So here goes my blog on my visit to Udupi and Kollur..
Udupi is an only an overnight train away from Bangalore, and yet million light-years away from the maddening rush of the city. Narrow winding roads with no traffic, trees are greener, heartbeats slower. The sleepy little train station gives you the feeling of having got off a time machine. And its so consoling to know sleepy peaceful towns still exist and indeed, may it always be so!
First stop is the Mitr Samaj on Car Street for brunch - yummy, tummy-filling fare and yet light on the stomach! It doesn't get much more value-for-money at 30 Rs a plate either!
A half hour drive from Udupi train station is Malpe beach - be warned though, staying near the beach is a lot costlier but you can't beat the convenience of getting soaked on the beach and a warm bath only a few minutes away! Evenings bring a small crowd of folks to the beach, some venturing out for para sailing and riding on speed boats. Its still an enjoyable way to spend the evening watching an orange sun playing hide-and-seek with the clouds.
Post-sunset is also a great time to visit the famous Sr Krishna temple surrounded by eight mathas - darsan during deeparadhana is a truly spiritually enchanting experience as the lit diyas and smell of incense together engulfs you in a little bit of divinity in the tiny stone and wood temple - and as you gaze through the window to see the deity its as if Lord Krishna has come down and blessed you Himself. An absolute must-go in Udupi.
Paradise Isle Resort on Malpe beach
The next day was our chance to visit the Mookambika temple in the tiny temple-town of Kollur, an hour-and-a-half drive from Udupi - the route into the temple is lined with street-sellers selling toys and artifacts. The temple elephant gives out blessings quite charmingly in the outer courtyard of the temple, much to the delight of onlookers. And I was lucky(!) enough to get a bit of whack from the elephant (a rap for some sins, eh?) Outside, there is a neatly stacked shoes rack and clean bathroom for the convenience of the pilgrims. Being off-season, there was a short queue to go in, and men do have to remove their shirts before entering. The Goddess Devi adorned with pink flowers is truly beautiful and radiates a powerful energy to the lucky who make it here. Priests of the temple will recite prayers and devotees can repeat-after - truly personalized and surprising to find in an old temple such as this! Sarawathi pooja for little ones happens every day and takes little under 10 minutes, do bring your cameras for this, as you can take pictures of the ceremony!
Enroute to Kollur
Last stop before taking the night train back to Bangalore was the tiny and somewhat off-the-beaten-track beach of Kapu, 10 kms from Udupi. White sands is characteristic of the area although the main attraction here is a 19th century lighthouse standing atop rocks by the seashore. Not a very tall one as far as lighthouses go, but as one goes up the winding stairs, one's legs tend to get a wee-bit wobbly and yes, though the view from above is quite breath-taking, the somewhat tiny space does give the faint-hearted some very frozen legs! A very much must-go for a truly old-school attraction, although personally, I'll be taking a break from scaling any lighthouses! At least for now.
And therein ended our journey, my first to coastal Karnataka, and a truly enchanting one!
Kapu beach lighthouse
Kapu beach
Udupi is an only an overnight train away from Bangalore, and yet million light-years away from the maddening rush of the city. Narrow winding roads with no traffic, trees are greener, heartbeats slower. The sleepy little train station gives you the feeling of having got off a time machine. And its so consoling to know sleepy peaceful towns still exist and indeed, may it always be so!
First stop is the Mitr Samaj on Car Street for brunch - yummy, tummy-filling fare and yet light on the stomach! It doesn't get much more value-for-money at 30 Rs a plate either!
A half hour drive from Udupi train station is Malpe beach - be warned though, staying near the beach is a lot costlier but you can't beat the convenience of getting soaked on the beach and a warm bath only a few minutes away! Evenings bring a small crowd of folks to the beach, some venturing out for para sailing and riding on speed boats. Its still an enjoyable way to spend the evening watching an orange sun playing hide-and-seek with the clouds.
Para-sailing in Malpe beach
The next day was our chance to visit the Mookambika temple in the tiny temple-town of Kollur, an hour-and-a-half drive from Udupi - the route into the temple is lined with street-sellers selling toys and artifacts. The temple elephant gives out blessings quite charmingly in the outer courtyard of the temple, much to the delight of onlookers. And I was lucky(!) enough to get a bit of whack from the elephant (a rap for some sins, eh?) Outside, there is a neatly stacked shoes rack and clean bathroom for the convenience of the pilgrims. Being off-season, there was a short queue to go in, and men do have to remove their shirts before entering. The Goddess Devi adorned with pink flowers is truly beautiful and radiates a powerful energy to the lucky who make it here. Priests of the temple will recite prayers and devotees can repeat-after - truly personalized and surprising to find in an old temple such as this! Sarawathi pooja for little ones happens every day and takes little under 10 minutes, do bring your cameras for this, as you can take pictures of the ceremony!
Enroute to Kollur
Last stop before taking the night train back to Bangalore was the tiny and somewhat off-the-beaten-track beach of Kapu, 10 kms from Udupi. White sands is characteristic of the area although the main attraction here is a 19th century lighthouse standing atop rocks by the seashore. Not a very tall one as far as lighthouses go, but as one goes up the winding stairs, one's legs tend to get a wee-bit wobbly and yes, though the view from above is quite breath-taking, the somewhat tiny space does give the faint-hearted some very frozen legs! A very much must-go for a truly old-school attraction, although personally, I'll be taking a break from scaling any lighthouses! At least for now.
And therein ended our journey, my first to coastal Karnataka, and a truly enchanting one!
Kapu beach - view from the rocks
Kapu beach - view atop the lighthouse
Kapu beach - view atop the lighthouse
Kapu beach - view atop the lighthouse
Well written Jaya !!
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