KAIVARA-

Kaivara

Kaivara is located in the Chintamani Taluk of Kolar district in Karnataka. It is about 65 km from Bangalore. This place is historically significant. It is said that the Pandavas of the great Indian epic Mahabharata lived here during the exile in the forest (Vanavasa).Bheema, the brother of Dharmaraja, has established a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva ( Bheemalingeswara temple). Bheema is said to have killed the demon Bakasura inside a cave above the hills, in this place.Hence Cave-war might have become Kaivara.
During the Dwaparayuga this town was known as Ekachakrapura.

The reigning deity is Sri YogiNareyana, born as Narayanappa in 1726
Lived a fruitful life for 110 years before he passed away in 1836.
Popularly known as Kaivara Thatayya in Kannada & Telugu language.


An Ashram that is dedicated to this famous saint is a pilgrimage and every year many thousands of pilgrims visit this place. It is fast becoming a tourist spot now.

This very beautiful town is situated in a picturesque valley.



MAJOR ATTRACTIONS

Amaranarayana Temple: This is a beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. This temple is famous for its architecture. The temple has four sculpted stone pillars with exquisitely carved designs. This constitutes the Navranga Mandapa. The idol here was installed by King Vishnuvardhana who belonged to the Hoysala dynasty.

Aranya Rama Temple: Close to the Amaranarayana is another small shrine dedicated to Lord Rama, where he resides with Sita devi and Lakshmana.

Bheemeswara Temple:This is on a small hillock, Mythology has it that Bheema killed the Rakshasa Bakasura when the Pandavas were in exile here thereby relieving the citizens of this place of a tyrant. To honor this deed a temple was built here for Bheema which is the Bheemeswara Temple.

Narayanappa Mutt: A mutt/ashram dedicated to the famous Telugu/Kannada composer and writer Narayanappa (1730-1840 AD). It is said that this saint was initially a bangle seller. There after he got his call and dedicated his life to sainthood writing and composing many literary works some of which are the famous ‘Amaranarayana Shathaka and ‘Kaalagnana’.

Yoganarasimha Swamy Temple: This temple is at a distance of about a kilometer from the Mutt, on a small hillock called Vaikunta. This is the place where Narayanappa was on meditation for over three years. The statue of Narayanappa is installed here. A magnificent prayer hall is within the precincts of the temple which is huge and boasts of an excellent view of the surrounding hills and valleys. This is an ideal place for meditation.
Other places of interest near Kaivara

Ambaji Durga Cave Temple (kailasagiri): This place is about 7 km from Kaivara and is quick drive from Kaivara.

Lord Venkateswara Temple, Alamgiri: This is also within a 10km radius of Kaivar.


This town is famous for the saint called Narayanappa or popularly known as Kaivara Thatayya in Kannada & Telugu.He lived here during the last half of eighteenth century and first half of nineteenth century. Thatayya was a bilingual poet. Narayanappa has written number of prophecies about forthcoming events Kaala Jnana.He has also written Keertanas (poems in praise of the Lord in different forms) in praise of Amara Narayanaswamy, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, both in Kannada and Telugu languages. The Keertanas are comparable to those of famous Keertanakaras of Karnataka like Purandaradasa and Kanakadasa. He also appears to have influenced by the Vemana Kavi and VeeraBramhendra swamy of present Andhra pradesh and also Sarvajna of the present Karnataka.

One of his valuable writings is Bramhanandpuri Shataka in which he has explained all the nuances of Yoga in depth and detail.

There is one unique poem in which half of the each line is in Kannada and the other half in Telugu language. (The same has been sung by Sri Balamurali krishna, one of the famous and versatile musicians of the present times. The music cassettes sung by the renowned musician was the result of the great efforts put by the Late Sri M S Ramaiah, Educationist and philanthropist of Bangalore.)

There is an Ashram dedicated to the Thatayya. Kaivara has become a pilgrimage and a tourist place because of the cave in which Thatayya meditated and attained the supreme spiritual enlightenment. The Ashram, the cave, Amara Narayanaswamy temple, Vaikunta (temple) by the side of the cave and the hillock (on which Bheema supposed to have killed the Bakasura) are the places worth visiting.

The bonus point is the beautiful park maintained by the forest department of Karnataka.

Kaivara is an ideal place to visit during the weekend as it is very near to Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka. Free boarding (prasada)and well maintained low cost accommodation are available at Ashram.

Best Time to Visit: The best time to visit this place would be between January to March and June to September. In fact from Bangalore you could visit there over a weekend
getting there:

By Air: Bangalore airport is the nearest airport from where a taxi can be hired to travel the 30 odd kilometers to Kaivara.

By Rail: Many trains from all over India run to Bangalore. From Bangalore a taxi or any other road transportation can be hired to go to Kaivara.

By Road: National Highways - NH4, NH7, NH212 and NH48 converge on Bangalore. Kolar where Kaivara is situated lies on NH4 to the East of Bangalore.


What to do?

* You should visit the Zoo, the snake park and the crocodile farm there which are being very well maintained by the forest department of Karnataka.
* If you are a naturalist, you must study sericulture and horticulture and this place is a host many exotic flora and fauna. The place has many small scale industries flourishing in the business of sericulture and horticulture.
* The hilly terrain would give ample opportunities for trekking and rock climbing. But please make sure you are there with an experienced trekker or rock climber. Do not undertake this adventure on your own. The rocks are and hills are deceptively dangerous.