Chugging Through The Wild Beauty Of The Western Ghats And Coasts - Part 4

Part - 3 Early in the morning we started towards Marikamba temple. The sanctum sanctorum has the central image of fierce form of the goddess Durga, multi armed, riding a tiger and killing a demon. The temple has very special paintings of murals in Kavi art, an art form which was popular in the coastal Konkan region of Karnataka. After spending some time in temple, we immediately made our way towards Banavasi. Banavasi, a small town on the banks of Varadha River, is one of the oldest cities in India. Times have gone by but Banavasi has remained young and green. The traditions, festivals and crafts of bygone days are still in practice. It’s truly said by a Kannada poet Pampa – “It is a virtue to be born in Banavasi as a human being. If not as a human being, then at least one should be born as a bee or a cuckoo in the garden of Banavasi”; impressed by the culture and beauty of this place. Banavasi revolves around the Madhukeshwara temple which was built in the 9th century by the Kadamba kings. The main shrine in the Madhukeshwara temple was built during nascent stages of temple architecture. So, it is very simple structure with minimal decorative sculptures on the walls and pillars. A Sankalpa mantapa was added during the Chalukyan rule and Nritya mantapa during Hoysala period which has exquisite carvings on the pillars and ceiling. The main deity is Shiva in the form of honey coloured Linga. There is a beautiful monolithic Nandi statue in the temple. We enjoyed the ethnicity in the holy land and made our way towards Jog falls.

If it’s Monsoon, it is got to be Jog falls in Karnataka. We even didn’t miss out the chance and started our journey towards Jog to enjoy the splendid beauty of Jog falls that comes to life during rainy season. The road to Jog gives one of the most spectacular window-seat views of ever changing terrain – the freshest green of just cultivating paddy fields, dark and broodingly ominous hills turning and running away out of the cross hairs of camera lens. The scale and beauty of the terrain is enhanced a thousand fold by the silence. The silence touched us deeply. No beeps and clicks and horns and mindless chatter; the general jarring cacophony of daily life. It is so nice to feel being meditated without meditating, being part of nature’s meditation. It is in silence she creates, sustains, regenerates, hopes, and yearns. All of the events in nature happening perfectly quiet, their movement in their stillness, their grandeur in their subtlety, their imposing majesty in their humility. Truly Western Ghats is blessed with all natures’ beauty. If looked at the topography of South India, the Western Ghats appears as a chain of mountainous stretch parallel to Konkan and Malabar Coast and also the region gets one of the heaviest rainfalls, thanks to Monsoon. With water aplenty and a steep gradient in the geography, the region is home to many waterfalls. At place a called Gerusoppe, located near western border of Shimoga district, the rocky mountain makes a 250 meter gorge. Now river Sharavathi makes a dive over the cliff – and is the spectacular Jog falls, Majestic creation of nature. Major factors that adds to the beauty of Jog falls are; the height, sheer volume of water that plunges down the gorge and most important, unlike the narrow single point of origin in the cases of most falls, Jog forms a series of distinctive falls. Just before the fall, Sharavathi spreads out and then head down centre of an arc about half a kilometre long caved into the gorge. Together these series of adjacent falls have a multiplication effect of beauty and hence the name Jog falls and not Jog fall. The four easily distinguishable falls are assigned with fancy sounding names. Raja, the king on the left and Rani, the queen on the right extremity are so names for its characteristics. Raja makes an uninterrupted straight fall from the top to base in one go. That is about quarter of a kilometre dive in one stroke. Rani is in fact a cascading fall with spread as it reaches the base. The falls hits many rocky projections on its way down making numerous mini falls. It’s most graceful of the all and hence called the Queen. Between Raja and Rani are two other falls called Roarer and Rocket. Roarer is located next to Raja. The curious name is given to it  thanks to the sound it makes as water plunges down this stretch. As Roarer makes its dive from the top, it flows through a recess on the rocky wall of the gorge. The recess runs almost half way down and at an angle towards Raja. When water torrents through this constriction, it makes hell of a lot of sound compared to the rest of the three. The Rocket located next to Rani is so called because of its trajectory. No insults intended to the rockets as this rocket plunges downward. Through a narrow constriction at the top, a huge quantity of water is made to pass. A jet results. It hits a few intermediate points before meeting the pool at the base of the fall. The rest that makes waterfall special are its uncluttered viewpoints. It appears as if the falls and the viewpoints are well designed and orchestrated by nature. Think of a gigantic open theatre and a gallery opposite to it with a panoramic view. That is exactly what the terrain is made of water falls from the steeper side of the gorge that makes an arc almost. Opposite to it is the view point, located almost a kilometre away but almost at the same level of the fall’s top point. From this point the start of the fall appears to be at the eye level. Now one can slowly trek down to the base of the fall, never losing the view of the fall as you decent. As you reach down the perspectives of the falls keep changing. The panoramic view from the top slowly gives way to the torrent and the brute force of the river. The sound levels are high. So is the spray that makes one drench, long before the point where water hits the base. It’s not just Jog’s four famous falls but the whole spectacle- the sudden changes in the landscape and climate, the sleet rain, the thick swirling mist that covers and uncovers the falls in a dramatic playfulness that takes breath away. But Jog is only the destination, incidental to the whole experience of the journey. Thus "Chugging Through The Wild Beauty of Western Ghats and Coasts" ended with wonderful memories to cherish for the lifetime. Map :

Chugging Through The Wild Beauty Of The Western Ghats And Coasts - Part 3

Part - 2  Dandeli is a picturesque city set amidst the backdrop of the Western Ghats on the bank of Kali River in UttarKannada District, offering comfortable and hassle free life in the resorts with bountiful adventurous activities like Jungle Jeep Safari, Jungle trekking, White water rafting, Kayaking, Rappelling, Night camps and lot more. Of all the resorts in Dandeli we chose Nature Nest for our stay as it was affordable to stay and offers proximity with number of spots such as Syntheri Rocks, Kali River, Kavla caves and Dandeli wildlife sanctuary to enjoy jeep safari and rendezvous with the wilderness. It was dark when we reached Dandeli and the rain was pouring down heavily. It was adventurous to find Nature Nest resort as the entire locality was out of power,  we felt as if we were sleuthing Sherlock Holmes finding the resort. After travelling 12kms from Dandeli towards Patoli village, our cell phones were activated with signals. We immediately made a call to resort asking for the way and we then realised that we were just in front the road leading to the resort. Immediately resort staff came to us and helped us with lights, umbrellas and carrying our luggage. We freshened up and got ready for dinner and camp fire, arranged in dining hall as it was too difficult to set a camp fire out in the rain. We had our privacy to enjoy the music and dance floor the best, as we were the only occupants of the resort then. The sumptuous dinner, beautiful climate all around, the music and dance made us forget the tiring journey from Gokarna to Dandeli and had a wonderful night in the well decorated rooms of the Nature Nest resort. As we had planned to visit Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary early in the morning, we got up at around 5AM and came out of the rooms to start towards Sanctuary and the very view then was stupendously beautiful. This place is truly an adobe of serenity. Feeling being away from the polluted hustle and bustle of city life, waking up to the twittering of birds, to feel the caressing breeze and to feat our eyes on charming grandeur of the panoramic landscapes is truly awesome. We reached Kulgi base camp and in department jeep charging 100INR per person we started Jungle Jeep Safari to experience all the sights and sounds of the lush forests of Dandeli. Travelling through beautiful wooded trails appreciating the rich diversity of plant and animal life, unfolding the colour, scents and textures of extraordinary landscapes in front of us is bliss to eyes. The Sanctuary is a home for big cats, reptiles and varieties of birds. The undulating streams, swaying bamboos, abundance of wildlife and sylvan surroundings have made Dandeli Sanctuary a unique holiday destination. Sighting animals is difficult and always involves an element of luck. We were not all that lucky to spot a wild cat; we just had to be satisfied with herd of deer and the final view point inside the sanctuary is amazingly beautiful. Nevertheless we enjoyed the Jeep ride and made our way back to nature nest. After yummy breakfast in Nature nest we made our way to adventure camp at Dandeli to experience the adrenaline rush through our body. It was disappointing that we did not get a chance to enjoy White water rafting but we managed with Coracle ride and Kayaking in Kali river. Kayaking was real fun, we even tried racing with each other. After enjoying the activities in Kali River adventure camp, we made our way to resort back. Post lunch we started our journey towards Sathoddi Falls.

Sathoddi Falls near Kallaramane Ghat at a distance of 32kms from Yellapur town is untouched piece of nature, plummeting down 50 feet is a pulchritudinous beauty of nature. The stream then flows into the backwaters of the Kodasalli Dam, into the Kali River surrounded by hillocks, a picturesque location.  The way towards Sathoddi Falls is too confusing. There were too many forks in the road not well signed; confused our driver making him to ask for directions or for confirmation with people passing by that he picked the correct fork. Our smart phones with google maps were of good use then. We covered much of the path with the help of google maps and finally we were disconnected with signal for the last 5 km. We then followed the rough unsealed dirt road which certainly was out of our driver’s comfort zone. There were several stretches where he was cursing when he wasn't totally sure if the traveller could make it some spots. We could see the reservoir during the unpaved section of the road leading down to the car park. From the car park, there was well established walk. The trail gently descended in the direction of the stream feeding the reservoir. There was even a stretch of trail where there were canals on either side of the walkway. Once we were near the end of the trail, there was a shelter and picnic area with a partial view of Sathoddi Falls. We were able to continue to walk carefully a little further to get bit closer to the falls. These seemed to be the best views that we were able to get. We didn't get all the way to the falls as the jumble of rocks and stream made it little dicey to proceed any closer. So we had to make do with our partially obstructed and distant view of waterfalls. We then made our way back to car parking after enjoying herbal tea in the only house in that area very next to the waterfalls. After a journey of 2 – 3 hours, we reached Sirsi. Bangalore group made their way back to Bangalore the same night and we three continued our trip. We stayed in Samrat guest house, best budget hotel in Sirsi town. It was a tiring day; soon we went to bed looking forward more fun in the last day of our trip. Part - 4 Map :

Chugging Through The Wild Beauty Of The Western Ghats And Coasts - Part 2

..Continued

Early in the morning at around 6:00am, we started our journey to Yana when rain was pouring down heavily. But our enthusiasm was at its peak and we were all set to trek in heavy rain, as our interest was to enjoy every bit of Western Ghats and Coasts in rainy season. The journey of 25 km from Kumta to Yana trek base camp was great; the monsoon clouds had opened up offering the spectacular view of Sahyadri ranges.

Yana, with two pitch black limestone needle shaped colossal peaks, which standout stark against the soft lush forests preserves known as Bhairavakshethra and Mohini Shikara are foreboding and yet very gentle.

It was a damp cold day, two unique rock formations in Yana were hiding somewhere in the clouds. Packed in warm clothes amidst chilling weather and rain, we started our trek though trail that runs through thick verdant forests. As expected, we encountered few snakes on the roadside and very obvious leeches all around. It was still good to visit Yana in rainy season; the rushing water streams with gurgling sound, the mist, the birds’ chirping and the slippery road added more adventure to our trek.

The walk was winding and it seemed like we might be lost, but we followed the stream flowing by side. After walking for 1km in the steep forest we reached the base of steps that leads to the rock formations, it seemed like the curtains to a whole new world opened out. After a while we were able to see the huge basaltic rocks stand tall and majestic greeting us and we saw a temple in front and little further down a very tall rock uncovered on the left side. It was a sight that was complete mesmerizing and breath-taking. Standing awe inspired for some time we saw the sun rise up in the horizon giving the peaks more unearthly and beautiful feel. It was time for us to take some rest.

As we had trekked early in the morning, there were no other visitors to disturb us. After a while, we started climbing the rock and enjoyed the view of forest from the top. Natures’ beauty had made us forget the fatigue walk and leeches’ trouble. After clicking thousands of pics around Yana rock formation, with no mood to leave the calm and serene place, we made our way back to base camp where we had parked our vehicle and started our journey towards Gokarna.

One of the rare places in India that combines a surf holiday with exciting cultural highlights is Gokarna. Famous for its beautiful beaches and landscapes the medieval town with the Mahabaleshwara temple makes it most popular pilgrimage centres in India. Although the structure itself isn’t extraordinary, the temple is abuzz with resonating hymns and prayers during the aarthi and is worth experiencing. The tranquillity of the temple is unparalleled. The temple is said to be one of the seven sacred Mukthikshethras in India and is visited by Hindus to perform the death rites for their departed ancestors. After praying in the temple we visited kotithirtha, a tank considered to be containing water from innumerable holy springs. The sacred waters are considered to be auspicious for performing the last rites of departed souls. The ghat offers a lovely spiritual retreat and also promises a glimpse into the simple life led by the people of this small town.

We then visited Om beach, located at a distance of 8km from main town resembling the auspicious ‘OM’ symbol. Dotted with numerous cafes and eating joints, the beach is usually abuzz with activity. Considered to be one of the loveliest places for rejuvenation and spirituality, the beach is an abode of serenity and beauty. Vibrant and bustling, the beach also nestles some quiet spots for relaxation. We as usual enjoyed playing in the water and post lunch we made our way towards Dandeli via Yallapur. This beautiful temple town with beaches soaked in peace and serenity rejuvenated our souls.

To be continued...

Maps :

Chugging Through The Wild Beauty Of The Western Ghats And Coasts - Part 1

This time the plan was to explore the Ghats and Coasts of Karnataka. The apt time we chose, when Ghats had soaked in the monsoon rains and the coats were wild. There are good reasons for why we planned this trip in rainy season. For each raindrop that falls during monsoon, a new flower blooms in the dense forests of Western Ghats. The mountains’ throne withers than if it were covered with ermine. The ranges glitter all more gloriously in the morning sun. The monsoon turns the path into marshy sludge. We get stuck, lose our shoes and sink in up to our waists. The mood is, nevertheless, jolly and happy. The monsoon trip is nicer and lighter hearted than in the other seasons. Plan was for 4 days and aim was to explore the best of monsoons in Western Ghats and Coasts of Karnataka. Lot homework was done on this trip; list down the best places to visit, transits, stay and all travel arrangements.

August 14th, 2013. We were all set to experience the real charm and magic of monsoons. This time the group was big; 3 from Kochi started journey in Okha Express and 6 from Bangalore in Durgamba travels to Kundapura, a small coastal town in Udupi district of Karnataka.

We reached Kundapura early in the morning. The sky was overcast, being the height of monsoons; a light drizzle came on and off and the overall mood was one of gloominess. But we were excited and the overcast sky and rain tied in neatly with what we were expecting as we headed Kundapura for a trip through the Western Ghats and Coasts.

We freshened up in a hotel which we already had booked, packed our food and started our journey to Kollur Mookambika temple in a pre-booked tempo traveller to sought blessings of Shri Mookambika Devi.

Kollur is a small temple town situated on the tranquil scenic beauty of Kodachadri hills amidst the thick forests of Western Ghats on the bank of never dying river Sauparnika. Kollur Mookambika is considered as unique among the Hindu gods and goddesses as she embodies the powers of Mahalakshmi, Mahasaraswathi and Mahakali merged into one as Adiparashakthi. We enjoyed the serene beauty of nature and hymns of mantras inside the temple and made our way to Murudeshwara.

Murudeshwara, the temple town with vibrant scenic beauty and golden history, is located on the Arabian seafront in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka bounded by rolling hills of Western Ghats. The major attraction here is the world’s second tallest Shiva statue set amidst beautiful and lush grounds on a small hillock surrounded by Arabian Sea on the three sides. As one ascends the hillock, there is a shrine of Jattiga seated on a horse. The final majestic Shiva statue 123 feet in height with Nandi looks beautiful in silver and golden paint next to the roaring Arabian Sea having beautiful blue water, towering hills to the east and the coconut and areca groves nearby. The temple has an entrance that is one of the tallest in the world and two life-size elephants in concrete stand guard at the steps leading to the temple. After visiting the temple we jumped into the Sea in spite it was raining. We enjoyed the big waves, pouring rain and scenic vista with dark clouds the best and made our way to Idagunji Ganapathi temple.

Idagunji is a small place in Honnavara Taluk, Uttara Kannada district. The Ganapathi temple here is one of the major attractions in Kanara Coast. The beautiful Ganesha idol made of black stone is in a standing posture, with extremely short legs, and a depression on the head. The “Dwibhuja Ganapathi” is holding Modaka and Lotus in his hands. The special attraction here is Ganapathi Masks available in shops nearby made of lavancha, having pleasant aroma when soaked in water and has medicinal properties even. Blessed by Lord Ganapathi, we made our way to Kumta for night stay. The journey from Idagunji to Kumta along the coasts in rainy season is awesome. The dark clouds, the heavily pouring rain, the paddy fields, the roaring coasts and the small hillocks with all greenery is the splendid display of nature. We reached Kumta at around 7:00pm and made our stay for the night in Shree Gajanana Lodge; A budget hotel with good North Indian food and hygiene accommodation. As we had planned to start Yana trek next day early in the morning, without wasting time we went to bed cherishing the wonderful day in Coasts. Part - 2 Map :

Munnar – The Kashmir of the South

The hill-station is blessed with bountiful attractions, which attracts tourist all the year round. The place has been designated as Munnar, after the mystique confluence of the 3 rivers viz., Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala.

It was 21^st of February, and weekend hotspot to hangout was planned as “ Cheeyappara  “, but the place was disappointing  as we had to find  where the waterfall was, since we could see only rocks completely dry with no signs of water anywhere. And that’s where we realized that it was the beginning of summer and the most important point to be noted was, we were in Kerala and my god  Kerala summers are terribly hot !! They are unbearable!!

From the place we stopped, Munnar was just 35 kms and the time was around 11.30am. That is where all of us decided to visit Munnar. Though all of us knew that it was not a good idea as we won’t be able to cover many of the places, but our anxiety and enthusiasm to visit Munnar was at its peak irrespective of the time we had.

We started our journey in KSRTC bus along the narrow and accident prone roads. We reached Munnar around 1pm in the noon.  Apt time for lunch!! We managed to find a hotel where we had Punjabi and Rajasthani Thali.

We hired an Auto Rickshaw, and the Rickshaw wala explained us the places we could cover by evening. The first place was Elephant Safari. We can enjoy the scenic vistas on a grand elephant ride. Since the cost per person was a bit high we stepped back and decided to just watch people going for the ride. That was fun too!!

On the way, we experienced a visual treat of the tea gardens on both the sides of the roads. How can one resist a tea garden tour when they are in Munnar? Munnar is an attractive destination with the world's renowned tea estates and breath taking landscapes. Rolling hill side covered with tea plantations is a sight to behold. The lush greenery and the soothing cold wind with a mild aroma of tea leaves totally rejuvenated us. We walked through the tea gardens where we took pictures amidst the lush green tea plantations.

The next visit was to the Reservoir. We hired a boat for 4 of us for 300 INR. The maximum capacity is 5. The ride was fantastic. We get to see the forest on the other side of the lake. If you are lucky enough you even get to see animals. We were fortunate enough to see a Bison.

The next visit was to shooting spot. A beautiful place where one can experience the play of light and clouds. The reservoir view from here is just mind blowing. Had a great time here taking pics and rolling on the grassy plains.

And the last place for the day was Echo Point: Its just 13 kms from the main town of Munnar. The magic of echoing sounds, its panoramic view can be explored best on foot. We relaxed there for some time, took couple of pictures and made our way back to the bus stop.

Monsoon.. The very thought conjures up the images of dark sky, wet leaves, umbrellas popping up, rushing jet speed water, water fall formations and the chilly wind. It was one such day when we planned to visit Munnar again on 20^th July, 2013. The Monsoon during this time was at its peak but the invitation from the misty hills of the highrange was too good to resist and we set off to Munnar early in the morning from Kakkanad at 6:30 am. Travel to Munnar through the long winding roads and hairpin bends during rainy season was best. A mystic feeling crept in our minds as we saw the dark clouds, lightning bolt behind the top hill, lashing rain with increased intensity and beautiful formation of waterfalls now and then along the entire length of journey.

This time it was no disappointment; all the waterfalls were full with water. We got down from the bus near Cheeyappara waterfalls, water flowing in seven steps amazingly beautiful. It will be foolishness to compare the waterfall in summer and rainy seasons. The splashing water spray, the mist, the gurgling sound and cool climate infused the peace into our souls. We spent some time enjoying the beauty of waterfall, had breakfast which we had got packed from home and started our journey to Munnar.

As we were nearing Munnar, we saw the lush green hills with the unending greenery of tea gardens and cool climate which made us feel the surge of energy flow through us. It was awesome to experience the clouds changing to mist, touching us with a romantic feeling. Feels like hill station is radiating a fragrance of romance and enthusiasm making us fall in love with serene hill station. It is really a different feeling to visit Munnar during rainy season with fresh, refreshing and clear beauty of nature. It poses an ideal time to admire the vibrant natural habitats of the mist covered surrounding of the Munnar.

This time we chose to visit the places which we had missed during our previous visit. We hired a car in munnar junction and started our exploration.

Eravikulam National park located 15 km from Munnar, renowned for its endangered inhabitant called Nilgiri Tahr. Private vehicles are not allowed inside national park, visitors are taken to Rajamala in forest department vehicles which cost 100 INR per person. A safari inside the park along the trails is an experience of a life time; the water gushing on the rocky slopes, stark beauty of rolling grasslands and sholas. Visitors here are introduced to the shola grassland ecosystem unique to this region. There is a very informative interpretation center in Rajamalai. The visitors are allowed to trek from this point untill tourists area which lets one experience the flora and fauna exclusive to Rajamalai and one can observe the Nilgiri Thar at close quarters. We had great time in the peak with heavy rain, chilling weather and most importantly the flora and fauna of Eravikulam national park.

We then moved to Lakkom waterfalls, one of the prominent torrents in Munnar. The waterfall was in its full glory due to heavy rain. The way to this waterfall is an every bit a reflection of paradise on earth; Passing by tea plantations and breathtaking locations, finally the most beautiful Lakkom waterfall.

Our next visit was to Attukal waterfalls. This is a must visit place for its charming sceneries, glittering waterfalls and rolling hills which remains feast for the eyes. All in Munnar is bliss to eyes during monsoon.

Map :