Citrine Hotel

Fishing at Bhemeshwari

by abi_maha

Head to the Bheemeshwari Fishing Camp which is around 80 kms from Bangalore for an unforgettable fishing trip. You can even stay for a week at the Galibore Jungle Lodges Resort for an unforgettable trip. The Bheemeshwari camp also has log huts which make for a comfortable stay as you enjoy some fishing. You will also catch a lot of birds fishing there making for some memorable photography. Carry your own gear unless you only want to indulge in joy fishing

Take a walk !

by ChuckG

The downtown is pretty small you will see great palace, parks and attractions. Best think is to get a map from the hotel and go on a nice walk.

One advice, don't take a generous offer for a auto-ricksha tourist tour. You will get a free tour of unwanted visits to tourist shops.

sringeri

by letusdraw

"Introduction:"

Sringeri is the sacred site of the first matha (monastery) established by Sri Adi Sankaracharya, the greatest teacher of Advaita Vedanta philosophy. This little village, housing one of the most important Sankaracharyas of today, is located on the banks of the river Tunga, in the Malnad region of Karnataka, India. Legend has it that drinking the clear water of the Tunga is comparable to a bath in the Ganga (Ganga Snanam, Tunga Panam). According to tradition, when Adi Sankaracharya was walking by the Tunga river, he saw a cobra with a raised hood, providing shelter from the hot sun, to a female frog that was about to spawn. Impressed with the sanctity of the spot where even the natural enemy of the frog had turned protector, he decided to found his first monastery here. Later he established three other mathas at Dwaraka, Puri and Badrinath. He also organized the Dasanami Sannyasi order of ascetics affiliated with these four mathas.

"Ancient History:"

The name Sringeri is the vernacular version of Rishyasringa-giri,
Rishyasringa
Linga

meaning hill of Rishyasringa. According to legend, the Rishis Vibhandaka and his son Rishyasringa lived here. Rishyasringa is famous as the Rishi who brought rains to the drought-stricken kingdom of Romapada, after which he married the princess Santa. Lord Rama's father, King Dasaratha, invited Rishyasringa to be the officiating priest at his sacrifice to obtain sons. This legend connects Sringeri to the ancient epic poem, the Ramayana. There is a temple dedicated to Rishyasringa and Santa at Kigga, a few miles from Sringeri. The Sivalinga consecrated in the sanctum has a horn on the head, depicting Rishyasringa Rishi. The ancient site of Rishi Vasishtha's Asrama is also nearby. Thus, it was fitting that Adi Sankaracharya chose this spot to establish his monastery.

"sringeri"

The Sringeri Matha:
Adi Sankaracharya is reputed to have stayed for twelve years at Sringeri. Hastamalaka and Totakacharya became his disciples when he was at Sringeri. Padmapada also stayed with him for a while at Sringeri, and he wrote the Pancapadika here. Adi Sankaracharya chose Suresvaracharya, who wrote works like Naishkarmayasiddhi, as the first head of the Sringeri matha. He also founded a temple for Sarada, the Goddess of all learning, who symbolizes Brahmavidya. The tradition of Advaita Vedanta was maintained at this matha by such illustrious philosophers and religious leaders as Nityabodhaghana, Jnanaghana, Jnanagiri etc. In the centuries following the time of Sri Adi Sankaracharya, the successors to the title came to be widely revered as Jagadgurus - gurus of the universe. In the 13th century AD, Sri Vidyatirtha, the famous tapasvi, was the presiding Jagadguru of Sringeri. Bharati Tirtha and Vidyaranya, the best-known authors in post-Sankaran Advaita Vedanta were his disciples.

Harihara and Bukka, the founders of the Vijayanagar empire, drew inspiration from Swami Vidyaranya. When Harihara established his dynasty in Hampi in the early 14th century, a period of great cultural and religious revival was initiated in southern India. Under the leadership of Sri Vidyaranya and his successors, various texts on the Vedas, philosophy, grammar and music were written. The commentaries to the four Vedas by Sayana and Madhava date to the early Vijayanagar period. The Vijayanagar emperors and the local chieftains gifted vast amounts of land revenue and endowments to the matha, in order to carry out its dharmic activities. Thus, during the time of Sri Vidyaranya and his immediate successors, the Sringeri matha grew from a small cluster of forest hermitages into a great Mahasamsthanam. While the matha possesses all the external signs of such historical pomp and glory, the Sankaracharyas themselves remain unaffected by it all. They live in the Narasimhavana forest in simple thatched cottages. They conduct their daily pujas and receive visitors in the Saccidananda Vilas building on the banks of the Tunga river.

The Sringeri matha has had the good fortune of having an unbroken line of succession from Adi Sankaracharya onwards. The successive heads of the matha are also known as Sankaracharyas, in honour of Adi Sankaracharya, the founder of the matha. Right from the beginning, the Sankaracharyas have taken great care to bestow their title only on the most suitable disciple, irrespective of ethnic background. Thus, over the centuries, the Sankaracharyas have come not only from the southern regions of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra and Karnataka, but also places like Gujarat, Bengal etc.

In addition to being great philosophers who wrote voluminous treatises, the Sankaracharyas have been among the most eminent sannyasis in the Hindu traditions. The tradition of Sanskrit and Vedic learning, including Mimamsa and Vedanta, has been preserved at Sringeri for the 12 centuries since Adi Sankaracharya.