Shimoga

Shimoga is considered the Heart of Malenadu and the 'Rice Bowl of Karnataka'. I am from the Karavali or coastal region. Malenadu refers to the 100 km region of the Western Ghats and the Sahyadri mountain ranges. 'Male' in Kannada means rain and 'nadu' is city or place.

Three things you can't miss noticing in Shimoga.

One, cows on the National Highway. They were resting, standing, watching vehicles, sleeping, placing their heads on other cows and looking around - in groups and solo ones - in all varieties and positions - right in the middle of the road. They could as well have rolled over into the grass of the adjacent fields and rested but no, they preferred the warmth of the tar roads!

The vehicles would manoeuvre around them. The cows never budged. Even big trucks, buses and lorries would slow down and move past the cows, making sure not to hurt them. 

All was fine until once, we almost crashed into the car ahead of us because there was a calf in the middle and a biker zoomed past, the car stopped abruptly and Thank God for Sathya's split second response to the situation or there would have been an accident. Did the calf notice the mayhem? Naah! It was blissfully unaware.

Two, mandakki (puffed rice as shown in the pic on the left) and churmuri (shown right). There were SEVERAL stalls selling it at almost every shop and tourist place. It was hard to miss it! Of course, puffed rice and churmuri are not unique to Shimoga but it is definitely ubiquitous, just like the Udupi hotels, the Shanthi and Sukh Sagars of Bangalore.

Three, the big 'dairy flower', the big, round ones. It looked something like this below, but was much bigger than this. It comes in so many colors! It is the preferred offering to deities during poojas and shringar (decoration). It is also worn by elderly women on their tiny buns, the flower covering half of the back of their heads! Most houses grow the plant in their front yards, in

cement covers, with long sticks to support the tall plant.     

The entire trip we had good roads especially since we were mostly on NH206 and SH 1 except the Honnemardu road and the roads in the town of Sagar which are actually non-existent.

Shown below is the residence of Shivappa Nayaka (1645-1660), a ruler of the Keladi Nayaka Kingdom and later successors of the Vijayanagara Empire. The famous Bekal Fort of Kasargod, Kerala (as shown in the Hindi movie Bombay, the song 'Tu Hi Re'?) was built by him!!! 

The house is made from sagoni mara (Teak wood), the most expensive of all woods. One single main door made of teak wood would set you back by at least Rs 40,000 by today's standards.

  

The stone sculptures neatly arranged by the Archelogical Survey of India in the premises with beautifully landscaped and nicely maintained garden. On the left, is the carving of Lord Vishnu from 14th Century A.D and on the right, is a veeragallu or victory stone with the depiction of the worship of a Linga or Shiva in the first column of the panel.

This huge statue of Lord Shiva was at Rameshwara Temple, Harkere.
We stopped here to pray as it was Monday (somavara Shiva darshana) and luckily, there was an Anna Prasada Seve going on & we ate our lunch there. Temple food is so simple & yet so delicious!

Here, for the first time, I saw a practice called "Linga Snana". You hold a linga over your head and the priest bathes the linga. Then you do the pradakshine (walk around the temple).

We stopped at the Tunga Hydel Project or Gajanur dam. When do I get to see dams with the water gushing forth? Alas! Never I guess! Whether it was 

Harangi Reservoir or KRS in Mysore or Tungabhadra in Hospet, most often we have seen dams where they had not let the water out. So no fun in seeing just the structure.

We sang the Shivraj Kumar song "iva gajanurina gandu kanammo" loudly in the car as we approached the dam as my first memory of the word 'Gajanur' was that song. It was very famous when I was in school and often played on the radio. 

This I saw in one of the smaller temples.

The "floor mat" you see is actually dried husk/peel of the arecanut.

It was soft to walk on and worked to keep your feet clean from the slush of the rain.

We visited Koodli too.

It is 16 kms from Shimoga.

It is called the Varanasi of South India.

It is the place where the two rivers Tunga and Bhadra join and and form the Tungabhadra river. 

The Nandi denotes the exact point where the rivers meet .

There is a nearly 600 year old mutt of Shankaracharya.

Here is a seventh standard boy selling pineapples by the roadside. The whole national highway stretch of 206 is lined by these small make-shift stands. For Rs 20, really juicy and sweet pineapples.

Tiger Safari in Tyavarekere

It is a well-staffed and well-maintained zoo. The tiger population is more than the lion and the tigers, when our van passed its cage, came so close to the van that we all shrieked for joy. There's something magical and majestic about a tiger's slow gait. It is threatening, scary and yet captivating. It is impossible to take your eyes off a tiger.

We were also lucky to witness this peacock displaying its lovely bloom while trying to impress one of the peahens around.

It was only here in this zoo, when I saw a panther in the cage with 6-7 other leopards, that I learnt that a panther is actually a leopard, born along with the other cubs, but suffers from a rare skin disease called melanosis, wherein excessive production of the pigment, melanin, causes the leopard to have a black skin! It was written on the information board of the cage. I really thought till then that panthers were a separate category of animals!

As we drove back to Shimoga from Thirthahalli, there was a road under construction on the state highway and right beside the road, was this sight! As a friend of mine remarked on Facebook, it reminds you of the Bobby Deol-Manisha Koirala song "Bechainiyan" from the movie Gupt. That song was shot in Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala but the resemblance is uncanny.

As our three day trip ended, we felt both rejuvenated and sad to bid adieu to such a lovely district. Our legs were sore from all the walking and climbing but it was, what I call, "sweet pain". I would love to be pained thus all my life.

As for the cost, it cost us Rs 15,000/- for three people, three days, exploring three major towns. Rs 5000 for petrol, Rs 5000 for hotel stay and the rest for food, parking tickets, entry fees and so on. I have realized that keeping aside a minimum of Rs 5000 a day for any trip helps with the budget. 

Kuvempu in Kuppalli

The beautiful home of Kuvempu is in Kuppalli, 18 kms from the main town of Thirthahalli in Shimoga district. Kuvempu is one of the greatest Kannada poets. He was honored with many awards including Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, and Karnataka Ratna. 

He was also awarded the Jnanapith Award, the highest literary honor conferred in India. He was the first among Kannada novelists to be given this award and that was in 1967. A total of 8 Kannada writers have been decorated with the Jnanapith awards so far, which in itself is a great feat for the language.

Thirthahalli is also the birthplace of another Jnanapith awardee U.R.Ananthmurthy and the famous Kannada film director Girish Kasaravali. 

The tiled house, with red-oxide flooring is three-storeyed and has pillars, stairs and furniture all made from wood. It also has a square shaped, open courtyard in the center letting in rain and sunshine, surrounded by brown glossy wooden pillars. It is my favorite kind of house! We call it 'thotti maney' in Kannada. Thotti means pond. Almost every room has a window that opens into the front lawn with a view of the green landscape or the adjacent arecanut plantation. Airy rooms, well ventilated.

There was an "attaa" in every room to keep things. No toilet or bathroom inside the house, that's in the backyard! No sink to wash vessels in the kitchen, that's in the backyard too or perhaps in the centr
al courtyard. A smoke area or 'hogey attaa' just above the kitchen to let the cooking smoke out and absorb the moisture from the vegetables stored above.

The house has been converted into a museum and houses all the books written by the poet, the utensils, agricultural tools, household articles, photographs of his family and grandchildren and even the Mantapa (stage) in which the poet had got married!  

The trust that takes care of showcasing Kuvempu's birthplace and childhood home and also that of his writer son Poornachandra Tejaswi has done a wonderful job. There are signposts everywhere. The whole area - from the memorial building (shown below) to the residence (first pic) to the place where both father and son have been cremated - have been maintained really well, like a private estate. The above picture that of the samadhi of Poornachandra Tejaswi and Kuvempu's burial place is called Kavishaila. You can spend the whole day here - soaking in the greenery and peace and quiet of the place.

Kuppalli, the village, has become famous thanks to Kuvempu. The first part of his pen name, 'Ku' corresponds to the name of the village Kuppalli, the middle (Ve) to his father's (Venkatappa) and the last (Pu) to his own (Puttappa).

The room where there is a projector to display an audio-visual presentation on his life and works.

I had been to R.K.Narayan's house in Mysore earlier this year and now was honored to visit Kuvempu's house. I have read almost all the novels of R.K.N and owned quite a few too but have only 'heard' of Kuvempu and never read him. 

Many talented and excellent writers of Indian languages are not represented at all in our West-leaning English medium CBSE education. We read Shakespeare and Milton, almost every play/poem written by them, we study in great detail the different literary movements and ages in the evolution of English literature but have zero knowledge of our own indigenous playwrights. It is such a pity. 

When I saw the vast collection of writings of Kuvempu in Kavimane (poet's home), I was ashamed of myself. I had only heard a few of his more famous poems but never read him. But I want to change that. As we drove off from his place, I resolved in my mind that, at least, after this visit, I must make a conscious effort to read him. I will. 

Aghoreshwara Temple, Ikkeri

We were so glad we visited the 15th century Aghoreshwara (Shiva) temple in Ikkeri. The temple is still functional with daily poojas and prayers being performed. Ikkeri is just 6 kms from the main town of Sagara.

The entrance flanked by Gajaraj (elephants), an important motif in every single ancient Indian temple.
The temple is maintained by the Archeological Survey of India and the upkeep is excellent as seen in the green landscaping all around the temple premises.

One of the striking aspects of most Indian temples is the pillars.

A single pillar has such intricacy woven into it!

Solid and beautiful and functional!


Is this a dragon spewing fire? Or a lion?

Carved on the steps leading into the Akhilandeshwari (or Parvathi - wife of Shiva) temple.





Another wonderfully carved piece.

The head gear of the rider looks like that of a Muslim.

What animal is he riding? Is it a mythical creature?



Wonder what this carving on the right was! Dragon? Evil force?

Or just a figment of imagination?

I loved the arms held up that way, mouth wide open and eyeballs popping out.

Was that fear or amazement?




Shiva with his damru and trishul.












A place to rest for the Nandi (the bull), the vahana (vehicle) of Lord Shiva. It is built entirely in granite. The tail was damaged and missing but the rest of this nearly 500 years old sculpture is still strikingly beautiful.

The exterior walls of the temple. How can one not be enamored by the beauty of these sculptural masterpieces? The temple dates back to the Keladi Nayaka period and belongs to the Hoysala-Kadamba style of architecture.

Sri Sigandur Chowdeshwari Temple

Sigandur Temple was our first stop on the Shimoga trip and the first visit to a major temple after news of my pregnancy. The temple is 30 kms from Sagar. The drive takes two-and-a-half hours from Shimoga as Sagar itself is around two hours.

This was the first place, of all the places Sathya and I have been to and seen, during all our trips and travels, that I didn't know anything about!! All our trips, I am the one who always chooses the place and he is the one who draws up the travel plan. But this time was different. Strangely, Sigandur is very close to Kundapur and yet I had never heard or read about it even though I am from that region. When we planned this trip, the first item Sathya wrote on the itinerary was Sigandur temple. That was the first time ever I even heard the name! I am so glad I saw this really nice temple. Thanks a ton to him for that!

To go to the Temple, you have to cross the scenic Sharavathi backwaters. 

Government buses ply at regular intervals to and from Sagar. The bus stop is called Holey Bagilu (river door). We have to use the inland water transport called the "launch". Yup, that's what the boat that takes you across is called - The Launch!

The ride costs Rs 10 for adults and takes about 10 minutes. It ferries both men and their machines across the river. Buses, cars, cement trucks, bikes and people are all welcome.

While returning, we sat in a bus, which was also being ferried across, in the launch and the bus took a reverse and slided gently into the shore and drove off to Sagar town. Tanvi was like, "We are travelling in a bus but the bus is not moving but we are going to our stop! Everyone on the bus paid for the bus and the launch separately. 

Once you alight, you will find government buses, cabs and taxis to take you to the temple. The bus charges Rs 10 whereas the group cab (13 people in a Toofan vehicle) is Rs 20. It is just 10 mins drive up the hill to the temple. We took a separate cab for Rs 200 as we missed the bus by a few minutes.

The temple is very well managed. Everything is done in an efficient and hassle-free manner. This was our second major temple visit after Tirupathi, in April, and the contrast was striking. There was a huge crowd (though minuscule compared to the numbers in Tirupathi!!) but the staff did not hurry or scream at or push anyone or bang the floor or the pillar with a stick. As we waited for our turn for the Darshan, we were made to sit, in silence, once inside the temple.

As each small batch of 20-25 people moves closer to the Garbha Griha and watches the Aarthi, you truly feel you are in the 'sannidhi' (presence) of the Devi. You then move along in the line as a priest waits to give you the mangalarthi. There is a separate counter, up ahead, for theertha and one for prasada. No one misses on anything. No one jostles. Everyone gets time with the Goddess to one's heart's content.

In Tirupathi, we had a feeling of being captured and caged. 15 hours locked up in a big hall with hundreds of people in it!  The moment the locks of the waiting rooms are opened, people scream and there is a huge rush and fear of missing our children in the constant push and pull. Endless rows of devotees inch forward one single step at a time. All this for a ONE SECOND darshana. And this after traveling all the way and foregoing sleep and food!

Recalling our horrid experience at Tirupati , we opted for special darshna (shorter queues and lesser waiting time) at Sigandur. Most temples have a separate fee for it. In Dharmasthala, it is Rs 200 and in Tirupathi Rs 300. Interestingly, the concept here is different. They don't charge you anything extra specifically for it. Instead, you can sponsor the Anna Dana (free meal service) for 25 people by paying Rs 500 and the entire family can join the special queue. Or sponsor for 50 people paying Rs 1000. This is a more gratifying experience for the devotees who feel content that their contribution goes for providing free lunch and not for escaping a long queue. Your contribution is promptly acknowledged with a receipt by a person who enters your postal address in the system, so that you can use it for tax exemption as well.

Everyone is then led to the Anna Dana or Prasada Seve hall which is, of course, free for all, as in every Hindu temple from centuries. Food service style is similar to Tirupathi. You take a plate and pass from each sevak who serves rice, sambar, curd rice, kheer and pickle. It is not like the system followed everywhere else, in most South Indian temples or in langars in Sikh Gurudwaras, where you sit and the sevaks go around serving the food and giving water. Kollur Mookambika, Udupi Sri Krishna Mutt, Dharmasthala, Mantralaya follow this tradition.

Your kanike (gift) - gold, silver, cash payment - is immediately acknowledged with a receipt and a book on yoga, a photo frame of the deity, stickers and kumkum are given. The hannukai (fruit & coconut) for Rs 100 is given in a nice bag made from saree. The staff politely explain where to go and what to do next. All your queries are addressed promptly. Everything is systematic. It is a must visit temple. 

Sagar in Shimoga

We went to Shimoga during the long Independence Day weekend (12-14th Aug'17). We spent one day each in Shimoga, Sagar and Thirthahalli. 

Shimoga is a district we had not explored before and is only a 6 hour drive from Bangalore via Tumkur. We checked in at Akash Inn just to rest for the night and paid Rs 2200/- through the travel website "Booking.com". It is a really good hotel. Oh! You must try their poori-sagu for breakfast, the sagu is delicious, unlike anything I have tasted before. (Aside: a tip - don't stay at Jewel Rocks. It is pathetic - both the service, the food and the room facilities. I had stayed there on an official visit and didn't like it one bit. Same price as Akash Inn, by the way). 

The next morning, we set out straight to Sri Sigandur Chowdeshwai Temple.  The drive was pleasant as it was monsoon season. Luckily, it didn't rain throughout the 3 days of our trip. The weather was cool, the roads surrounded on both sides by rows and rows of arecanut plantations, rice fields and thick forests.

You will not feel the strain of driving at all. The drive, mostly on NH 206, was one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip.

While in Sagar, how could we have missed a detour to Jog Falls? I still wish I could see the Jog in full fury, froth emanating from the bottom, the falls in its majestic glory as seen in some movies like Mungaru Male which was shot here. 

The  hydro-electric power station at Jog Falls with the multiple layers of the Western Ghats in the background

We heard from the locals about Shridhar Swamy Mutt in Varadahalli where the samadhi of the Swamy lies. Sri Shridhar Swamy is a revered saint in this part of the State. The Theertha is a holy pond with water that flows 24 hours a day and no one knows the source of the water. It is known for its skin cleansing properties. People take a dip in the pond to rid themselves of any skin disease.

We also went to the most talked about place in Sagar - Honnemardu (Golden Lake) located on the backwaters of the Sharavathi river. It is beautiful and is known for the most spectacular sunrise and sunset views and covers an area of 50 km by 80 km.

Honnemardu is supposed to have kayaking, boating and other water activities. But when we went, there was no boatman and the boats were all resting. I guess he knew few would venture out into that hell-hole of a road and come thus far. Or perhaps, prior booking was needed with one of the adventure camp organizers. Anyway, there were only 5 cars that visited the place that particular day.

The road is so bad, so bad that you curse yourself and every Internet page that talks about how scenic Honnemardu is (which it is, no doubt) but skip mentioning its pathetic road. You vent your anger at the public servants who have slept off and not turned around even once to see the disarray. The neglect and apathy is shocking especially since Honnemardu is the first thing Google throws up when you search Sagar or Shimoga. You don't even have any road markers to help you. We stopped at a place where there was a car and a bike parked and a small, mud-trodden pathway among the bushes that led somewhere. We stopped and blindly followed it and found the right place. If that car had not been there, we would have driven further because there really is nothing to guide you or no human face to talk to.