Dede Sophie

It is the kind of place where peace, spirituality and lush nature go hand in hand. It is a place where prehistoric rock art, beautiful Hindu and Jain temples and a matha established by Sri Madhvacharya exist in close proximity to each other. It is the kind of place where life seems to move at a much slower pace. I am talking about Sonda or Sodhe, the lush temple village that is nestled amidst the Sahyadri mountains and is surrounded by the dense jungles of the Western Ghats. As a thumb rule, most tourists visit this village for the 13th century Sodhe Matha (also known as Sri Vadiraja Matha), one of the Ashta Mathas established by Sri Madhvacharya, the famous Dvaita philosopher. The main deities worshipped here are Lord Bhuvaraha, Lord Hayagriva and Sri Bhuta Raja. The brindavana of Swami Vadiraja Tirtha can also be found here. But, there is more to Sonda, than the Sodhe Matha. There is the Rama Trivikrama temple and stone chariot, built in Vijayanagara style, the Shankarnarayana templ

A Nissan Ariya crossover electric car will take on a 27,000 kilometres journey from the North Pole to the South Pole next month, in an attempt to show the capability of an EV in long journeys and extreme conditions, writes Brian Byrne. It will be driven by a husband and wife team, Chris and Julie Ramsey, and the expedition will take about 10 months. The pair previously completed the 17,000kms Mongol Rally in a Nissan Leaf. Modifications to the Ariya are mainly the addition of 39-inch BF Goodrich tyres, with associated changes to the wheel arches to accommodate them. The 389hp powertrain for the AWD version of the car remains as standard. The car will also have a built-in espresso coffee machine, a drone launchpad on the roof box, and it will tow a trailer with portable solar panels and and wind turbines to help recharge the car when it is stopped.