DEVARAJA CANAL & SURROUNDING GREENS.

   It has been quite a phenomenon   for me, to visit Cauvery River banks  from KRS to Srirangapatna, whenever I find some leisure. This time, I noticed some people watching and shooting birds at this canal. I followed the route upto Ranganathittu and found  the same to be lucrative for me. In the subsequent visits, I went with my equipments and shot as much as I could- in the time span of an hour or two.
   
    The Canal originates from the river at Balamuri. I am not interested in shooting at Balamuri for some reasons. The next place is a temple dedicated to Lord Narasimha & Lord Shreenivasa, which has been built in Odisha style. The temple is situated at the banks of river Cauvery. The place is quite serene compared to Balamuri and I just use to throng by. From here on, I moved along with the mud road, besides the Canal.

               The road leads the eye to the temple and the trees frame the same.

     Shooting temples and other monuments has been a delight for me- with the bold Blues of sky.

           The yellow of the soil balances with the bright blue of the sky, while the white clouds             contradicts with the shadow of the Gate.


                       This custom bridge leads to one Ashram in the Island formed amidst  the river.

            From here on the Drama starts... Lush green paddyfields, reflections in the water.....

                          Heaps and loads of reflections, what to shoot & what not? 
                           I just kept pressing the shutter button.

   


            There is a farm house surrounded by coconut trees. I moved there and shot a lot of pics.

    The road leads to Karekura [ leftwards].

                              Here I have tried White balance masking -1.

                                      White balance masking -2.

In the future I have plans to  explore more of  this area,  before Monsoon.

KALLAHALLI & HOSAHOLALU.

Last saturday, we had planned a trip to Lord Varahanatha temple, at Kallahalli.

At around 12 pm, we started and proceeded  through the K R S  road. After K R S, the road continues  through DINKA, Bannangadi etc. Kallahalli is about 20+ kms away from KRS, on the banks of river Hemavathi.
   As always, rivers or waterfronts have always been my prime destinations,  but sad part is that, it is not permitted  to take photos of the Deity. A lot of development works  are going on- building renovation.
Some 14 years ago, I had visited the place, which at that time was in ramparts. The Idol  is 18 ft tall! but, lower part of the same - the Peetham has been burried in the ground to ease up viewing for devoties, which in turn raises the ground level to 5- 6 ft.
 I never enter temples which are crowdy  and that day was no exception- Vaikuntha Ekadashi. I stayed outside and shot some pics.

I thought it would be more joyful to shoot at the waterfront than enter the shrine.

I wish I could reach the island in the background,

As usual, rich blues and reflection fulfilled my thirst.

There is a stone structure which can be used as a prop, if found empty!  People who throng there, use it to have food and the result is  in the foreground.

Temple from front.

From the side. Observe the height of the temple, which was not so previously.

golden color of the shrine, always compliments the blues of the sky.

This time I used a new lens 70-300mm is usm, which I acquired recently.

 Afterwards,we proceeded towards Hosaholalu, near K. R. Pet. There is a Hoysala styled Temple, dedicated to Lord Lakshminarayana. By the time we reached there, the temple was closed and we could have the outer views only.

Hoysala architecture fascinates us with its intricate details. These are views  from behind the temple.

Finally it was 6 pm, indicating us to return home. we bid adieu with these flowers-

KARIKE ROAD.

   Recently we visited Karike road, which is known for waterfalls.

   Karike is a place situated at the southwest border of Kodagu District. The road leading to Bhagamandala, has a junction at the entrance gate of Bhagamandala, from which a right turn laeds to the Karike road. Though the road is said to be a state highway, its condition is pathetic- from motorist's point of view.

    A stretch of 30+ kms from the Bhagamandala juncton to Karike has been a visual delight. From a place called Tannimoni, the real drama starts- waterfalls at every nook and corner of the road!! total 34 waterfalls in just a span of 20kms, upto Karike. It was almost  the end of Monsoon,  so we were able to spot only a few- others had dried up.

Rich paddy fields mark the place  near Tanimoni, worth th framing.

 After Tannimoni, the land  between two hills narrows down and forms a gorge at Karike. Before waterfalls, we can have a glimpse of lush green  at our left.

The step by step structure of the paddyfields  caught my attention and I responded.

Gate of an estate. This type of  Gates ar common at our countryside, but  the rainy  ambience has enriched the look.

Just copied one of  my favorite shot, from the book 'The Oregon'.

There were signs of heavy rainfall, which made us to reconsider our move. Any way I wanted to record it.

The hill in the background is said to be Talakavery.

Greens, Greens and Greens everywhere. I wanted to illustrate the nuances of green.

 From here, the actual drama starts.

Though  there are notnames for these falls, one of a passerby told  this one is called as "RANI ABBE" meaning Queen's falls.

Amma in front of Rani abbe, for understanding the height of falls.

Rani abbe from the front.

Rani abbe in the reflection.

The downstreams of one of the waterfalls. 

The bridge at Karike. All the water from the falls,  flows down here. Before this place, there is  a small powerstation. 

The road leading towards Karike.

The road from where we arrived.

 The stream seen from over the bridge.

The building in white is the power genertion plant.