January 2011
Bijapur, the city of fort, palaces, mosques and tombs has other attractions too. Among the ancient temples are Narasimha temple and Siddarameshwara temple. A recent addition to the city's attractions is the giant Shiva idol just outside the city, off Bijapur-Shindgi road, about two kilometers from Gol Gumbaz.
This idol was created in less than a year by four young artists from Shimoga- Prashant, Acharya, Rajshekar and Raju.
Small details are taken care of nicely; third-eye, Rudrakshimala, snake, Moon, Trishul & Damaruga... except one thing, Ganga is missing.
I went around the statue clockwise while most of the visitors went anti-clockwise. I guess many people saw the place as another tourist spot rather than a temple.
A bus load of school kids on a trip were running around noisily. A smaller group of little ones from a local nursery were sitting in a circle picnicking in the lawn close by.
There are other attractions for kids like slides, merry-go-round, etc. The place also has shops selling pooja items, snack, soft-drinks and souvenirs.
Do visit Shivagiri if you are Bijapur. It's worth the time.
Mahashivaratri will be observed coming Monday. I often hear people refer to this festival as Shivaratri. The fact is Shivaratri occurs every month and the one occurring during this time of the year (usually February) is Mahashivaratri. Shivabhaktas fast and pray through the day and stay awake all night. I remember hearing that Shiva stays awake through out the year and sleeps one night, that's Mahashivaratri. So while Shiva sleeps men stay awake :)
You might want to read- ಶಿವನಿಗೆ ಬಿಲ್ವ ಏಕೆ ಮತ್ತು ಹೇಗೆ ಅರ್ಪಿಸಬೇಕು?
Shivgiri Coordinates: 16°49'3"N 75°45'25"E
Namah Shivaya
Bijapur, the city of fort, palaces, mosques and tombs has other attractions too. Among the ancient temples are Narasimha temple and Siddarameshwara temple. A recent addition to the city's attractions is the giant Shiva idol just outside the city, off Bijapur-Shindgi road, about two kilometers from Gol Gumbaz.
This idol was created in less than a year by four young artists from Shimoga- Prashant, Acharya, Rajshekar and Raju.
Small details are taken care of nicely; third-eye, Rudrakshimala, snake, Moon, Trishul & Damaruga... except one thing, Ganga is missing.
I went around the statue clockwise while most of the visitors went anti-clockwise. I guess many people saw the place as another tourist spot rather than a temple.
A bus load of school kids on a trip were running around noisily. A smaller group of little ones from a local nursery were sitting in a circle picnicking in the lawn close by.
There are other attractions for kids like slides, merry-go-round, etc. The place also has shops selling pooja items, snack, soft-drinks and souvenirs.
Do visit Shivagiri if you are Bijapur. It's worth the time.
Mahashivaratri will be observed coming Monday. I often hear people refer to this festival as Shivaratri. The fact is Shivaratri occurs every month and the one occurring during this time of the year (usually February) is Mahashivaratri. Shivabhaktas fast and pray through the day and stay awake all night. I remember hearing that Shiva stays awake through out the year and sleeps one night, that's Mahashivaratri. So while Shiva sleeps men stay awake :)
You might want to read- ಶಿವನಿಗೆ ಬಿಲ್ವ ಏಕೆ ಮತ್ತು ಹೇಗೆ ಅರ್ಪಿಸಬೇಕು?
Shivgiri Coordinates: 16°49'3"N 75°45'25"E
Namah Shivaya
