Dede Sophie

Papua New Guinea’s East New Britain Governor Michael Marum is calling for a united effort from all stakeholders to rebuild Rabaul town, a potential tourist destination. The Governor made this call when paying a courtesy visit to the Rabaul Urban LLG office last Friday. He was accompanied by ENB acting provincial administrator Levi Mano and deputy provincial administrator for Districts and LLGs Nicholas Larme. The team also did inspections on roads in Rabaul, port services and Queen’s Park. He commended the tireless efforts of longtime residents and government officers that have committed themselves over the years to Rabaul, down the road to recovery and confronting challenges of hardships as they went. However, he stressed that for the once- famous town to improve especially with its roads, port handling of large cargo vessels and other vital services, there needs to be a collective approach to dealing these issues. He said discussions must commence with political leaders, stakeho...

It is a 13th century hidden temple gem that is a treat to the eye. It is a richly decorated Hoysala temple built in the trikuta vimana style (3 shrines with 3 towers). And it is just 3 hours away from Bangalore making it a fabulous destination for an offbeat temple day trip from Bangalore. I am talking about the uber gorgeous Lakshmi Narasimha temple located in the Nuggehalli village of Karnataka. Built in 1246 by Bommanna Dandanayaka, a commander under the Hoysala king Vira Someshwara, the Lakshmi Narasimha temple is one of the many temples situated in Nuggehalli village. It is said that this village was called Vijaya Somanathapura in ancient times and gained importance as a place of learning during the time of Bommanna Dandanayaka. This agrahara like village is surrounded by the Lakshmi Narasimha temple, the Sadashiva temple and the Pancha lingeswara temples. In between these temples are the traditional looking houses of its denizens and green farms and water tanks in the yonder. Ove...