Magadi is a place that has a vast history, rich culture and natural treasure. Magadi is well known as the birthplace of Nadaprabhu Kempgowda, the Vijayanagara chieftain who founded Bangalore in the16th century. Magadi is a Taluk headquarters located in Ramanagara district, Karnataka State. The town is 51 km to the West of Bengaluru and a place with rich history and every street here has its own history and a rich cultural heritage. Magadi was the largest boundary marked during the rulers of Vijayanagar Empire and hence the town was named as Maha Gadi or Mahalakshmi Gadi. Gradually, it got transformed to Magadi in British era. Scenic view along the route to the town from Bengaluru is not less than any other tourist destinations and allows travelers to enjoy their journey. Presently it is a getaway place for the trekkers, cycling enthusiasts, one-day travelers and weekend excursion lovers. There is a lot to unveil in this historical town.

Historical and Cultural Heritage

Magadi was first founded by the Chola dynasty around 1139 A.D. during their rule over the region. Kempegowda and the chiefs who followed him built many architectural temples here. Magadi was also a bastion for several dynasties. We can still see some of the forts in around the town. During the 16^th century, Magadi was the capital for regions under the rule of Kempegowda. The ruins of Magadi fort can be still seen near the main bus stand region. Government has undertaken activities of restoring the fort by reconstruction. Savandurga was a prominent place during the Hoysala rule and was the secondary capital of Magadi rulers. The hill fort on the top of the hill was built by Samantaraya in 1543. It was under the control of Kempegowda until 1728, before it was captured by the Raja of Mysore from whom it passed to Haider Ali. In 1791 Lord Cornwallis captured Savandurga from Tipu Sultan’s army in the Third Anglo-Mysore War. We can still see small forts on Savandurga hill and there are instances of treasures found during excavation or infrastructure developmental activities in Magadi town.

Magadi Fort

There are many cultural and natural heritage centres in and around the town such as Savandurga Hills, Shivagange, Magadi Fort, Shri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Prasanna Someshwara Temple, and monolithic rock mountain. Being home to historical temples of Shiva and Vaishnava sects is one of the notable features of Magadi town. This includes the famous Shri Ranganathaswamy and Shri Prasanna Someshwara temples. These two temples are protected as historical and cultural heritage centres by Government of India. Shri Ranganatha Swamy temple is believed to be built during 12^th century AD by Chola rulers and renovated by later period rulers and chieftains. There are arguments that the temple is 1200 year old. According to inscriptions, the famous Vijayanagar emperor Shri Krishnadevaraya got the temple Gopuram built and later renovated by King of Mysore, Jayachamaraja Wodeyar. Legend says that the standing image of Lord Vishnu, the main diety of the temple called as Shri Ranganatha is installed by sages Mandavya and Vasishta. The Kalyani or Stepped well is besides the temple where important rituals are conducted.

Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple

Further, the town is home to 5 Shiva temples making it one of the Panchalinga Kshethras. This includes Shri Prasanna Someshwara Temple, Shri Prasanna Rameshwara Temple, Shri Kote Rameshwara Temple, Shri Kashi Vishwanatha Temple and Shri Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple. The popular Shri Prasanna Someshwara temple is unique because of having both Shiva and Vaishnava Sect deities i.e., Shiva and Vishnu in same temple premises which is rare. This symbolizes the cultural harmony. This temple premises have Banni trees older than 500 years and stone pillar which produces bronze sound like bell. Here, Kempegowda used to deliver justice and run durbars.  

Sri Prasanna Someshwara Temple

The mysterious feature of Magadi is the idols of Gods and Goddesses growing in size. For instance, The Beleyo (growing) Ranga in Ranganatha swamy temple, Shri Kote Chamundeshwari Ammanavru in Shri Kote Rameshwara temple, Shri Narasimha Swamy in Savandurga hills are still growing. Town is not devoid of Shakti cult temples. Town consists of the famous historical Shakti cult temples such as Shri Kote Maramma Temple, Shri Kalaghattamma Devi Temple, Shri Gramadevathe Temple and the recent Shri Kanyakaparameshwari Temple. The temple architecture of this town is amazing and is comparable to that of other great temples known for architectural craftsmanship.

In addition to this, the town is home for some important and famous fairs. The famous Shri Ranganathaswamy Rathothsava (fair/jatre) invites lakhs of devotees all over Karnataka and neighboring states. One of the attractions of this fair is a lot of community kitchens called Aravantike that are set up in the name of Lord for 1-2 days and food is offered to visitors and devotees in large numbers. The cattle fair is also a famous event in the town which happens every year, setting a stage for cattle exhibition and trade. Someshwara Jatre, Narasimhaswamy Jatre are some of the important fairs along with others. Weekly markets popularly called as Santhe happen on Fridays, inviting buyers and seller from villages around the town and acts as one of the important economic activities and trade centres. Magadi town is associated with some of the important personalities such as Chieftain Kempegowda, Padma Bhushan awardee Shri Shri Dr. Shivakumara Swamiji (Shri Siddaganga Matha), Padmashri awardee Saalumarada Thimmakka and many more. A good number of popular movies and TV series are shot in and around Magadi. It’s a mini-long drive tourist destination. People of Magadi are very friendly, humble and helpful. Most of the people here are engaged in agricultural and trade activities. Kannada is the predominant language in the town and yet it’s a home for multicultural and multilingual communities. 

Natural Heritage

The Savandurga hill is one of the largest monolith hills in Asia and made up of peninsular gneiss, granites, basic dykes and laterites. Its altitude is 1226 m above the sea level and considered to be a part of the Deccan Plateau. It is a renowned place with a lot of adventurous activities in it and a popular one-day trip, trekking and weekend destination from Bengaluru and surrounding places. Savandi Veerabhadreshwara Swamy and Narasimha Swamy temples are situated at the foothills of Savandurga which frequented by pilgrims.

Savandurga Hills

Savandurga consists of two hills, the Billigudda (white hill) and the Karigudda (black hill). This destination is under the wishlist of the rock-climbers, cave-explorers and adventurers. Trekking in Savandurga Hills is an extremely popular activity. Both Karigudda and Billigudda are tough climbs that run vertically up rough rock faces. Billigudda is easier to climb compared to Karigudda. Karigudda can be a satisfying trek for adventure lovers. The spectacular view of Arkavathi river and Manchanabele dam is available from the hill top. The Arkavathi river passes nearby through the Thippagondanahalli reservoir towards Manchanabele dam. Savandurga hills are surrounded by the forest protected by state Government. At the foothills, a park that coserves rare and medicinal plants is located.

The historical town Magadi is surrounded by natural and manmade lakes. The important ones are Gourammana Kere, Hombalammanapete Kere, Kempasagara Kere, Belgumba Kere, Honnapura Kere, Manchanabele Dam, Thippagondanahalli reservoir and many more. Fishing is one of the major economic activities in these lakes. Close to Manchanabele Dam is a nice place for water sports. Bengaluru to Magadi road is one of the favorite routes for cycling enthusiasts and good number of them takes a long ride on bicycles to here during weekends and early mornings. 

Wildlife

The famous true story “Old Munisamy and the Panther of Magadi” by the India-born British hunter Kenneth Anderson is an example of forests around Magadi earlier. Savandurga is one of the rich avian biodiversity places. The wildlife includes sloth bear, leopard, endangered yellow-throated bulbuls, long-billed vultures, white-backed vultures, peacocks, variety of snakes, mongoose, other reptiles and many more. Wild elephants visit this forest through Savandurga – Bannerghatta Elephant corridor. According to studies, it is an ideal place to introduce spotted deers.

Agriculture

The important crops of the town include ragi, paddy, groundnut, mango, coconut, arecanut, maize, mulberry and vegetables. Being a semi-arid region, the Magadi’s annual rainfall is 795mm. Some of the important economic activities of the town includes agriculture, weaving silk sarees, making Ganesh idol, castor oil extraction, flower market, fishing, animal husbandry, sericulture and horticulture. Magadi is also famous for its vegetables, groundnut and fish which gives a unique taste and has a great demand in Bengaluru and surrounding. On the way you can get to buy fresh vegetables sold directly by farmers on the roadsides. Animal husbandry or livestock rearing is one of the important economic activities in the town. There is good number of poultry farms around the town.  

Issues and Opportunities

Besides all the above treasures, the town is facing some serious issues. The wildlife around Magadi has been greatly reduced by poaching and habitat loss. The increased real estate activities and illegal quarries operating around the town are causing serious damage to the ecosystem and reducing the forest cover and small rock mountains around the town. Lack of employment opportunities is causing youth to migrate from Magadi to nearby cities such as Bengaluru, Ramanagara and Tumkuru. The lack of educational infrastructure and opportunities do not offer higher education and career opportunities to the aspiring minds. Reconstruction and restoration of historical Magadi fort is not completed even after years. The historical monuments require repair, reconstruction and maintenance. Also, it is a sign of losing our heritage which was preserved for all these years.

This historical town of Magadi poses ample opportunities on the natural, cultural, social and economic fonrts. Magadi is a suitable place for promoting animal husbandry such as cattle rearing, goat farming, pisiculture, sericulture, pig farming, poultry farming, dairy farming and horticulture. Further, due to its natural topography, Magadi is an ideal place for setting up an Adventurous Sports Institute / University to promote adventurous sports among youth and organize camps. A dedicated bicycle/running track can be created on Bengaluru-Magadi-Savandurga highway so that different terrain cycling/marathon infrastructure can be set for cycling/running enthusiasts. This encourages organizing endurance sports such as cycling, marathon events and competitions. Tourism can be further improved by designating the town as Historical, Natural and Cultural Heritage Centre. It’s a well suitable place to set up Horticulture and Animal husbandry museum and Botanical Gardens to promote organic agricultural activities. There is a great scope to establish food processing industries and cold storage units in Magadi. This generates employment opportunities to the local youth and reduces the outward migration.

In summary, Magadi is a town that has multiple treasures hidden in it. It’s a perfect example of historical, natural and cultural coexistence. The temples situated here are serving as an example for temple architectures. The Savandurga hill is one of the favorite trekkers heaven at the midst of forest. Magadi is associated with the timeline of historical and natural events. Soil of Magadi can bring in a unique taste to vegetables and fruits grown there and at the same time this soil has the capability to produce great personalities. If given appropriate opportunities, the youth of the town can do wonders and can bring constructive developments in the society. Lack of infrastructural developments has left the town devoid of opportunities. Magadi is a one stop destination for pilgrims, historians, nature lovers, environmentalists, photographers, sports enthusiasts, cultural gatherers, architecture admirers, agriculturists, students and weekend travelers. 

 

 

References

https://magadidays.wordpress.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magadi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savandurga

http://srisomeshwaratemple.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_of_temples_at_Magadi,_Karnataka

http://www.aralikatte.com/2017/10/31/magadi_someshwara_temple/

http://itihasacademy.blogspot.com/2014/04/blog-post_29.html

https://kn.wikisource.org/wiki/ಮೈಸೂರು_ವಿಶ್ವವಿದ್ಯಾನಿಲಯ_ವಿಶ್ವಕೋಶ/ಮಾಗಡಿ  

Image Credits: Palash Ray via Wikimedia Commons

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