The run-up to the tour was quite hectic and tense. While the preparations were progressing satisfactorily, there was tension till a few hours before the start as Shilpa, the second daughter, had to write the last examination of the fifth semester. Thanks to the providence, everything went on well and we hopped on to the train half hour before its departure from Chennai Central at 9.30 p.m. on December night.
Shilpa’s grouse that we had to travel in night trains both ways was understandable. She couldn’t sleep well as the chill was a bit too much for her despite the warm clothing provided by the railway. Her upper berth position contributed to it. But the overall comfort of journey by AC coach compensated for it. As the weather was cloudy, we could not see the early morning look-outs from the train.
Around 7.30 a.m. the Chennai-Cauvery Express reached Mysore station. The station was small and not to our expectations. Even before we could leave the platform, an autodriver approached us and talked in Tamil. When told of our destination Madikeri, he took us to the bus station. He also guided us to a hotel where we had our breakfast.
Real picture
We were lucky to get a bus around 8 a.m. to Madikeri. The road to Madikeri was good. It took about three and half hours to reach Madikeri after about six stops. Websites would make us believe the journey will take two and half hours. If you go by car or cab that may be a possibility. Contrary to our notion of climbing up a hill by bus, this route had only minimal curves and no hairpin bend. It was a mix of plains and hill route, that too after Kushal Nagar. Once we reached the top, it was slightly colder but not biting. We managed to reach the Hill Town hotel just after 12 noon. Steep ups and towns, decked-up houses on hill slopes, narrow alleys, and small shops dotting the roads --- it all looked like any other hill town. But it is a city and the capital of Coorg or Kodagu district.
Coffee and Cariappa
A historical place, no doubt. Two things come to one’s mind when one thinks about Coorg --- coffee plantations and war-famed General Cariappa. He is deified there with a statue on the main road leading to the heart of the place. There was no problem spotting the Hill Town Hotel which is closer to the main bus terminus. It took just about five minutes to reach there by auto. As only three persons are allowed in an auto we took two autos. It was a decent hotel for family stay. Hot water 24x7 is a main feature. After refreshing, we started out to see the main places of tourist interest in the city.
We had lunch at Krishna Bhavan , a small but busy hotel that attracts vegetarians. We were lucky to find a cab driver who spoke in Tamil. Our first stop was at AbbeyFalls, a scenic beauty just 8 km from the city. It was thronged by students who had escaped their half-yearly examinations and were lucky to have embarked on an enjoyable tour, thanks to their sacrificing parents and thoughtful teachers who designed the programme.Their giggles and excitement matched the roar of the falls on the slopy path to the falls.
Nestling among coffee plantations, the falls are a great treat to the eyes. My wife Amudha was so excited about the plantation that she spoke to the plants asking questions like “How did you come into being and how you are catering to the masses?” I picked a few seeds which were green in colour. After a couple of days, the seeds became blackish brown and dried up. Me and Amudha drank the pure coffee available there. And it tasted a bit sour. The taste lingered for some time.
Raja's Tomb
The next stop was at the tombs of the Raja of Mercara and his wife as well as those of his devoted minister and his wife. The raja’s tomb is also a place of worship and had a lingam atop true to his name Lingaraja. That showed Lord Shiva has been worshipped for centuries in this part of India apart from elsewhere. While the outer part of the monument looks ancient and dilapidated, the interiors were well maintained and retained the historic ambience.
The lack of a guide who would know English and some lanuguages of India was felt—the only guide of some sort being the few lines of history written on a board outside, and definitely one felt this was not the way history could be bottled up. The cab took us to the next halt also on the fringes of the city – the Fort of the rajas. \
The historic building houses the offices of the collector who is called the Deputy Commissioner in this State of Karnataka – coincidentally a seat of power the rajas would have liked that of bureaucracy that looked after the commonweal. This seat of power also has a historic hall that was later converted into a church by the British. It now houses a museum which has artefacts, chiefly arms of the warrior times such as pistols and guns, apart from idols and statuettes of gods and Buddha found in the region. The highlight of the museum is a small place devoted to General Cariappa, the modern warrior who brought fame to the country and the place Coorg. It has mementos and gifts presented to him which he had donated to the museum. Usually, museums are boring to many tourists who just skip it and are too tired and disinterested to know history, but this one, though small, attracts many inquisitive tourists and quickly gives a peep into history.
The memories that arise from the visit are as fresh as the flowers that line up the small garden outside the museum. I was happy my family just enjoyed both. I recollected our visit to Srirangapatna and other historic places in Karnataka about two decades ago when we brought Sindhu as a toddler. Whenever we visit such historical places we do seem to imbibe what our immediate ancestors taught and lived for. However, we do tend to forget historical facts, so it is better to recollect them later whenever one finds time and opportunities. For example, parents should encourage the children to write about their visits and remind them about history and its charm when opportunity arises.
History becoming history?
Unfortunately, we lack TV serials about royals and their lives – if only this topic is broached and worthy serials taken our interest in history will be revived as any amount of teaching may not be that effective. It is pathetic that the subject of history has conveniently been buried by our folk. Not only are there few teachers who could teach the subject with passion, but there appears to be no tours designed for students of history even at the collegiate level, leave alone the dry manner in which it is taught in schools.
Raja's Seat
The next halt was Raja’s Seat, a highpoint atop the mountain from where the rajas, and the British of course, viewed sun going down distant mountains in all its splendour. The beautiful surroundings with a small garden is an ideal place for relaxing in the evening. The Raja’s Seat offers a wonderful kaleidoscopic view of the region with undulating mountains with greenery and curves of roads. We weren’t lucky to get a view of the sundown as it was cloudy though we could see streaks of the Sun’s rays glistening up the holes in the clouds. Abutting the park is a small rail station that hosts a toy train for children. It’s certain to entertain the young and the old too. Groups of schoolchildren thronged it when we went round the park in the train. The chorus of the students rent the air as the train took two rounds.
We preferred to walk down the road – a 2-km stretch – lazily to the hotel even as it got dark. On day two, we got up early and, before we took the cab, went to Krishna Bhavan, a small vegetarian hotel -- one of the few vegetarian hotels in the place where a majority of people eat non-vegetarian food including beef. Though Krishna Bhavan has a basement hall for lunch, in the mornings food is supplied in the small place on the main road. It was an entirely novel sight to watch people just streaming in to get a berth in the popular restaurant. The main person in charge of the preparation and supply was a nice gentleman whose dynamism is unmatched. Even as he would be enquiring what the customer wanted, his hands would be busy preparing tiffin. And he would serve tiffin and sambar pipehot, with such quickness and accuracy that newcomers would be awe-struck. Despite his fast service, he would cater to each individual needs with aplomb. And, his mind calculated the bill even faster. It was an unforgettable experience.
Tala Cauvery
Our itinerary was packed for the day. First we decided to go to Tala Cauvery, from where the river Cauvery originates. The road from Madikeri to Tala Cauvery was good except for bad stretches. The hilly route was lined by coffee and pepper plantations. The ride was most enjoyable as we could see beautiful scenes of curved and slopy roads, huge trees, ornamental shrubs with various hues, and lovely estates. On the way we stopped at the confluence of three rivers – the Cauvery, -- and enjoyed standing in crystal clear waters which are considered sacred.
The Bagandeshwarar temple nearby is an excellent place of worship built in Kerala style. Cleanliness is next only to godliness, we are told and we can experience that here. Lord Ganesha stands opposite the sanctum sanctorum, something we have not seen elsewhere. The next day, at Tala Cauvery, we are made to realise how water is a gift of God that belongs to everyone. Though territorial narrow considerations borne out of politics and greed of people are responsible for water disputes, nature will have its way when God seeks to provide for all.
The unpolluted waters are given a sacred status in Karnataka, something akin to the status given to the Ganga in the North. Poojas are conducted to the river god at its point of origin both to the god and people’s welfare. The hilltop at the place gives a panoramic view of the verdant surroundings with cool breeze blowing from all sides rejuvenating one’s systems. The sceneries are straight out of an artist’s impression of hills and surroundings and sketches by schoolchildren. Bus services from Madikeri to Tala Cauvery are limited.
After returning to Madikeri , we had a small break and continued journey to the other side – that is to K. Nagar, about 20 km. We had lunch there and proceeded to the Tibetan settlement at Bylakuppe where the Buddhist Golden Temple is situated. It’s a wonderful place for prayer and meditation and learning the Buddhist way of worshipping and praying.
Namdroling monastery
The Namdroling monastery looks like a university busy with religious students of an order – it is the monastic institution called Sera. The huge statues of Buddha, the second Buddha Padmasambhava and Sakyamuni ---- are grand and exquisite with gold embellishment and colourful paintings. The massive hall has portraits of followers of the Buddha. The Tibetans could be seen in all areas around the temple and they have mingled with the locals. A shopping complex near the temple sells products associated with Buddhist life as wells as dresses and fancy items.
We had to rush to the last point of our trip – Dubare forest -- a nice picnic spot with boats taking one to the forest-end area on the banks of the Cauvery where elephants are fed during the day before they are sent back to the wild. Unfortunately for us, the time was just up and the boatmen refused to run a trip. We saw rafting by a group of people, who had paid heavily for the venture. From there, we took the route of hills to reach Madikeri. It had just got dark and there was poor lighting on the way – which we were told is sometimes visited by wild animals chiefly the elephants -- leading to anxiety and a bit of tension on our part. On some of the forlorn stretches we even had prayers on our lips. The crackling noise of insects that reverberated through most of the stretches added to the suspense. It was a thriller kind of thing, but the driver was sure of where he was heading and taking us.
We heaved a sigh of relief on reaching the main road that led us to Madikeri. The long and zigzag route was verdant with tea plantations of the Tatas and we were simply astonished at the vast expanse of the estates. The following day we bid adieu to Madikeri and the Coorg region, taking with us tea packets, honey, and not the least memories of good relaxing times. We reached Mysore in time for a short visit to the industrial exhibition before boarding the train to Chennai.
1 comment:
It was thrilling to see Coorg and Madikeri through your eyes. Let's see more of your travel and spiritual writing on your blog.
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