This part of the year is always eventful with Atul’s and Ajith’s birthday lining in one after the other .To top it we had an impulsive vacation to coorg just before the birthdays popped in and prior to Adi’s last few days of holiday. I was at my parents place when Ajith planned on the trip and I was exited to hear about it. We decided to leave Atul with them considering the difficulty of carrying him along to a hill station. My mother was more than willing to take care of him while I took a break .Thanks to her, if it weren’t for them, I could not have relaxed and enjoyed the trip in peace.
It was a splendid trip despite the bad roads in patches. We left Bangalore at around 6 A M in the morning and reached Mysore in 3 Hrs. We stopped for breakfast at the popular Kamat Lokaruchi in Ramanagara . The atmosphere in the restaurant is like a village and the feel is like you are sitting in an old fashioned house with people wearing traditional canara style attires and very homely food being cooked and served on banana leaves.
The idlis are wrapped in plantain leaf and they are yum. After the breakfast we headed towards suntikpoppa almost non stop except for a few breaks .We took the Bangalore - Bidadi - Ramanagaram - Chennapatna - Maddur - Mandya - Srirangapatna – Mysore-Yelwal - Hunsur - Kempalapura - Periyapatna - Bylakuppe - Kushalnagara - Suntikoppa – Madikeri.I must say the drive upto coorg was misty , picturesque and calm as I enjoyed every moment of it.
Adi was a sweet heart throughout the trip, as he never fussed and enjoyed the drive but every now and then he would ask us if we have reached Coorg. I presume he would have preferred being air lifted to Coorg from Bangalore if given a choice.
On the way we decided to visit the Golden temple (Tibetan monastery) . It’s a tourist attraction in Bylakuppe.
After Periyapatna a huge arch across the road announces the Tibetan settlement ahead in Bylakuppe. This is one of the largest and oldest settlements of Tibetans in India. As an indication you can see colorful prayer flags flying in the area.
One of our friend booked us into this beautiful Wind flower spa and resort which was a stunner in the mid of green woods. We stayed in a suite which had a good living area, sit out, large bedroom with window opening to the woods, kitchenette and a huge bathroom with three different shower options (open air shower, Jacuzzi tub, and glass curtained shower) apart from the wash area and toilet.
Take a glimpse at the resort pictures below
It was late afternoon by the time we reached the resort and we were especially hungry. Thankfully as we entered the reception area the server was waiting with our welcome drink. Tired as we were we drained down the fresh watermelon juice in a rush. Then we headed straight towards the restaurant .An awesome buffet was spread across one angle of the restaurant and we ate like pigs. Our package included all three meals in the resort and never once were we disappointed. After lunch we went to the suite and like I explained earlier it was luxury. We lazed around until evening and then we planned to check out Abbey falls which was relatively close to our resort. So we left at around 6 PM and drove through narrow roads between the coffee plantations up and down the hills.
It was getting darker and we could hear the falls from a distance. Many people were returning from the spot as we were getting closer to the falls. By the time we reached the vicinity, not a single soul was seen and it was pitch dark. We were a bit nervous when we entered the pathway leading to the falls. It’s monsoon time and we knew that the water flow is very high in this season. The sound of the gushing falls in the darkness with no one except us around was creepy. But I put up a brave face in front of Aditya who was almost in tears. He wanted to get back home but we dragged him along. Finally we saw the falls in the darkness roaring in it’s full capacity. It was white against a black background and we stood on the bridge and felt the sprinkles on our face. Scary but thrilling! Adi had begun to cry by now and we started running back to the gate as fast as our legs could take us. We breathed a sigh of relief as we approached the exit gate and entered the car where we felt safe and comfortable (forgot to mention that it was cold and drizzling all along). On the way up the hill we saw a bison in the darkness and that taught us our lesson – never venture out in the dark to unknown places. What if we were in a two wheeler!!
Back to the resort in time for dinner .Pigs that we are, we ate and got back to the suite and hit the most comfy, clean, white bed. Next day we charted out a plan and left early after breakfast to part- 2 tourist attractions. The pics will explain the rest.
Raja seat : According to legend, the Kings of Coorg spent their evenings with their consorts here. A photographic view of the lofty mountains, grassy meadow, steep dale, wide spread paddy fields can be enjoyed from Raja’s Seat.
Bhagamandala is a pilgrimage place in Kodagu, Karnataka, in India. It is situated on the river Kaveri in its upstream stretches. At this place, the Kaveri is joined by two tributaries, the Kannike and the mythical Sujyoti river. It is considered sacred as a river confluence (kudala or triveni sangama).Ajith performed rituals to his father and ancestors by taking a dip in sangama(known as ganga of the south).
Kaveri Nisargadhama is an island formed by river Kaveri and is used as a picnic spot near Kushalnagar in the district of Kodagu in Karnataka.It has thick bamboo groves, sandalwood and teak trees and surrounded by the Kaveri river. The island is accessible through a hanging rope bridge. There are deer, rabbits, peacocks, and a children's playground.
The Brahmagiri are a range of mountains in the Western Ghats of south India. The Brahmagiri Hills are situated at the border between Wayanad district of Kerala on the south and Kodagu district of Karnataka in the north.
Talakaveri is the place that is generally considered to be the source of the Kaveri River. It is located in the Brahmagiri hill near Bhagamandala in Kodagu district, Karnataka.The temple here is dedicated to Lord Agastheeswara, which denotes the link between Kavery and Sage Agasthya.
The legend goes that, the Kaveri river was held in a Kamandalu (a container of sacred water) by Sage Agasthya. Vinaayaka (Lord Ganesha) took the form of a crow and perched on the kamandalu of Agasthya when Agasthya was meditating. When Agasthya realised this, he shooed away the crow. But the Divine Crow tipped the kamandalu and toppled it. Out poured Kaveri which started flowing. The crow disappeared and in its place stood a small boy. Agasthya thought that the boy was playing some prank and clenching both his fists, went to pound the head of the small boy. But the boy escaped and Agasthya gave chase. Finally the boy vanished and Lord Ganesha showed Himself to Agasthya. Agasthya was aghast at the realisation that he had just tried to knock the head of Ganesha Himself. As atonement, he knocked his own head with both of his clenched fists.
The temple at Tirumukkudal Narasipura (confluence of Kabini (aka Kapila river, Kaveri and invisible Spatika Sarovara (Crystal Lake)) is also dedicated to Lord Agastheeswara.
On Tulasankramana day (the first day of Makara Masa month, according to the Hindu calendar, which normally falls in mid October) thousands of pilgrims flock to the river's birthplace to witness the rise of the fountainhead, when water gushes up from the spring at a predetermined moment. The tula snanam (Sacred bath in the Tula month) is observed across pilgrim towns in Kaveri's banks.
The above info is from wikipedia and I guess all of you are saturated with information now and I am tired of blogging as well...
However this trip rejuvenated us and we had a splendid time!!!
