Evening Glow

It was my maiden trip to Southern India which was also my first solo traveling experience. As my train paced out of the New Delhi railway station, I was leaving behind the despair and anguish caused by an unstable job scenario which had finally yielded into something positive. I was travelling, to leave it all behind, to renew a commitment I had made to myself in the college days, to travel and feel free. My destination was what at times is known as the Golden Triangle of Karnataka, three site of Shravanabelagola, Halebid and Belur, representing the pinnacle of Hoyasala architecture, hallmark of the eponymous dynasty from 10th -14th century.
First on my list was the ancient Jain pilgrimage site of Shravanabelagola. I planned to reach there from Bangalore via Mysore. Mysore acted as an intermediary between the humdrum of the city and Karnataka’s countryside. It was also my last checkpoint for stocking up for the journey, most importantly beverages to keep myself well hydrated as it tends to get scorching hot even in the months of February and March. Talking to locals at this point turned out to be a good idea as they could provide most reliable information about routes and timings for state-run bus services. Though the bus route available to Shravanabelagola, detouring from Hassan, takes longer than a private taxi, the journey is incentivized by the scenic countryside of Karnataka along the highway. Having a camera dangling from shoulder also helped in striking up few conversations with my fellow commuters.
It was already evening when I arrived in the sleepy, pilgrim town and I had to rush through more than 600 rock-hewn steps to the main temple as the site closes by sunset. Giant statue of Lord Bahubali, Asia’s tallest monolith, stood as a guardian over the town. Present day Shravanabelagola or Gommteshwar (as it’s alternately called) is an amalgam of contributions by different rulers over few centuries. Rough weathered stone of the temple tells its enduring story. It was actively visited by kings and commoners alike who have etched their memoirs on the hill itself. While exiting the temple, I realized there’s a huge pond at the center of the town and I had been walking along its periphery without realizing that. In the rush to reach the top I almost missed a spectacular sight. It felt as a tacit reminder that the rush we feel in life is constantly taking away many such sights from us and how important it was to find time to pause in our busy lifestyles.