After being dejected with the so called popular spots in and
around Bengaluru I chanced upon this nice place through a casual talk with the
Landlord of my friend with whom I stayed in Bengaluru. It was around 9 am that
we started for Kaiwara which has many historical and mythological stories. It
is said that Pandavas stayed here while in exile and the Cave where Bhima
deposed the body of the Bakasura is nearby.
Besides the folk lore in the 18th Century a
legendary saint Narayanappa called popularly as ‘Kaiwara Narayan Thata’ lived
here and attained Samadhi near Kaiwara. There is a Mutt here. The ‘Jeeva
Samadhi’ of the saint who lived for 110
years is just behind the main deity. We reached around 11 am after having a
healthy breakfast at Hosakote. ( Hosakote was supposed to be our earlier
destination but we extended it to Kaiwara and didn’t regret it a bit !! ). We
passed through little and huge farms with Mango trees, Snake Gourds, and many
other Fruits and Vegetables cultivated. It was a typical village setting which
I had longed for. We first visited the
Mutt and were fortunate enough to bear the ‘Palkhi’ carrying the Saint’s
Statue. Although I felt the ‘Palkhi’ a little heavy (This was the first time I
had lifted one!!) I soon thought maybe by bearing it at least some of my sins
will be lessened. There was one pradakshina done and we sat at the Mutt for
some time.
It is a nice place and has a wonderful atmosphere. There was
‘Annadhanam’ and we ate the tasty food. After the food we went to Kailasagiri
where there are ‘Vinayaka’, ‘Shiva’ and ‘Ambaji Durga’ deities. On top of the
hill there is a good view of the surroundings and a water reservoir can be seen.
From there we went to Vaikuntam or ‘Taathaiyya Gavi’ which is the cave where he
meditated. It is also on a hill top. Next we went to Bhima lingeshwara temple
and lastly Swami Narayana Temple. The Temple was closed and would only open at
5 or so. However as we had to cover a huge distance to get back, we returned
back before the temple opened.
Roughly 80 Kms from Bengaluru.
Carry sun glasses, Cap or any other protection as the heat
is too much. Take drinking water also.
