Thursday, September 22, 2005

Kukke Subrahmanya - Home Town :-)



Had been to home town (Kukke Subrahmanya) recently, collected this photo of the temple.(taken @ the time of the annual festival)

At the risk of sounding like gushing, few lines about my place...

Intro:- It's a small town, famous for the temple of Kukke Sri Subrahmanya, nestled in the forest bordering the western ghats. Lapped in the luxurious abundance of the beauty of the nature, it lies in the Sullia Taluk in south Kanara District of Karnataka, and is situated @ around 100 kms from Mangalore and nearly 300 kms from Bangalore. Also nearby is another famous pilgrimage center of Dharmastala.

Yeah, it rains heavily during Mansoon and summer will be very hot and humid. Agriculture is the primary profession with Areca Nut and Coconut being main crops. Kannada and Tulu are the local languages. Food is not very spicy (yeah, I know you crib for using coconut oil for cooking!).People are cultured, well informed, have the sense of cleanliness, soft-spoken - sometimes to the point of being not talkative enough. And at times you might mistake their self-respect for arrogance. And don't be surprised to see narrow winding roads, houses with terracotta-tiled roofs.

Don't miss these Places at Kukke Subrahmanya.
Some deserve a special mention.

Kumara Parvatha (Kumar Mountain), is a trekkers' paradise.You can also climb up from/climb down to Somvarpete(near Madikeri).More in a seperate post.

Kumara Dhara River, is considered sacred, with lot of people taking bath esp. to cure skin diseases. Apart from the strong faith, as the river flows through the forest with lot of medicinal plants, should be having those medicinal properties, is my reasoning.
Also I have fond memories of the river, getting quite a few holidays to the school as the bridge gets submerged during heavy rains cutting off the road link!

You can also trek around 55 kms through the meter-gauge railway line (abandoned since the last decade for broad-gauge conversion!) from Sakleshpura through Yedakumeri to Subrahmanya (connecting Mangalore-Hassan), the best trek that I have ever done, through tunnels, bridges, never ending scenery, streams and dense forest. Probably there's nothin like it, anywhere. An experience of lifetime.

Or drive through scenic Bisle Ghat.

As it's happening with most of the places in India here too u will find too many people thronging the temple, Kumara Dhara water getting dirty... Yet the place preserves an old world charm. It’s sheer pleasure to travel there, as nature reveals herself in all her unhidden beauty in the rivers, forests and mountains.

Enough boasting!, love you hometown.And welcome all.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Short bikin n trekkin



Last Sunday, 17 of us had been to Chunchi Falls n Mekedatu...arnd 100 kms from Bangalore.
An apt one liner would be "It was pure exhilaration".Rejuvenated the jaded body/mind/soul.
Note :-An all Bajaj team of 9 bikers, good 2 c, 'Hamara Bajaj' indigenously makin bikes that appeal 2 geeks....
Bottomline:-Can't type more, still havin a hangover!