Talakadu is a very beautiful place in Karnataka. It is in mysore district and it is on the bank of the river kaveri. Talakadu is a desert like town.
Before knowing what are the places to be visited in talakadu, lets know its past.
The curse of talakadu:
Tirumala raja the representative of the vijayanagar family of srirangapatna, being affected with an incurable disease, came to talkad for the purpose of offering sacrifice to vaidyeshwara. His second wife alamelamma was left in charge of the government of srirangapatna, but she hearing that her husband wad on point of death, soon after left for talkad with the object of seeing him before he died, handing over srirangapatna and its dependencies to raja wodeyar of mysore, whose dynasty ever since retained them. It appears that raja Wodeyar had been desirous of possessing the jewels which was the property of rani, and being unable to obtain them, the eager to seize at any pretext, he levied an army and proceeded against the Rani. Rani Alamelamma thereupon went to the banks of the cauvery and throwing in the jewel, drowned herself opposite malangi, at the same time uttering a three fold curse - 'let talakadu become sand, let malangi become whirlpool, mysore raja fail to beget heirs. The latter part continues to affect the royal family.
TEMPLES IN TALAKADU ::
At talakadu sand covers the temples. Stone pillars, Square at the base and made to fit into a wheel below the abacus, lie scattered about. Among the temples of talakadu, the five lingas believed to represent the five faces of shiva from the panchapati have become famous and they are:
1. Pataleshwara
2. Maruleshwara:
3. Arkeshwara:
4. Vidyanatheshwara:
5. Mallikarjuna temple:
In honour of these five shiva lingas believed to represent the five faces of shiva, from the panchapati and have become famous, In honour of these five shiva temples, a fair is held once every 12 years called panchanlinga darshana last held in 2009. The panchalinga darshana is held on a new moon day in the month of karthika when the two stars conjoin, the stars of khuha yoga and vishaka. On this day, tradition has it that pilgrims should first bathe in the gokarna theertha, worship gokarneshwara and chandikadevi and then worship vaidyanatheshwara and then bathe in the northern Eastern and Southern stretch of kaveri and then worship the panchalinga in one day.