During the last rainy season, we went on a pilgrimage trip to the famous places in Karnataka's "dakshina kannda". We made a wise decision of hiring an SUV as it helped navigate through the pothole ridden stretches and navigating through some badly maintained roads. Our initial itenarary was to visit Horanadu, Sringeri, Kollur, Murdeshwara, Udupi, Dharmastala and Kukke Subhramanya. Though time was not the constraint, the enduring rains and the associated mess forced us to curtail the number of places to visit.
We started off from Bangalore around 7 AM and finished off our breakfast on the Tumkur Road, just before the Kunigal cross. The ride until Hassan was a smooth one as the roads are wide and in excellent condition. However, this stretch does not have good restaurants. The rains continued to lash until about 5-6 pm and by that time we had traversed through pockets of coffee rich estate in the chikkamagalur district. We stopped at Kalasa, about 5 kms ahead of Horanadu. This brief stop at the famous shiva temple was quite refreshing. The ancient temple contains some intricate carving and the entire place carries some special kind of aura. We reached the Annapuraneshwari temple at Horanadu around 730 pm. Soon, we witnessed the famous arthi pooja at the temple. Numerous hand lit oil lamps provided an out of place experience. The temple is known for good hospitality and cleanliness. Unlike other places of visit, this place did not have any kind of "commercial" touch. We were served sumptuous dinner by the temple staff. We retired for the day in the nearby Durgamba lodge.
Note: As of August 2012, there were only 2 big hotels for staying at Horanadu. Apart from this, temple management offers good number of rooms and suites but there is no guarantee of hot water supply. So, if you plan to stay for more than one day, better book your stay in advance at any of the above places.
The next day, we had wonderful & a simple breakfast at the temple. After offering prayers, we set out to Sringeri. Though it was drizzling, it was refreshing to drive through the thick foliage and the mountainous Malenadu. Sringeri had changed a lot since my last visit, which was approximately 25 years ago!. The temple complex has added on new buildings, temples, dining halls and yes a new bridge across the river to "Narasimha vana" which houses a temple and living quarters for the swamji and other ashramites.
Sringeri was more crowded than Horanadu. We performed pooja at the temple and set out for lunch. Here again, we were offered a mouth watering lunch. The hospitality here too is admirable as they cater to the continuous flow of the visitors. After spending couple of hours, we set off to Udupi and our goal was to reach there before the sunset. Our driver warned if we did not start early from Sringeri, chances of getting stuck in the dense fog was very high. On the way to Udupi, we made some quick phone calls to my close friend to get recommendations on where to stay and eat at Udupi. My friend hails from that place and offered some good advice and we chose a hotel about 2-3 kms from the famous Krishna Mutt.
It was friday and the inner sanctum was specially prepared for the pooja. The prevailing swamiji performed the aarti for close to 30 minutes. The drum beats by more than 10-12 musicians offered an excellent background for the pooja. Again, the dinner at the Krishna Mutt was awesome and mouth watering. We stayed on at Udupi for another one and half days, visiting the surrounding temples and the famous Malpe beach. Our next destination was Dharmastala which was about 4 hours away. We made a brief stop over at the Durga Parameshwari temple at Kateel. The temple is constructed by the side of a river and some portions of the temple are constructed above the river. The view of the roaring river, temple and the surrounding is breath taking.
We arrived late at Dharmastala, thanks to the pothole ridden roads and the tough hilly terrain. It was 930pm and we quickly had a darshan of lord Manjunatheswara. Continuous drizzling, non availability of accommodation made us rethink of the next steps. We decided to drive to our last destination in the trip, Kukke Subrahmanya. We reached Kukke around 130AM and were fortunate to get accommodation at a good hotel. The next half day was spent in having the darshan of the lord. Though lunch was available at the temple, we had to start immediately to reach Bangalore well before the mid-night. We had lunch at a restaurant, just before reaching Sakaleshpur.
In all, it was a wonderful trip. Some of the things we found common amongst dakshina kannada temples was the great hospitality, excellent food, traditional approach in conducting pooja, and the temple(s) being built around picturesque landscape. One should have ample amount of time & patience to visit all the places of interest.
Some tips for anyone planning to go to the above places;
1. If you are used to mineral water, buy in large towns or cities. Do not buy from road side shacks.
2. Temple food is simple, low in oil and hygienic. In case you do not like temple food, plan ahead because most of the restaurants close down by 8 or 830pm!
3. Udupi is known for some very good restaurants that serve authentic meals and masala dosas. Ask around and you will be surprised with the number of recommendations. Will provide some names in the next couple of days.
4. Stay at Dharmastala needs to be booked. The nearest hotel accommodation is at Ujire.
5. Do not underestimate the driving efforts through the western ghats. I would suggest hiring a car or preferably an SUV. These cabbies make numerous trips to these places through the year. They are well versed with the road conditions and the alternate routes.
