Kurumbgad- Off the Indian Coast...!!

On my last visit to Karwar (see here), I did miss out on the islands off the coast, namely, Devbagh and Kurumgad. This time however, my destination was Kurumgad and decided to give Devbagh a miss. An overnight journey from Bengaluru got me to the beautiful coastal town of Karwar. After being picked up from the jetty below the Kali river bridge it was a 25 minute boat ride to the island. As the boat moved away from the Indian mainland, many islands and islets propped up in the vicinity. Of these only Devbagh and Kurumgad have proper habitation. The other islands are Sanyasi island (uninhabited), Lighthouse island a.k.a Devgad island (2 government employees stay on the island and take care of the lighthouse) and Anjadive island (undertaken by the Indian navy).

                       

Kurumgad island get its name from the fact that it looks like a Kuruma (tortoise) from a distance. The island is owned by an individual and has a beautiful resort, The Great Outdoors nestled on it. After disembarking from the boat, it was nice little climb to reach the top of the island. The vistas were stunning as I went higher and with the mainland at a far distance, the island seemed totally isolated with just the blue waters all around. The island has a beach and a Narasihma temple apart from the resort. The resort offers tented huts, children's play area and numerous hammocks to slip away into a dream. The sunset view from the dining area is a stunner as it has a panoramic view of the Arabian sea with the other islands in the distance.

After checking out my tented hut (it was only my second experience inside a tented hut), I headed to the beach which was a trek of 15 minutes through the wooded pathways.  En route to the beach I also saw the Mystery creek, which was formed due to an earthquake ages back. With very few visitors on the island, the beach was devoid of the usual touristy crowd. The beach was quite small and with tides hardly touching my knees, it seemed more like the banks of a river rather than a beach. After having a splash in the waters for an hour I decided to go tube surfing. Even though it can termed kid's stuff, it definitely was fun. I decided to give other activities like banana ride and speed boat ride a miss. After treading past the creepers, the outgrown bushes and the small rocks in the hot sun, I headed back to the resort and all that I wanted was a bottle of beer.

         

                                


Mystery Creek

Sanyasi island as seen from Kurumgad beach

The beach at Kurumgad

The expansive view of the azure sea and the setting sun from the dining area was truly a blissful sight. I could see the flashing light from the light house island in the distance.With music playing in the background and a bottle of beer being gulped down, it was indeed a splendid evening. The night stay inside the tented hut was fun with the sound of cicadas and crickets everywhere.



Light house island as seen from Kurumgad



Can you spot the moon?

My next day began early with a guided island tour. A long trek through the forest pathways with exceptional sea view on one side took me to Narasimha temple and a beautiful view point. During the month of January the temple takes a festive mood and that brings in a lot of devotees from Karwar and Goa. As the small group followed the nature's trail, we also had a chance encounter with a glimpse of a reptile that snaked past us and also saw a few small turtles taking the same pathway as ours. We also spotted a ruined fort wall and a canon during the trek. The island was ruled by many dynasties including the Vijayanagara empire during the earlier centuries.

After breakfast it was time for  dolphin spotting and the same small group hopped on to a motor boat in search of the dolphins. From Kurumgad island, the boat moved towards the Sanyasi island and all pair of eyes on the boat went searching for that elusive jump from the dolphins. After a long wait the dolphins showed up and that too in good numbers. Even though that jump remained elusive throughout, they did appear above the waters on many occasions. A beautiful sight indeed. Capturing them on my camera was a tough affair as they dipped back into the waters within a flash of a second. Spotting them was tough and capturing them on my lens was tougher. Post the dolphin ride it was time for fishing. With the rods available at the jetty, many went fishing and I climbed back to the resort. It was hot and sultry after the boat ride and with the sun right above my head, it wasn't getting any better. After lunch, I lazed around the resort and then had a peaceful sleep on one of the hammocks. With the trees helping me from the blazing sun, it was a nice siesta.

With the setting sun in the background, the boat ride back to the mainland was absolutely magnificent. Shades of red spread all over the horizon, the sea transformed from blue to orange and the picture looked as perfect as a Michelangelo creation.



Island escapes from India need not always be the Andamans and Lakshdweep as there are lesser known and relatively less explored islands like Kurumgad, Devbagh and many more which can definitely make holidaying a memorable experience. Even though Kurumgad island didn't offer many activities on its menu card, it definitely stands out as one of the best options for a not so expensive island holiday.

Signing Note- A stunning place to keep gaping at the horizon forever...!!

Route- Bangalore- Tumkur- Shimoga- Karwar- Kurumgad

Distance- 530Kms

A Bird's Eye View...!!

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A panoramic view of Mysuru city as seen from Chamundi Hills. November 2011

Mad - Rush...!!

I would love to rename Chennai as Mad-Rush for the sheer fun, excitement and adventures that I experienced during my 18 hours stay in this wonderful metropolitan city. My previous two visits did not give any opportunity to explore the city and neither did this one. However I was made to explore the city even though I had no intention of doing it.

On a rainy Saturday morning as I drove from Bangalore to Chennai, the weather gods were kind enough to turn the rain drops into sun rays. However as soon as I entered the city, the fun began as I missed out on many sign boards and happily took all possible wrong flyovers. After manoeuvring through the traffic and taking U -turn in the belief that I have got on to the right track, I happily went in the opposite direction towards Anna Nagar. That was indeed an achievement. After inquiring with a couple of  people on the road, I got back on the right road only to take the wrong turn on top of another flyover. More traffic, more U-turns, more signals and with a lot of difficulty I end up at my destination, Chromepet after one and half hours of struggle in Chennai city. I had to travel in the evening to Kilpauk and with the north-east rains taking over the city, I didnt want to experiment further with a drive through Chennai.The next best option available was the local train from Chromepet to Chetpet. My only previous experience of travelling in local train was in Mumbai, 3 years back. Having booked a first class ticket, I had to run and search for the compartment. As soon as i figured it out, the train left. I even had a second thought of jumping and clinging on to the rods, but decided against it. It would have been fatal had I done it. Another train arrived within a few minutes and this time I hopped on with a perfect timing. The compartment was half empty being a weekend and also due to the fact that it was a first class one (I really couldn't make out the difference between a first class and general compartment). The train also stopped a few times as the tracks were submerged in rain water. It was raining heavily as I got down at Chetpet. To my misery there was no power in the station. Staring at darkness and brushing past strangers on the platform I headed towards the exit, drenched in the rain. Heavy rains had flooded many roads in Chennai and the road that the exit led to was not spared. I had to wade through the muddy waters in the rain to get an auto-rickshaw. Then it was a 15 minute ride through the water logged streets of Chennai. That was fun. I dindnt want to take a risk of going back by local train as it was still raining heavily and chances were that the services might be stopped in between. So got back to Chromepet in a call-taxi after waiting for more than an hour. Even though it had rained the whole night, I never thought that my drive next day from Chennai to Cochin in the early hours of morning would be a tough affair. With the roads still flooded and traffic jams adding to the chaos at 6 a.m., it definitely wasn't a smooth drive through the city. It felt as though I was sitting inside a boat and travelling in knots. The only song on my lips at that point was- Row row row your car gently down the streets...!! :). Without knowing where the ditches and gutters were I slowly drove the vehicle only to see another vehicle go down into one of the ditches. The last that I saw of it was its back wheels spinning and splashing water all over. Felt really sorry for that guy. To add more misery, one of the transport buses had broke down right in front of Coyembedu bus stand craeting more confusion and more traffic jams. After an hour of sailing through the waters I got back on to tarmac and the frustration of having stuck in traffic for long had after effects. One more wrong road taken and the only expression that I had was- "What the hell?". However that was the last of my adventures in Chennai as I got back on the right road to Cochin very soon.

That was indeed one of the exceptional travels I have had in my life. Even though it was devoid of destinations, sight seeings and arrivals, I did experience Chennai in a very unusual way. Sometimes its these kind of journeys that remain etched in memories for ever. 

Signing Note- It is the  journey and not the destination that matters...!!

BR Hills- Wet and Wild...!!

What looks more attractive than a wet and wild woman...?? Any wild guesses?

My ride to BR Hills made me realise that it is the Jungle. Wet, Wild, Green, Dark and Deep. The closest that I got to wilderness was during my bike ride to Biligiri Rangana hills (BR Hills) with my cousin. We had been planning this ride for the past six months and this long cherished desire got executed recently.

The roads were good all the way and that made the ride all the more enjoyable. The early morning ride took us past the small towns of Kanakapura, Malavalli and Kollegal on NH-209 into Chamrajnagar district. A deviation from Kollegal took us off the highway onto the narrow village roads with picturesque landscape. The green paddy fields, the muddy brown waters, the fresh air and the curious villagers made the ride blissful.

As the vistas changed, the the green fields gave way to thick shrubs and further into dark deep jungles. The narrow village roads paved way for the winding roads. Though it was devoid of hairpin bends and ghat sections, the the roads with dark forests on both sides made it adventurous. With hardly any civilization in the vicinity except for the odd vehicle that passed by, the 32 km ride through the jungle became all the more wild with just the trees, shrubs, the long road ahead and a few monkeys for companionship. The only sound that we could hear was the roar of the engine. My cousin being a fond lover of elephants, so badly wanted to see a wild one. I however was quite apprehensive about the same and didn't want to face any big wild creature. I was quite happy with the monkeys, wild boars, turtles and peacocks that we spotted en route to the top and he had to be content with a few elephant dungs on the road. Though I have been through many jungle roads and sanctuaries before, this wild route seemed quite different from the rest as it was less inhabited and free of tourists/ travellers.

The winding road led us to Biligiri Ranganaswamy temple (The hill gets its name from the same). The mindblowing vistas from the temple blew me away. The panoramic view of the stunning valley, the thick jungle, the meandering roads and the dark clouds made for a mesmerising topography. A closer look made me realise that it was heavy rains over the jungles (the same route that i had to take back) at a distance. That was indeed a beautiful sight that will remain in my mind for a very long time. Nature at its best.

Other than the wildlife and the temple, BR Hills is also known for Soliga tribes, who have been living in the region for ages. We however were not lucky enough to spot any tribal. These forests were also home to the dreaded forest brigand, Veerappan during his prime.

After a quick visit to the temple we decided to explore a bit more and headed further ahead to K.Gudi which is a small settlement where Jungle Lodges and Resorts have their resort. A package with them includes a jungle safari which might be interesting for wildlife enthusiasts as that would give a better chance of spotting a wild one. K.Gudi is 20Kms further from the temple and it drizzled all the way. A wet and wild ride through the jungle was definitely memorable. After reaching K.Gudi, the drizzle became stronger and we had the option of either returning back to BR Hills or heading deeper into the woods of Chamrajnagar and Sathyamangalam. With the rain gods showing no mercy we had a wet ride back to BR Hills.

With not much options available for the grumbling stomach, we stopped at the only hotel near the temple for a late lunch. By then the the heavy rains had taken over the small hamlet and the surrounding forests. Standing under a cover, seeing the forest getting drenched and smelling the scent of wet earth was an enthralling experience.

As the heavy rains became drizzles, we started our return journey through the wet and wild BR Hills. After a couple of stops for photo shoots, we headed back from the green jungles to the concrete jungles of Bengaluru. As I meandered through the lovely wet forests, the famous phrase by Robert Frost came to my mind:

Woods are lovely, dark and deep

But I have promises to keep 

And miles to go before I sleep.

BR Hills is one of the beautiful wildlife destinations in Karnataka which remains unexplored. It is also supposedly the point where the Western Ghats and the Eastern ghats meet. With tourism yet to catch up on a large scale, this tiny temple hamlet is definitely a great option to spend a weekend.

Signing Note: BR Hills is definitely Lovely, Dark and Deep...!!

Route- Bengaluru- Kanakapura- Malavalli- Kollegal- BR Hills

Distance- 200Kms

Guruvayur- Abode of Lord Krishna...!!

Guruvayur is definitely the most visited destination (If I may call so) and temple by the Nomad. However, each time I visit this beautiful temple, am spell bound by its ambiance, the dhoti clad devotees, the numerous paraphernalia, the dressed up pachyderms, the fragrance of sandal and camphor, the sound of percussion and the unending long queues to have a glimpse of Lord Krishna.

Situated in the district of Thrissur in Central Kerala, this Krishna temple attracts large number of  devotees every day. People from all over the country visit this famous temple which also happens to be one of the richest in the country. Various ceremonies and rituals ( vaakacharthu, uchapooja, ushapooja, sheeveli ) are conducted inside the temple throughout the day. Devotees give various forms of offerings and prayers ( thulabharam, chuttuvilakku, shayanapradhakshinam) to please the almighty. Long queues from outside the temple take you inside and then further into the inner sanctum. Even though it is hot and humid always, devotees have always been happy to undergo all the troubles to take the Almighty's blessings. The temple looks astonishingly beautiful in the evening as the place is lit up with numerous lights and various processions and rituals take center stage.

As the temple closes with the elephant procession, which is supposedly the last ritual of the day, people get ready to enjoy Krishnanattom, a play which is conducted on most days inside the temple. Though it is similar to Kathakali, this play emphasises on the various mythological stories related to Krishna. Krishnanattom goes on till wee hours of the morning and as you walk out of the temple after the play, devotees would have already queued up for the the day's first ceremony at 3 a.m.

Guruvayur also has its special days of the year ( Sreekrishna Jayanthi, Thalapoli, Aanayottam, Guruvayur ekadashi, uthradasandhya) when devotees throng into the temple and create a miniature Kumbh mela. The temple is also known to conduct numerous marriages everyday. The numbers can be quite staggering and go up to more than 100 on certain days. The Melpathur auditorium outside the temple has seen many renowned artists perform various dance forms. There are  large number of shops outside the temple and they lure people with eateries, toys, paraphernalia, books, music and clothing. After the long struggle to take the blessings from the lord, most devotees end up window shopping through the alleys. This is indeed a peculiar experience that takes me down the memory lane to my childhood visits to the temple.

During my last visit to Guruvayur I also happened to visit the other near by temples, namely, Mammiyoor Shiva temple, Parthsarathy temple and Venkatachalapathy temple. I also ventured into the famous Punnathoor Kota, a few kilometers away from Guruvayur. This place is famous for elephant camps. All elephants that belong to the temple come here for their daily wash and rejuvenation. The place also has many elephants suffering from various ailments and a few that were offered to the temple by various celebrities and politicians.

Along with Mathura, Dwaraka, Udupi and many more, Guruvayur is one of the famous Krishna temples in the country where the devotees offer their prayers and take the Lord's blessings. There is strict prohibition on mobiles and cameras being taken inside the temple. Male devotees must be bare chested and should wear dhoti to enter the temple premises.

Signing Note: Undoubtedly my favourite pilgrimage centre.

Route- Cochin- Kodungallur- Chavakkad- Guruvayur

Distnace- 90 kms

Above the Abode of Goddess...!!

Kollur, a little hamlet in South Karnataka is known for Mookambika temple, dedicated to Goddess Mookambika. I have been to this temple quite a few times and my last visit to this temple led to a few explorations. Situated at the base of the Kodachadri hills in the Western Ghats, this temple town brings in a lot of pilgrims during the months of October and November. The Sowparnika river flows near to the temple and a dip in the same before visiting the temple is considered sacred. The river which flows down from the top of the hills is supposed to have medicinal values.

All my previous visits to the temple have been short and I have never got an opportunity to explore the surroundings. The first day of my visit ended with the rituals and the blessings. The evening rituals were a treat to watch and with hundreds of lamps being lit all over the place it was a beautiful sight. The smell of camphor, the ringing bells and the chanting of prayers absorbed me into a different world, a mesmerising one.

The next day was set aside for my trek to Kodachadri. Kodachadri, a few kilometers away from Kollur is known for trekking and I did not miss the opportunity this time. This trek leads to Sarvanja Peetham where the scholar, Sankaracharaya had meditated. Further down from this place is the Chitramoola.  Adventurous trekkers can begin their trek from Kollur. As I was travelling with my parents I had to skip that option and take a jeep up to a certain distance. This jeep ride can quite well be compared to the dune bashing that I experienced in Dubai (http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.com/2011/02/tunes-of-dunes.html ). Only jeeps with experienced drivers can manoeuvre this dirt track. It felt as though I was on a roller coaster ride. An unforgettable ride, indeed. As we went higher the thick forests gave way to green plains and blue hills.

                                           

We got dropped off near Bhatt's (temple priest) house. From there it was a long walk. I wouldn't call it a treacherous trek, but definitely it was a tough walk all the way from there to the Sarvanja Peetham. En route to the top we also came across a small cave where there was a deity and a young priest. With the sun spreading its rays, we gulped down a couple of bottles of water and walked towards the top. The views of the hills all along the path were beautiful. The blue and green hills engulfed by the mist and the clouds portrayed a fantastic vista.

 

 

After an hour of walking we reached the Sarvanja Peetham. The place might not seem worth the trek as it is a very small temple perched on top of the hill. A steep trek down from here leads to Chitramoola, which is supposedly a sacred place. We decided to give that a miss and started our return trek. We were taken back to Kollur through the same roller coaster ride. 

 

For trekkers, the options doesnt end at just the Sarvanja Peetham and Chitramoola. You can trek further deep and enjoy Hidlumane falls and Arisinagundi falls. I would definitely want to trek all these routes the next time am there to take the goddess's blessings.

Signing Note- One of the rare places where you can take the blessings before you trek...!!

Route- Bengaluru- Tumkur- Shimoga- Kollur

Distance- 415 Kms

My First Bike Expedition...!!

The easiest and one of the most unplanned getaway options for Bangaloreans is Mysuru. At a distance of 150 kms, this beautiful cultural capital of Karnataka has been on the tourist map for ages. Though Mysuru has been attractive because of the palace, chamundi hills and the culture, today's travellers look beyond these. Enroute to Mysuru one can cover numerous tourist spots.


I have been on this route on many occasions. Its been either to Mysuru or to the many  lovely destinations via Mysuru. Be it Ooty, Bandipur, Masinagudi or Wayanad, Mysuru tends to be the first stop over. My first biking trip was in the year 2004 when 6 of us left on 3 bikes from Bengaluru to witness the Dussehra celebrations in Mysuru. Even after many visits to Mysuru, this bike ride remains close to my heart.


With an early start in the morning the three bikes zoomed through the city roads on to the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway which was under construction then(Its a butter smooth road today).  We went past Bidadi town which is famous for Wonder La. However the amusement park was inaugurated only a year after our bike expedition. As we went ahead, huge boulders on both the sides of the road came into vicinity. The place is called Ramnagara and the famous movie, 'Sholay' was shot on those huge boulders. It was Gabbar and his army  that brought this little into prominence.


Channapatna is famous for its wooden dolls and this town was next on the pit stop. Wooden dolls with vibrant colours are sold at the many curio shops on the highway. From the land of wooden toys we moved further ahead to Maddur, which is famous for Maddur Vada. We in fact bought a few of those Vadas at the traffic signal. Maddur is today more known for the Cafe Coffee Days along the highway. Bangaloreans drive down all the way to Maddur coffee day for a cup coffee. Now that is one long drive for a cup of coffee (I have done that twice).

Mandya, the sugar town which falls mid way between Bengaluru and Mysuru is where we had a long break. After a sumptuous lunch we proceeded towards Ranganthittu Bird Sanctaury which is a detour from the highway. There were various types of birds at the sanctuary and we spend a lot of time boating and capturing the serenity of the place. After a short siesta at the sanctuary we headed towards the famous KRS dam and then to the beautiful Brindavan Gardens. The place was filled with families and kids playing on the beautifully laid out grass. After spending some playful moments at the gardens we left for Mysuru. We decided to give the dancing fountains a miss and that I feel was indeed a very bad miss.


By the time we entered the city of Mysuru it was dark and the Dussehra festival was in full swing with the bursting of the crackers and the crowd dancing on the streets. After a tiring day we chose our rooms in the middle of the city from where we could view the Dussehra procession the next day. At the break of dawn we left for Chamundi hills. A lovely ride from the city took us to this nice little temple perched  on a beautiful hill. After taking the almighty's blessings and a couple of photo shoots with the huge Nandi, we decidded to visit Mysore palace. The palace is huge and breathtakingly beautiful and brings in a lot of tourists during the festival season. The Wodeyar family still occupies a portion of the palace and the remaining is open to the public. We were in for a disappointment as the queue to enter the palace was atleast a kilometer long. That was not encouraging and we had to be contend with the views of the palace from outside.


After roaming the city streets, we returned back to our rooms to catch a glimpse of the procession. It is usually a tough affair to watch the procession amidst all the crowd and chaos. However the views of the same from the roof top of our hotel was wonderful. We were lucky that we were able to view the long procession without any trouble. The celebrations went on till dusk and we started our return journey immediately. The first stop enroute to Bengaluru was Srirangapatna, capital of Tipu Sultan's empire. Today it is of great cultural and historical importance. As the sun set we explored a bit of this quaint town and visited Juma Masjid and Daria Daulat gardens. It was getting quite dark by then and we got back on to the highway and proceeded to Bengaluru. After a break at one of the highway dhabas for dinner we rode back with torrential rains giving us company for a major part of the distance.


Mysuru is the best place to soak yourself into the culture of Karnataka and a visit during the festive season would definitely leave you spellbound. Mysuru still offers a lot to the tourists and for the greedy travellers, Bengaluru- Mysuru highway gives a platter of options.


Signing Note- Mysuru is definitely the essence of Karnataka.


Distance- 150 kms
Route- Bengaluru- Bidadi- Maddur- Mandya- Mysuru.

In Search of Serenity...!!

It was a long weekend and holiday makers from all over the country were swarming into Ootacamund, the queen of hills. Known for its enchanting landscapes, stunning viewpoints and mild climate, this beautiful hill station is slowly and steadily turning out to be a victim of commercialisation. However amidst all the chaos and touristy affair, St. Stephens church stood calm without a soul within its premises. The yellow coloured Anglican church built in the 19th century by the British, caught my fancy for the fact that this was the only place in Ootacamund that was devoid of tourists even though being in the middle of the town. After all those traffic jams, long queues, no-parking spaces and crowded roads, St.Stephens church was where I found peace at last. However the serenity did not last for long as I was asked to remove my vehicle from the no-parking zone. :)