Talakadu - The Mini Desert (Karnataka)

Whenever we think about to see the desert, only the name of Rajasthan comes to mind. Although not the entire Rajasthan is desert, but sand and desert can be seen in Jaisalmer. Well, we are going to talk today about the Desert of Karnataka. You will find a little strange by reading but in Karnataka, there is a place which is completely desert which is known as Talakadu. You will see there only sand on each side. Talakadu is a desert-like town on the left bank of the Kaveri river 45 km from Mysore and 133 km from Bangalore in Karnataka, India. It is said that, this happened during the rule of Wodeyar dynasty due to a natural calamity, but local stories and myths says something else. The Wodeyar dynasty ruled over the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore from 1399 to 1947. It is the only royal family of India who has ruled a state for more than 500 years. The rule of this royal family was over 5 centuries, which had 25 kings. There is a story among the people that due to the curse of Rani Alamelamma, Talakadu got buried under the sand.

History

At the beginning of the 11th century, It was ruled by the Gangas and then by Cholas. The Cholas captured Talkad and gave it the name of Rājarājapura. But about a hundred years later it was taken by the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana, who drove the Cholas out of Mysore. Down to the middle of the 14th century, it remained a possession of the Hoysalas, and then passed into the hands of a feudatory of the Vijayanagar sovereigns. In 1610, it was captured by Wodeyar Kings of Mysore.

Curse of Talakadu

The Wodeyar king of Mysore wanted to obtain the jewels of Rani Alamelamma. But he was not able to get those jewels easily. But he wanted to obtain the jewels of Rani Alamelamma at any cost. Then he levied an army and proceeded against the Rani Alamelamma. After seeing this, Rani Alamelamma went to the banks of the Cauvery, and throwing her jewels in the river, drowned herself too. But it is said that during her death, she had cursed that Talakad would become sand. In the 16th century this city was buried under the sand.

Tourist Attraction

Talakadu is famous for its beautiful temples among tourists. This city is known for its five temples, namely Vaidyanatheshwara, Pathaleshwara, Maruleshwara, Arkeshwara and Mallikarjuna Temple. All these temples are buried every year in the sand, but now they are continuously trying to keep them open. The five Lingas believed to represent the five faces of Shiva, form the Pancha pathi and have become famous. In honour of these five Shiva temples, a fair is held once every 12 years called Panchalinga Darshana, last held in 2009.