place of religious
importance. It is natural to have temples, places of worship, mutt in such
places. What is more interesting is that such places become center of art and
culture too in addition to religious practice. In fact in India temples and art
& culture are rarely separable. Over period, in some places the art &
culture part wane away due to invasion, local apathy, or vandalism. What
remains is called “History”. Sculpture is an integral part of almost any
history I guess.
Kudli is no different.
It is a quiet spot for nature
lovers, one can enjoy the rippling sound of the river and a scenic sunset.
Those who is interested in
sculpture and history of the place can really get into details of the temple complex.
There are two temples on river bank. One is Sri
Rameshwara swamy and another is Sri
Chintamani Narasimha swamy. There is one roof less Shiva temple too.
Sri Rameshwara Swamy Temple
The emblem of Hoysala dynasty is
clearly visible on top of the temple “Gopura”.
Sri Chintamani Narasimha Swamy Temple.
Sri Rameshwara Swamy Temple back side view
Another Shiva Temple.
There is one small HariHara Temple just at the spot where two rivers join.
The temple complex is relatively well
maintained.
There is a Sringeri Sharada peetha Mutt and Sri Sharadamba temple and
also a Sri Vaishnava mutt in the location.
A little bit history of the
place.
The history goes back to 12th
century to 16th century. Many different kings had ruled this spot.
Hoysala, Vijayanagara, keladi – Ikkeri kings.
There are few “Shilashasana”
available for those who are keen to research further.
The river seems shallow in some
places particularly during summer. It is reported that the water level goes
quite high covering the steps during rainy season.
As I said before the inside
temple complex is quite maintained neat and clean. However it is terrible to
see the beautiful stone sculptures just strewn around in the water.
It is not known as to why such beautiful
carving are lying neglected. They all could be just placed inside the complex
as museum. It is pity that they are left ignored.
The authorities have shown “Divya
Nirlakshya” to these sculpture and the spot next to the steps. (BTW the temple seems to be under state Mujarai department)
An equally irresponsible visitor too could have contributed the garbage.
This could have been taken care.
This place is certainly a short
weekend getaway spot for those who stay in
Shimoga.
This is about 16 km from Shimoga
city on Chennagiri road.
Nearest place to stay is Shimoga
only.
The place is open through out the
year, but best time to visit is October to April.
