Not many knew in India , that apart from Mysore , Karnataka has lot Many Scenic attractions .I was in that “Many” List until , I surfed for Karnataka Tourism to exploit Dasara Holidays 2009 .The journey Started from Chennai Central on 18th September in Mangalore Xpress by 17:00 Hrs .Upon reaching Kasarghat , the Morning sunrise saw my entire coach vacant .The Northern kerala was almost ending ,when Karnataka twinkled at us ,but there weren’t apparent signs of Karnataka culture ,except for the Kannada Name Plates in the Railway Stations .On contrary ,Kerala’s unique trend such as Pyramid style houses , South west Monsoon , evergreen forests , Coconut trees ,back waters and beautiful Girls J ,continued till we alighted in Mangalore. Train reached the Station 5 minutes Early .Was that the reason why it was raining heavily ? Mangalore Bus Stand is hardly 2 Kms and the Auto waala charged us bare minimum of Rs 20 .Was it that ,since we came from Chennai ,auto charges looked bare Minimum ?
Udupi: 19th -20th September
On the way to Udupi ,I could see my Dream NIT , in Suratkal . I was dying for this college, post my Secondary Education. With beaches at the campus backyard , Suratkal NIT got registered 4 inches higher in my Heart than it’s rival ,Trichy one. By Mid Noon ,after an Hour and Half Journey , we reached Udupi. After a quick shower in VidyaSamudra Thirtha Chatra , we proceeded for the important Occasion , Lunch .
Food in Udupi :
We entered the Brahmin’s Bhojana Shaala through the backside of the Temple .We were honored with a plantain leaf .A few of those who sat prior to us , denied a leaf .I assumed they should have come for just giving company to their relatives. But their actions didn’t coincide with my Assumptions .They cleaned the frontal floor in a rectangular section with a tailored hand kerchief ,after which they were served with Salt, followed by rice and Rasam on the self cleaned floor Section . With surprises surmounting me, I muttered to my Father why the hell are they eating in floor ? He replied ,it was a type of Seva (Service rendered to god).Hearing that ,I felt like Vomitting .I was at the fag end of my patience when an aunty sitting opposite to me was licking her fingers ,with face delighted as if she had had the healthiest food ever in her life time. Simply horrible .Coming to the food that was served ,it was Rasam first, followed by Sambhar ,Payasam and ended with spicy buttermilk ,everything served twice hot except for buttermilk .Food is served daily with Sweet ,both Afternoon and night . People who would prefer only Tiffin in the night time can opt for WoodLands restaurant , 100 meters away from temple . People in Udupi speak kannada in Malayalam accent ,which was like eating hot Vaazhakkai bhajji dipped in Honey . Ketkkave Kodumaya Irundhadhu!
Places near By :
We arranged ambassador (car ) for Local Places around Udupi .First to Pajaka Kshetra ,birth place of Madvacharya , Madwa guru . Anantha Theertha (a) Madwacharya ,is believed to be the 3rd incarnation of vaayu ,after Hanuman & Bhima .He had had various child hood Miracles .One of them was suppressing the hood of Manimantha, who took the form of a snake to kill him .The other miracle was the creation of his own thirtha ,vasudeva thirtha , when his mother called off from taking bath in Parashu , Dhanus , Baana & Gadaa thirthas.. Durga betta is a scenic spot nearer to pajaka but seemed panic driven with lot many hungry monkeys hanging over. Janardhan swamy temple in Ambalpaady ,is the one that I admired most amongst all , for its gorgeous entrance with contrasting dark Brown Shades .Inside the temple ,there was a mini park ,but owing to drizzlers ,none of the devotees dared entering there .Finally We started towards Malpe beach with lot of hope that rain would stop before we reach there ,but it didn’t .My parents happened to sit inside the Car for the very simple reason that they didn’t carry an umbrella even after me forecasting South west Monsoon’s reign .I could manage the drizzles for few minutes without an Umbrella .The Malpe beach Sand was almost like Alleppy’s white filtered Sand , while the shallowness of the beach reminded me of Rameswaram .
Sri Krishna Temple :
When the clocks ticked 8 in the night, bells of varied shapes and varied pitch ,jingled ,non-stop for 15 minutes. Sri Krishna consecrated by Madhwacharya can be seen ONLY through the openings between the Door. That’s it and that is the saddest thing of all . There are very Many Sevas that starts from Rs 1,75,000 and ends at 50. Similar to Kerala temples , priest here offer Chandan and thirtha as well .The conical roof ,multi tiered brass Lamps ,kuttambalam or theatre hall ,all depict the cultural impact towards Kerala Temples tradition ,although built in Karnataka. Goshaala had huge cows looking like Jersy .The laddu prasadam in the Temple is neither good nor bad ,but andhraites wouldn’t prefer that as it matches no way before Tirupati Balaji. The Green Lake to the side of the Temple pricks every devotee’s eyes .If possible seek the permission of the Temple security to take a dip without disturbing the black ducks. We bid adieu to udupi in the afternoon and wished I would come again with my fiancé. We took a KSRTC bus to go to Murudeshwar. The drive was splendid with lot many backwaters and lush green bunches. The Moody clouds with interspersed rain drops was cheering us to Murudeshwar like T 20 Dancing Girls
Marudeshwara:20th-21st September
Morning’s at seven;The hillside’s dew -pearled;
The lark’s on the wing; the Snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in His heaven - All’s right with the world.
An Example for Out of Box Scenic Tourist Temple - Marudeshwara . With 343 feet high Silver coated Shiva Shrine ,and a bluish green Arabian Beaches Surmounting the temple , this place reckons repeating Audience, throughout the Year . The 650 feet high Gopuram welcomes us to Lord Shiva Temple with 2 royal Elephants (Rock Carves?). Tourists, spend significant time here itself in shooting Snaps with White Gopuram and Royal Elephants as their back ground . One could see a lot many amateur photographers ,giving Instant Polaroid Photos at a nominal rate ,helping families who don’t Own cameras.
Upon entering the Temple , I was awe-struck by the gold tint shimmering resplendently everywhere . I knocked the Gold tint (Midas Knock) to check if it was Gold metal ,but it was a golden wall painted one .By Evening 18:30 Hrs , when Sodium Vapor lamps starts strewing blessings on the Shiva Shrine to multiply its gorgeousness Logarithmically , Tourists start climbing the hillock . A Snap of Nandhi with a mix of heavy down pour and vapor lamp brightness will be a favorite shot , for one’s life time .The Beautiful beach is best Viewed when seen through the gaps of Nandi , ganesh , Ravana Mould Mades . There is a katha Chitra Auditorium in the hillock , that narrates in kannada as how ravana obtained the blessings of divine .Built just 1 year back , the Auditorium is full of Fabricated colorful Moulds and what impressed me was ravana’s stand with 10 heads and like a Crane with One leg for a hot Penance . The Auditorium is Air Conditioned and is open till 20:30 Hrs . Arjuna –Krishna Chariot and Sun God’s Chariot are notable ones .Few say the Statue was re-structured , when a portion of it was damaged in Tsunami 2004 .
Places near By : Towards North East of this Place lies Jog Falls for just 70 kms, Gokarna & Goa are 60 , 200 Kms respectively in the Western Front , 110 Kms in the South lies Udupi , while kollur lies 60 kms in South eastern direction .
Transport : Bhatkal is the Nearest big town ,that connects this Spot with other near by Places. Tourists going with relatives & family Members with heavy luggages can arrange their own vehicle ! For Romantic Couples , Public Transport will suffice
Food & Lodging : The Curse to this beautiful Spot is unhygienic & Costliest lodging . Marudeshwara Lodge is a cheap one with Rs 350 /day for a Non-Ac @ week days ,while kamath starts @ Rs 800 / day ,with not even a Television facility . On Food front , Kamath is better one, if veggies can withstand flies and Mosquitoes in idlies .
Ideal Season : February to October Mid reigns this place with Humid Summers and South West Monsoon .So any time outside this loop will be good to hang out !
Kollur :21 st September
Although Kollur is less than 60 Kms from Marudeshwar , there is no direct KSRTC bus .As a result , we had to move on to Bhatkaal and then get down at Byndoor to travel Kollur. The blog wouldn’t be a complete one ,if I don’t appreciate the Vegeterian food @ Hotel Srinivaasa in Bhatkaal , the cheaper one with a decent taste .In Kollur, Right from the priest till devotee everyone was keralite, with none of the devotees being kannadigas ,except for my parents and myself. The only apparent odd thing was that temple being located in Karnataka . It was a superb evening (again with rain) where I was bestowed an opportunity in clicking few Amateur kuchipudi dancers in half boiled swinging action .On the eve of Navarathri , the temple bore a festivous look with traditional dances and music . I felt really Lucky and thanked the almighty and my Supervisor as well , for granting a superb occasion like this .
Agumbe,Sringeri,Kudremukh :22 nd September
We hired an Omni to embark towards Sringeri . The journey in the early morning through the Tropical Moist Evergreen coniferous forest ,was a life time gift ,with cool breeze slashing one’s face sidewards .The road was bumpy ,narrow ,eroded at few places ,however every minus got zeroed before the glory of thick dense Moist green forests .The presence of Algae on the road sides ,both sides ,presented rich green look ,much captivating for any Traveller to stop and to admire at it for a while! Agumbe , Sunset point is worth of viewing at evening time .In Forenoon we ended up with just clouds passing over our heads .The tall barrier was disturbing in shooting a Portrait with scenic background . We reached Sringeri sharp 10 .
Believe it or not ,the temple was difficult to trace .What started as a Small corridor , grew into enthralling huge green garden .The temple architecture resembled Tamil Nadu style and most of the devotees were fluent in Tamil as well . One must visit the river bank with huge colorful fishes , Guru Nivas and garden set behind the temple .Food in Sringeri is unique as ,they provide curries , kosambari apart from the conventional routines and ladies do participate in serving food to the devotees .I could mention it ,as the best of the food we had ever had in any of the karnataka temples ,we had visited .
On the way to Horanadu , Kudremukh national Park was a passing cloud and had many Passing clouds hitting the car frontal .The Plateau ,Valleys were playing a game with Sun and clouds and was dangerous to step out of the car ,as different places were spotted with Name Plates for Poisonous snakes and wild Animals .We were at Ladhki (seems it’s a dam ,but there were no traces of water). A BSF told me that there was a case registered against Karnataka government which hasn’t let water open for the ladki Dam, that was governed by the Central Government .
Horanaadu :22 nd - 23 rd September
Horanaadu , primarily a hill station, I would say is an ideal place for newly married couples to spend their honey moon. Chillness was rocking that one can’t sleep without carpets. Aware of this cold fact, the Annapurneshwari Lodge should have placed a hot water connection in every room . The Room Rent was just Rs 80 .(Jai Ho !) Unfortunately ,no Plug Points in any of the rooms .Charging to be done only in common area .(Jai No !).Having Been to Sringeri ,we had big imaginations on the temple Premises & its services ,but it was just 30% matching to our expectations .Unnecessary lines for darshan was one key factor among them . On the eve of Navarathri , fruits and vegetables were hung over the roof ,in this temple alone which is famous for bestowing seemless flow of food for devotees .Outside the temple premises , are few Grocery type shops that sells spices like cardamom , Almonds, tea Powders etc at half the price .Coffee lovers have a wide scope for purchase in Horanaadu for cheaper price .If I tell you that I took bath in waterfalls adjusant to temple, you would tell me that I am just pranking you .Many know not , that horanaadu hosts a small kutraalam. The roofs of few resident’s houses near temple are pentagonal and shrubby garden with invisible compound walls .
Dharmasthala : 23 rd September
We bid Adieu to Annapurna @ 10 by getting into Kottichera bus and commenced the next leg of our trip .While the Mile stone speaks just 48 KMs ,the journey consumed awesome 2.15 Hrs through Tea / Coffee estates & Valleys moving on with C curves and hairpin bends. As a luck would favor us ,we got an Outstanding bus to Dharmasthala .The first one Hour saw too many Waterfalls oozing from top notches of hills on one side .The gushing water stream descended the Highway road like a white streak and after being hit by tyres of highway buses made its way to the valley ,on the other side. It was finally 14:30, when we stepped into the Jain town ,Dharmasthala. The town was not impressive, but the room we opted was too good for just Rs 70 .The Guest House had Coffee parlour ,Luggage Room, Charging Point. The saddest part of the story is that power supply won’t be available at day time .I inquired on worthy places around Dharmasthala .The Help desk guy replied instantly – Manjunatha Swaamy ,Museum & Dining Hall .The Answer cut my veins, tweaking laughter in me. The Hotel food was not too good, neither the food @ Temple Dining hall .In fact it was the Worst of all ,with lot many Masala items .The Service was too quick and ended in 10 minutes. Neither of the servers never worried on what devotee had on their plates ..They just poured Butter milk over the unfinished sambhar rice and hurried fast. It hurts the hunger and puts a halt to the eating curiosity .Coming to the Temple , it’s Policies were a sort of disaster with unwanted big queues, trying to imitate tirupathi but actually was having scanty devotees. The hanging big Tvs rose the eye brows of few devotees, but not me for sure .Unable to bear the poor food , we made a decision to quit Dharmasthala, the next morning.
Subrahmanya : 24th September
We vacated the Lodge by 07:00 , in the morning to Kukke Subrahmanya. Neo Mysore café was recommended by few and we tried our breakfast there. My mom had a very appeasing , satisfactory breakfast after a very long time. Subrahmanya temple was unusually crowded ,reason being Sarpa Nivarthi Dosha performed in the temple .There is a river , in the backyard of the temple .Spend some time , meditating in silence..It's really worth of it .The highlight of the temple is young energetic paltry haired elephant in the front yard of the temple ,dancing while blessing .(Don’t forget to say “hello” to the beautiful Lady Inspector ,in charge of this temple.FYI ,she is married .)
Mysore : 25th,26th September
The Bus journey was 7 hours and we alighted @ 20:00 hrs in Mysore Inter City Bus Terminus. The Next Morning , we visited the Chama raja Zoo. This was built in 1896 A.D by Chama raja. Now it has grown into a sprawling campus of 100 Acres .Being a Rainy season , Peacock was in full swing and opened it’s feathers to give us a Visual Treat. For Senior citizens ,who might not be able to walk ,zoo has provided a open roofed vehicle. Few Varieties I had seen included Nocturnals as wild cats, Crane descendants as Flamingos ,Reptiles like vipers, special cases as Malaysian Tapirs , Donkey descendants as Zebras, Goat descendants as Deers, Crocodile descendants as Comodo Dragons. After having Lunch , we moved to Mysore Palace rebuilt in 1890 A.D with 42 lakhs . The palace has 5 gates namely, east : jayamaarthaand -- For movement of horses &elephants ,North: Balarama For dasara procession, West:Brahngapuri gate – For personal purpose, South: varaha – For VIPs ,thotti For general Public .It is Raja Wodayar who kicked off the Wodaiyar reign in Mysore around 1610 A.D , after the fall of Vijaya Nagara kings. The Golden throne contains stair case, Umbrella and myths attribute its hailings to be from hastinapura and was first used by Jayachama rajendra Wodayar. The Whole palace was decorated in lights and it was very nice viewing it after sunset..There is a howda made of 80 kg of gold, used for procession of deity, during dasara. Seems Government spends 30 lakhs for dasara Days for electricity bill Alone.
Since it was raining ,my parents stayed in hotel and I made my way to K.R.S Musical Garden ,20 kms away from the city .Amidst the heavy rain ,there was a huge crowd that landed in own Cars, vans. I was very happy to have tripod with me ,without which photos wouldn’t have been too good. I shooted all the videos from the top stairs ,with less disturbance. Next day we spent few hours at Sri Rengapatnam Temple and Mysore Emporium where we purchased 2 Mysore Silk Sarees ,without any VAT. We got into Rajahamsa Delux bus to reach bengaluru finally to spend our Dasara in our Aunty House. There ended our beautiful Karnataka trip.
Best Practices :
When planning to travel plenty of places near by ,choose after noon time rather Evening /Morning time. Reserve it for site seeing .(This will also let enormous time for cloths getting dried paltry in the night under fan as well in morning)
While going for Tourist Spot , try to enquire the rates in different adjacent hotels ,before opting one. Go for one with “Good” facility with lesser rate than “Superb” one with higher rates. The objective of our tourism is to see around sites than to stay at the best hotel and spending for rooms.(This is what we did in Murudeshwar and saved Rs 400 by not choosing Kamath Hotel)
If you don’t know kannada perfectly, better stay away from Karnataka Taxi drivers, as they are bound to charge you double fare.(We were cheated in Kollur ,given the fact that we knew kannada half baked.)
Have Complete Schedule of Places & Dates on which you would be visiting .Categorize into “Must See” and “optional” ..Spend more time in the former and if time permits cover the Latter one..Never be in a hurry to be on Schedule .. Objective is to enjoy thoroughly even the very few you visit ,rather than to Cover very many places in a hurry burry!(We left thala kauvery ,as we were running out of time)
Have a MP3 player with battery charged ..Have few discourses and listen them on travel ,than always listening to songs.
Try to buy few unique things of the Place (Mysore Silk is cheaper in mysore, Spices cheaper in Horanad….)
For a long duration tour ,carry less luggage ,with the objective of Reusing the used cloths after washing .(Frequent travel never overburdened due to less luggage)
The luckiest person is not the one with money in plenty, but the one who is able to travel places in Plenty
Places I would love travelling again :
Udupi ,Murudeshwara , Kollur and Sringeri & kudremukh in South West monsoon Season ,yet again J
