First off, here’s wishing all my readers a wonderful 2018! Hope your year is filled with joy, fun and of course many happy travels!
Here is a quick post on the Kallu Ganapati temple which is a hidden gem near the town of Barkur in Udupi district. Dedicated to the Lord of Beginnings or Lord Ganesha, the temple dates back over thousand years. The main temple is housed within a cave of rocks which is a natural wonder. In fact the word Kallu transalates into stone in Kannada.
Accessible by the Kota–Saibarakatte-Shiriya Road or the one from Tekkatte–Beloor–Padumondu, the temple has three main idols, that of Shiva, Parvati and Lord Ganesha. The entrance to the temple is narrow and one needs to navigate the space between the large boulders.
Believed to have been erected by the kings of Barkur, the temple has a ‘roof’ of boulders that are precariously placed over one another. The sunlight penetrating between the rocks is a beacutiful sight!
The priest of the temple told us that the number of visitors has recently increased many fold as the road leading to the temple was completed making it easily accessible. He also observed that visitors posting pictures of the temple on social media especially What’s app and Facebook has made the place extremely popular! He was infact appreciative of this as it augurs really well for the temple and hence had no objection to me clicking a picture of the main idol.
The priest also told us that climbing the surrounding rocks would treat us to some stunning views of the surrounding landscape. So thanks to him, I got some picturesque captures of the fields and countryside nearby.
Of the several temples dedicated to Lord Ganesha in the Udupi district, this is definitely one of the most fascinating one of them all!
