A Monsoon Weekend in Agumbe

When it come for long travel, I always prefer flight or train. But  this time I was excited as am going to travel from Ernakulam to Udupi in Rajadhani Express. And I wanted to add an extra dose of fun by travelling in First AC.  This is the first time I was  traveling in Rajdhani Express. Since my booking was in First class, I was allotted  a  coupe. It looked like a  mobile dormitory and it can accomodate two persons.

I boarded the train on 21st June from Ernakulam South at 10.35 pm. My co traveller Mr.Ronald introduced to me. He was also travelling to Udupi. We settled in feeling like a VIP travelling in a train.  Within few minutes, a waiter came to arrange my bed.

I slept through the night, with no disturbance. By 6 clock there was a knock on the door, my breakfast and tea was ready. By the time we completed the breakfast, we were inching towards Udupi station. 

Reached Udupi at around 7 am. Took a cab with other four friends to Agumbe. The cab ride to Agumbe was memorable. The scenary - valleys, greenary - was breathtaking, as was the way .The driver was taking  hairpin curves.  Reached agumbe at around 9 clock.

Agumbe is situated in  South Kannada and is a small village in Theerthahally Thaluk in Shimoga district. It is about 2000 feet above sea level and is getting an average rainfall of 7620 per year and is known as Chirapunji of South India.  There is no better place than Agumbe to walk in the rain forest and greenary.  If you have read Malgudi days, a book by R.K Narayan or seen the brilliantly televised version by director Shankar Nag, you will surely associate with Agumbe.

Our stay was arranged in Mallya Residency which is the only lodge in this area. It is  facing a small bus stand and few small houses.

We assembelled in a vast grass land area. We had an introduction session and some fun filled activities. Then we moved to Sringeri which is a pilgrimage center that is best known for coffee plantations.

Legend says that while on a trip to Tunga river, Adi Sankaracharya saw a special sight and installed the first math. I have been working on that story for a long time. Sringeri town today revolves around the Sharadamba Temple and Sharada Peetham with Tunga River flowing beside them.

There is a hanging bridge across Tunga river and we spent some time by crossing the bridge.

From the bridge, you can see the newly opened temple gopura.

Sharada Devi is the principal presiding deity of Sringeri. It is believed that Adi Shankara brought Sharada Devi here from Kashmir.

Sharadamba temple

Sree Vidyasankara temple is one of the major attractions of Sringeri. Walked around the temple and the multitude sculptures is simply amazing. It was constructed in the first century in Hoysala, Vijayanagara architectural style.

Sree vidyasankara temple

After visiting the temple you can go down to Tunga river. You can see devotees feeding the fishes on the shores of Tunga river. Even you can drink the cold water flowing from the rain forests far away.

It was alrady 2 pm and all of us were hungry. We stopped our van on our way to Sirimane waterfalls. We opened our packed lunch. We could hear gurgling rivulets of water rush few meters away. We washed our hands from this rivulet. After lunch, we hit the road.

We made our way through down steps from the parking area until we were standing in front of the Sirimane waterfalls. The rocks below the falls were slippery. We made our way, losing our steps several times as we climbed to the falls.  The cold water of the falls chilled me to the bone. Dodging beneath the waterfalls had soaked everything.

Sirimane Waterfalls

Day 2

In the morning we went to Kundadri Hills for sunrise. It is situated at a distance of about 17 km from the lodge. As you climb the steps, you can enjoy the mist spreading the whole area. 

The main attraction in this place is  an ancient Jain temple. Then of course clouds and cold winds. There are two pools near the temple. From the view point on the right side of the temple, you can see Agumbe village and farms. 

A gentle fog begins to envelop us and visibility soon drops to a few metres and it provides a stunning natural spectacle.  And this is an experience which I love - walking through the mist.

It was beginning to rain  heavily and the sky was darkening with mist. We left the place as we had to visit Kavaledurga Fort.

Had break fast on our way to Kavaledurga fort. Our break fast was arranged in one house. They arranged hot Kesari bath, Khara bath and badam milk. We strolled around the farm and planted one tree.

The journey to Kavaledurga fort is also memmorable. A short trek from the main road leads to the Fort. This fort was built in the 9th century. The Fort now seen was renovated in the 16th and 17th centuries by Venkatappa Nayaka. The remains of the old palace can be seen today. You have to pass through seven levels to reach the summit and at each level, there is a gate.

Kavaledurga Fort

I have to say, the ruins are impressive. The grounds are massive and whole structure is shrouded in mystery.  The ruins at the top is breathtaking. Everything around us was wet. After walking for hours, our feet were cold.

At the summit of the hill, there is a temple known as Srikanthesvara temple. There is big pond at the top with well laid steps. Soon we started to descend and proceeded to Agumbe for lunch.

After lunch and rest for sometime, the last activity in our chart was a private Forest Walk. We began to walk with the guidance of one forest expert. We stopped to look at everything around us. The blooming of wild mushrooms growing by the road have color mix of yellow and orange.

 

We returned to our lodge and packed up. We were trying to figure out how to make our way back to Udupi to catch the train to Kochi. Four of us took a cab and got down at Manipal for dinner, then back to Ernakulam.