Coastal Odyssey:Laxmi Narayan Mahamaya Temple

After been mesmerized by the hidden beauty of some exotic and lonely beaches of Karwar, a small town in Uttara Kanadda it was time for me to move on and explore the unknown which was only waiting for me to unleash myself. The setting sun was only indicating the herald of new day tomorrow Hence I was looking forward to get into new journey of exploration, perhaps that is why the sleep seems to desert me and I was waiting longingly for the arrival of a new morning.

The setting sun was only telling me,
 that tomorrow will be more exciting

It's a new day:
  
The day today was amazing, the dark skies and the inviting breeze was only increasing my eagerness to hit the coastal road (Edapally -Panvel Highway).Now we had a choice either to go north i.e toward goa or go south and explore the unknown. We tossed the coin to decide our next destination,( Zindagi aasan karni ho toh jeb me coin rakh lo) So there was a deal with my daughter that if its heads we head to north side and if its tails we tail the southern route, TAILS it was , so it was final now that it was south of Karwar that we will be driving today.For me it was like Chalo aaj ka ek tension over, decision making was never my forte.( Ab samaj me aaya.... coin rakhna mere liye kitna important).

Road ahead, dark skies 
and lovely breeze to caress

Our host Vijayji took out his car  and we were soon heading down on NH17. being a coastal road NH17 offers some of the most amazingly beautiful views en route and add to that rains which were lashing out on the wind screen,pretty cool temperature,Soft Music of my school time era playing out on the car stereo  (Vijayji had some amazing collection) all this was adding to the romanticism and fun.(Bas ek beer and a babe in your arms ki kami thi, warna toh scene complete tha.) but before I could get carried away I felt the probing eyes of my wife, probably reading my mind thus bringing me back crashing to reality.

Caught you !! 

The ever inviting wet  winding road with the over hang of dark clouds brought about the mystique in the atmosphere. In-spite of all the distractions of nature and Music and of course the watchful eyes of my wife  I was all alert, looking out for each and every sign post,You must be wondering why looking out for sign post "Arre Jaani mere pass koi travel schedule toh tha nahi, sign post dekar kar hi decide karna tha ki agli manzil kya hogi"  During such watchout the first thing that attracted my eyes was the board with the name Sri Laxmi Narayan Mahamaya Mandir. Ab kya tha , ek ek raste chalne wale se rasta pooch pooch kar hum nikal pade. (We kept asking people for direction to the temple).

Sign board my pointer to the next destination

While driving on the highway one needs to bye pass the junction which takes you to the Ankola Bus stand,Drive  a little ahead on the highway and on your right side of the road you can see a huge Arch like entrance leading to Laxminarayan Mahamaya temple,entering through the entrance gate you move into a narrow lane which brings you to the entrance of the temple.(Approx.100 mtrs from Highway)

Entrance gate to the Temple

One look at this entrance gate may not set your pulse racing but don't be fooled by the simple entry gate of Laxminarayan mahamaya gate, a peek from this entrance could actually take your breath away, when you see the beauty it encompasses within the four walls.

A glimpse which took my breath away

One has to enter the Temple through this large gate which opens into a very large rectangular courtyard, flanked by rows of building on both the sides of temple.One look at the temple and you are transported to medieval times.The wet tiles due to rain only enhanced the beauty of this temple.

Large courtyard flanked by buildings

The main gate through which we entered had steps,on the   inner side,leading from both left and right side which culminates to a gallery on the top where the musicians sit and perform during the festival.It can be well understood by seeing the picture given below.

Stairs on left and right side leading to the gallery
 ( View from inside the temple)

Another view from inside the temple

The building running on the left side of the temple is quite long, almost reaching out to the back wall of the courtyard, This building consists of storeroom, administrative office block etc.

Building on the left side has
store room and canteen and Agarshala

Next to the administrative block is Agarshaala.This Agarshaala is a huge hall which can accommodate around 800 devotees at a time, who can be served prasad here.This Agarshaala also has main Kitchen and Canteen attached to it.

Agarshala

In this photo I tried my best to capture from top angle to give a better look and understanding of the complex. 

Another look of Agarshala on the left side

Time to do parikarma 

As we were circumventing the temple we couldn't help noticing the marvelously painted temple with ever beautiful domes and other structures.

Well painted temple

Beautiful Domes

Other interesting stuctures

Walking around the temple we reached the back side of the temple where we noticed another building . we were informed that the building was known as Vasanthigruha  and it is for the use of pilgrims who come to the Temple.

Back side of the temple

On the right side of the temple there is again a row of rooms which we were told are the residence of the Purohits and next to that are blocks for Dharam Gurus who visits the temple.It seems the temple has made provision for almost everything and everybody.

Residence of Purohits on the right side of the temple

I must admit that though the temple complex is huge, but still it's very very clean, The spic and span courtyard and the temple shows that how well the place is managed by the temple management committee.

Such cleanliness in hard to come by

Once I had explored the outer section of the Temple it was time to move into the temple.But first some history of the temple is necessary.



History & Legend :

Originally this Kuladevata temple was in 

Nagwe, Goa. Because of Portuguese atrocities, the devotees 

decided to move southwards with the deities. But they had a 

problem, as while Shri Lakshminaryan was worshipped in the form 

of an idol, Shri Mahamaya was virtually a sacred anthill called 

Rohini. Not knowing what to do, they sought guidance in the 

darshan seva and it was advised that the Mother Goddess would 

 be glad to accompany them in a coconut with her sanidhya (divine 

presence) in it. Accordingly they carried a coconut and also the 

idol of Shri Lakshminarayan. On the way when they were nearing 

Hanumatta near Ankola (the place was so-called because of a 

Hanuman temple) darkness fell and so the devotees with idol and 

the coconut thought of breaking the journey. The night over early 

next morning they thought of resuming the journey but a wonder 

awaited them. During the night around the coconut an anthill had 

miraculously grown and taking it to be command from the Mother 

Goddess to terminate their journey and halt there only they 

constructed a temple and installed the idol there.


After circumventing the temple from outside It was finally time to enter the temple and pay our homage to god.If one notice the temple, its a kind of 3 tiered structure. The temple rises in all its splendid glory  with this 3 tiered symmetrical copper plated roofs covering the "Ardha Mantap" the "Mukhya Mantap" and the "Vimana" the tallest of the 3 Mantaps 

The three copper plated Symmetrical Mantaps 

3 tier structure of Mahamaya temple

Entering from the marble steps of the temple we come to Ardha Mantap,Its a large hall where devotees sit and pray.It has marble flooring and is again very neat and clean.

Entering from main entrance to Ardha Mantap

View of Ardha Mantap

and from the Muardha Mantap one enters Mukhya Mantap which is nothing put a large prayer hall in front of "Gharbhagudi". The Vimana is an octagonal tower which tapers into a mild arch in the normal goan temple architectural style.

Goan architectural style

One look at the roof makes you realise how intricate glass work or "Sheesha" One is simply left amazed watching the ceiling. I went crazy shooting the roof with my camera.

Me busy capturing the beauty of the ceiling

Bedazzled 

The chandelier hanging in the center of the room with intricately designed wooden (ebony) ceiling embedded with a dazzling web of artistry depicting excellent carvings of thirty -two "kirtimukhas" covers this Mukhya Mantap.

Web of Artistry

Inspired by such beauty all around me I thought of adding a small beauty touch from my side , so here was my attempt to capture the ambience of the temple bells.

Beauty touch of temple bells

from here on  we moved to the Vimana Mantap where the main deities are enshrined viz. Shree Lakshminarayana in an idol form in the southern part and Shree Mahamaya in the form of an anthill(Rohini) in the northern part.The entrance to the main sanctum  passes through these silver doors which has the idol of Lord Vishnu on one side.

Silver door towards the main Deities

A closer look

Paying my respect to the gods ,it was time for me to bid adieu to such marvelous temple, which looks like some Chinese temple.( Aftermath of watching to many martial art movies).This exploration is over for the time being. 
Now time to move on to another journey of exploration.

"Hey did someone saw that Gokarna beach and Om beach sign board too na.....then chalo yaar what are we waiting for ?

                   So team ready to move on

Thanks from the Team and
my daughter

Mirjan Fort

We had left early in the morning from Karwar and en-route just following the signboards we visited some amazing temples and beaches viz Gokarna Beach,Om beach etc.Coastal road journey was indeed proving to be amazing. Driving down this NH 17 I noticed many sign boards of Mirjan Fort so naturally I was keen to have a look at it too, but the only challenge was the race with the sun which was all set to go under so I knew I had to make it fast to reach this fort before its dark.So naturally you can understand my relief when I saw this Mirjan signboard.

Welcome sight of signboard of Mirjan Town.

If you are coming down from Karwar,this signboard appears on your left side and moving little ahead from here we took right turn,, leaving the NH17 towards the Mirjan Fort. Our car passed through the narrow village and in no time we were standing right in front of a majestic fort.
Indeed it was a sight to behold !!

A sight to behold !

This beautiful fort  lies amidst the idyllic surroundings of the banks of river Aghnashini. I am surprised to know that how come this elegant looking fort is so less visited spot. As it was evening time the atmosphere around the fort was very picturesque, However the overcast skies and the low light was making my job of capturing good pictures from my humble camera all the more very difficult.

History: 

Mirjan Fort has a long history behind it with innumerable versions.One version is that this fort was built by the queen Chennabhairadevi also fondly known as Pepper Queen or Raina da Pimenta. This title of Pepper Queen was bestowed upon her because in olden days Mirjan  of the longest was one of the coastal port which was serving as important trade centre for export pepper,cinnamon,turmeric ,musk etc. The reign of this queen was one of the longest of female domination in the annals Indian history (1552-1606).
Another version is that there existed a fort here but later it was rebuilt as it appears today by Sherif-ul-Mulkas as a first line of defence to protect Kumta town and Kumta Fort located in the south.


I was very eager to explore this legacy of the Pepper Queen as they say Agaaz aisa hai toh anjaam hoga Haseen...So along my daughter and my wife we entered the fort through this inviting stairs. 

Inviting stairs of the Mirjan Fort 

One of the most noticeable thing about this fort is how well kept it was,thanks to the ASI( Archaeological Survey of India) who are reconstructing and maintaining this Mirjan Fort.

I could feel the aroma of the Pepper queen as I walked through these  stone stairs and came to this door.

The fort is constructed with the Laterite stones, which are available. in plenty in the area. This black stone gives a distinct look to this Fort. 

Laterite stone wall of the fort

We entered through this door and came upon another doorway with the light filtering across giving the historical ambience to the atmosphere. 

Ray of light or History

Climbing through this stairs one realize that One is going to witness some amazing view or should I say a walk into the corridors of the history which will leave us all mesmerized.

Well and the rampants of the Fort.

There are two wells on the fort,this been one of them.And the other well is on the extreme left corner of the fort. 

Second well

These wells were constructed within the fort so as to conserve the water. There are steps which lead to these wells.( for a moment I had this crazy thought that may be the rulers in earlier days may be  having some secret path through these water wells.) 

Step well

Other than these wells the fort has escape routes too for quick gateway in case when enemies attack. Isn't it interesting. 

However these escape routes in current times are closed by the fort authorities.

Escape routes are closed 

There are actually four entrances to this fort and the entire fort is surrounded by a moat which during olden days must be filled with water and if my imagination is not going wild there must be crocodiles swimming in that moat.

Outer walls with the moat

The Fort has a beautiful Watchtower cum Flag hoisting tower. 

Watchtower cum Flag hoisting tower

Right opposite this watchtower one can have amazing view of the first deck of the fort.

Amazing views of the fort

Even after the renovation done by the ASI there are still many ruins within the fort 

Ruins of the fort

But then ruins too have their own beauty especially when the sun is setting , the whole thing gets this gleam of golden veil.

Ruins in golden setting sun

Some more ruins

and there is so much to see and time not being on our side my daughter and me was running like crazy to cover each nook and corner of the fort clicking away to glory. 

My daughter clicking away

While exploring the fort we came across a banyan tree with lots of  stone idols strewn all around the tree base. 

Excavated relics under the tree

I was given to understand that few of the relics were excavated and few were like local deity idols . Honestly I would prefer to find more satisfactory answer to these idols. As there was no one on the fort so I had no way of knowing the truth, Perhaps I'll visit once again someday.

Local Deity or something else

Actually this fort is divided into two parts one is top deck which we just explored and then there is one large courtyard on lower deck. 

Two levels of the fort.

Another picture of two levels

 The photograph above will give you a better idea of the two levels of the fort. I walked down from here and entered another gigantic courtyard.

Gigantic courtyard

This courtyard seems to have a viewing gallery as can be seen on the left of the picture and right across at the end is a platform structure. 

Prayer podium 

This Platform structure could be a prayer Podium or assembly stage( Guessing games never end.History always have many unanswered questions).

Searching for some unanswered question 

In fading light me and my daughter were running back to get out of the fort as we could hear caretaker blowing whistle to remind that its a closing time, but we been incorrigible brats wanted to ensure that we don't miss anything we took our time to check out the gates at the lower level and this is what we found.

Glimpse of the pillar from the door

This fort lies in an 11.8 acre land and my breathlessness was telling me its true because the place was like never ending kind. My daughter kept pulling me saying "Dad not let us retreat as it is getting late". I said "Sweety just one last pic, let me see what lies on the back side of the fort", so I climbed the rampant wall and took the picture.

View on the back side of Mirjan Fort

I was still feeling unsatisfied because I still wanted to see some more but then all good things must come to an end so both of us started to go back as my wife and our host was waiting in the car for us. As we reached the entrance door we were shocked to no end because the front door was locked !!

Me explaining to my host my situation as to
 how I am trapped !!

I called my wife to see if she can catch hold of the caretaker who has locked the door, In the meanwhile I ran up and luckily saw the caretaker walking away we both shouted and waved at him Good for us he heard our cries and turned back and opened the door. I must say close encounter.Phew !! My daughter had good time to play act her fear on finding that we were locked.The first thing she did was to ask the caretaker to take her photo as locked prisoner. I think this craziness is all in genes.

Trapped

It was finally time to say goodbye to Mirjan Fort with a promise that soon I will be revisiting this wonderful Fort again. 


Best time to visit is during Monsoon, as the place will explode in colour of green for you.

How to reach: 
Nearest rail station is Kumta Railway station.
From there one can take any bus which go to Gokarna beach and enroute get down at Mirjan village stop and from there a walkable distance of 1.5 kms to the fort.