Talakadu- submerged sand city of Karnataka
Talakadu- a historic place is a place located in Chamaraja Nagar district of Karnataka. It is located on the riverbank of Kaveri and is around 45m away from Mysore and 133 km away from Bangalore and a holy pilgrimage for Hindus.
Who has not heard about the place called Talakadu, the histories and stories of the submerged sand city which is there on the cauvery river bank, and the curse of Alamelamma on the Mysore royal King's family..?
What makes this place is unique is that this place is buried in the sand.
The name of the town derived from two Kirāta twin brothers, Tala and Kādu, while cutting down a tree saw that wild elephants are worshiping that tree. and later discovered that it contained an image of shiva. Later those elephants were transformed as rishis. The tree being miraculously restored, all obtained mōksha and the place was named Tala-kādu.
A story which is known in all of Karnataka:Famous Curse of Talakadu
In 1610 Talakadu was conquered by the Mysore Rāja under the following circumstances. Tirumala-Rāja, also called Srī Ranga Rāya, the representative of the Vijayanagar family at Srirangapatna, was afflicted with an incurable disease, came to Talkād for the purpose of offering sacrifices in the temple of Vaidyēsvara.
His second wife Alamelamma was left in charge of the Government of Srirangagapattanam, but she hears that king was on the point of death, and she left for Talkād with the intention of seeing him before he died, and hands over Srirangapattanam and its dependencies to Mysore Raja Wodeyar, whose dynasty ever since retained them.
It appears that Rāja Wodeyar had been anxious about possessing the jewels which were the property of the Rāni, and being unable to obtain them, and eager to seize at any context, he assigned an army and proceeded against the Rani.
Afterward, Rāni Alamelamma went to the banks of the Cauvery, and throws all jewel in the river, and drowned herself opposite Mālangi, by uttering a three-fold curse,-"Let Talakād become sand ; let Mālangi become a whirlpool ; let the Mysore Rājas fail to beget heirs."
"Talakadu marulagali, malangi maduvagali, mysore maharaja nige makkalagadirali..."
The Talakadu curse has established itself in the folklore as a miracle since the early part of the 16th century because of two strange events visible even to date:
(i) Talakadu, a historically vibrant city, is now being submerged under sand dunes several meters deep, and
(ii) the Mysore royal family has faced the problem of having a rightful heir to the throne since the 17th century.
The archeology department has taken up the task of protecting 2 main temples,
Vidyanatheshwara swami temple, and
Kirthinarayana Temple
which were surrounded by dunes and restored them.
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| Side view of Keerthi Narayana Temple |
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| Keerthi Narayana Temple |
Apart from these 2, other temples of attraction in Talakadu:
Pathaleswhara Swami temple
Maruleshwara Swami temple
Arkeshwara Swami temple
Mallikarjuna Swami temple
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| Pathaleshwara Swami Temple |
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| Maruleshwara Swami Temple |
History says, the famous Kirthinarayana Temple with an idol of Lord Vishnu was built by Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana after driving away the Cholas from Talakadu, in 1117 AD. Restoration of the temple was taken up in 2009-10 and completed in 2012.
Because of the beautiful temples, their archeological structures, and the curious stories around the curse of the sand city, it attracts tourists from everywhere. and it's a must-visit place if you are planning for a trip near Mysore.
The best time to visit this place is September to February.
If you are visiting Talakdu, you can also plant to cover Somanathpura and Gagana Chukki Bhara Chukki places which are located nearby and this can be your 1-day trip
#1day outing near Mysore #Tourist places near Mysore #short trip near Mysore #Weekend destinations in Mysore #Know about Talakadu
