The twin towns that supplied lotus to the Royal household of Chalukyas

One of the best known twin cities in India are Hyderabad and Secundrabad in Andhra Pradesh. Similarly, in Karnataka, the twin cities of Gadag and Betagiri are equally well-known.

However, there is a twin town which dates back to the times of the Chalukyas of Kalyana and it is not popularly known outside its location. Though this historic twin town  is in Karnataka, few know about it and fewer have visited it. 

The twin town supplied large quantity of lotus flowers to the Chalukyas and their royal household. This is the little known twin town of Umapura-Laheshwara which is located in  Basavakalyan taluk of Bidar district. They are home to perhaps some of the most beautiful and exquisite temples belonging to the Chalukyas.

It was the Chalukyas of Kalyan (These Chalukyas are different from the Chalukyas of Badami and the Chalukyas of Gujarat though they are all related.) who built several temples here when they ruled from Kalyan or Basavakalyan which was their capital.

It was Someshwara, the first, who made Kalyan, the capital and it reached its zenith under his son, Vikramaditya. He ruled from 1076 for fifty years and during his time, he constructed temples here, in Kalyan and even in Kanchi which he conquered in his war against the Cholas.  

During the time of  the Chalukyas, the town of  Umapura was a thriving centre of art, architecture and religion. It had scores of temples and it was then known as Uma Maheshwara.

The Chalukyas held this town in great esteem as it supplied lotus flowers to the Royal palace. The town had hundreds of ponds, tanks and small water bodies where lotus grew in abundance. The lotus flowers were carefully plucked and sent in elaborately decorated baskets to the Royal palace where they were used for religious and social occasions.

There are records to suggest that Uma Maheshwara was also the centre of flower trade and lotus was widely cultivated and marketed. Several craters and ponds were exclusively set aisde to grow lotus.

The Chalukya Emperors constructed many temples but only a few of them-Neelakantha, Mahadeva, Parvathi and Ganapathi-survived. Infact, even these temples were on the verge of collapse and in a sorry state.

The Archaeology Survey of India (ASI) dismantled the temples and reconstructed them, brick by brick, bringing back the glory of a bygone era. A majority of the temples in Uma Maheswara were built by Vikramaditya, the sixth.

One of the most outstanding temples here is that of  Mahadeva which has some unique characteristics. It is built in the shape of a chariot and it has three mukha mantapas. There are sculptures on the walls of the temple, including those of gods, goddesses, dancers. Nearby is the Parvathi temple, with the deity of Uma-Maheshwara. It is this temple that lent its name to the town.  The Neelakantheshwara temple too is beautiful though in ruins.

The Neelakantheshwara temple is famous for its legendary well. Locals and the priest will tell you to take a look at the waters of the big well so that you can see the reflection of a huge Ganesha.

The Ganesha is installed across the well and it is eight feet in height and five feet in width. The idol is placed between two 12 feet-high pillars. It is this Ganesha that you can see reflected in a well.

The pillars adjoining the Ganesha are a superb example of  Chalukyas workmanship. Shake them and you can hear the sounds of temple bells.

A little away, or rather a kilometer away from here is the Padmavathi Kere. There is a small temple dedicated to Padmavathi atop a small hillock. Locals say there was a Jain Basadi at the place before it was converted into a temple for Padmavathi.

To the south of Umapura is the small village of  Raiwad. This is the place where Bicchala of Bijjala the ruler of Kalachuri dynasty, had his palace. Stones from the huge palace were transported by the Chalukyas to Basavakalyan where they built a fort, which exists to this day.

Incidentally, the renowned saint, Basaveshwara or Basavanna, started his career as an accountant in the service of Bijjala.

The twin towns are easily approachable from Basavakalyan which itself has several monuments of note, including the fort and temples.

The throne of the Pandavas

Ranked among the most popular tourist destination in India, Mysore has several well kept secrets. While many of the sights such as the Amba Vilas Palace, Jaganmohan Palace, Chamundi Hills, Zoological gardens are well-known, there are a few others that people are not aware of.

One of the most important artifact in Mysore  and perhaps the most priceless of all is exhibited every year only during Dassara. This is  the most valuable and mythologically well-known artifact whose history goes back to the times of the Mahabharata.

It is also kept away form public view almost throughout the year except for the ten days of Dassara. This is the golden throne, perhaps the only one in India that gees back to antiquity.

The throne belongs to the royal family of Wodeyars. So while the tourists make a beeline for the Palace, not many know that the golden throne in the palace is on view for the public only a limited period.  

The golden throne has an interesting history that lends an element of mystique to it. Popular legend has it that this throne belonged to the Pandavas and it was used by them when they ruled from Hastinapur. 

After the Pandava dynasty came to an end, the throne disappeared from history and was later believed to have been in the possession of the Guptas and then the legendary Vikramaditya and Bhoja Raja.

After Bhoja, the throne once again disappeared from history only to reappear during the time of  the Vijayanagar Emperors.    

Kampilaraya, is credited with excavating the throne from Hastinapura and bringing it  to Penukonda in Andhra Pradesh. It was once again buried in Penukonda till Vidyaranya, the Raj Guru  of the Vijayanagar Emperors, including its founders Hukka and Bukka, helped retrieve it in 1336 AD.

Locals in Penukonda even today point to the spot where Vidyaranya discovered the throne and directed Harihara I to take it and rule from the royal seat.

The throne then came to be places in the royal palace at Anegundi where the Vijayanagar kings used it. Krishna Deve Raya is believed to have used the throne during the Dassara celebrations in Vijayanagar.

The throne was supposedly gifted to the Viceroy of Srirangapatna by the Vijayanagar Emperors in the 16^th century. Sometime in 1609, the throne came into the possession of Raja Wodeyar who was one of the first rulers of the Wodeyars.

It was from his time that the throne came to be used during the Dassara celebrations. Raja Wodeyar wanted all his successors to follow him in this practice and this continues even today.

When the capital was shifted from Srirangapatna to Mysore, the throne to wended its way to Mysore. There is an interesting anecdote about the throne when Tipu had made Srirangapatna his capital.

Tipu happened to see the throne and he was desirous of ascending it. When this was brought to the notice of  Purnaiah, the Revenue Minister if Tipu, he tried to dissuade Tipu from ascending the throne. When Tipu remained firm in his decision, Purnaiah warned him that if anyone but a Hindu ascended the throne he would be burnt to cinders.

When Tipu dismissed this remark, Purnaiah got a handful of  “ bhatta” and gently put it on the throne. It immediately caught fire, leaving Tipu dumbfounded. Since then, Tipu did not dare to claim the throne, which continued to remain with the family of Wodeyars.

There is another story of the golden throne but this is not all that romantic. It says the throne belonged to the Mughals and that the last great Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb, gifted it to Chikkadevara Raja Wodeyar in 1700 AD. However, this is doubtful as there is epigraphic evidence to prove that the golden throne was in the possession of the Wodeyars in 1699.

Yet another story about the throne is that it was found in the palace of Tipu and it was handed back to the Wodeyars after Tipu died in 1799. The throne was then repaired and from then on used on ceremonial occasions.

Unlike other thrones, the Mysore throne is dismantled every year after Dassara. It is mainly made up of three parts. The first is a series of steps that lead to the throne. The second part is the seat and the third is the golden umbrella which protects those seated on the throne.    

The throne is adorned with gold, silver, gems and other precious stones. The umbrella has shlokas engraved on them. There are 24 slokas in Anusthup metre.

The four sides of the throne are decorated with creepers. There are elephants on the east, horses on the south, soldiers on the west and chariots on the north. In the corners of the throne are Vijaya and four lions, two of the mythical Shardulas, two horse and swans in the four corners.

The throne has a tortoise seat (Kurmasana). The four sides of the throne are decorated with Vyalas and creepers. Elephants on the east, horse on the south, soldiers on the west and chariots on the north decorate the royal seat. Gods too are engraved on the throe with Brahma on the south, Maheshwara on the north and Vishnu in the centre.

The throne is further adorned with Naganymphs and Asthadikpalakas or the guardians of the eight quarters

During Dassara, the royal scion-Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar- ascends the throne in a private durbar ceremony which is called Khasa darbar. After this, it is open for public display in the rosewood room. 

The assembling of the golden throne itself is an elaborate and laborious process.

Be sure to visit Mysore during the Dassara to view the throne. It is a once in a lifetime view.

The Indian Greenwich where time was counted

I had been to Bhopal to attend an interview for the defence forces. Since I had a lot of time on hand after attending the interview, I decided to explore places in and around Bhopal.

I had to stay back in Bhopal as the berth reservation to Bangalore in the Karnataka Express was more than a week away. I visited Sanchi, Bhojpur, Gwalior, Indore, Bhimbhetka caves and then Ujjain.

Ujjain, which is in Madhya Pradesh, has always held a special fascination. It was not only the place where Krishna, Balarama and Sudhama studied, it was also the residence of Emperor Ashoka. This is also the place where zero was invented.

Shipra river flows by Ujjain and it is believed to have stemmed from the Varaha avatar of Vishnu.

India’s greatest writer Kalidasa write two of his works here. Chandragupta, the second, or Chandragupta Vikramaditya, one of India’s greatest kings, once ruled from here. He worshipped the Garhkalika diety here which has been renovated by several dynasties. This is the Kali that is believed to have given knowledge to Kalidasa.

The mythical Vikramaditya was the lord of Ujjain and the place where he secured the legendary throne still exists near a lake in Ujjain. The lake is Rudrasagar and this is the setting for setting of the stories of Vikram and Bethal.

Vikramaditya ascended the throne after his brother Bhartrihari gave it up. Bhartrihari loved his queen who in turn loved a nobleman. The nobleman had fallen in love with a maid servant of  the Queen. Bhartrihari was shocked over these events and gave up his royal life and lived like a mendicant. He has written several book in Sanskrit and the cave in which he lived is a major tourist attraction. 
Ujjain was a well-known astronomical centre till the 13th century. The prime median passes through Ujjian and this led to pathbreaking research in astronomy and mathematics. 
 Indian astronomers calculated the beginning of the day as sunrise at the prime meridian of Ujjain. This in turn was subdivided into smaller units.

The Prana was one unit which meant the time taken to breath once, equaling four seconds. Six pranas made a pala. Sixty palas made a ghalika or galige. The sixty galiges made a day and this was called nakshatra ahorata.

A masa was one month and  it consisted of 30 days.

Ujjain continued to be the place from where time was measured till the British came to India and replaced it with a more consistent standard time covering all of  India

The earliest description of time, rather standard time, in India was compiled in the form of a book called Surya Siddantha.

The Siddantha is an astronomical book and it says the earth is spherical. It defines prime meridian or zero longitude as passing through Ujjain (Avanti). The author of this work is unknown but it has been referred to by almost all astronomers, mathematicians and astrologers in India. Even Varahahimira refers to it   

Another feature in the cap of Ujjain was that it once played host to the world’s finest observatory. Almost all Indian astronomers were the directors of this scientific institution. Bhaskara, who wrote Lilavathi, a book on mathematics, was one of the directors of the observatory.

Though this observatory was demolished and vandalized by the Sultan of Delhi, Iltumish in 1234 AD along with scores of temples and structures here, a smaller observatory was built here by the Rajput Raja Jai Singh in 1715.  

Ujjain is also the place where the first meridian of longitude passes through and Indian research has centered around it. There is a temple at the exact centre where the meridian passes.

The Navaratnas of the Gupta periods lived here and this was the capital of Chandragupta the second, one of  the greatest of the Gupta Kings.

His navaratnas were Kalidasa, a Sanskrit poet and dramatist and India’s greatest writer, Vetala Bhatta, a Hindu philosopher,  Varahamihira, scientist and author of  the astronomical compendium Pancha-siddhantika (Five Treatises),  Vararuchi (also known as Katyayana) who was the author of the Sarvanukramani, a compendium of Vedic hymns; Amarasimha, a poet and author of the Amara-Kosha, a thesaurus of Sanskrit, Shanku, an architect; Dhanvantari, a physician,  Kshapanaka, an astrologer; and Vaitalika, a magician.

Shanku was an expert in Geography, while Dhanavantri was a master of Ayurveda. Even today, Ayurveda doctors swear by some of Dhanavantri’s concotions. Kshapanaka is the  author of Dvatrishatikas.

During the reign of Chandragupta Vikramaditya,  the astronomer Varahimiriha became the first person in the world to recognise the shifting of the equinox or Ayanamasa. He calculated this as 50.32 seconds. He was the author of  Brihat Samhita which is a book on several topics such as astronomy, astrology, planetary movements, eclipses, rainfall, clouds, architecture, growth of crops, manufacture of perfume, matrimony, domestic relations, gems, pearls, and rituals. It also has a beautiful chapter on pearls.

Amarasimha, another Navaratna, was a grammarian and poet. His Amara Kosha is a vocabulary of Sanskrit roots and is therefore also called as Trikanda or Namalinganushasana.

This book has 10,000 words and it is written in such a manner that it is easy to memorise. It is set to metre.

By the way, there is a Kannada translation of this book published in 1927 by BL  Rice.

Ujjain is one of the eight sacred cities for the Hindus. It is also one of the four places where the Kumbha Mela takes place. The otherplaces where the Kumbha Mela are held are: Prayag (Allahabad),  Haridwar and Nashik. The Kumbha Mela at Ujjain is called Simhastha when the Sun enters the Aries and the Jupiter is in the Leo.

Ujjain is also known for its  Jyotirlinga in the Mahakala Temple. The linga here faces south and is, therefore, known as Dakshinamurthy. The Kalabhairava temple is another well-known temple where tantric rituals were performed. 

The city is mentioned in the epics, puranas and other religious texts. The Mahabharata refers to it as Avanti. To the Western world, it was Avin.

Over the ages, Ujjain was known under different names such as Padmavati, Kushasthali, Bhagavati, Haranyavati, Kandakatringa, Kumudvati, Pratikalpa, Ujjayani, Udeni and Vishala. Too the Western world, Ujjain was known as Arin.

There are innumerable temples in Ujjain and many of our Madhwa saints have visited the holy place. Ujjain has some very unique places and temples and I will be posting details about them shortly.

Ujjain is very near to Indore which is just 48 kms away. Devas is the nearest airport and it is 38 kms from Ujjain. Bhopal is 170 kms away. Ujjain has good hotels and several ashramas where one can stay.