Heritage walk and Crafts Corner

Visiting Bhoganandishwara temple and Devanahalli fort:

->Bhoganandiswara Temple and Arunachaleswara Temple are a twin Hindu temples complex located in Nandi village in chikkaballapur district of Karnataka, India. Ornate, beautifully carved and dedicated to Shiva, they have been variously dated between the 9th- to 10th-century CE.

->The Bhoganandiswara is the northern temple of the twin. It is the oldest surviving temple in Nolambavadi-style of Dravidian architecture in Karnataka. The Arunachaleswara temple was added to its south shortly thereafter. The complex underwent restorations and additions through the Vijayanagara Empire period. The temples are notable for its large and intricately carved sabha-mandapa, the inscriptions, and artwork, much of it to Shaivism, but also significantly for Vaishnavism (Narasimha, Vishnu), Shaktism (Durga, Lakshmi) and Vedic deities (Surya, Agni).

->I visited the temple along with my friends as a part of SCR activity. The temple was developed under the region of rashtrakutas and ganga dynasties.We were amused by seeing the architecture of the temple.Its view was very beautiful.

->Devanahalli Fort is located 35 kilometers (22 mi) north of Bangalore city, at Devanahalli in the State of Karnataka, India. Chieftain Malla Byre Gowda of Avathi, a  Vijayanagara empire vassal, built a mud fort in c. 1501 at Devanadoddi (now called Devanahalli). In the late 18th century, Hyder Ali re-constructed the fort in stone resulting in the current structure.

->It was originally built in 1501 by Mallabairegowda,which remained in the hands of his descendants until the mid–eighteenth century. In 1749, the then Dalwai of Mysore, Nanjarajaiah, attacked the fort and occupied it. Later, the fort passed into the hands of Hyder Ali and subsequently Tippu. In 1791, Lord cornwallis laid siege to the fort and took possession during the anglo mysore war.

->The birthplace of Tippu, also known as tiger of  mysore, is located near to the fort.^[5] The fort is situated on the side of national highway 7, near the Bengaluru international airport.An ASI board outside the fort and at Tipu Sultan's birthplace declares them to be protected monuments.

The architecture of fort was completely amazing.It was a great experience for visiting these places once in a lifetime.This fort was completely able to protect from enemies.Fort is spread over an area of 20 acres (8 ha).The roughly oval east oriented fortification veneered with dressed masonry has as many as 12 semi-circular bastions at regular intervals. A spacious battlement is provided towards the inner side of the fortification. The fort has entrances decorated with cut plasterwork at the east and west. The entrances are quite small, comfortable enough for the horses of yore. The bastions are provided with gun points built with lime and brick.