As written by my Dear Friend Hareesha Prabhu
Prelude
Which has now become an annual ritual, we set out
for our Monsoon Drive-2015 for the third year in a row. We started our initial
thoughts on covering parts of Kerala and also had 3 draft versions of the
plan/itinerary, but a visit to his father and a conversation with him made
Pramod to come up with a suggestion/wish to see the Fort at Nagara. That
changed the whole plan and the final version of the plan evolved.
Our
itinerary
For unknown reasons, 15-Aug seems to be a
pre-fixed date for this drive year after year.
We kept the plan completely floating since we were
not sure about the time it would take to reach each of these places, the
terrain, weather, road conditions, optimal sequence etc. So we said, we will
decide based on the inputs we receive once we land there.
Routing
There are multiple routes to reach Thirthahalli as
indicated in the map shot below.
Via NH4 & NH13 (388KM) OR via NH4 and SH24
(363KM) OR via NH48 (360KMs)
We chose the last option i.e. via NH48 (BLRà Nelamangalaà ChannarayapatnaàArasikere àKaduràBiruràTarikereàBhadravathi Bypass à Shimoga Bypass à Sakrebylu àThirthahalli)
The reason we chose this route are
-
Shorter distance
-
Familiar & predictable route atleast till
Channarayapatna
-
Good road condition atleast till Channarayapatna
-
Good eateries for breakfast (Swathi J )
We started at 6.40am from Meenakshi Layout as
planned. Instead of taking the usual NICE road from Gottigere, we took the ring
road from JP Nagar, Padmanabha Nagar, PES College, Nayandahalli Junction and
then the new ring road, which touches the Tumkur road near Goraguntepalya. It
was a wise decision in the end since the crowd was huge to buy the toll tickets
at the exit from NICE Road to join the Tumkur Road. The rest of the drive was a
breeze and we reached Swathi at 8am for a good breakfast (as always). I have
been visiting this place since the time it was inaugurated a few years ago and
I must say, the quality of food has been exemplarily consistent, although
service varies at times, depending on who comes to serve your table. This is
one flip side of taking the NH4 (via Tumkur) since there are NO restaurants on
that road (well, Kamat have slipped out of being called as a restaurant for
some time now).
Google will show a couple of “shorter” routes to
reach Arasikere as we move forward. However, in my opinion, the safest option
is to take the C.R.Patna bypass and the signage is fairly bold on the right
hand side to take the diversion to Arasikere. Although initially (as soon as I
entered the road) it looked to be a narrow road, as we move forward, it becomes
clear that the surface is very well maintained, although the road is a narrow
one (compared to the Hassan Road). No complaints though since you don’t
encounter any major bottlenecks nor do you have heavy traffic.
We stopped at Vinayaka Restaurant at Kadur for a
bio-break and for a cup of tea at around 10.45am. We missed to take the bypass
at Bhadravathi – but realized very quickly that we missed it and caught up with
the bypass – one has to ensure that the 2 bypasses at Bhadravathi and Shimoga
are NOT missed because they will easily add upto an hour to the journey time.
As we approached Shimoga, we did take a wrong turn
on the left to go to Mattur, but were wise enough to ask some elderly villagers
who were in an intense discussion over a cup of tea and they directed us back
to the main road and a little ahead, we did get the left turn to Mattur.
Mattur
Well – yes, the town is a sleepy, small,
traditional temple town with a lot of men wearing white Dhoti and flowing long
hair – typical of a temple priest. We went straight to the temple, got the
first glimpse of mighty river Thunga with her full blown majestic flow. To be
frank, we were completely let down because when we spoke to a few women who
were busy with their domestic chores, they clearly told us, everyone knows
Sanskrit here, it is taught in schools as well – but we all talk either Kannada
or Sanketi. We were still wanting to give it a shot and as we walked back
(after a few clicks on the banks of the river), a priest on a 2-wheeler stopped
by asking what are we upto. I spoke to him in Kannada and he invited us to his
home. Pramod and Nitin had already moved ahead trying to capture some pictures
and JP intelligently slipped away when we reached the entrance door of his
house. The priest spoke to us in Kannada, was very hospitable, explained the
brief history of the place and myself and Shalabh got out of the house in a
jiffy. Some how, the feeling was not comfortable. Right after that, we decided
it is time to move on from this place and in summary, as we rightly concluded,
this is purely an Internet and Wikipedia made town. There is absolutely nothing
worth a mention about this place, except the fact that every household knows
the divine language – but definitely far away from the portrayal of an
“exclusively Sanskrit Speaking” town as it is being “advertised”.
Enroute
The route is extremely serene after we cross the
Shimoga bypass – particularly the areas around Mandagadde, Sakrebylu are
amazingly rich in flora, fauna. Parking on this road is not a good idea since
the road is narrow and there is hardly any space on the roadside since the
empty space is completely covered by grass and bushes – may be because it is
the rainy season. Nevertheless, we did stop at a couple of places and took some
nice pictures.
Our
place of stay
Well, we were contemplating on a place to stay at
Thirthahalli and Pramod again bumped into this highly rated homestay in a place
called Gabadi, which is 17KMs before Thirthahalli when you drive from Shimoga.
The ratings on tripadvisor were good. I spoke to the owner Mr.Krupal and
created enough confusion for him as to who is Pramod and who is Hareesh since I
used both the names to interact with him and tried to bargain using 2 different
personas but from the same mobile number and without modulating my voice
(well………….)
We booked this place well in advance, called him
at regular intervals since the first time I called him to confirm that our
rooms are booked etc. He charges Rs.2000/person/night which includes all food
starting from Bed Tea till Dinner, including some short eats during the
evenings.
We have seen a few homestays in the past, so we
went with fair expectations of decent place, edible food etc.
You cant miss this place since there is a sign
board on the left side after you cross Sakrebylu and when you are about 17KMs
short of Thirthahalli.
Well, I will fall short of words and adjectives to
explain this place. Hands down, worth the ratings on the tripadvisor,
absolutely delightful couple, Mr.Krupal and his wife, Mrs.Shubha, amazing
Malnad cuisine cooked by the land lady herself, very neat, clean rooms,
modernized bathrooms.
Day-1
After a good lunch of Chicken Biryani, and a variety
of local dishes, topping it with some Ice Cream – we had some rest. We
discussed our plans with Mr.Krupal and he suggested we must see Kundadri (this
was not part of our original agenda). From Gabadi, you have to go to
Thirthahalli, take the Agumbe road and half way through (10KMs before Agumbe),
you see a turn on your Left hand side, with clear marking towards Kundadri. We
followed the signages and reached the entry gate to Kundadri and to our
surprise, the gate was closed. While we were contemplating to return, another
car came and the enterprising guys in that car had already come before us and
had gone back to the town to get the keys of the gate. They opened the gate and
after some sudden, steep, hairpin curve filled drive, we were at the top of
Kundadri, where there is enough parking for about 10 cars. There is a small
stair to the temple, and we reached the top and lo behold – what a scene it was
– words cant express the serenity, bliss and the sheer magnanimity and enormity
of nature – it simply takes your breath away…. Clouds gush at you from the
bottom and make one realise how tiny are we in comparison to what nature has to
offer us. The sage Kundakundacharya, has set up this temple a few centuries ago
and the Jain temple of Parshwanath is a small temple, with a few ponds where
The Sun was fast setting and we still had Agumbe
to cover, so reluctantly we drove down and started towards Agumbe. We reached
Agumbe in no time since the distance is short, took a good walk around the
sleepy town, which is moving towards being a ghost town pretty soon…
We could not find the place where we had Neer Dosa
during our first trip in 2013. So out of desperation, I went into a shop and
started explaining the “Old Man”, “Bald Head”, “Husband and Wife running a
canteen” and the final clue was “Neer Dosa” – and the shop keeper immediately
said, Nayak’s hotel, that is on Shringeri Road. The name of the shanty looking
restaurant is Hotel Guruprasad and the Nayak Maam and his wife serve you fresh Neer Dosa with
piping hot sambhar, pickles, chutney powder… Talking to them in Konkani made it
more livelier – the conversation went around his recent eye operation, less
crowd in rainy season, no power owing to a tree falling on the cables, they
serving lunch and finally his marketing talks – that “Like you, who ever comes
once to my place, will definitely come back J”.
After 3 neer dosa each (although we were fully aware that we are heading back
to Dinner) – we started our trip back to Gabadi.
For dinner we had Neer Dosa again, although it was
not as good as that of Nayak Mam’s.
 |
| Neer Dosa @ Agumbe |
 |
| Beautiful evening @ Agumbe town with lots of Rains and thundering |
Day-2
The destination was Kodachadri & Nagara.
Again, you have to come to Thirthahalli and at the junction where there is a
fork (one towards Agumbe and another to Udupi/Kundapur) – take the Kundapur
road. Kodachadri is a good 66KMs from that place. Once you reach the bottom of
the hill, you can park your vehicle there and hire a 4x4 Jeep. Thankfully, we
asked the shop keeper there about lunch and he said, if we confirm, he can ask
his mother to cook for us at Rs.50/- per head. We said, go ahead, had a tea,
packed a water bottle and started… But our sincere advice is NOT to have any
drink / food both while climbing and while returning. The Jeep charges Rs.1600
for one trip (both ways), Forest Dept charges Rs.100/- for one 4 wheeler (don’t
know why) and Rs.25/- per head as the entry fee (again, don’t know why).
It is one hell of a ride of 9KMs which takes
almost 1hr+. On the way, there are couple of photo op points and the driver
keeps telling you that this is where Gaalipata movie was shot etc. However,
Shalabh kept asking the driver “Eshtu Kilo meter” after every KM – and fully
understandable since he was sitting in the front. In my opinion, the easiest
way to beat all the scare is to simply close your eyes and completely ignore
the terrain – because there is absolutely no road – the drivers simply ride on
everyone’s luck, using the paths (if I may say so) created by flowing water.
After an entertaining 1hr, we reached the top. The
driver told us that you have 2 hrs of time and there are 3 places to see. The
temple at the bottom, the Ganesha temple in between and after a trek of 2KMs,
the Sarvajna Peetha. There are 2 houses of the priests and they also serve hot
tea, Dosa and Lunch if you are interested – but better to stay away from
consuming anything considering the churn that gets generated while driving
down.
This is the place where Shankaracharya meditated
& got the divine blessings of Mookambika. There are 2 temples here, and
also the weapon with which the Devi killed the demon Mookasura. The legend has
it that the metal used for this weapon is still unknown and when some one tried
to take it out, blood started to ooze and hence now it is concretised at the
bottom.
Myself, Nitin and JP did start the treck upwards
to see the Ganesha temple and the Peetha. But none of us were equipped with the
right footwear and many people who were coming down discouraged us saying there
is nothing further. Sadly, there are no signages nor any information saying how
far what is there and the pathway is also not marked.
Further down the walk way, where there is a small
plain, we saw that a bunch of hooligans were consuming liquor, breaking the
bottles, throwing the left overs etc – and I decided to return from there, but
Nitin and JP went a little ahead and came back after a while. The Poojaris at
the temple below talk fluent Kannada and Malayalam. Sadly, like in many other
temples, they come to their bottom line objective pretty quickly saying – for
this, Rs.100, for this, Rs.250, for this Rs.350, for this Rs.500 – that really
put me off… But cant help either.
To the surprise of our driver, Mr.Mahabaleshwar
Bhat, who was busy chewing his pan, we were ready to take the ride back. We
asked him to take a few pictures of the group and started the arduous trip
back. Shalabh was overjoyed when he saw the forest check post because, the trip
was finally over – it is not a trip – but an experience by itself.
We had a really sumptuous lunch – simple, home
cooked Rice, Sambhar, Papad, Palya, Curds and Pickles – but it was heavenly
after what we had endured J
After this unforgettable trip, we set out to see
Nagara fort. This fort was built by the chieftain Shivappa Nayaka and is a
protected monument. Sadly the upkeep is pathetic to say the least. We climbed
to the highest point of the fort, took some nice pictures, discussed quite a
bit about the forethought of our ancestors, business potential of setting up a
restaurant on top J
etc etc and soaked in the beauty of the surroundings. Incidentally, this is the
place where we had some good network coverage as well – so Shalabh and Nitin
could make a few calls.
We then visited Mithila’s father’s ancestoral
house, saw the 100+ year old house and reached back Gabadi by around 7pm, just
in time for some wine and dine.
Day-3
After some demanding day, the intention was to
keep this day fairly light and we decided to visit the Thirthahalli town and
Kuppalli. Also, we did not want to miss out on the speech of our PM Narendra
Modi. So after that, we started post breakfast from Gabadi, visited the
Rameshwara temple and then spent really long time on the banks of the river
Tunga appreciating her majestic flow. The weather was pleasant and the flowing
water had a soothing effect on the minds of all of us. We then visited
Mithila’s uncle’s house, had some tea and decided to skip Kuppalli since we had
little time and headed back to Gabadi for the lunch.
As expected, the lunch was sumptuous and to beat
the crowd and the traffic since it was a holiday, we started to Kuppalli by
around 2.45pm. We reached Kuppalli and to our surprise, it was a very well
maintained, must visit place and gave a good insight into the life and times of
the great poet Ku Vem Pu.
We wanted to visit Kundadri again since this was
our last day of the trip – but then we quickly realized when we reached
Thirthahalli that it will be too late by the time we hit the top – so after
some bonda soup at Hotel Mayura in Thirthahalli, we made a wise decision of
spending some more time on the banks of the river with the Golden Gate bridge
in the backdrop J.
Day-4
Well, after one of the most memorable trips, we
had to head back, though reluctantly. We left the Gabadi Homestay, our home for
the last 3 days with another round of good breakfast of Akki Rotti and Brinjal
Palya, took couple of snaps with the owners, who were busy feeding the large
group that had swooped down the previous day in a bus (!!!) and started our
journey back at 8.40am
We reached Sakrebylu Elephant Camp at 9.05, the
gates were just opening and the majestic pachyderms were just walking in… The
camp charges Rs.30 per head as entry fee for “Indians” J and apparently there are 22
elephants in the camp. But we could see some 8-10, some getting bathed in the
pond nearby, and the rest “parked” on the side for visitors to see and get
“blessed” !!! – may be the effect of heavy breakfast or the thought of getting
back to Bangalore, there was not much interest in the group to spend time there
– although Pramod did make the Sprint of his trip to catch a good shot of an
elephant walking into the pond against the backdrop of a rising Sun –
apparently he was disappointed because he could not get the right click…
We spent about half an hour there and headed back
to Bangalore. Had a tea break at the same Vinayaka Hotel in Kadur where we had
our tea during our onward journey. This joint appears to be on the right track
to becoming a wanted place if they maintain the current standards of service,
food quality and cleanliness.
As planned, we reached Swathi for lunch at 1pm,
and reached back Meenakshi Layout by 2.45pm.
Conclusion
Well, there we go – we concluded yet another
memorable trip, year after year, we seem to plan better, execute better and
above all, enjoy the time even better…
Every experience teaches something new and there
is no end to a human’s learning – this was yet another trip that taught us many
more things, made us even more wiser J
Looking forward to the Monsoon Drive-2016, where
Pramod has promised to take the lead and take us to his backyard – Kerala… Till
then … So long…
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