A day in the life of LIFE

Nestled away from the bustling IT hub of Bangalore, and about 20 kms from the regal erstwhile kingdom of Mysore, is the temple town of Nanjangud.

The town in addition to its religious fervour, also plays host to a number of small scale industries including paper and sugar mills.

Situated on the banks of the river Kapila, Nanjangud literally translates to "the residing place of Lord Nanjundeshwara or Lord Shiva". Originally believed to have been built during the period of the Ganga dynasty (325-1000 CE), it has over the years received patronage from Haider Ali and Tippu Sultan(who referred to the deity as Hakim Nanjunda) and has come to be known as Dakshin Kashi (Kashi of the South) as well.

Having proximity to the famous Chamundi hills and the wildlife sanctuaries of Bandipur and Madumalai,of course not to forget the famous royal palace and the engineering miracle of the KRS resevoir, Nanjangud is a favourite of devotees and tourists alike. With the four-laning of State Highway 17 that connects Bengalooru to Mysore, getting here takes less than two and a half hours from the state capital.

Clubbing the visit to the temple with a family wedding was the best utilisation of time that could have been possible. The presiding deity is the griha devata (family God) of most Shaivites including sankethis, who came to reside in the surrounding villages, over the past several hundred years.

The visit happened Sunday, last, with the entire bandwagon of relatives hopping onto a tempo traveler, that pretty much did justice to the inviting stretch of road ahead of us. With one brief stop at Maddur Tiffany's to grab a quick bite of the famed Maddur vada (the lesser cousin of the ubiquotous Medu vada), we reached the temple at quarter to Eleven.

Being a Sunday, the population that had descended to the town was immense, and we managed to avail the tickets for the "special" darshan, which has now become a common place at all major religious establishments with the spread of capitalism.

Nonetheless, the devotional songs that filled the air, the common rush at the temple premises, the automated bells and drums for the Maha aarti, the state bank ATMs chequered across the town,the motley shops that stacked up orange flavored concotions in Limca bottles, the universal temple elepahnts, the narrow bylanes, with some evidence of a rail guage conversion, all presented the picture of a town that depite being deep rooted in tradition was trying to catch up with the progress the surrounding cities had achieved.

Even as the driver Chandru tried to avoid a biological speed breaker (yes, cows do move as per their free will), I was brought out of my reverie, as we headed to the land of the Wodeyars, the royal state of Mysore, that for long has stood as a force that gave the British Imperialists a run for their money.

Some images of Nanjangud, below... A day in the life of India...