Bhagamandala and Talacauvery-Mysore and Coorg Trip Day-4

 

Next day morning Our journey took us on another spiritual quest as our next destination was Bhagamandala, One of the most popular hill stations in the country, Coorg is not all about nature but also of equally popular religious sites as well. This breathtakingly beautiful hill station in the western ghats of Karnataka state, boasts of being a popular destination among devotees as well. Sri Bhagandeshwara temple is one such shrine which attracts hordes of devotees to Coorg.

 

Sri Bhagandeshwara temple is situated at an elevation of 898 meters, at the Bhagamandala village in Coorg, which is also famous for the Triveni Sangama, a popular sightseeing place in a Coorg tour.

In Skanda Purana, Bhagamandala was known in ancient times as Bhaganda Kshetra. Long ago one great sage namely Sri Bhaganda Maharshi was living here in his ashrama with his disciples. Therefore, the place was named after the great rishi Sri Bhaganda as Bhagamandala. Sri Bhaganda Maharshi did severe penance to invoke the special blessings of Lord Subramanya and Lord Shiva. Lord Subramanya blessed the Maharshi and the place. Lord Subramanya named the place Skanda Kshetra and manifested it in the form of a stone image. Lord Shiva blessed Sri Bhaganda Maharshi and assured him of his divine presence in the place. Sri Bhaganda Maharshi installed a Shiva Linga and invoked in it the divine presence of Lord Shiva and worshipped it. Since the holy Shiva Linga was installed by Sri Bhaganda Maharshi it became popular and known as Sri Bhagandeshwara. It is traditionally believed that a very special manifestation of divinity is present in Sri Bhagandeshwara Linga at Bhagamandala.

 

A holy bath in Triveni Sangama in Bhagamandala is not only enchanting but spiritually uplifting. Which is sacred as there is the confluence or sangama of the three rivers The Triveni Sangama is formed out of the confluence of three rivers namely Sri Cauvery, Sri Kanika, and Sri Sujyothi. Sujyothi of course, like the river Saraswati at Ganga Triveni Sangama at Allahabad, is ‘Antarvahini’-subterranean-not visible to our physical eyes. . Interestingly Sujyoti is largely mythical as it’s meant to be flowing underground and joining the main river as she spreads herself and flows along.

 

Architecture of Bhagandeshwara Temple

The architecture of Bhagandeshwara Temple is striking and rich. Architecture has a special place in my heart, as they speak of timelessness. Bhagamandala has a fusion of two architectural styles from Kerala and Nepal ? The main templeis constructed in a large stone courtyard, with multi-layered roofs of reddish hue and pagodas and shows beautiful carvings on the wood ceiling, the granite walls are covered with floral motifs and murals are made from vegetable dyes. The entire art and architecture is in its best form inside the temple.

 

The exact date of the construction and dedication of Sri Bhagandeshwara and other temples in Bhagamandala is not known, because no historical records are available in that regard. But it is believed that the origin of the temples belongs to the puranic age. According to the available historical records, it is known that Maharaja Veera Rajendra Wadeyar, the King of Kodagu, renovated the temple in 1790 AD. Sitting by the Sangama, I could see the religious importance here; pilgrims throng the Sangama to take a dip in the waters and to perform rituals to their ancestors. Tula Sankramana festival (in October) attracts huge amount of people.

I saw another aspect overlooking Bhagamandala that could have been an inspiration too ?the twin peaks of Mt. Thavoor and Mt. Koppatti. This region has a big potential to inspire adventure lovers or anyone who wishes to savour the mesmerizing beauty of the Shola forest ranges. Well, me stood and relished a moment myself.

After Darshan of Sri Bhagandeshwara We move on to the Brahmagiri hills to Talacauvery where the river originates and flows down 800 kms down to Poompuhar in Tamil Nadu. 

 

Story of Talakaveri

It is said that when Shiva and Parvati were getting married at Kailash Parvat, everyone went there to witness the wedding. As a result, the earth started tilting there. So, Agastya Rishi was sent to the South to maintain the balance of the earth. He was reluctant, and said, where he will get Holy Tirtha or Holy water for his daily rituals. Shiva filled the holy water in his Kamandal and said – here take it with you and go. So, Agastya Muni came down south. He sat on the Brahmgiri hill to meditate with his Kamandal carrying the holy tirtha.

 

In the parallel universe, Indra had to hide in a lotus stalk and needed some Holy Tirtha to get back his form and kingdom. The closest Tirtha was in Agastya Muni’s Kamandal. When Indra prayed to Ganesha for help, Ganesha took the form of a crow and sat on Agastya’s Kamandal. When he tried to shoo away the crow, Kamandal tripped and the water flowed. Agastya chased the crow till it took the form of a small boy and the Ganesha. In another story from Skanda Puran, Kaveri is the river incarnation of Lopamudra, the foster daughter of Rishi Kaver. She was married to Agastya Rishi.

At the entrance is a big arch leading to steps that lead to the Talakaveri tank. If you stand at the valley end of the arch, you see the vast green valley with layers of hills in different shades of green. It is a beautiful landscape of lush green Western Ghats. I only wish I had visited in the early morning or late evening. In the mid-noon sun, it was impossible to stand there, even with the soothing green in front.

Temple Tank

When we reached the temple tank it was a lovely sight. An enclosure around the spring called Gundige is connected to a small pond. A small Kaveriamman temple is on one edge of the pond. In the temple has the same image of Kaveri in a standing position emptying the pot in front of her

 

 A priest was performing Puja at the temple. From the small pond  river which flows underground and emerges after about a kilometer down the hill. There are shrines above the spring and temples dedicated to Agasthyeshwara and Ganesha. It is believed that the Saptha Rishis had performed a penance here to get immortality. The priest inform us that the Agni Kundas can be seen there.

 

You can go inside and take a dip, but not touch it with your feet. It is the holiest of places in the Coorg region and it must be respected. After saying a silent prayer, we headed to the temples that are still further up from the tank.

Agastheeswara & Ganesha Temples

There are small but very beautiful temples. One of them is called Agastheeswara and was built by Agastya Muni. The other one is dedicated to Ganesha to commemorate his role in bringing Kaveri here. We spent some time there and felt a sense of peace that comes from places that have been worshipped for a long time.

 

The beautiful range of Brahmagiri Hills, as seen from the TalaKaveri view point..!!⠀Brahmagiri hill ranges, one of the biggest and the beautiful hill ranges of Karnataka. It houses numerous trek spots for adventure junkies and also the home for invariable species of flora and fauna.⠀ A sublime atmosphere which automatically transports you into a spiritual trance. Tala Cauvery a must visit place.

Our tour completed in four days on the way we visited Aprmeya Temple and back to Mumbai.

JaishreeIyer