Tag Archives: Talacauvery

Talacauvery Water Collected For Jalabhishekha At Ram Temple

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Madikeri:

The consecration, known as ‘Prana Pratishtapana,’ of Lord Ram in his child-like form (Ram Lalla) is scheduled to take place in Ram Temple at Ayodhya on Jan. 22. To perform the sacred Jalabhishekha ritual, holy water from the seven rivers (Sapthanadi) is being collected from various locations across the country.

A dedicated team of priests from the Akhila Bharatha Santha Samithi, representing Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kodagu units, visited Talacauvery, the birthplace of River Cauvery, yesterday to collect the sacred water. The water was received from the holy Brahmakundike through meticulous rituals, homas and havanas.

Masilamani Desiga Jnana Sambhandha Swamiji, the Peetadhipathi of Dharmapuram Adheenam in the Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu, conducted special pujas and received the sacred tirtha from the head priest of Talacauvery Temple from the holy Brahmakundike.

The gathering included notable figures such as State President of Akhila Bharatha Santha Samithi and the Guru of Om Sri Math in Mangaluru Mahamandaleshwar Sri Vidyananda Saraswati Swamiji, Co-President Matashree Shivajnanamahi Saraswati, Kodagu District President of Akhila Bharatha Santha Samithi Shri Rajeshnath Ji, Tamil Nadu unit of Akhila Bharatha Santha Samithi President Mahamandaleshwar, Treasurer Garuda Maharaj, Vishwa Hindu Parishad Kodagu District Working President Suresh, Treasurer Sampath Kumar, Kodagu Journalists Association President S. A. Muralidhar and others.

In addition to the water from Sapthanadi, water from the rivers of Nepal, including Bagmati, Narayani, Ganga Sagar, Dudhmati, Kali, Gandaki, Kosi, Kamla, etc., has been collected. These sacred waters will play a significant role in the rituals during the consecration.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / January 07th, 2023

Minister offers pooja at Bhagamandala ahead of Cauvery Teerthodhbhava

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HIGHLIGHTS

The district administration has made all the preparations to host annual Cauvery Tula Sankramana to be held on Tuesday at 1.27 am at Tala cauvery , the birth place of river Cauvery.

Minister offers pooja at Bhagamandala ahead of Cauvery Teerthodhbhava

Madikeri:

The district administration has made all the preparations to host annual Cauvery Tula Sankramana to be held on Tuesday at 1.27 am at Tala cauvery , the birth place of river Cauvery. The special rituals and preparations taking place at Talakaveri and Bhagamandala since the 27th of September. District In-charge Minister Bosaraju visited Talacauvery and Bhagandala to review the arrangements. His visit included a special pooja at the Bhagandeshwara temple in Bhagamandala ,marking the beginning of the traditional lighting of the lamp (Nanda Deepa), which will remain lit for the next month.

The Nanda Deepa, which is traditionally lit on this occasion, will continue to burn until next month. This year, the festival occurs late at night, and both the district administration and the government have been diligently working to ensure all necessary preparations are in place to facilitate the event. Minister N.S. Bosaraju expressed his confidence in the smooth execution of the J teertodhbhava. He also reviewed preparations at the Bhagandeshwar Temple and Talacauvery shrines. The preparations are in full swing at Bhagamandala, and the Talacauvery temples in anticipation of the holy Teerthodhbhava celebration. Minister Bosaraju was accompanied by Virajpet MLA A.S. Ponnanna during the inspection. Deputy commissioner Venkat Raja briefed the minister on the construction of a stage for cultural and religious programs, the establishment of barricades for convinience of devotees and other necessary arrangements. The focus is on ensuring that devotees have a seamless and spiritually enriching experience.

The minister assured that proper facilities and arrangements, such as food distribution, medical assistance, and ambulance services, will be provided to make the event safe and comfortable for devotees. In terms of security, there will be a significant police presence, under the leadership of SP , one ASP , two Deputy Superintendents, nine Inspectors, 15 Sub-Inspectors, 30 Assistant Sub-Inspectors, 350 head constables, and other police personnel, including Home Guards, ensuring the safety of the event. KSRTC Depot Manager Mehbooba Ali said that additional buses will be deployed on the Madikeri- Talacauvery routes to meet the transportation needs of the devotees. According to sources nearly 50 thousand crowd would witness Teerthodhbhava. The devotees from Chennai, Tamil Nadu would also visit the shrine along with devotees from various districts of state.

source: http://www.thehansindia.com / The Hans India / Home> News> State> Karnataka> Bengaluru / by Hans News Service / October 17th, 2023

Ban on women ascending Brahmagiri meets strong opposition in Kodagu

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The prohibition on women scaling Bramhagiri Hills in Talacauvery stating that women affected the sanctity of the pilgrim centre had stirred strong opposition from the Kodava community.

Pilgrims will henceforth not be allowed to take a dip in the Talacauvery | express

Madikeri :

The prohibition on women scaling Bramhagiri Hills in Talacauvery stating that women affected the sanctity of the pilgrim centre had stirred strong opposition from the Kodava community. Uniting against the stand of the astrologer Narayana Puduval, the ‘Kodava Freethinkers…’, a closed group on Facebook, strongly voiced its opposition and took the issue to the Kodagu deputy commissioner, who reportedly told them that the temple cannot take unilateral decisions outside the purview of its prescribed duties.

Responding to the issue, Talacauvery temple committee President BS Thammaiah said: “We have heard the various suggestions predicted by the astrologer. However, the final decision is pending and the committee has not come to any conclusion. The astrologer has suggested various principles to be followed while mounting Bramhagiri Hills, which is a sacrosanct place of Seer Agasthya. The astrologer has suggested righteous methods to be followed while taking a dip at Talacauvery. The ritual questioning will continue in June and the final decision will be taken in the presence of temple Tantri, the committee and other officials.”

While the decision is still pending, the Kodava community is alert and voicing its dissent against patriarchal chauvinism. Kusum Nehru Mallangada, founder of Komfort Foundation and Nelakki Bolchaa, said: “We are planning to talk to former MP Prema Cariappa, so that it becomes easier for us to talk to anyone in the government or district administration. If nothing works, all the women of Kodagu need to stage an agitation to force our agenda. If the male chauvinism of the temple wins, we will bring up this issue in the Legislative Assembly and submit a memorandum to the government.”

Nevertheless, the temple committee maintains that no decision has been taken to ban women from mounting the Bramhagiri and the final stand will be taken only after the completion of the ritual of octagonal questioning.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States>Karnataka / by Prajna GR, Express News Service / May 29th, 2018

In the Cauvery’s birthplace, drinking water is just one of many worries for the Kodavas

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In the Cauverys birthplace drinking water is just one of many worries for the Kodavas

The passions that have been running high over the Cauvery have eclipsed that the river’s birthplace is in Kodagu district, where it is an integral part of the lives of the Kodavas, but not in terms of drinking water.

Journalist and author PT Bopanna has eloquently spoken about what the Cauvery means to the Kodavas, one of the communities of people who live within Kodagu district. The identity of the Kodavas is deeply linked with the river, which rises in Talacauvery. Ironically, Madikeri city, the district headquarters, frequently faces a drinking water problem.

“The Rs 230-crore Harangi project has been conceived for the benefit of politically powerful Mysore and Hassan districts. Though the Harangi Dam (in picture) is in Kodagu and the major catchment area of the Cauvery is also in Kodagu, the irrigation potential from the project for Kodagu is a measly 607 hectares, out of the 54,591 hectares of total irrigation potential,” Bopanna says on his website Coorgnews.in.

He pointed out that 1,909 acres of land in 13 villages had been submerged by the construction of the Harangi dam in Somwarpet taluk.

“See, we don’t benefit from the Cauvery at all. Every year the river floods and the roads get blocked. We are always inconvenienced by the Cauvery. We just want our basic water needs met, and it’s a small place,” Bopanna says.

Although people are worried about drinking water supply from the Cauvery, Bopanna says that in Kodagu, people are worried more about a larger problem.

“I’m worried about deforestation,” Bopanna says. Falling in the Malenadu region, Kodagu district houses 4,102 sq km of the Western Ghats, making it look as if a green carpet is spread across the land. It is one of the least populated districts in the state.

Referring to the 400kv power line from Yelwal in Mysuru to Kozhikode in Kerala, a distance of 55m, Bopanna said: “This government-sponsored deforestation needs to stop.”

According to some estimates, 55,000 trees will be cut in thick forest areas to set up the line. Activists have alleged that a few thousand trees have been cut in violation of the law.

“When trees were being cut for that power line, not a single politician made any noise. They weren’t bothered. This clearly reveals their short-sightedness and their lack of understanding about the effects of deforestation. Rainfall has become erratic in the region,” Bopanna says.

He advocates a complete ban on tree felling and the conversion of agricultural land for commercial purposes. “But Kogadu’s politicians depend on the timber lobby and sand mining. They have not allowed a discussion on the Kasturirangan report.”

Now he’s worried. Drought-like conditions that occurred only once in five years in the past, are now almost an annual feature. “We need to save the Western Ghats to save the Cauvery (for all of us). That’s the core issue.”

source: http://www.thenewsminute.com / The News Minute / Home> News> Cauvery Dispute / by Aneesha Sheth / September 22nd, 2016

Talacauvery is South India’s top ‘star party’ destination

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The source of Cauvery is also among the most ideal locations to gaze at the sky.

A “star party” organised by the Bangalore Astronomical Society recently at Talacauvery in Kodagu district of Karnataka. Photo: Special Arrangement

Talacauvery in Kodagu district, which is the source of Cauvery river, has emerged as South India’s Hanle, as astronomers have been hosting “star parties” there for some time now. Hanle, located in Ladakh, and known for its pristine skies and minimal light pollution, is also India’s first Dark Sky Reserve.

A Dark Sky Reserve is a designation given to a place that has policies in place to ensure that a tract of land or region has minimal artificial light interference.

In south India, most dark sky locations are in the Western Ghats or some hill ranges nearby, and according to astronomers, Talacauvery is the most ideal location to gaze at the sky and have a star party.

Voluntary work

The Bangalore Astronomical Society (BAS), a group of volunteers working for the promotion of astronomy as a hobby as well as a science, is now hosting star parties at Talacauvery. IT professionals Sudhash Natarajan, Vishwanath S.K. and Keerthi Kiran have been volunteering to conduct the star parties for BAS.

“We at BAS usually arrange star parties on New Moon weekends (Friday-Saturday-Sunday) format as it is the ideal time to observe the celestial objects which we are looking for. We inform people who are interested in joining us for the star party eight to days in advance. Members of the sky party after arriving at the dark sky location set up their equipment like telescopes, binacolours etc and the observation goes on until 4.45 am,” said Sudhash Natarajan.

Mr. Natarajan said that the group which attends the star parties are of all walks of life and that they are a mix of experienced astronomers as well as students and newbies to astronomy. He added that star parties have also been conducted in Koratagere, Hoshalli, Kavalur, and Yercaud in the past.

Less light pollution

“However, Talacauvery is possibly the best dark night location in south India due to less light pollution. In astronomy, there is something called the Bortle scale which measures the night sky’s brightness of a location on a nine level numerical scale. The lesser the numerical scale it qualifies for a better dark sky location. For example, Hanle skies would qualify as Bortle one skies, Talacauvery as Bortle two, and Bengaluru as Bortle nine,” he added.

The star parties are usually conducted in the winter months between December to March as the skies are clearer during these months which is very important for stargazing.

Mr. Natarajan said a star party was conducted between December 23 and 27, 2022, and the next one would be between January 20 and 24.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India> Karnataka / by Hemanth C S / January 04th, 2023

Back to the roots

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Shoot in progress

Shooting in Progress

Fox History gave students a chance to present their culture on film.

Ayush Ganapathi, a Std VI student of Coorg Public School at Gonicoppa in Kodagu, has made it big. He is one of the five students picked by the Fox History channel in the country to depict the rich and unique culture of Kodagu district.

Many partcipants

More than one lakh students from over 60,000 schools across the country wrote an essay on the theme “My City and My History,” highlighting the cultural and historical aspects of their region.

Ganapathi wrote an essay on Puliyanda, a Kodava family’s origin and existence, following which he figured in the list of 12 students who were called to Delhi for final interview. The students were asked to speak and explain their themes and Ganapathi was one of the winning five.

Fox History had organised the event in association with the Indian National Trust for Art, Culture and Heritage (INTACH). The channel team visited COPS and a few select places in Kodagu for a shoot.

The traditions of Kodagu, mainly cultural, were shot in the COPS premises, apart from shoots in other locations such as Talacauvery, Nalknad Palace and the Ain Mane (ancestral houses) of the Puliyanda family. A mock show of Nari Mangala (wedding of a slain tiger), a practice that was in vogue in Kodagu in the past, was also shot on the occasion.

Fox History proposes to make a documentary for telecast some time later. The teachers and staff of the COPS, who interacted with the Puliyanda family, should be complimented for bringing laurels to COPS, says M.D. Nanjunda, senior Principal of the COPS.

source: www.thehindu.com / Life & Style > Kids / by Jeevan Chinnappa / March 21st, 2011