South Karnataka tour

Discussion in 'Travel' started by sundarusha, Jul 7, 2008.

  1. sundarusha

    sundarusha Gold IL'ite

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    Last summer, I took a tour of South Karnataka with my mom and younger son, starting from Bangalore by car and covering Kukke Subrahmanya, Kanchangad, Udupi, Dharmastala, Kateel , Horanad, Sringeri, Kollur, Mrudeshwar, and Jogfalls and back to Bangalore.

    After a few days break, traveled again to Melkote, Mysore,Coorg,Thalakaveri, Kushalnagar, Brindhavan gardens and back.

    I will recollect as much as I can with the help of photos and post here.

    The trip was very enjoyable as we got to spend some quality time together.
     
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  2. Anandchitra

    Anandchitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Usha
    Very nicely written.. Like you say its an enjoyable time and quality time too..
    Udupi and Dharmastala... Oh I envy you. To see Lord Krishna.. I have seen some of those places.. and they are all worth visiting!
    Waiting for some info and photos too.. when you find time:)
     
  3. sundarusha

    sundarusha Gold IL'ite

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    Our visit to the holy places started with the trip to Batu caves, Kuala Lumpur. After reading about the Batu caves in a magazine, I wanted to visit the Murugan temple there for sometime. As we had never taken that route to go to India, and also since our teenager and me were traveling alone, my DH was a little concerned. I was more worried about information on the monkeys and bat droppings making the floor of the caves slippery that I had read on internet.

    But since there was a gap of 8 hours at Kuala Lumpur, I was determined to do the trip. The hotel that we were assigned, arranged for a taxi to take us to Batu caves and show us around Kuala Lumpur. After clearing the formalities at the airport, we boarded the taxi. After climbing the steep steps, to my relief, I found no slippery floors. There were monkeys though, and we needed to be careful with the camera and handbag etc. The Murugan statue is about 500 ft. tall and is very majestic.There are a total of 272 steps and it takes about 30-45 minutes to climb them .There is a huge opening on top of the cave. In our enthusiasm, we probably spent a little bit more time than what the driver had allowed us.

    Next stop was KL tower and then Petronas towers. We went up the KL tower and my teenanger, having taken a few semesters of photography at school was not going to come away quickly without taking a lot of views from atop KL tower.

    The total time we were allowed was only 3 1/2 hours, but we might have taken a little longer. So we barely had enough time to catch our flight to Bangalore. In the panic to get to the airport on time and the jetlag, my son forgot to collect his wallet as it went throught the checking belt!

    I was just hoping and praying that the rest of the trip goes well!

    Photo 1 is Batu caves behind the Murugan statue
    Phot0 2 View from KL tower
    Photo 3 Petronas towers (currently the tallest in the world )
     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2008
  4. Jithiks

    Jithiks Gold IL'ite

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    :)Dear Usha,

    Awesome ! Marvelous ! Wonderful ! It is really great that you are going to write about your trip to various temples :) Eagerly looking forward to your narration.

    So, how did you decide to make a stopover at KL during your trip to India? Did you plan and buy the tickets for the tour from US? How about booking for the hotels there?
    Can you please elaborate on the plans you made from US for this stopover tour there?

    What about your passport and luggages? Were you asked to leave them at the airport? Was there any tour guide for you?

    Sorry to bombard you with so many questions !!

    Lord Muruga's statue is simply magnificient !! The buildings too !
    Though I've seen this is movies and internet...never ceases to amaze me !

    So, please continue...eagerly waiting to know what happened next...

    Btw, did your son get back his wallet?

    Cheers
    Krithika
     
  5. Anandchitra

    Anandchitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Usha
    I have heard so much about the Batu Caves.. so glad to read it here.. And oh my what a treat to see my Lord Muruga.. so beautiful.. the eyes and mouth what tejas.. and what height!
    I st hat comeplete Gold!
    What a majestic and magnificent statue.. Witht he back drop I can see how tall he is.. thanks for sharing Usha.. just this one picture made my day! I dont think I can finish seeing in one day or a few hours..
    The Petronas towers.. OMG what else to say!
    Incredible
    Thanks for sharing.. will continue to reply after I come back:)
     
  6. sundarusha

    sundarusha Gold IL'ite

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    Dear Krithika

    Thanks for the encouraging words. Once we booked the tickets through Malaysian airlines, they gave us the name of the hotel that we would be assigned and that is Empress Sepang. It is a courtesy service by the airline as the stopover is about 8 or 9 hours.

    After getting clearance to exit the airport, we were guided to the hotel concierge where they booked us a 3 and a1/2 hours package to go to Batu caves and some local places. I requested for a Tamilian driver since he might be able to explain a little about the temple. We were dropped at the hotel by the bus.

    At the hotel, we had suffecient time to freshen up and have a somewhat ok , semi Indian buffet.

    We left our luggage and passports at the hotel.

    The driver came sharply at the time that we were told that he was supposed to pick us.

    Regarding the wallet, the airline told us to check on the way back and we did. But we never got it back. We took the travel right the next day after school was over, so the disorientation was attributed by son to lack of sleep!

    Dear Chitra,

    Thanks AC for motivation. It is a golden statue that is 42.7 meters tall. The drive to Batu caves was very pleasing to the eye with pretty short palm trees and the roads were very wide.
     
  7. sundarusha

    sundarusha Gold IL'ite

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    When I landed in Bangalore, I knew my cousin was going to arrange for a tourist taxi to take us to different places, But I did not know which places we were going.
    Three days after landing in Bangalore, we left for our tour on a saturday morning around 7 in the morning. Since my cousin knew the driver very well, we felt comfortable going by ourselves.

    Our first halt was Kukke Subrahmanya temple which we reached around 2 PM.
    At this temple, Lord Subrahmanya is worshipped in the form of a snake.The belief is that Vasuki and othe snakes took refuge under Lord Subrahmanya in the caves of Subrahmanya. Legend has it that the snake king Vasuki had taken a penance on the Kumara mountain to seek the divine help in saving him from Garuda.When Subrahmanya came back after his battle aginst Tarakasura, Vasuki's wish was granted and the lord stayed with him for ever. Both the snake king and Subrahmanya were brought down in a basket ( in Kannada Kukke), hence the name of the place is Kukke Subrahmanya.


    The temple is at the heart of the Kukke village.There are beautiful mountains and rivers surrounding the temple. The name of the river is "Dhara" and it originates in the "Kumara" mountain. We had to walk around a little while to get to the sanctum for offering worship to Subrahmanya Swamy. We saw the idol of Sri Shanmukha, the idol of Vasuki and the Maha Shesha. A little farther from the main temple is the temple of Adi Subrahmanya. Naga dosha pariharam is done at this temple.

    It is also the first of several temples that we would be visiting that my son realized that he needs to take of his shirt in the temples in south Karnataka and Kerala.

    It seems that Sachin Tendulkar visited here a few years ago and after that lakhs of people want to visit Kukke, which was little-known until then.

    After eating lunch at a restaurant near the temple, we left around 6 Pm to Kanchangad to visit Anandashram, the Abode of Bliss.
     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2008
  8. Jithiks

    Jithiks Gold IL'ite

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    Wonderful to hear the legend of Kukke Subramanya Temple. Always been fond of hearing the stories behind the construction and formation of temples.

    Are there any pictures you've taken outside of this temple Usha? Never visited these temples in karnataka before.

    How many temples were you able to visit in one day?

    As you had mentioned, many temples in Kerala too expect the men/boys to remove the shirts.

    Even in Chennai, there is a temple for Rajarajeshwari Amman in Nanganallur. Here the men/boys should remove their shirts. This Goddess is believed to be extremely powerful.

    Interesting to read about the temple trips Usha...please do keep posting & sharing pictures.

    Cheers
    Krithika
     
  9. sundarusha

    sundarusha Gold IL'ite

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    Hi Jithiks

    gald to see you enjoyed my temple trip.

    I do not have a photo for just this temple. But I bought a photo outside the temple, which I have posted above.

    Seetharaman, our driver was a real gentleman and he wanted the trip to be very comfortable, especially for amma. So we covered 2 or may be 3 , if the temples were within close proximity. The scenery enroute to the temples was so breathtaking that my son started really enjoying the trip.

    I have not visited the temple you have mentioned in Nanganallur. May be next trip..
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2008
  10. sundarusha

    sundarusha Gold IL'ite

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    It was quite dark, may be 10 PM when we reached Anandashram, Kanchangad, Kerala. This probably was my 4th or 5th time visiting here and every time I feel so rejuvenated in this divine surroundings.

    This ashram was founded by Swami Ramdas and Mother Krishnabhai, lovingly called as Beloved Papa and Mataji in 1931. For the last several decades, Anandashram has been a powerful spiritual beacon. Visitors carry home with them the torch of love, light and service at the feet of the great master.

    After having a brief visit with the current Swamiji, we retired to our quarters that we were assigned. From morning coffee/tea, breakfast, to lunch/dinner are served in a huge hall.The ashram bhojan shala feeds not only the devotees , but the poor and the hungry who come to the ashram.

    There is no restriction as to how long a person can stay, but if the elderly stay here too long due to family problems, they are always advised to go and live with their children in case of any health problems.

    All throughout the day starting from 5 AM, there are various activities to participate. There is Ram naam chanting continuously till late night.

    The ashram itself is nestled among jack fruit trees, Pepper trees, mangoes, bananas, and a variety of flowers and fruit trees. Everyone visiting there would definetely leave feeling drenched with the love shown by the devotees at the Ashram.

    The ashram has a goshala with many cows , a library, lily pond, Ram mandir, charitable hospital and a homeopathic clinic.

    Even for someone who is not very religiosly inclined, the lush, green atmosphere, detached from the frantic pace of daily life is certain to boost their spirits.

    My son was able to enjoy the visit a lot more this time. He even got to play volleyball and do some volunteer work for them. Amma always feels very content and happy when she visits here.

    The first picture is that of Bhajan hall, next is Bodhi tree, the third is life-size cut-outs of Papa and Mataji
     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2008

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