Karnataka Folk Culture Treat: Janapada Loka

The Murals on the walls of the office building.

Some years ago we passed by Janapada Loka, I didn't even realize what I missed. Then my dear friend Deepa had been suggesting it to me for a while. Finally decided to go there as we had not gone out of Bangalore this entire month.

It is only 45 kms from my home so we decided to have breakfast at home and reach there by 11 am today, spend couple of hours at the Janapada Loka and then go next door to Kamat Loka Ruchi for lunch. Over to the review on my food blog.

The Janapada Loka is on the right hand side when you drive towards Mysore. We took a U-turn just as we reached the milestone, parked the car outside as it does not have a drive in parking lot. Kamat's does have one but we were going to spend 2 hrs at Janapada Loka so did not try to park at Kamat. It would be more sensible to do so. That is an after thought.

The entry fee is Rs. 10 for adults. We decided to begin our walk around the 15 acre folk world conceptualized by Shri Nage Gowda from the Doda Mane. The big house has a central courtyard and verandah. The surrounding rooms are used for some theatre related activity. The start wasn't very impressive. We moved toward the heritage village, consisting of a potter's hut, a blacksmith's and some tools of the trade of various other occupations.

Fisherman's equipment, Farmer's seed sowing contraption

A blacksmith's hearth, A Jaggery mould

A house with a verandah and a well in the courtyard

The campus is interspersed with many resting places of different structures, some is brick and others with thatched roofs.

The sculptors yard was interesting with mostly sculptures of Gods and warriors. It was very telling that the sculptors mostly were commissioned for their work. The temple had lovely wooden pillars.

I spotted many carts of the common people and a large chariot for God, as is used in festivals.

It looked old and I think is was burnt so it was covered with plastic, may be some restoration will be done. The carvings were intricate and had various avatars of Gods depicted.

The thatched houses. The roller used to level the ground lying in the front.

The kitchen, the bamboos allowed enough sunlight and the ventilation was natural. The Bathroom shows a provision for heating water with a platform like area for bathing with a slope for water to drain easily.

The auspicious designs on the wall. Also used for ornamentation of lamp coves in the wall. There was a tradition of having mud pots embedded in the wall. They acted as little safes. I remember my grandparents old home in Thal had such near the Chool. My grandma kept small change in it. When we had that home we found it dark and dingy and got rebuilt into a concrete eyesore to prove that the sons had made progress into the modern world.

The two entrances showing difference in status and may be caste. One thatched the other of mud with a beautiful design on it.

The amphi theater

Behind the amphi theatre is a small place that displays the Dasara Gombe dolls and some paintings on cloth.

The central pondThere is a small museum with artifacts from rural life and folk art.

The Dasara Gombe Dolls, an interesting collection

The puppets
The Yakshagan charachters, weapons of war exhibited interestingly next to a quilt


Leather puppets, musical instruments


and some masks...

I am in Bangalore for the last 4.5 yrs and feel happy I learnt a little more about Karnataka. If you have school going kids you must take them atleast once to give them this exposure. Visit Janapada Loka official site for more info.

Though we walked around at leisure and the entire campus is wooded we were tired and hungry. It was 1.15 pm and time for lunch the Kamat Lok Ruchi is strategically positioned just next door. The food is the rural taste of Karnataka. As decided we went there to for a lunch on Banana leaf or the Yelle Oota.

The plan was to go to Ramohalli on the return journey to see the Big Banyan Tree. Post follows...