A piece of advice to all the Mangalorean kids out there before I begin about my Mangalore trip. Do not visit Mangalore with your parents unless you want to just spend your days visiting temples and attending poojas. That’s what I would have done if I were to travel with them to Mangalore every time. So going back to my roots after 13 years, all alone allowed me to undertake the little adventure and explore the beauty on my terms. :)
Karnataka is a diverse landscape waiting to be explored (So is the whole of India I guess..: p... but I will be partial to Karnataka in this post :) ). From the high hills to the vast beaches, from historical treasure trove to adventurous jungle trip, you will find all of it in Karnataka. Being one's native it always help. Since the people and the land seem familiar to you.
My journey started on the evening of 15th March. Had to catch a 6 P.M flight to Mangalore. The entire way I was debating with my cousin Ashu about how Indian Railways is always better. There seemed to be something wrong with the temperature control system in the aircraft. With all the delays we reached Bajpe airport around 8.45. Our cousins had come to pick us up. Apart from the heat wave which was yet to hit us in the real sense, what struck me was the sheer creative design of the auto rickshaw that we had a ride in. Completed with a decorated false ceiling and the disco lights, it was an experience!!! Missed taking the photographs of the auto though.
Ghats. There was a slight drizzle of rain. The picturesque beauty of the Ghats was just breath taking. We wanted to take the pictures but the windows were closed and we were trying hard to open it. That’s when one of the villagers came to our help. He seemed excited seeing us taking the pictures and helped with the window. Then I realized how biased and prejudiced we are. When we entered the bus we drew a dangerous image of these innocent people in our mindset based on their appearances whereas they are humble and helping people. Perhaps more than the kinds you would find in the city. Then we met Mr. Kumar. He looked like a local and I was bit upset when he came and sat in the seat in the adjacent row. Again a matter of prejudice ruling over. What we soon realized was Mr. Kumar was a knowledgeable person who could speak in fluent English something which we didn’t expect in the interior parts of the country. He told us that we were at the Charmaadi Ghats which is the highest point above the sea level. However the highest peak in Karnataka is Mullayanagiri. The view outside was truly mesmerizing. It was like you are suspended in time with no other sense except to absorb the beauty around you. The green cover of the hills appeared as bales of silk were laid out. At one of the halts, Ashu wanted to have coffee. Mr. Kumar said we could go ahead if we wanted to taste the worst coffee of our lives and asked us to wait till we reached Chikkamagalur where we could taste the best coffee. He also told us that there are around 20 places in and around chikkamagalur which are worth visiting. With just one day in hand, I guess we did quite well. J We reached Chikkamagalur at around 6 p.m. in the evening. Ramesh Uncle, (one of dad’s relatives) had come to pick us up. We were to stay at their place.
Chikkamagalur is a small town located on the hills of the Western Ghats. Chikkamagalur in its literal translation means younger daughter’s village (Chikka: younger-Magal: Daughter- Oor: Village). It is said that there was a king who had two daughters whom he had married off in the nearby villages. The nearby village called Hiremagalur is supposed to be the place where the elder daughter ‘Hire’ was married into. Surrounded by hills adorned with greenery all over and a pleasant weather all year through Chikkamagalur makes an ideal place for a peaceful retired life. Chikkamagalur is famous for its coffee and pepper plantations. Infact our beloved Café Coffee Day originates in Chikkamagalur. The headquarters of the famous 'Coffee Day' is located in Chikmagalur. It is also known as 'Coffee land' since the coffee in India initially grown here and it houses a Coffee Research Station, the first in Asia. The proprietors of 'Coffee Day' who are one of the many owners of the vast coffee plantations in Chikkamagalur also have a five star resort / spa called the ‘ Serai ’ which is the star attraction of the town. Simplistic beauty of the place and the pleasant weather doesn’t fail to enrapture you. The township is a small one with individual houses; some of the houses are just beautiful works of architecture
Karnataka is a diverse landscape waiting to be explored (So is the whole of India I guess..: p... but I will be partial to Karnataka in this post :) ). From the high hills to the vast beaches, from historical treasure trove to adventurous jungle trip, you will find all of it in Karnataka. Being one's native it always help. Since the people and the land seem familiar to you.
My journey started on the evening of 15th March. Had to catch a 6 P.M flight to Mangalore. The entire way I was debating with my cousin Ashu about how Indian Railways is always better. There seemed to be something wrong with the temperature control system in the aircraft. With all the delays we reached Bajpe airport around 8.45. Our cousins had come to pick us up. Apart from the heat wave which was yet to hit us in the real sense, what struck me was the sheer creative design of the auto rickshaw that we had a ride in. Completed with a decorated false ceiling and the disco lights, it was an experience!!! Missed taking the photographs of the auto though.
Day 1: So the next destination on my itinerary was Chikkamagalur. I was supposed to take an early morning bus to Chikkamagalur from Mangalore. Ashu had turned down the proposal to join me on the trip to Chikkamagalur; even claims as” It will save you from the heat” didn’t help. Ofcourse she had come to attend the POOJA! So I thought we will go together till Mangalore atleast and have the famous ’GADBAD Ice cream” Now If you ever go to Mangalore. It is a CRIME not to visit ‘Ideal/ Pabbas’... Not just for the GADBAD. Just about any ice cream. They make the best ice creams. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like ice cream (though I doubt if such species do exist... but even if they do… they would cease to exist after one visit to this place.) It is truly amazing ice creams…. So after having devoured our share of the famous Mangalore ki Shaan “Gadbad Icecream” Ashu had a change of mind.. She suddenly decided to join me to chikkamagalur.We picked up some clothes for her from big bazaar.
( yeah yeah.. thanks to Mr. Kishore Biyani we have big bazaars.. in tier two cities like Mangalore and Udupi as well, which is a saviour for the impromptu travelers like Ms. Ashwini. ) We reached the city bus stand by 12.02 p.m. and missed our bus to chikkamagalur by 2 minutes. Thanks to the last minute shopping. Mumbai railways and BEST could learn a lesson or two from Karnataka State Transport on punctuality. The next bus was after one and half hours.. That meant we would reach Chikkamagalur by 6.30 p.m. and so the whole day would be wasted. We took another bus which was leaving at 12:30 for Mudigere which was an hour’s distance from Chikkamagalur. Finally we were on our way. As we started moving away from the town, the country started to uncover its beauty. The natural lakes, mountains revealed themselves through the curtain of thick trees. Then we reached a place called Ujihere where the bus halted for a break. It was going to halt for some 30 minutes. So we decided to change the bus and took another bus which was going directly to chikkamagalur. When we boarded the bus it was a bit scary sight. The bus was full of bald men … maybe villagers on return journey from some religious place. But the sight was frightening at the beginning. We managed to find a seat at the end of the bus and began to enjoy our journey. Away from the sweltering heat of Mangalore…it seemed like god just turned a natural AC on. The mercury level started falling as we entered the Ghats.
Ghats. There was a slight drizzle of rain. The picturesque beauty of the Ghats was just breath taking. We wanted to take the pictures but the windows were closed and we were trying hard to open it. That’s when one of the villagers came to our help. He seemed excited seeing us taking the pictures and helped with the window. Then I realized how biased and prejudiced we are. When we entered the bus we drew a dangerous image of these innocent people in our mindset based on their appearances whereas they are humble and helping people. Perhaps more than the kinds you would find in the city. Then we met Mr. Kumar. He looked like a local and I was bit upset when he came and sat in the seat in the adjacent row. Again a matter of prejudice ruling over. What we soon realized was Mr. Kumar was a knowledgeable person who could speak in fluent English something which we didn’t expect in the interior parts of the country. He told us that we were at the Charmaadi Ghats which is the highest point above the sea level. However the highest peak in Karnataka is Mullayanagiri. The view outside was truly mesmerizing. It was like you are suspended in time with no other sense except to absorb the beauty around you. The green cover of the hills appeared as bales of silk were laid out. At one of the halts, Ashu wanted to have coffee. Mr. Kumar said we could go ahead if we wanted to taste the worst coffee of our lives and asked us to wait till we reached Chikkamagalur where we could taste the best coffee. He also told us that there are around 20 places in and around chikkamagalur which are worth visiting. With just one day in hand, I guess we did quite well. J We reached Chikkamagalur at around 6 p.m. in the evening. Ramesh Uncle, (one of dad’s relatives) had come to pick us up. We were to stay at their place.Chikkamagalur is a small town located on the hills of the Western Ghats. Chikkamagalur in its literal translation means younger daughter’s village (Chikka: younger-Magal: Daughter- Oor: Village). It is said that there was a king who had two daughters whom he had married off in the nearby villages. The nearby village called Hiremagalur is supposed to be the place where the elder daughter ‘Hire’ was married into. Surrounded by hills adorned with greenery all over and a pleasant weather all year through Chikkamagalur makes an ideal place for a peaceful retired life. Chikkamagalur is famous for its coffee and pepper plantations. Infact our beloved Café Coffee Day originates in Chikkamagalur. The headquarters of the famous 'Coffee Day' is located in Chikmagalur. It is also known as 'Coffee land' since the coffee in India initially grown here and it houses a Coffee Research Station, the first in Asia. The proprietors of 'Coffee Day' who are one of the many owners of the vast coffee plantations in Chikkamagalur also have a five star resort / spa called the ‘ Serai ’ which is the star attraction of the town. Simplistic beauty of the place and the pleasant weather doesn’t fail to enrapture you. The township is a small one with individual houses; some of the houses are just beautiful works of architecture
We reached home and were treated with some truly lip smacking holige (aka puranpoli) and hot tea. Then Ramesh uncle and his wife took us for a walk to the nearby hills. The slightly chilled breeze welcomed us. The weather was bit damp as it had just rained before we reached Chikkamagalur. After a 5 minute walk we reached the Mahatma Gandhi Park (also called Rathnagiri hill). behind Ramesh uncle’s house. We could see the Mullayanagiri hills which Ramesh uncle told us was the destination for the next day. The way the local municipal corporation has developed and maintained this park is truly commendable. It’s a haven for book lovers who can find a peaceful corner for themselves to read surrounded with the beauty of the hills. The park is a favorite haunt for the kids as it is well equipped with lots of things to play. A toy train which runs around the park, beautiful waterfalls, musical fountains, well kept gardens, artificial caves, and a temple at the top make it an ideal place for all age groups. The setting sun against the Mullayanagiri makes for a truly beautiful sight.
The next day I was super excited as I hadn’t expected to visit Mullayanagiri in this trip. Mullayanagiri is the highest peak in Karnataka. Mullayanagiri is located in the Baba Budan Giri Range of the Western Ghats. With a height of 1,930 metres (6,330 ft), it is the highest peak between the Himalayas and the Nilgiris. My friends from Bangalore had gone trekking to Mullayanagiri and even I had wished to do the same but given the time constraints I thought I would have to leave it for the next time. I was bit confused when my cousin Rachna told us that Mullayanagiri could be covered in about 2 hours time. Later did I realize that it was through the roadway. A road was now constructed till almost the top except for some 500 steps which we had to climb to the peak. The drive to the top was through astounding beauty of the valley and various trees that lined along the road. The climb was bit of a strain as the steps were steep and the air was getting thinner making it difficult for us to breathe. The mountain consisted of iron ore deposits. We got some pieces of iron ore which looked like stones as memento. There is a temple located at the top of the mountain which is the local deity for the people of Chikkamagalur. A little below the temple, a risky walk around the ridges of the mountain leads you to the caves in the hill. These caves were inhabited by the Sadhus. There are some Samadhis of these Sadhus in these caves. The village tale says that these caves lead to Kashi. (Now whosoever could have verified that!)The interiors of the caves are damp and cold due to the water seeping in through its walls. The floor of the cave was ice cold. The view from the caves was of the valley full of wild white flowers.
On the way down we stopped by a coffee plantation by the side of the road. The coffee shrubs cannot bear too much of sunlight. Hence they are planted amidst tall trees which are known as the Silver trees. The pepper creepers are let onto these silver trees. The place reminded us of a location from a bollywood movie where the lead actors would be dancing around the tall trees. We headed home for a quick and yummy lunch.
Our next destination was the Belur and Halebidu temples located in the Hassan district which is about 30 minutes drive from Chikkamagalur. Halebidu (which was previously called Dorasamudra or Dwarasamudra) was the regal capital of the Hoysala Empire in the 12th century. It is home to one of the best examples of Hoysala architecture in the ornate Hoysaleswara and Kedareswara temples. Halebidu literally means ruined city. This name is given because this city was ruined two times by Bahmani Sultanate. Halebidu was the 12th century capital of the Hoysalas. It enshrines Hoysaleswara and Shantaleswara, named after the temple builder Vishnuvardhana Hoysala and his wife, Queen Shantala. The temple complex comprises two Hindu temples. In front of these temples there is a big lake. The town gets its name from the lake, Dwara samudhra which means entrance from ocean. There are two Nandi statues on the side of the temple. Soap stone or Chloritic Schist was used for the construction of these temples.
The Hoysaleswara temple, dating back to the 1121 C.E., is astounding for its wealth of sculptural details. The walls of the temple are covered with an endless variety of depictions from Hindu mythology, animals, birds and Shilabalikas or dancing figures. Yet no two sculptures of the temple are the same. The sculptures are in the form of a series of moving images where each intricate detail has been captured in the stone. However most of the sculptures were destroyed by the Mughals. The heads of the sculptures of the horsemen were chopped off. There were 22 idols of the dancers in Queen Shanthala’s temple. Now only seven remain, the rest have been taken away by the British. Halebidu is just 16 km away from Belur. The main attraction in Belur is the Chennakesava temple complex which contains the Chennakesava Temple (dedicated to Chennakeshava , meaning handsome Vishnu) as the centre piece. The temple was built by king Vishnuvardhana in commemoration of his victory over the Cholas at Talakad in 1117 CE. Legend has it that it took 103 years to complete and Vishnuvardhana's grandson Veera Ballala II completed the task. The facade of the temple is filled with intricate sculptures and friezes with no portion left blank. The intricate workmanship includes elephants, lions, horses, episodes from the Indian mythological epics, and dancers (Shilabalikas). Inside the temple are a number of ornate pillars. Darpana Sundari ( Lady with the mirror ) carved on walls of Belur Temple is one of major attraction in complex.
If you are an art lover with a keen interest in the diverse history of our country then the belur and halebidu temples are definitely worth a visit.
After all the sightseeing during the day we still had some time left in the evening for some local shopping. We took a break for tea on the terrace which had the fantastic view of the mountain ranges and then headed to the local market. The market area is a single street which is lined with shops selling various utilities. I had to buy a coffee filter and some authentic coffee to take the memories of the place back home with me.
We missed out visiting few places like the kemmanagundi, kudremukha, Hebbe falls and a visit to a coffee plantation.
Chikmagalur has many Hill Stations, Waterfalls, Temple Towns and Wildlife, where activities including trekking, fishing or just relaxing can be experienced. It makes for a perfect holiday destination which has lot to offer and is relatively lesser known than its counterparts like Coorg which is a famous hillstation around 4 hours drive from Chikkamagalur.
Our next destination was the Belur and Halebidu temples located in the Hassan district which is about 30 minutes drive from Chikkamagalur. Halebidu (which was previously called Dorasamudra or Dwarasamudra) was the regal capital of the Hoysala Empire in the 12th century. It is home to one of the best examples of Hoysala architecture in the ornate Hoysaleswara and Kedareswara temples. Halebidu literally means ruined city. This name is given because this city was ruined two times by Bahmani Sultanate. Halebidu was the 12th century capital of the Hoysalas. It enshrines Hoysaleswara and Shantaleswara, named after the temple builder Vishnuvardhana Hoysala and his wife, Queen Shantala. The temple complex comprises two Hindu temples. In front of these temples there is a big lake. The town gets its name from the lake, Dwara samudhra which means entrance from ocean. There are two Nandi statues on the side of the temple. Soap stone or Chloritic Schist was used for the construction of these temples.
The Hoysaleswara temple, dating back to the 1121 C.E., is astounding for its wealth of sculptural details. The walls of the temple are covered with an endless variety of depictions from Hindu mythology, animals, birds and Shilabalikas or dancing figures. Yet no two sculptures of the temple are the same. The sculptures are in the form of a series of moving images where each intricate detail has been captured in the stone. However most of the sculptures were destroyed by the Mughals. The heads of the sculptures of the horsemen were chopped off. There were 22 idols of the dancers in Queen Shanthala’s temple. Now only seven remain, the rest have been taken away by the British. Halebidu is just 16 km away from Belur. The main attraction in Belur is the Chennakesava temple complex which contains the Chennakesava Temple (dedicated to Chennakeshava , meaning handsome Vishnu) as the centre piece. The temple was built by king Vishnuvardhana in commemoration of his victory over the Cholas at Talakad in 1117 CE. Legend has it that it took 103 years to complete and Vishnuvardhana's grandson Veera Ballala II completed the task. The facade of the temple is filled with intricate sculptures and friezes with no portion left blank. The intricate workmanship includes elephants, lions, horses, episodes from the Indian mythological epics, and dancers (Shilabalikas). Inside the temple are a number of ornate pillars. Darpana Sundari ( Lady with the mirror ) carved on walls of Belur Temple is one of major attraction in complex.
If you are an art lover with a keen interest in the diverse history of our country then the belur and halebidu temples are definitely worth a visit.
After all the sightseeing during the day we still had some time left in the evening for some local shopping. We took a break for tea on the terrace which had the fantastic view of the mountain ranges and then headed to the local market. The market area is a single street which is lined with shops selling various utilities. I had to buy a coffee filter and some authentic coffee to take the memories of the place back home with me.
We missed out visiting few places like the kemmanagundi, kudremukha, Hebbe falls and a visit to a coffee plantation.
Chikmagalur has many Hill Stations, Waterfalls, Temple Towns and Wildlife, where activities including trekking, fishing or just relaxing can be experienced. It makes for a perfect holiday destination which has lot to offer and is relatively lesser known than its counterparts like Coorg which is a famous hillstation around 4 hours drive from Chikkamagalur.
(To Be Continued)
(Some of the info provided above about belur and halebidu has been courtesy wikipedia)
(Some of the info provided above about belur and halebidu has been courtesy wikipedia)
We chose to take the path on the right as we had no clue whatsoever and started our exploration.It was nice walk through the trees with a nice cool breeze blowing. We walked ahead till we reached a dead end. The path downhill ended on the expressway. We turned back, still clueless about the way to Rajmachi. And there was no sight of any human being. We thought we had reached some wrong place. By the time we reached the lake (which was about an hour after we began our journey in the wrong direction). We saw a group of students along with their professor/guide. The professor/guide seemed to know the place well, so we asked him the route to Rajmachi. He asked us to take the route on the left and keep walking across 3 mountain ridges till we reached a village at the foothills of Rajmachi Fort. We started our walk and passed a small village. Pra and Sachhu asked local security guard the directions to Rajmachi. I and Kalpi were walking behind when we heard him say “Rajmachi jaa rahe hai. Inki toh haalat kharaab hone waali hai” Little did we know how close to the truth he was. The walk started getting tougher as the road was strewn with stones. After covering the stony patch the road started to get boring. There was no sight of Rajmachi or even another specimen of the species Human Beings. The breeze also had stopped and the sun was also increasing its intensity. We took a break but our destination still seemed distant and out of reach. Our path seemed like going downhill and we wondered if we would have the strength to make the return journey uphill…The weather had turned arid. The place would have been nice for a monsoon trek as there were many locations which would have waterfalls during the monsoons. After walking for an hour, we were exhausted. The straight, unadventurous route started boring us and we thought of turning back. We stopped for lunch at one of the places which could be a waterfall during the monsoon. We saw the group of students going in the direction of Rajmachi. After lunch we were about to turn back and were thinking of other options. But then the thought of returning halfway pricked us… and since the other group had already moved on the way we decided to go ahead. And we walked till it seemed like ages.. with no sight of the fort….then after walking for another hour… we could see the cliff within a reasonable distance. We estimated that it would be around an hour’s walk further. This motivated us to move on. However the path wasn’t straight and soon we realized it was around the mountain. We walked nonetheless .. completely exhausted. The path then progressed into the woods from the barren lands amidst rocky mountains which we had passed. Soon we reached a point where the path split into two directions. There was no signboard around but someone had inscribed “Rajmachi” on a board of the forest development department. So we took the path on left. After the winding path through the woods we reached a clearing from where we could see our destination clearly. But the approach was direct but around another mountain. This was the final test of our stamina. We had even almost exhausted our stock of water. That’s when the group passed us again. With their guide shouting “wait at the end of the road. There is a stream there” Well even though we were sure there would be no water in the stream. We joked that perhaps the guide’s throat must have dried to scream ‘there is a dry stream ahead’J. Taking that as the motivation we moved on and yeah true to our guess it was a dry stream. The path seemed unending and all the motivation had almost disappeared. But there was no way that we could return, so the only option was to move ahead. Finally after what seemed like a decade we came across a shack at around 2 p.m. First we thought it was mirage. Since it happened earlier with us, we came across a temple under construction and we thought there is well. However later we realized it is only a wall. This shack seemed like heaven on earth where we could finally get water!!!. We quickly bought the Bisleri bottles available with the guy. (God Bless the concept of Rural Marketing) This was at the foothill of the mountains. There were two forts on the two peaks namely, Manoranjan and Srivardhan. We had given up even the thought of going to the fort. We were contemplating to take the Karjat route on the way back. That’s when the another miracle occurred. We saw a boy driving a Bolero through that path. We asked the shack owner if we could find a ride back to Tungarli. The boy happened to be his relative and after some negotiation we finally hitched a ride. That left us with enough time to rest and regain our strength and also to explore the fort which lay ahead. Around 3 p.m. we started the ascent for the 2710 feet. Midway we came across a tank which is the source of water to the villagers. As we moved further we came to a landing where there was a temple and some structures built opposite. It looked like some voodoo location. The final climb was bit tiring and taxing but we made it. As you move onto the next level. There are some caves which again have some idols placed so it must have been some temple. There is a lot of open place for camping at night during this trek. We trudged ahead till we reached the top. The sense of conquering the fort Shrivardhan combined with breathtaking beauty of the Sahyadri around us was truly outstanding. We finally did it!!!! And that called for a toast!!!! We had saved our last pack of litchi juice and it was apt for the celebration!!! The enterprising Pra cut the bottles into glasses… well some wine glasses (i.e the overturned top part of the bottle) and we raised the toast!!! A Toast to the Spirit of BOTI!!!!. BOTI Rocks!!!
