The Hindu : A familiar scene unfolds but before time

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 14, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

A familiar scene unfolds but before time

By Our Staff Correspondent

Mysore Feb. 13. A familiar scenario that unfolds every summer following a weak monsoon has set in even before the total retreat of winter this year.

And the ethereal beauty of the ancient temple surfacing from the receding water levels of the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam; its shimmering reflections in the still waters on a moonlit night is deceptive.

For it is indicative of the difficult days ahead as the mercury level continues to soar.

For a moment, the visitors may appreciate the splendid towers of a temple that once was. But the unfolding scenario immediately draws attention to the harsh realities that are now upon them. What was once a rarity has become a regular feature since the past four years.

In the past, the local people from the old Kannambadi village used to rush to catch a glimpse of the famous Gopalakrishna Temple whenever it emerged from the backwaters of the reservoir.

The curiosity and the sentiments attached to the temple are understandable as it was no ordinary temple that was doomed for submergence. Here is a 900-year-old temple — but whose antiquity is stretched by a few more centuries if the local folklore is to be believed — which submerged when the dam was completed in the second decade of the 20th Century.

The temple complex measures roughly 100 yards by 60 yards and its architecture is influenced by both the Dravidian and Chalukyan styles. Before the temple structure was condemned for submergence, it was a beehive of activity for people in the vicinity. Enclosed by two "prakaras'' and a "Mahadwara'' or outer gate with verandas, the temple has a massive hall leading to the inner enclosure and is styled after the more famous Somanathpur Temple. The inner "prakaras" contain engravings depicting the Dashavatar of Lord Vishnu besides the figures of Brahma, Saraswati, Harihara, Hayagriva, Jalasayana, etc.

The Mysore Gazettes's description of the beauty of the idol of the main deity matches the verbalisation by the elderly people around Kannambadi village. The main idol was removed before the temple began to submerge.

The Gazette edited by late historian, Hayavadhana Rao, in the first decade of the previous Century notes that the image of Gopalkrishna is represented as standing under a "honne tree'' and the figure is embellished with engravings of cowherds, gopikas, gods and sages.

The temple is now almost fully visible and the water level has receded to a point from where the foundations are exposed. It will be only a few days before the people can walk to reach the temple about one km upstream from the dam. Last year, the temple emerged in the second week of May when the water level was 71 ft (the maximum level of the reservoir is 124.80 ft).

In the preceding years, the temple emerged only when there was delay in the onset of monsoon and people would catch a glimpse of it during July-August. It is for the first time in the recent decades that the temple is visible even before the onset of summer.

In the past, the local people used to visit the temple with reverence and offer worship. But then the emergence, as it were, of the temple was a rarity. Of late, it symbolises the frequent drought in the region.

As a result, a section of the local community shudder at the sight of the temple towers emerging from the backwaters. For they are now convinced that greater the grandeur of the sight, the greater is the degree of difficulty people encounter.

The submergence of the temple with the onset of monsoon would cause sadness among the local people. But today the local community only pray that the temple submerges under the Cauvery quickly.

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