Temples of Talakadu – Talkad (also called as Talakadu) is a small town in the Mandya district of Karnatka.
It is around 136 Kms from Bengaluru and 45 Kms from Mysore.
Karnatka as I have mentioned before has many places which has some kind of relation to our greatest epic, Ramayana and Mahabharta.
It is said that Sri Ram halted here while on his way to SriLanka.
But coming back to it’s name. Talkadu is called after 2 brothers “Tala” and “Kadu”.
There are 2 stones which represent these brothers and they are supposed to be placed in the front of Sri Veerabadra Swamy temple (One of the many temples in Talakadu)
But the most interesting fact about this place is, it is full of sand.
It is actually a desert like area, almost 1000 acres next to river Caveri.
No one really knows from where the sand came.
But there is an interesting legend which points to this. Infact people here say that there are more than 30 temples and a palace which were buried below the sand.
Out of which 30 has been excavated. All these monument belong to Ganga Dynasity.
Incase you are interested in looking at the video!
Legend of Talakadu
It is said that the desert like land here in Talkadu is because of the famous “The Curse of Talkad”
It is said that in the year 1610, Raja Wadiyar, conquered Srirangapatna fort from Srirangaraya, then viceroy of Vijayanagar Empire.
 The viceroy then moved to Talakad. His wife, Alamelamma, also followed him. It is said that she carried with her a lot of jewels.
Raja Wadiyar sent his soldiers to Talakadu. Alamelamma assumed the kings men had come to capture her and make her a slave.
She tried to escape but found no way to escape. She jumped into Malangi River.
Before drowning into the river she cursed –
Talakadu managali, Malangi madwagali, Mysooru arasarige makkalu aagadiraliâ
Which means “May Malangi turn into an unfathomed whirlpool, Talakad turn into a barren expanse of sand and the Rajas of Wadiyar not beget male heir”.
It is said that the curse still holds true. Talakad is desert like and no one knows from where the sand has come.
What you can do in Talakadu.
As soon as you reach Talakadu, you will see first temple, the Vaidyanatheshwara temple.
Park you car in the parking lot and come to this temple first.
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There are five main temple which form part of Panchlinga temple darshan.
Next to Vaidyanatheshwara there is another small temple gaurded by “Tala” and “Kadu”.
From there you will se a marking for Sri Pathaleshwara and Sri Maraleshwara temple.
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Take that way. Its full of sand and fun walking.
Govt authorities have covered it and hence there is a shade all along the way.
Both Sri Pathaleshwara and Sri Maraleshwara temples are below ground level. All these temples are Lord Shiva temple.
At the end you will be back near the parking lot (back side).
There is a nice Vishnu temple. That is the last temple you visit there.
After that you can head to Kaveri river bank. It is a nice (river) sand beach.
You will see a lot of people there. You can get into the water like other beaches. Also you can take coracle ride as well.
How to reach Talakadu:
There are 2 ways to reach Talakadu. You can go via Mysore road or you can take Kanakpura road.
Route 1 – > Bangalore -> Maddur -> Malavali ->Talakadu ( From Bangalore take Bangalore Mysore expressway, once you reach Madur, keep looking for road which goes towards Malavali. Keep driving straight on this road. )
Route 2 -> Bangalore -> Kanakpura -> Malavali -> Talakadu (After Kanakpura look out for the bifurcation of road. Right hand side road goes to Malavali and left hand side goes to Mekadetu)
You may also be interested in : Shri Kotilingeshwara temple
Such a mysterious place. Crocle ride is good .
Which is the last temple in the blog?. is it from narasipura ?