Chettinad - Magnificent Mansions and mouth watering menus!

Chicken Chettinad is famous. Charming Chettinad? Are you kidding?

What is so charming about a place which is arid and hot?

What are you guys - veggies - going to do there?

These were questions asked and eyebrows raised when we said we are going to Karaikkudi in Chettinad.

No doubt it is dry and arid. There are many things – Magnificent mansions, Mouth watering menus, Rural milieu and of course Marvelous temples to explore here! This is our drive - a short break - to the hinterland of Tamil Nadu which we thoroughly enjoyed. Welcome aboard and join us on this exploratory ride. We will assure you won’t be disappointed.

Prologue

Chettinad always fascinated me ever since my sister-in-law, an architect did her thesis on Chettinad mansions way back in late nineties. Somehow, we never went to these regions though we did many drives in Tamil Nadu. One of the reasons was bad roads – before NH7 came into existence – and distance. As we sat to plan the next drive, same options came up – Coorg, Chikkamagalur, Malnad, Ooty etc. It was then we zeroed in on Chettinad.

The Plan

We took Friday off and had three days and two nights (1st July to 3rd July). As I started planning the drive and googled the directions, it was encouraging to see distances.

Bangalore – Karaikkudi = 472 KMs

Stay

Routing done, the next problem was to finalise stay options. There weren’t good stay options in Karaikkudi till few years back. I knew that there was a heritage hotel named THE BANGALA in Karaikkudi and Casino group of Kochi had also started a heritage hotel named VISALAM. Checking out more details and researching on these two hotels, we finalised THE BANGALA which was to be value for money than VISALAM and the food was supposed to die for. This being the lean season in Chettinad – naturally as it is hot and dry – we could get accommodation easily in The BANGALA.

Day 1 – Lovely drive, Delicious lunch and Magnificent mansions!

When we sat in the Scorpio, my watch was ticking at 5.10 AM. Sooner we hit the NICE road – helps staying closer – and NH7 at electronic city.  Thanks to the new flyovers at Hebbagodi and Attibele, we were zipping past Hosur even as the sun was trying to come out of cloudy sky peeping through Shoolagiri hills. NH 7 like other GQ roads – NH 4 and 5 – is a class act.

Salem – Karur – Dindigul must rank amongst the best stretches in the country like the one between Kolhapur – Dharwad etc. We were in Karur town at 8.45 for breakfast! Karur always makes us nostalgic as we had gone there many times when my wife was working in Karur Vysya Bank. This is possibly the cleanest town in Tamil Nadu and may rank among the top ten in India for cleanliness. We wanted to go the same restaurant where we used to hog on Idlis, Pongal, Idiappams etc whenever we were there - our last trip being in 99. Karur has changed for good. But the old world charm around the bus stop is still there and Hotel Arun too. Years have passed but Hotel Arun had not changed - like Namma MTR or Vidyarthi Bhavans. Same banana leaf, same soft idlis served in threes and fours, sambar served directly on the idlis…Life is simple out here! We left after a heavy breakfast and driving through the city reached the highway at 9.45 AM.

Karur – Dindigul was breeze. Maneuvering through Dindigul was not a problem – it is a small town – and soon we were on SH 35 driving towards Natham (pronounced as NATTAM, TT pronounced as in PATTON ). We were little skeptical of this stretch but sooner were relieved to see nice and scenic road. The road goes through canopy of tamarind trees.

The canopy of tamarind trees

It is still summer in Tamil Nadu and the land was dry and brown. We were in Karaikkudi at 12.30. As we entered, we could see huge mansions in not-so-well-kept condition at many places in the city. Searching for BANGALA was not difficult – it is a local land mark – and we were in time for Chettinad lunch! The cuisine of Chettinad is to die for. Though we are veggies, we always loved vettals, Paniyarams, Vendakkai etc. The staff in BANGALA is excellent and within no time we were made comfortable.

BANGALA is a 70 year old building initially built as Gentlemen’s club for Chettiar menfolk and now converted into a beautiful heritage hotel.

The Facade of Bangala - Distinctly Chettinad

The Balcony sit out - Notice the pleasing yellow of Attangudi tiles

Beautifully done room with lot of aesthetics and eye for details with antique furniture

Ms Meenakshi Meyyappan, the ever energetic septuagenarian owner of the hotel – fondly called as ACHI – has converted this place into a real gem. You should see her eye for details and aesthetic sense that has gone into making this place what it is today. She has personally trained all the staff – who are with her for a long time – including the cooks who dish out mouth watering menus.

Freshened up, we were ready to gorge on the sumptuous Chettinad meal on the Banana leaf. As expected, the seeven course meal was awesome. If you are non - vegetaran, then you will have a blast here! Heavy lunch after a long drive is an invite for good siesta! A small nap and we were up for exploring Chettinad mansions, Attangudi – the small village which produces colorful ATTANGUDI TILES and of course antiques which Karaikkudi is famous for.

A cuppa of hot filter coffeee - possibly one of the best coffees (i really care for my coffee!) - made out of beans grown in their estate in Chikkamagalur made as active again. Vasanta, our guide for the evening was ready as we embarked on exploration. Our first stop was at A.M.A. House. Built in 19th century, this is a fine example of grandeur of a Chettinad Mansion. Typically Chettinad mansions are so huge that they are fort like and stretch between two streets, the front door opening into one while the back door to the other!

Two huge tusks of Burmese elephants on display

The main hall of AMA House - Notice Italian marble
tiles and colourful grills of Balcony

The colouful cieling of AMA House - made of
copper plates and then hand painted

Woven as a series of open-air courtyards of varying sizes with rooms flanking them on all four sides, the house transcends from a public to a private realm of functions as one move in from the main door. Beginning with a big public veranda and courtyard meant to entertain the male visitors by the men in the house, the house graduates to a slightly smaller courtyard with rooms and storerooms around it. Every member in the family would get a room and his name would be carved on the door. Many houses could accommodate up to 80 members of an extended family at a time. One of the other courtyards was meant for dining, which could seat about 250 people at a time. The women’s quarters and the kitchen with the servants’ rooms were at the very end.

Interestingly, the houses are an amalgamation of various things – Burmese teak columns, Spanish tiles, Italian marble floor and locally available Attangudi tiles. Style wise too one can see woodwork resembling the Kerala style, neoclassical, Victorian and Anglo Indian styles. The walls are of baked bricks, plastered over by a secret recipe of roots, yolk and lime that leaves them silken smooth and washable. On the exteriors, an array of themes from Hindu gods to British soldiers and Victorian women, adorn the surface as carvings, friezes and statues, interspersed with domes and arches. Overall it is predominantly white on the outside, to ward off the heat and at times colourful as their interior counterparts at the detail level. However, all of these put together never reads crude or bizarre and surely conveys a sense of splendour. Our second stop for the day was at the house of “Achi” or Ms Meenakshi Meyyapan. Beautifully maintained by her, this is again another example of how these mansions would have even in their hey days. 

Entrance to Mrs Meyyappan's house

Grandeur of main hall - Notice the granite pillars in
foreground

Colourful Ceiling

Unfortunately, these outstanding mansions are vanishing by the day as the present owners are either not interested to maintain them or they are unable to do so due to their financial condition. Those who believe in family pride continue to live in these houses but are unable to maintain them. Just look at this house which is bigger than the ones mentioned above but is badly maintained.

Intricate design on door in Mrs Meyappan's house

The main door made of Burma teak in this house with intricate art work is worth anywhere around 60-70lakhs!!! But the families who live in are poor and unable to maintain the house. Eventually many of these mansions have been sold to antique dealers who after pulling down the houses take away the artefacts from the house and return the plot.

A collage of clourful Attangudi tiles

Our next stop was the village of Attangudi famous for its beautiful handmade cement tiles. There are more than 20 factories manufacturing these tiles in this village which is a cottage industry. The local sand available suit tile making.

It started raining when we left Attangudi. One of the reasons for us to come to Karaikkudi was antiques. If you are planning a house with a ethnic design using wooden pillars etc, you have to come to Karaikkudi to see and select. The antique lane is full of these stores which stores from wooden pillars to betel nut scissors used by chettiars in 18th century. Of course, you need to have a fat wallet and eye for finding the hidden gems in these stores. We took the two pieces - A traditional and carved Coconut grinding and cutter used in South Indian Kitchen (known as "Turiyuva Mane " in Kannada) and a antique key holder with carved birds!

The rain was a welcome relief from the afternoon heat and we retired to our room. Ramu, the main chef said that there is a special for us in the dinner and would call us at 9. Dinner was a feast. Seven course meal of Vattal Kolumbu, Vendakkai, Chettinad Alu fry etc. As promised, Ramu had topped it all with a special chettinad sweet "Kavuni Arisi" made out of "red rice" which was yummy!

Day 2 – Drive to the Rameshwaram

One of the attractions of Karaikkudi is that it is centrally located to explore the cultural centers of Tamil Nadu. All important places like Madurai, Tanjavur, Trichy and Rameshwaram can be done as day trips. Rameswaram was one of the few places we had not seen – though I had been there as a kid as a pilgrimage tour with parents – in Tamil Nadu. We planned to do this as day trip after having checked the road condition from the staff in BANGALA.

Previous day’s rain had made the weather pleasant. We left after an early breakfast and the road surprisingly was in very good condition except for a small stretch of 500 meters. This drive should be very picturesque in winters when the fields are green unlike now when it was arid. Nevertheless, the road was dotted by palm trees on the road sides. The road from Devipattinam to Rameswaram should again rank as one of the best roads. We were excited as we reached the land’s end and entered the “Pamban Bridge” built on the sea which connects Rameswaram Island with main land.

Pamban bridge

A view of lighthouse from Pamban bridge

Rameshwaram is a small town and basically a pilgrimage town. Being Saturday, there wasn’t much rush in the temple. We entered from the western gate. As we crossed the small shops selling souvenirs and came inside, we were awestruck by this spectacular corridor which is supposed to be the longest in the world. The colorful panels on the roof blend with the chain of stone pillars forming the awesome spectacle. These corridors must be photographer's delight!!

The grand corridor

Dieties on the wall

The temple is huge. But it is not sculpturally exquisite like the ones you see in Tanjavur or Darasuram. There are 12 holy tirthas in the temple and one of the rituals is to take bath in the sea followed by pouring of water from each of these tirthas and then worship the god. Many devotees were doing that. We were not keen and went straight to sanctum santorum, had darshan and left the place. Apart from the temple, the other two places to be seen are Dhansuhkodi for its beautiful beach and Gandha Madhava parvatam, a small hillock from where you can have nice views.

After temple , our next stop was Dhanushkodi which is a 20 Minutes of nice drive. It was mid day and very hot. The beach is excellent.

Unspoiled Dhanushkodi beach

In fact one can go the land’s end and take a look at the Adam’s bridge or Rama Setu – the bridge built by Rama to cross over to Lanka. To do this, one has to go by vans which have capability to drive in sand. The local operators charge Rs 80 per person but have to wait till they get full quota of 20 passengers. Since there werent many we c did not want to wait. We checked how much does it cost to take two of us and pat come reply - Rs 1600! We dropped the idea of going and decided to go back after checking out Gandha Madhava parvatam. This is a small hillock and one can have some nice views of surrounding landscape from here. In fact sun rise from this place should be good.

We left Rameswaram around 11.45 AM and headed straight to Visalam in Kanadukathan for lunch. Visalam is again a heritage hotel restored by Casino group of hotels – the same group which run Coconut lagoon in Kumarakkom. An elegant Chettinad mansion, this has beautiful wooden columns and doors. We arrived at 2.30 and the Chettinad vegetarian thali was ready!

Carved wodden pillars in Visalam

The door way in Visalam

Ramu, the manager of Visalam who is a local agreed to come with us for a tour of Kanadukathan. This village - at a distance of 15 KMs from Karaikkudi - is just awesome and has to be called as “Heritage village” for the sheer number of Chettinad mansions it has - more 50 Chettinad mansions. Some in good condition and some not so. The village is built around a central pond and is geometrical in shape.

A road in Kanadukathan flanked by mansions

The broad roads are flanked by huge mansions of Chettiars. The whole village seems to have been lost in time and you will be transported to 19th century as you don’t see any modern houses here!! This is the place where the famous Chettinad Palace is located. What a mansion! Unfortunately, it was being renovated and getting ready for 80th birthday celebration of MAM Ramaswamy and no visitors were allowed. We had to be satisfied by taking pictures from outside.

Chettinad palace

Entrance to palace

A beautiful mansion opposite palace

Entrance facade of palace

At dinner, Achi introduced us to two French architects – Bernard and Michele – who have passionately restored a Chettinad mansion into a beautiful heritage hotel called SARATHA VILAS. www.sarathavilas.com This place looks awesome! Unfortunately, we had not heard of this lest we could have visited the place when we were in Kanadukathan.

Day 3 – Drive back to Bangalore

We got up lazily. Ramu was ready with trademark coffee of BANGALA. Packed up, we were treated to a spread of south Indian breakfast of Idli, Vada and Pongal which was delicious. Bidding good bye, we were back for another nice drive on NH 7.

I am always fascinated by the landscape around our roads. Be it green fields or small hills or rivers or mountains, it is always mesmerizing. NH 7 has its beautiful spots too. We noticed the stretch between Namakkal and Salem when you are flanked by hills on either side. I am not sure of the name of these ranges but looks really beautiful. It is beautiful again between Toppur and Krishna Giri. The landscape looks so beautiful especially on the spots when the road gets elevated.

When we reached, Bangalore at 4.30 in the afternoon, it was break worth remembering for. Karaikkudi is a place worth returning again – if only to stay in SARATHA VILAS and experience the life of Chettiars

Getting There

Road - The roads are excellent and you can comfortably drive to reach Karaikkudi by lunch if you leave bangalore by 6 AM. Alterantely, there are many overnight buses to Madurai or Trichy from where you can catch a bus to Karaikkudi

Train - Catch a train to either Trichy or Madurai and from there go by bus to Karaikkudi. There are direct trains now from Bangalore to these two cities.

Stay

Chettinad has now good options to stay.

VISALAM by CGH Group - High end hotel. We visited the hotel but was not impressed. Looked characterless. Food was OK, nothing great

The BANGALA - Our pick. Excellent hotel in a heritage and beautifully restored building. Immaculate eye for details and aesthetically great. Filter coffee and Chettinad cuisine to die for! http://www.thebangala.com/

Chettinad Mansion - We did not go there.

Saratha Vilas - Outstanding restoration by french architects. Just started first season. We could not go there. Must become a land mark in future. http://www.sarathavilas.com/

Chidambara vilas - Another restored mansion in Pudukottai district. Looks fabulous!! http://www.chidambaravilas.com/

Travel Tips

a) Tamil nadu summers are long, hot and dry. The best season is winter from October till January. Rates gets hiked up during this time peaking during Christmas till Pongal.

b) Winter is also best season for enjoying the landsacpe which will be green!!

c) If you love antiques, Karaikkudi is the right place to pick some.

d) Eat Chettinad cuisine when you are in Chettinad. Dont ask for roti and dal!!

e) One can make Karaikkudi as base to visit Madurai, Rameswaram and Trichy.

Some more Information

On Chettiar/Nagarthars http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagarathar

On Chettinad http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chettinad

B R Hills - A wilderness paradise

All my previous posts were more of nostalgic memories or the journeys that were done years back. This post is something i wanted to share and it is new. It was a memorable journey which we will cherish forever. Read on......

My architect friend Namit had told us about GORU KANA, a Eco resort in BR Hills (Biligiri Rangana hills) in Karnataka (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biligiriranga_Hills) he had designed for Dr. Sudrashan - Magsaysay award winner - who is doing pioneering work for upliftment of Soliga tribals in the region for last three decades. On a lazy Saturday afternoon last week we just decided to go and check it out. We called up to see if accommodation was available and having confirmed, we packed our bags and within half hour we were on the road.

Staying close to NICE road is advantageous and we hit the Kanakapura road and drove towards Malavalli and then onwards to BR Hills via Kollegal.

On the way, happened to see the beautiful barrage on Kaveri near Shivanasamudram. We did not deviate to the falls which we had seen number of times. 

An quiet flows Cauvery - magnificent sight near Shivanasamudram

I had been to BR Hills as a kid to the famous Ranganathaswamy temple on the Hills and had vague memories of the region. I was amazed at the beautiful landscape as we neared the forest check post after Kollegala. The undulating hills with dry forests looked beautiful. Having come from Kanha last week, it was like returning to the wilderness again.

As we crossed the check post and started driving, we saw a water hole and lo, there were two huge wild boars playing in waters! They were really huge. As we drove to the resort, our expectations grew of seeing

ore animals. But we had to wait for the grand spectacle to unfurl the next day.

Entering the forests of BR Hills

First sight of wild life - Wild boars!!

Evening was spent quietly and soaking in the song and dance of Soliga tribals. These songs talk about nature, forests, gods etc. A backward tribal community - i was told by Jadeiah (Jade), our guide – that there are few villages deep in the forest even today. They have their own distinct culture and traditions.

They speak their own language which is a remote dialect of Kannada. Jade was telling us how they hunt for honey and other adventures in Kannada. The most interesting part of their tradition is that of a boy choosing the girl for marriage. They celebrate "Rotti Habba" in which tribal villages come together to cook Rottis and have feast from dusk to dawn. Dancing goes on through the night. In Soligas, boys dance and girls sing. As the boys dance, if he likes a girl in the group, he throws a stone at her and both boy and girl run away into the forest and stay for a week in caves living out of forest. After a week, they will come back when the marriage is solemnised by elders with the boy giving a penal fee of Rs 12.50 to the village head! It is as simple as that!!

Men from Soliga tribe - children of forest!

Soliga men dancing to Gorukana song

Jadey our guide was ready at 6 in the morning next day to go for a drive. The forest department have stopped safaris due to forest fires and we had to go only on the road. After a cuppa, we were ready to go. As we crossed the check post – we were the first and had to wake up the guard to open gate - towards K Gudi, Jade spotted a Bison. The chap was very close to the vehicle and we could clearly see the famous "white socks" they wear.

Indian Guar

Barking deer, Sambhar were the next ones. We stopped at many places to see beautiful birds. Suddenly Jade asked us to look up and there we were seeing the Malabar Flying squirrel with long tail (could not capture on lens). We moved on as the grand spectacle opened up!

Jade shouted "Leopard". I stopped the car and switched off. The cat was majestically walking on the road. Came closer, did potty and started moving towards us. We thought we will chance of our life time as he came less than fifteen feet from the vehicle. I don’t know what happened and suddenly turned left and vanished into bushes. Seeing the spotted cat in all glory was something we had not bargained for. The adventure was only to begin!!

Leopard on Morning stroll!!

.........and he vanishes into the jungle!!

As we drove back from K Gudi, Jade asked me stop. There on the road was the lone tusker. Jade asked me to back up and i did. The guy possibly sensed us and started walking towards us. We backed up more. As we were keeping our fingers crossed, the guy vanished into the forest as we heaved a sigh of relief

The turn of tusker now!!

BR Hills is a birders paradise. We could see numerous birds and Jade was explaining us the details.

Birders paradise!!

GORU KANA – word taken from Soliga folk song - is the eco resort promoted by Dr. Sudarshan of Vivekananda  Girijana Kalyana Kendra (VGKK), an NGO working for welfare of tribals for last thirty years. It has beautifully designed rooms by Award winning architect Namit Varma. The profits earned out of the resort will fund his NGO .

This place is so close to Bangalore, it makes a ideal weekend getaway!

If you are lucky, you may also spot Tiger like Mithun Hungund was. Take a look at this link

Mother and a cub in BR Hills

Travel Tips

Getting there

Distance from Bangalore – 200 KMs

By Road - Three hours in my Scorpio without break. Keep four hours for easy drive.

Route
b) Bangalore – Maddur – Malavalli – Kollegala – BR Hills
OR
b) Bangalore – Kanakapura – Malavalli – Kollegala – BR Hills

Route (b) is the best bet. We went by route (a) and returned by route (b). NH 209 is done up very well except for two KMs before Halagur and there is not much of traffic beyond Kanakapura. The road between Maddur and Malavalli has bad patches at many places.

There are direct buses from Bangalore to BR Hills

Stay Options

There are only two options

a) Jungle Lodges and resorts - This used to be the only one until Goru Kana started recently. http://www.junglelodges.com/

b) Goru Kana - Excellent cottages, Nice location. Good team. We had given many tips to improve food which was average. The very fact that this resort is run as a part of NGO makes it worthwhile to stay here. http://www.gorukana.org/

Tips

a) Carry good Binoculars and a torch

b) Get up early and hit the road at dawn. Chances of seeing wild animals will be bright at this time

c) Don't worry if you can not see a tiger or leopard. There are other wild animals to be seen.

d) BR Hills is a bird watchers paradise. Take a look at this link on birds of BR Hills

e) The naturalist at Jungle Lodges and Goru Kana are knowledgeable about flora and fauna. Do not hesitate to ask questions.

f) Trekking inside forest at this time of the year is not allowed.

g) Club your trip with a visit to twin falls at Shivana Samudra and beautiful Somanathapura temple as both are on the way. Click on this link for beautiful images of water falls
http://www.google.co.in/images?hl=en&sugexp=crnk_lssbd&xhr=t&q=shivanasamudra&cp=7&wrapid=tljp1301409664009012&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1004&bih=522

On somanathapura http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somanathapura

h) VGKK, The NGO has a retail outlet from where you can buy organically produced items. Look out for the furniture made out of Lantana shrub. Looks very good and cheap. http://www.vgkk.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

i) The park looks beautiful after rains.

Karavali Vistas - Part II - Udupi, Mangalore & Bekal

Udupi, the word brings the memories of good old "Udupi hotels". But Udupi is also famous for the Krishna temple and is the centre for Dvaita philosophy. It was 4 PM when we reached the city and after checking into the hotel and freshening ourselves, we were ready to explore the temple town.

I remember Udupi as a sleepy town i had seen when i was a kid. I had come with my parents on pilgrimage. Nothing much has changed around temple and it is the same old Udupi of yesteryear's. Mitra Samaja, the grand old lady of Udupi's hotels is still there and so are the numerous shops selling knickknacks.

The temple itself is an interesting setting. The architecture is typically coastal with sloped tiled roof. With a large pond - Madhwa Sarovara - in the middle, the temple is austere and gives you a feel of serenity. There wasn't much rush and we were able to have darshan of Lord Krishna quickly. Krishna here is small in size and you have to have darshan through "Kanakana Kindi" - the hole through which the lord gave darshan to Kanaka Dasa, a low caste saint who was not allowed inside the temple by the orthodoxy. The temple is surrounded numerous small temples dedicated to other gods. Udupi is also the place for "Ashta Mutts" or Eight mutts of Madhwa tradition.

Madhwa Sarovara provides the setting for Udupi temple

Mitra Samaja - Grand old lady of Udupi Hotels

Darshan and puja was followed by pet puja!. When in Udupi, there are two places you should not miss. Mitra Samaja for "Benne Masale Dose" (Butter Masala Dosa) and Diana for Fried Idlis - did you hear this before!!-  and Gadbad Ice cream!!!. Diana is an excellent place for food and being veggies, we did not venture into any sea food restaurants. The evening was spent in a leisurely walk around the temple savouring the sound and smell of the temple town!

The next day was meant for beach hopping. Kaup beach which is a at a distance of 15 KMs from Udupi, was the first. Unexplored and pristine, the beauty of the beach is enhanced by the British built light house on a Small mound of rocks. Excellent place to swim and enjoy the sun bath. There are no shacks on the beach and one has to take rest under the coconut trees for shade or take your own tent.

Kaup beach with Light house

Malpe beach, was next and onwards to St Mary's island. Malpe beach was smelling of fish  as this is also a small port with fishing boats. We had to walk a bit to find some nice spot to enjoy the waters. But after enjoying the pristine beach of Kaup it  was a bit of disappointment. Nevertheless, we were excitedly waiting to go another gem of Karavali - The St Mary's island.

Beautiful rock formations of St. Mary's island

Not many were aware of this small group of islands off Malpe till late seventies when the famous Kannada film Director Puttanna Kanagal shot them for his film "Shubhamangala". You need to hire a boat at Malpe to the island and it is a 15 minutes boat ride. You can make out that this island is different as you come closer to the shore. The beautiful rock formations, coves and clean sands makes this a good picnic spot. As we moved around in the island, we could see numerous sea shells of different shapes on the beach. There were so many - Small in size though - that we were surprised. You need to get your eats and water as nothing is available here.

Traditional Karavali House reconstructed at Hastashilpa

Another place you should not miss when in Udupi these days is "Hastashilpa Heritage Village"in Manipal By Vijayanath Shenoy who has painstakingly recreated the glory of Karavali architecture and preserved the traditions as a museum. It was under construction when we went to Udupi then. It is likely to be thrown open to public soon.

Our last stop on this journey was Mangalore. The bustling city still retain its old world charm. Mangalore is not flat. The small valleys and hillocks makes this city charming. Having visited the beaches, we were not keen to go near the sea this time. We went to the famous temple of Durga Parameshwari in Kateel which is at a short distance from the city. Mangalore is again a great place for gourmets. Specially so if you are sea food and non veg lover. Akki rotti and Kori Gasi (Rice rotis and Chicken curry), mangalore prawn curry are best savoured here. Being veggies, we had our fill of "Neer Dosa and Egg curry" and Buns - a sweet poori like snack prepared out of maida and banana! Of course, we did make a visit to buy the famous "Crums" from Taj Bakery in Hampanakatte.

Breathtaking vistas from Bekal fort

The main reason for us to stop in Mangalore was to make a trip to Bekal fort. Ever since we saw Mani Ratnam's "Bombay", .........remember the song "Tuhire..Tuhire".....soulfully sung by Hariharan and Chitra......we wanted to go there and here was our chance. It is an hour's drive from Mangalore towards Kasargod. You will not feel the beauty of this fort, till you enter and go on to one of the ramparts. The view is just breathtaking. Coming here in Monsoon or even during a full moon day should be memorable. The fort, built by Tipu Sultan, is located strategically and is well maintained by Archaeological Survey of India. The sun set from here was an experience in it self. Bekal also has an excellent beach as well.

Karavali is still unexplored and beautiful. The whole stretch is full of beaches, temples, heritage places and great culture ........and of course great food. I heard that Suratkal beach - very close to Mangalore on way to Udupi - has become a hot spot for surfers now. You can spend days exploring them. A little known fact is that the first freedom fighter of India - Rani Abbakka who fought Portuguese - is from Karavali.

Plan a trip to Karavali and you will enjoy it most!!!

Stay

There are many hotels in Mangalore and Udupi suiting all budgets.

Travel Tips

a) Best time to travel in this region is in winter. October to March is good time. Summers are harsh and Monsoon is heavy.

b) Make Mangalore as base and cover all the places mentioned in this post.

c) The road between Mangalore and Udupi is notorious for rash driving by private buses. Be careful and drive safe on this stretch.

d) Carry a good hat and sun screen lotion. After 11 AM, sun is sharp even during winter.

e) Check for last boat timing if going to St Mary's island. Else have to stay for night, which is not a bad idea actually!

f) Be prepared to walk in Bekal to get to some good view points. Carry a binoculars.

g) Mangalore is an excellent place for trying out Sea food cooked in mangalorean style. Check out locally which is the best.

Some useful Weblinks

On udupi - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udupi

On Kaup- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaup,_Karnataka

On St Mary's Isalnds - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary%27s_Islands,_Karnataka

On Mangalore - http://wikitravel.org/en/Mangalore

                             http://mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article&sectname=Lifestyle%20-%20Leisure&sectid=79&contentid=200802272008022719104775720146a29

On Mangalore Cuisine - http://www.mangaloredelicacy.netfirms.com/

                                           http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_Karnataka

On Bekal - http://www.bekal.com/

On Hasta Shilpa Heritage Village, Manipal - http://www.indiaheritagevillage.org/index1.html

Karavali Vistas- Part 1 - Karwar, Gokarna, Murudeshwar

The first time i ever saw the sea was when i was ten years when my dad and i went to Madras for an international exhibition. There was chance to visit the ship and I was in awe as we entered it. Playing in the sands of Marina is the earliest memories of sea and sand.  After that i always loved the sea. It became apparent when i was posted in Goa during my Armed forces tenure for a year. Posting in Goa was god sent and weekends were spent on beaches with a beer! What else can one expect do in Goa of all places on the earth!!!

Devbagh beach from a distance

Thus, it was not a bad idea when we decided to do a road trip in our good and reliable Indica sometime in 2002 covering the entire stretch of West Coast - known as Karavali in Kannada - in Karnataka and Bekal. What a memorable trip it was!

The coast of Karnataka is less explored than its neighbours – Kerala (especially south Kerala) and Goa. It is good that way as the beaches are not spoilt and overcrowded.

Our journey started with the gem of Arabian Sea - Karwar. The drive to Karwar was via Shivamogga - Jog falls - Honnavar. We had booked our stay in Devbagh beach resort, one of the loveliest island resorts in this country. Run by Jungle Lodges, this is a small piece of land jetting into the sea. There is no road to this place and have to reach by a motor boat from a jetty across Kali Bridge in Karwar.

Sun Rising over Kali Bridge

A quick boat ride - 15 minutes - brings you to this pristine resort with ten log huts. The beach is unspoiled, sunsets and sun rises are awesome and to top it all, the place is so quiet that you would love to be there forever! To Get up early and go for a sun rise jog is a meditative experience. Ditto when you sit on the beach to watch the sun set in the horizon between two hillock - islands. 

Sun setting between the small hillocks in the sea

We also did boat rides to Oyster Rock to see British built light house. After Two days in Devbagh, we were on our way to Murudeswar.

On the way, we visited the famed temple at Gokarna and the OM Beach. The temple in Gokarna is regarded as one of Jyotirlingas in Hindu tradition. The temple is not great architecturally though. OM beach was another beauty waiting to be explored – which it is now. Silver sands and safe coast in winters makes this a good destination for beach holiday.

Magnificent Shiva Statue with sea as backdrop!

The drive from Gokarna to Murudeswar was smooth. We entered the tall welcome arch, and drove straight to RNS Lodge, the only accommodation apart from Naveen beach resort which was full. In a way it was a boon in disguise as the lodge is located on a cliff overlooking the sea. At night we could not fathom it. When we got up in the morning and looked out of our window, we were thrilled. A quick breakfast and we were off to Visit the tallest Shiva statue in the world. The setting is fantastic. The idol of Shiva in penance with sea as a backdrop is just out of the ordinary.  

When you drive in NH 17, you will love the scenic beauty of azure sea on the one side and rolling hills on the other. As you drive along, you will see numerous rivers with coconut trees on the fringe almost touching the water. A lone fisherman will be rowing away in the placid waters of these rivers. Any bridge on this highway is a treat as you can stop and fill in the beauty of the nature.

Mravanthe stretch - Sea on left & river on right

But nothing can beat a small stretch of two KMs when you near Maravanthe. Sea and untouched beach on one side, Swarnamukhi River on the other with hills as a backdrop! What a place! Stopping over for a sometime to wet our legs in the beach and collect shells, we drove to Turtle Bay resort for a beer. The setting was fantastic and beer was chilled. I felt the resort not great though and definitely not value for money. It touts beach eco tourism and looks quite basic. But what you get is unspoilt sands.

We had lunch in Kundapur. Being veggies, couldn’t go to the famed Shetty Lunch Home which is famous for Ghee Roast Chicken and Kane (A variety of Fish) Fry. They are supposed to be out of the world. As we reached the temple town of Udupi, it was around 4 PM.......... 

Reaching there

a) You can either start your your exploration of Karnataka coast from either Mangalore or Karwar.

b) If starting from Karwar as we did

     By Bus - There are overnight buses from Bangalore to Karwar both by KSRTC and Private operators

     By Car - You can reach Karwar by any of these two routes

           a) Bangalore - Shivamogga - Jog Falls - Honnavar - Karwar. Distance 520 KMs. Very good road till Jog Falls and

               decent road beyond. Check road conditions before start.

            b) Bangalore - Hubli - Yellapur - Karwar. Distance - 521 KMs Excellent roads. Check road condition between Hubli - Karwar

              start.

My recommendation is Option (a) which will help you see Jog falls and beautiful Sharavathi Valley on the way.

     By Train - Not advisable as there is no direct trains to Karwar from Bangalore

c) If starting from Mangalore

     By Bus - There are overnight buses from Bangalore to Mangalore both by KSRTC and Private operators

     By Car - You can reach Mangalore on this route

           a) Bangalore - Hassan - Sakleshpur - Mangalore. Distance Very good road except for a stretch of 20 KMs in Shiradi

                Ghat which is not good. Check road conditions before start.

     By Train - There is direct trains to Mangalore from Bangalore

Stay

Karwar - Number of resorts have opened in Karwar in recent times. Though expensive, Devbagh beach resort is the best.

Gokarna - Many choices including home stays available now

Murudeswar - RNS lodge or Naveen beach resort provide decent accommodation

Travel Tips

a) Best season to explore the coast is November till February. It is hot from March to May and monsoons are heavy during June - September. Start early so that you can spend time to see Jog falls as well as Sharavathi valley. Stop over at a watch tower to see Sharavathi river taking a bend. Check the picture in this link http://www.flickr.com/photos/aithals/2477857666/

b) If you are planning to reach Karwar or mangalore by bus or Train, it is recommended that you hire a cab to tour the different places on the coast. though the bus services in coastal Karnataka is very good, this will help save time.

c) When you are driving on NH 17 between Karwar and mangalore, stop over to savour beautiful sights. The beautiful drive between Karwar and Ankola is now marred by the wall constructed by Navy. Nevertheless stop over and view the see from a height.

d) Gokarna may be crowded during festival season. You will also be troubled by priests who will try to influence you to do special pujas etc. avoid them.

e) One can definitely spend a day in Gokarna itself and enjoy Om beach. Hippies who used to crowd Goa, have moved now to Gokarna!

f) Do the trip leisurely and savour the sun rises, sun sets, rivers etc.......

g) If you are sea food or Chicken lover, don't forget to visit Shetty Lunch home in Kundapur.

h) If you are interested in snorkeling, scuba diving etc Devbagh beach resort and turtle bay beach resort organises it.

i) If interested one can take detour from NH 17 to go to Kollur and Idagunji to see famous temples of Mookambika and Ganesha

Some good web links which are helpful.

a) Wiki entries on Karwar, Gokarna and Murudeswar provide good information

b)http://www.junglelodges.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=141&Itemid=105

c) http://www.karnataka.com/tourism/gokarna

d) http://www.swaswara.com/

e) http://www.murudeshwar.org/