Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Reservoir of a great heritage

Lokikere has a beautiful lake and some interesting history

PLACID WATERS Mornings andevenings are pleasant here

As the name suggests, Lokikere boasts a kere (tank) that is ancient. The tank, the centre of attraction in this small village, has two outlets (toobus) and irrigates 35 acres.

In its better days, it had seven outlets and irrigated about 500 acres of land. Two other villages nearby owe their name to this tank — Kodihalli and Malalkere.

The tank gets filled every year at least for a few days.

Lokikere is a nice spot to visit in the mornings or evenings, especially during these days.

Lokikere packs in quite a bit of interesting history too.

It finds mention in Epigraphia Carnatica and books on the history of Chitradurga district. It was an agrahara during the Chalukya times. Some even feel it may have been called Lokanatha or Avalokeswara in the earlier Buddhist period. The Eswara (called differently as Kodi Kalleswara or Madhukeswara) temple here has the Hoysala insignia and is built in the Trikutachala style.

You will find a partially buried edict in front of the temple.

Inside the temple, one of the pillars has an inscription dating back to 1229 C.E. The panels on the roof are particularly interesting here.

Another temple of importance is the Koteswara temple (11th Century, Chalukya style), which has idols of Ganesha, Mahishasuramardhini and so on.

The Hanuman temple here belongs to the 17th Century when Palegars ruled the place.

While this temple is well maintained, the Eswara temple (belonging to the Religious Endowments Department) is not receiving sufficient official attention.

The temple near the tank has been abandoned and yet another is covered with weeds. Some attention to these ancient structures would make Lokikere a more attractive tourist destination.

H.S. MANJUNATH

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail