Maal Gambha - ಮಾಲಗಂಬ

Maal Gambha - ಮಾಲಗಂಬ: is a famous place in Bilagi town. From Sri siddeshawar temple, if we climb the hillock towards the north we find Maal Gamba. 

Along with Maal Gamba,  a police wireless station and the tomb of Baba Saab can be found there. Maal Gambha is a long rock poll on top of the hill. It is for lighting the lamp. They put deepa or pranati i.e fire on it on auspicious occasions. This lit lamp is visible to the whole town and also from a very long distance. They say it's visible from Golgummaj of Vijayapura. 

Soon after the marriage, the couple or a boy has to light the lamp on the top of Maalgaamba with oil and cotton grains. It is also said that the light of this lamp is visible when it is viewed from Golgummaj of Vijayapura.

Earlier there was no road to Maalgamba. One has to go through the Hill and forest. Nowadays they made a small road to maalgambha from Shree Siddeshwar Temple. On the way to maalgambha, you can see MelaSiddappa temple. And from this you can see a very nice and awesome view of hillock and Bilgi town.

MaalGambha on the hill 

MaalGambha on the hill 

Wireless Station

Way to MaalGambha

Lit MaalGambha

Way to MaalGambha

MelaSiddappa Temple

Aarettina Bhavi (Six - bullock well) - ಆರು ಯಾತದ ಭಾವಿ

 ಆರು ಯಾತದ ಭಾವಿ:

In Bilgi town, towards the north, another attraction center is Arettina Bhavi (Six - bullock well).  Mainly this well was used for irrigation. The water from the well was pulled by six bullocks Hence the name Aaru Ettina Bhavi- which means Six Bullock Well.

The stone inscriptions in Kannada, Marathi, and Persian were built into the walls of the well register that was constructed by Visajipanta in the year 1708 A.D. However, the top inscriptions of lion and other inscriptions remind us of the architecture of Chalukya. 

The Eastern side of the well comprises a Mahadeva temple, where the shivalingam has been destroyed and few of the items in this precious monument are missing. Also you can see lot of cave-type door entrances in the well. And you cannot make out if you enter in one door where it opens. Its amazing .You can see some pictures of the well.

Shall we join hands to appeal this monument for preservation, renovation, and protection! 

Some more images of Arettina bhavi:

Shree Siddeshwara temple

Bilgi people call the Shree Siddeshwara Temple as Siddappana Gudi or SiddanaKolla. The Siddeshwara Temple, which lies south of the city and surrounded by hills, has two doorways, one facing east and the other north. According to an inscription from 1695–96, Khanderao Timmaji, a subordinate of Vajir Haidar Khan, constructed the eastern portal.

The sanctum sanctorum of Lord Siddeshwara is a shivalinga that is magnificently encircled by stone mantapa and faces east with the Nandi in front of it. The temple, which has Shivalingas, an inscription, Lajja Gouri, and Nagas on the back side, is located south of the gap between the rock and the temple. To the south-east of the temple is Aakala Bhavi, a tiny tunnel where water used to flow continually. Bhojanalaya lies on the temple's western side, and a kalyan Mantapa is on the eastern side.

They have a little tale of Aakala Bhavi, or the cow-well. Aakala is the word for cow in the Kannada language. Bhavi is well. Usually, they take one cow along with them on the Shreeshail Paad Yatra. The cow once entered a narrow tunnel in a hillside southeast of the temple. Since that time, the water has been continuously flowing from this tunnel or tube. You can feel and see the cow's footprint if you place your hand within the tunnel. Hence they refer to it as Aakal Bhavi, or Cow Well.

A trickle of water emerges from the hillside just outside the northern door, and 100 metres to the south is Haalu Bhavi  i.e Milk-Well. It would have gotten it's name from the pond's crystal-clear water. There is a check dam constructed for wildlife that is located just over 100 metres from the backside temple.

All the images of Sri Siddeshwar temple: 

Between Haalu bhavi (Milk-Pond) and the temple, towards the north and backside of the big Nandi, with a hidden water tank, there is the well-framed cave, it is yet to be known. Side to this framed cave, there is another cave called, Aane Gavi. Probably shape of the tunnel is like an elephant, as told by the elderly people. In this tunnel, there is a shiva linga and even after that the tunnel continues and is yet to be traced. When we climb the hillock towards the north, there is a police wireless station, Maal Gamba, the tomb of Baba Saab and at a distance towards the south-west, there is Yelu Math

Every year on the final Monday of Shraavana maas (Hindu Month), a fair called Sri Siddeshwar Jatre is held. That typically occurs in August. For Hindus, the month of Shraavana Maas is extremely fortunate and auspicious. Therefore, every Monday during this month, the majority of people in and around Bilgi goes to the Sri Siddeshwara temple and perform the pooja. You will see a lot of people here on Monday if you come. Will add Sri Siddeshwar Jaatre a separate blog post that describes the glory of Jaatre

Most Bilgi residents come here daily. This is an area where the elderly can go for walks and where kids and youngsters can go hill climbing and trekking.  This Shraavana maas comes in Varsha Ritu that's the rainy season. So, carrying food and snacks, people head up the hill. After eating, they go to Maalgambha and the MelaSiddappa temple.

There is a lot of greenery, a hill station, and flowing water for the kids to play in at this picnic area. What more is needed? There is a wonderful spot for kids to go hiking from one hill to another. Another hill called Durgavva Gudda and Koppara padevva hill are located next to Sri Siddeshwar hill. To get there, people can hike through the mountainous jungle. Yelu math or Elumath is also accessible from here. In this hilly region, they held a national-level cycling competition last year, i.e  year 2021.

All the people of Bilgi will have a lot of fond memories of this temple. This temple will remain in the hearts of all Bilgi residents forever. After mannettina Amavasya, the rainy season starts, on those days on Tuesday and Wednesday they commemorate "Basavanna and Gullavva" festival. These days, People cook a wide range of delicacies in their homes and bring them to the Sri Siddeshawar shrine. And they all eat there on top of the hill while sharing their food. Everyone, regardless of age, plays games from morning to dusk and returns home in the late evening following Lord Siddeshawar's evening Darshana. 

On these days after school, we too used to go there. On the occasions of Gullavva and Basavanna, each class's students and teacher visit the Siddeshawar temple; students bring food boxes from home. 

Spend the entire day exploring the hill, Melasiddappa temple, MaalGambha and Siddeshwar temple while learning new facts about the local flora and fauna. return to school in the evening.

On the hill, there are several wild creatures, snakes, and birds. There have recently been reports of foxes, wolves, leopards, chinkara (deer), and large snakes being spotted there. 

It's a sanctuary for birds. There, you can observe several bird species. It's a bird watcher's paradise. I've captured numerous images of birds from there. 

I'll discuss them here later in subsequent blogs.. The Karnataka government has additionally designated this area as a Chinkara Wildlife Sanctuary.

There is a very nice view of Sri Siddeshwara temple, hill view, etc, You can view some of the interesting  images

 It's a beautiful place to visit with your family!!!