ಕ್ಷಣಪ್ರಭಾ - Kshanaprabhaa

And here is the concluding edition of that weekend trip: the final leg of Shivamogga and Bhadravathi , continuing on from the last edition of Keladi and Ikkeri:  http://kshanaprabhaa.blogspot.in/2013/12/long-weekend-getaway-part-8-keladi-and.html We left the historical town of Keladi and reached Shivamogga by noon, and had our lunch and set out to visit St. Thomas Church, which was supposedly the second largest Church in India.  But we realized after speaking to the local folks that there was indeed a St. Thomas Church in Shivamogga, and the second largest Church in India was also present in the city, but they were two different churches. The huge Cathedral was in fact the Sacred Heart Church , right at the heart of the city, constructed in early 1990s. The architecture is extremely beautiful for such a new building, and would attract any visitor from a distance. The symmetry and the solitude one gets inside is inexplicable. After this, we made our way to the...

My trip to Pune earlier this year would have been incomplete without a visit to the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum located at Shukrawarpet area at the center of Pune city. The museum is home to a lot of artifacts depicting India's rich cultural heritage over the last many centuries, and tells the stories of sacrifices of Dr. Kelkar and his family. The museum contains pieces of architecture and sculptures ranging from 10th century to 19th century, ornaments, weapons, vessels, and most importantly, amazing and rare musical instruments from across the country. Here are some photographs, and if you are visiting Pune, don't forget to visit this place, a treasure built purely by the passion of one man, Dinkar Kelkar. It was great to see a 11th century Hoysala sculpture from Halebidu, Karnataka in Pune... Panchamukhi Maruti statue: A Ganesha idol made of utensils of daily use :) Intricate window design, and impressive lock and key design: ...