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Non-Fiction: Travel

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A Hill with a View

A photo-blog about a trip to a lesser known hilltop shrine near Mangalore

Looking for a quick getaway from the city, we drove to Kavalamadur on a recent Sunday morning. We had heard from a friend that a hill near this village with two small shrines makes a good destination for a short quick getaway. Having planned to leave at the break of dawn, my mom woke up early and prepared dosas and coconut chutney and packed it for an on-the-drive breakfast. But my brother, despite our best efforts, could not be woken up before seven. By the time he was ready to leave, I was too hungry to wait for breakfast and so we unpacked the dosas and tucked them in with gusto. It was almost eight in the morning when we left Mangalore after a visit to the gas station for fuel and the ATM for some cash.

The first twenty kilometers of the drive was along the Mangalore - Bangalore highway. But once we left the highway and took the road towards Dharmasthala, the scene soon turned green. We drove past villages and settlements scattered between patches of woods. About eight kilometers down this road, we had to turn right to take a narrow winding road towards Kavalamudur village. This stretch passes through a densely wooded forest and is a visual treat. A clean level ground at the base of a rocky hill suddenly jumps into view as you turn a bend in the road. A couple of shops selling coconuts and bananas for offering at the temples stand on the bank of a fairly large rectangular tank of water. Having parked the car in front of one of the shops, we made our way up the flight of steps cut into the side of the hill. The steps were small and paved with rough hewn granite and were interrupted every now and then by wide landings which made the climb relatively easy. Though it was a Sunday during a month when most schools in the region were having vacations, there were not many visitors. A winding climb of a few hundred steps brought us to the first of the two shrines. Situated halfway up the hill, this Parvathi temple is surrounded by a clean courtyard, at one end of which is a new, almost completed anna chathra - a dining hall. Another steeper flight of steps leads up to the peak of he hill on which is situated the Karinjeshwara temple. The peak of the hill provides a breathtaking panoramic view of the forested foothills of the western ghats. A troop of friendly monkeys have made their home here. Each morning, after the daily pooja, the naivedyam is ritually offered to the monkeys.

The Karinje tank at the bottom of the hill. The rock outcropping on the left is apart of the hill on top of which are the Parvathi and Eshwara Shrines.

The Karinjeshwara temple on the peak of the hill.

A dash of orange in the sea of green. The cell phone tower sticks out incorgruosly in this landscape

A young monkey taking a sip from a leaking tap.

The cotton clouded blue sky forms a splendid background for the tree over the rocky outcropping.

The top of the hill on which these temples are situated is accessible only by foot. Each stone and each beam of wood that was used in building the temple must have been carried manually up the hill. The amount of physical labour that was involved in the task must have been astounding.

Having made our way down, we drove another thirty kilometers to visit my fathers friend at his farm house. The lady of the house served us an unforgettable lunch of parboiled rice, majjige huli, tomato saaru, boodu-kumbala sambhar and the most delicious home made jack fruit pappads. When we finally took leave of our hosts in the evening, the car was heavier with a large ripe jack fruit, a couple of pineapples, a bunch of bananas and a packet of the pappads. As they say in Kannada, it was a classic case of "undoo hoda, kondoo hoda!" *

(*He not only ate whatever he could but also took whatever he could)

Destination:
SriKarinjeshwaraTemple at Kavalamadur
Google Earth Coordinates: 1254'54"N; 757'33"E

Distance:
30 kms from Mangalore

How to get there:
Frequent buses available from Mangalore.
If you are driving from Mangalore, take the Mangalore-Bangalore Highway. Immediately after the BC Road (Bantwal Cross Road) bus stop, turn left into the Dharmasthala / Moodigere road. About 8 kms down the road, turn right at the Karinje junction and drive another two kms.

Driving conditions:
Most of the roads are in good condition. The stretch after BC Road, has a few tight and steep curves. Look out for private buses driven by maverick drivers.

What we liked about the place:
The beautiful view from the top of the hill
The antics of the resident monkeys (Will be posting more pictures of them in the next blog)
Not crowded (unless you are visiting during Shivarathri when there is a Jathre at the place), relatively clean

Tips:
Reach early unless you enjoy climbing a steep hill under a blazing sun
Dont forget your caps and sunglasses (in case you end up reaching late like we did)
Take a few bottles of water frozen solid in the freezer overnight. By the time you reach the hill, they would have thawed into refreshingly cool water.
And finally, dont forget to take a camera

Synaptic Muddle

Copyright Harsha Halahalli (2007)