Karnataka's Coastal Circuit

Plan & Preparation:

What plan? What preparation? This was one trip where we did not even have the slightest idea as to what places we would visit, where to stay etc. But we booked tickets to Karwar for our family and Ravindra’s family. We had every thing packed in advance. The bus – ‘Rajahamsa’ was scheduled to leave the KSRTC bus stand at 5:45pm. Ravi, Sudha and Sahana would join us there.

Journey:

Journey was mostly uneventful. The bus left Bangalore at 5:50pm. It passed through Tumkur, Arsikere, Birur, and Shimoga and headed on towards Karwar. In fact, the bus took nearly 2.5 hours to reach Tumkur alone. The road was that bad. Near Karwar, the ghat section pissed me off for sometime, as the driver began stamping onto the accelerator. There was thick forest everywhere, and the greenery astounded me. We reached Karwar at 8:15am. Our accommodation was to be at Prasad and Lakshmi’s place. We took an auto there to a place called ‘Tolnaka’. The house was spacious and comfortable. Then began our trip.

The First day (24th Oct):

Karwar

Karwar has all the makings of a perfect holiday. Once an important trade centre of the British, French, Portuguese and the Arabs, this charming town is complemented by glorious weather and an excellent beach that is said to have inspired Rabindranath Tagore to pen his first play. The Devbagh beach is a must for beach lovers. Karwar also has a port protected from the harsh winds by five islands.

Where to stay?

You’ve got a variety of options like:

Devbagh Beach Resort
Opposite Bhadra Hostel, Kodibagh, Karwar, Uttara Kannada – 581 301
Tel: 0838-226596Tel: 080-5597021, 24, 25 (Corporate Off)Fax: 080-5586163(Corporate Off)e-mail: junglelodges@vsnl.comWeb site: http://www.junglelodges.com/Tariff: Log huts: Indians: Rs. 1500/- and Rs. 1350/- for subsequent nights;Foreign citizens: US $40/- and US $35/- for subsequent nights.Tents: Indians: Rs. 1000/- and Rs. 900/- for subsequent nights.Foreign citizens: US $30/- and US $25/- for subsequent nights.

Hotel Bhadra
NH 17, Kodibagh, Near Kali Bridge, Karwar, Uttara Kannada – 581 303Tel: 0838-225412, 225613, 225212, 13Tariff range: Rs. 250/- to Rs. 1250/-

Guest Houses
Ports & Inland Water TransportBaithkol, Karwar, Uttara Kannada – 581 302Tel: 0838-221488e-mail: directorate@sancharnet.in
For reservations, contact: 0838-221438Tariff range: Rs. 50/- to Rs. 100/-

We had tea & breakfast and enquired a friend of the places worth visiting, and got really pissed off. These were some of his views about the places there:

Dandeli – Other than 4 monkeys, you won’t find anything else there.
Yana – Certainly not a place to visit, there are lots of thieves in Yana, women and children must never go there.
Karwar – Other than the beach, there’s nothing else in Karwar.
Gokarna – Don’t go there. The place is very costly, and in the name of sacrifice, the wretched people there poison the food that they serve you.
Timing – Absolutely wrong time to visit this place. Everyone’s busy with Lakshmi pooja, and you will not find a single taxi.

What a great start to our tour. Ironically, these were the very same things that the Karnataka Tourism dept. had told us. Then what the hell does KSTDC exist for if it wants to chase away the tourists? But this did not put us down. On the contrary, we wanted to prove him wrong.
The places we visited on Day 1 are:

Devbagh beach resort:

At noon, from Tolnaka, we went to a place called ‘Kodibagh’ by auto, and booked for a ferry to the Devbagh island. The ferry ride over the ‘Kali River’ was a short one – about 15 mins but cost Rs.100 per head. In fact, auto-rickshaws and ferries are quite costly in these parts of town. Some islands in Karwar belong to the Navy and entry there is restricted. There is another island that is a private one called as the Kurumgad Island, so entry fee is very high – about Rs.1000 per head. Devbagh seemed like an ideal place for camp. The island has cottages for staying overnight costing about Rs.1500 including food and ferry-rides. But this fee is only for those who stay in these cottages. For visitors like us, it costs nothing. Hammocks tied in between trees are so really relaxing. Trees are everywhere, almost like a mini-forest. We played along the seashore for sometime. Tired and hungry, we had dinner that was arranged by a private caterer (something like a contract). Food though costly, was all right. We rested for some more time in those lovely and comfy hammocks. City noises seemed light years away from us. If you want to really relax and unwind, this is ‘the’ best place.

Karwar beach:

We left Devbagh at around 4:30pm. We reached land, boarded an auto to Karwar beach and reached the place at about 5pm. We had real fun there, playing, swimming, enjoying. Tourists were handful in number. We nearly played for 1-½ hours and then left the place at 6:30pm. At Karwar bus stand, we enquired for a taxi for touring the next 2 days, but in vain. All were too busy with the Lakshmi pooja. Finally, a taxi dropped us back to the house.


The Second day (25th Oct):

We woke up early, got ready, bid our relatives good-bye and went to Karwar bus stand at 7:30am. From there, we went to Ankola, the place we had thought of searching for taxis. The time was around 8:40am. For an entire hour, we searched for a taxi and finally found one – A Tata Sumo. We had our breakfast at Ankola itself at a good hotel Sapna, and left for touring at 9:45am. The car skidded on over the Karwar-Gooty highway. The places we visited on Day 2 are:

Magod falls:

Our first destination was Magod falls. Accompanied by a driver and a mechanic and their Sumo, we reached Magod falls at 12:15 pm. It is in a place called Yellapur, 69 kms from Ankola. From Yellapur, a deviation leads to the falls (about 15 kms from Yellapur). The waterfall was not as good as we had expected. Getting down near the falls would take us an entire day, so we watched it from up above (as in Jog falls). So, it would take nearly an entire day for you to get down to the water. Moreover, the path too is very strenuous. The falls, though powerful, was not really good-looking and was muddy coloured. Some tourists informed us of Sathodi falls that was much better than this one. So, our programme changed again – going to Sathodi falls instead of Shivganga falls as planned earlier.

Sathodi falls:

It was around 1:40 pm. We returned back to Yellapur, had lunch at Hotel Sambhram. We reached Sathodi falls at 3:20pm. The road towards the falls is very rugged and horrible. It was 30 kms from Yellapur. Though we reached the place, we couldn’t even hear the gurgling sounds of water. We had to further walk a kilometre, we were told. The path towards the falls was really amazing, what with all the forests, greenery, streams, the silence, everything was beautiful about this place. Finally we reached the place. We were awestruck. The place was so beautiful, much similar to Abbe falls in Coorg. Water was cold. But nevertheless, we jumped into it. Some rocks were quite slippery and hence dangerous, but overall it was a beauty. There was no one else there except us, and nature. Take my word, don’t ever miss this place. You can easily spend 2-3 hours in this place. Tired, we moved on towards the Sumo, thanking the driver for taking us to such a wonderful place, even though the path was so horrid. We returned back to Yellapur, had tea (hot water, as usual), and left for our halting point – Sirsi.

Sirsi:

Compact Mangalore tiled houses with small open verandas, low wooden planked furniture, dhoti-clad men and sari-draped women...This is Sirsi. A cal, peaceful little hamlet dotted with antique temples, Jain basadis, mosques and churches. One of the most impressive temples here is that of the Marikamba which enshrines a wooden deity that is believed to have been found in a tank.

We reached Sirsi at 8:40 pm. It is 57 kms from Yellapur. We had a brief look at the famous Marikamba temple. The temple was good. But the bull inside was absolutely scary. It began shaking its head vigorously as soon as we came, making a huge noise with the bells tied around its neck. We decided not to test his patience, and moved on. We were told that rooms were available in the temple premises itself. The rooms seemed decent, with 2 beds, attached bathroom and costing only Rs.50 per room. It seemed reasonable, as we were only staying there for the night. Finally, we camped there, had dinner at a restaurant ‘Satkar’ (my advice – don’t go to this restaurant), and slept like never before.

The Third day (26th Oct):

We woke up quite late, had breakfast at ‘Satkar’ again (this time, we found a cockroach’s leg in Sharath’s masala dosa. Our next place of visit was the most dreaded place for taxi drivers – Yana.

Yana:

Our driver tried to change our plan of visiting Yana, but in vain. We wanted to see the place. So he filled the Sumo with oil and petrol, and skidded on towards the place. The roads were even more horrible than we had thought. There actually was no road at all, just pointed stones poking out of the ground, huge ponds filled with water and paths that sometimes were as steep as mountains. But our driver, though unhappy, took us to Yana gracefully. Yana is a place 49 kms from Sirsi. A deviation from the main road leads us to a 14 km rough drive to Yana. From there, we have to walk further for about 2 kms. Steps and resting places are available in between. (It took 1 ½ hrs to reach Yana for 14 Kms + ½ an hour for walking)

As we walked on, the scorching sun tired me, so I decided to take a rest. That’s when I saw ‘hippies’ – a gang of around 8 who were from Gokarna. Though scared to look at them, I spoke to one of the ladies, whom I had first mistaken to be an ordinary tourist. The most amazing thing is that, a few of the hippies know Kannada, and even greeted us during departure. The driver told us that these people settle in India for long periods of time by marrying a local citizen (by bribing him), and enjoy life. They are found in abundance in Goa, few even in parts of Gokarna like in the Om Beach.

Finally we reached the first shikhara. Yana is located amongst the evergreen forests of Mt.Sahyadri. Its tallest peak is Bhairaveshwara Shikhara that is about 120 mts. high, followed by Mohini Shikhara that is 90 mts.high. The huge rock pillars are black in colour, so is the soil. The rocks are mainly black crystalline limestone. There might be a cement-factory in Yana in future for exploiting the limestone resources. Man’s greed seems to have no limits. Near the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara is a temple-cave, inside which is a Shivalinga. Water drips from above onto the linga. This place is called Gangodhbhava. The cave also has a bronze icon of Chandi. The amazing rock formations in Yana are believed to be due to volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago.

But, mythologically, the story goes as follows...........................................Pleased by Bhasmasura’s penance, God Shiva grants him a boon – the power of Bhasma. But the rakshasa became uncontrollable, and he even chased Shiva away from Kailasha. Shiva hid amongst the caves of Yana. Bhasmasura came searching for him, when he met a beautiful dancer (who was actually Vishnu in disguise) and enchanted the rakshasa. By tricking him to keep his hand on his own head, Vishnu was successful in killing the rakshasa. Bhasmasura burst into ashes, and that’s why the entire place is black.

The cave inside the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara looked menacing. Many rocks had fallen apart; few were on the verge of collapsing. Beehives swarmed the place. We took a few snaps on the way, and relaxed for sometime near the temple, as it was very hot. On the way back, we bathed in the ChandiHole a small river. Finally, we took a snap of our drivers who so gracefully brought us to this place. The return journey was even more slippery and dangerous, but we made our way out quite comfortably. When we left Yana, it was nearly evening. We hadn’t even had lunch as yet. So we stopped at Kumta, 15 kms from Yana and had supper at Kamat restaurant. Food was extremely good. We were absolutely tired, and were discussing about our next halting place.

Some tips when visiting Yana:

Don’t ever listen to all those rubbish that the walk to Yana is very difficult. It’s less than a 2-kilometer walk. There are steps and resting places in between.

Leeches are common during rainy seasons. But, it’s all right after mid Oct.

You will need to spend atleast 3-4 hours there. Its better to pack your lunch in advance as you won’t find anything to eat in Yana. There are light refreshments available like cool drinks, chocolates, and chips near the temple.

There is also drinking water available near the temple. Or else, the stream offers you clean and cold water.

Its better to wear shoes, as the journey path is quite rough.

You can do a ‘pradakshina’ of the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara that takes you inside a cave. Don’t miss this part. It is really wonderful. Don’t shout inside the caves as it might disturb the bees. Bats and its shit are common. Don’t worry.

Don’t go to Yana by bus, or else you will have to walk for more than 5 kms. Auto rickshaw journeys are quite dangerous. Qualis or a Tata Sumo is ideal for such a journey.

When you are going to Yana, go with high spirits. You will never be able to enjoy any trip if you remain negative about everything.

Finally, take a picture of the rugged road, and send it to the newspapers and the Tourism Minister. That’s what we’re doing, hoping that a proper road will be constructed.

Idgunji Temple:

46 kms from Kumta is the Idgunji temple, the only temple wherein Lord Ganesha is seen in a standing posture. Our visit to this place was accidental, just a last minute decision. But, the temple was indeed worth seeing. We did some shopping – bought a ‘lavancha’ cap, some Ganesha idols, key chains etc. and returned back to the taxi. We decided that our halt would be at Murudeshwara, and a visit to Gokarna probably cancelled.

A halt at Murudeshwara:

Murudeshwara is just 10 kms from the Idgunji temple and 16 kms from Bhatkal. The road from here is really good – National Highway 17. The place is really enchanting, a paradise on earth. The first thing distinctly visible in Murudeshwara is the Shiva statue, much much bigger than the one at Airport Road in Bangalore. The statue is 123 feet tall, and probably the tallest idol of Lord Shiva in the world. The place resembles Kannyakumari. Our guesthouse called RNS guesthouse (A unit of Naveen hotels) was quite cheap, just Rs 375 per double room. We booked 2 rooms for the 2 families, and had a small rest and a relaxing bath. We finally bid good-bye to our drivers who made our journey relaxing, amazing and entertaining.

Before dinner, we visited the huge Shiva statue. Just opposite the statue was a huge temple with 20 floors (still under construction). The Shiva statue is silvery and golden in colour. It’s a painted cement statue. Construction was not 100% complete. Then, we had delicious dinner at Kamat Hotel. Finally, we returned back to our rooms and planned for the following day, and the return journey.

The Fourth day (27th Oct):

At 6:00 am, dad, Sharath, Ravi and myself took a walk around the shimmering sea. Nothing in the world was more relaxing. There was a cool breeze, fishermen were setting out to the sea, few were cycling along the shores, and everything seemed so cool. We began having plans for settling in Murudeshwara for life. We saw a fisherman who returned from his fishing and gathered around him. He had caught lots of big crabs, but tiny fishes.

Finally, we returned to our rooms, had bath, coffee and went to the Naveen Beach Restaurant for breakfast. Dad and Sharath went to the KSRTC ticket booking office. Food did not taste good here. We decided Kamat was the best restaurant. Our tickets to Bangalore were booked.

We moved on first towards the temple perched on a hillock by the shore. The temple that embodies a linga is believed to have erupted when Ravana flung the cloth covering the Atmalinga at Gokarna while lifting it. As one ascends the hillock, there is a shrine of Jattiga seated on a horse. There were a few paintings on the walls of the temple that were though funny, were also interesting.

Then, we took a ferry-ride around a small island. The ride was for about 15-20 minutes and cost Rs. 50 per seat. It was a nice little ride. We returned back to Kamat restaurant for supper. For a while we rested in our rooms.

Murudeshwara Beach:

Even though we had decided not to swim in the sea, the sight of water changed our plans. We jumped into the water and had our taste of fun. Murudeshwara is not a beach that’s known for safety. In fact, lots of them have drowned in Murudeshwara. But the sea currents were down, and swimming seemed to be quite safe. The sea floor was quite flat and it was quite safe as long as the water was chest-height, after which it begins getting deeper. We played Frisbee, swam and had a ton of fun there too. We never wanted to leave the place.

It was almost afternoon, and we wanted to be in time for the sunset. So we went back to our hotel, checked out one of the rooms at 4pm, and adjusted in a single room. We packed our entire luggage, and set out to the Sunset point with a camera and a bino. The sunset was the best one I had ever seen. The sun looked more like a fruit, and Ravi’s daughter Sahana was pestering her dad to get her that orange ball to play with. The sunset also brought an end to our tour. All the days of enjoyment seemed to come to a close, and everyone suddenly seemed to be reminded of their offices and the dreadful work. We returned to our rooms, checked out, and went straight to Kamat restaurant for dinner. It was still about 6:30pm. I did a bit of shopping myself, and finally went to the bus stand. The bus arrived at 7:50 pm.

The return journey:

The return journey was even more uncomfortable than the arrival one. The driver hardly stopped anywhere for dinner or coffee/tea. As we reached Tumkur at about 6:30 am, the roads began to get real bad, reminding us of Yana. We finally reached Yeswantpur at 8:15 am. We bid Ravi, Sudha and Sahana good-bye and returned back home, had a bit of argument with the auto-wallahs. It took quite sometime to get used to TV, city noises and traffic. There ended our wonderful trip. We just hoped that those wonderful places remain so beautiful forever and never be sacrificed for man’s benefit. Nature does not require our help, it only wants us to step aside and not disturb it.

Your Tour To Karnataka’s Coastal Circuit:

Lets say you are planning for a tour to the coastal circuit of Karnataka. Here are some of the places you can visit apart from those mentioned above.

Dandeli:
117 kms away from Karwar, lies Dandeli – a picturesque town set against the backdrop of the Western Ghats. Blessed with pleasant weather all through the year, Dandeli is a natural habitat for wildlife.

The famous Dandeli Game Sanctuary houses some rare species like the barking deer, sloth bear, sambar, panther and gaur. The majestic elephant is found wandering free here. Other wildlife includes wild dogs and mongoose. A few kilometres away from the sanctuary, perched in the middle of a steep rock is a beautiful cave. Crawl through the entrance and you will find a large Shivalinga-like formation formed by the stalactites and stalagmites.
For accommodation, there are jungle lodges in Dandeli. These are usually quite costly, but they come as a package.

Package Includes
Lunch, Dinner & Breakfast, Jeep safari into the forest, Coracle Ride, Forest
Entry Fees & taxes
Rafting at an extra cost.

Note:

Above package is for per person, per night basis (twin sharing), inclusive of boarding, lodging and other standard activities mentioned, forest entry fees and all taxes
For children (accompanying parents) between 5 to 12, the tariff is 50%. Children below 5 years are free

Park is closed from June to October. The best time to visit is from December to May

Must See Places Around

Kavala caves, molangi, syntheri rock, fresh water springs at mundurli and Kulagi, Siroli peak, Sykey point, Kali valley Dandeli forest

Sporting activity

Kayaking, mountain-biking, trekking, white water rafting, swimming, wilderness safaris, nature walks, bird watching, crocodile sighting, fishing, coral boat rides, outdoor camping on special request

Gokarna:

Literally meaning the cow’s ear, this town is formed by the ear-shaped confluence of two rivers. Belief is also that the place derives its name due to Shiva emerging from the ears of a cow. Gokarna is famous for the ‘Atmalinga’ in the ancient temple here. According to legend, Lord Ganapathi tricked Ravana into putting down the Linga after a long penance. But Ravana was unable to lift the Linga from the ground again. And ever since, the Linga came to be known as Mahabala.

Gokarna is also a famous Sanskrit-learning centre. The Om beach and the Kutle beach nearby are also worth a visit.

Jog:

Jog (60kms from Honnavar), a hamlet of Kargal village, is famous for its magnificent waterfalls. The Sharavati River flowing over a rocky bed takes a spectacular leap from a height of 292m and divides into 4 smaller ones – known as Raja, Rani, Rocket and Roarer – presenting a glorious view. The Mahatma Gandhi hydroelectric Station here was commissioned in 1948.

The best time to visit this place is during the monsoons (Jun-Nov) when the falls are at their most impressive. However, this place is a tourist’s paradise all year round and has plenty of wildlife. It is an ideal spot for adventure tourism and water sports.

Other places further away from the North include:

Agumbe – 32 kms from Tirthahalli has a sunset point, Gopalakrishna temple and the Observatory maintained by the meteorological survey of India.

Jamalabad – Famous for the fort built by the Tiger of Mysore. It forms a part of the Kudremukh range of hills near Belthangadi.

Marvanthe – Sandwiched between turbulent Arabian Sea and the Sauparnika River, the journey provides a panoramic view of the Kodachadri Hills.

Kollur – 80 kms from Udupi. It is Famous for the Mookambika Temple and Arasina Makki – a famous waterfall.

Udupi – 60 kms from Mangalore. The main attraction is the temple – Kanakana Kindi.

Malpe – 6 kms from Udupi. Its the best beach I have ever seen, wherein the floor remains flat for nearly a kilometre. St. Mary’s Island is only a boat ride away.

Katil – 27 kms east of Mangalore on the banks of River Nandini. It has a famous temple dedicated to Goddess Durga Parameshwari.

Karkala – 17 kms from Moodabidri. It has a massive 12.8m monolithic Gomateshwara and the St. Lawrence Church. 35kms northeast of Mangalore is Moodabidri that has the renowned 1000-pillared Jain shrine.

Dharmasthala – 104kms from Mangalore. The Manjunatha temple attracts thousands of devotees all through the year. During Laksha deepotsava, the temple is illuminated with one-lakh lamps. This town also has a 14m monolith of Lord Bahubali. The car museum and the Manjusha museum are a must-see.

Subramanya – Famous for the Subramanya temple that has an idol of Lord Karthikeya, worshipped in the form of a cobra.

Mangalore – Manjunatha temple, St. Aloysius Chapel, Mangala Devi Temple, Tipu’s Battery and Jumma Masjid and the close-by Ullal beach are a must-visit. 11 kms northeast of Mangalore is Pilikula Nisarga Dhama, an integrated park for tourists.

Naraharigudda – 28 kms from Mangalore, this calm and quiet hamlet is surrounded by natural and scenic beauty.

Food Specialties:

Patrode – Prepared by steaming stuffed Colocasia leaves.

Udupi Masala dosa – a crisply fried pancake of fermented rice, stuffed with a mix of spicy potato and onion.

Idly, Rava dosa, Puri palya, Uthapam, Vada sambar and kashaya are some of the other delicacies.

For dessert try the lip-smacking jackfruit ‘halwa’ or the pearadya (paysa), a sweet dish cooked in coconut milk and jaggery.