From Goa by road through Karnataka

 Hema and I had done a similar 3-week long road trip before, in November 2020, through Central India. This time our stops   were Goa (1N), Dandeli (1N), Hampi (4N),   Chitradurga (2N), Shimoga (4N), Chikmaglur (4N),   Udupi (3N), Kumta (2N) and Goa (3N). But    this 24-day trip (covering more than 3500 kms) through western Karnataka north of Mangalore,   starting and ending at Goa, was different. 

 For one, there was no Covid which made its presence significantly felt by its very absence. But still. we made a few rules for us, and tried to keep to them -- no driving at night as far as possible, and trying to avoid big cities, and staying in homestays rather than hotels, wherever possible. 

Without the fear of Covid looming large over us, the logistics was much easier this time.  Everything was open, the roads were full, the towns and cities were bustling with activity. But precisely because of that, we knew that driving around would be a bigger challenge than last time. So we chose a much shorter route, so that no single journey from one stop to the next was more than 200 kms. But we had not factored in the many long and winding day trips we made at each halt. So in the end we landed up having driven more than 3500 kms, almost 1000 kms more than last time. Like last time, 24 days; like last time, Hema drove, but this time the car was different. This time we had a Hyundai Creta that Hema's son Shamir very kindly lent us. And that car held up and did not let us down, even once. No punctures, no getting stuck in the mud, no refusing to start, although we made it do some pretty tortuous journeys and although very often the road we were on was nothing more that deeply pot-holed mud tracks.

And  what a revelation that part of India was for us.

On the Kalli river near Dandeli

First of all the natural beauty of the area completely overwhelmed us. The many lovely rivers and lakes full with water even at this dry season and the big patches of dense forests that we crossed, made me realise how little we know of our own country. Narmada, Tapti in the north and Krishna, Cauvery in the south were the only rivers I knew of the Deccan plateau. But here we were, first crossing the beautiful and fast flowing Kalli at Dandeli, the Tungabhadra at Hampi which we later met in the form of both Tunga and Bhadra near Shimoga, the amazing Sharawati near the Jog Falls and the huge Linganamakki Dam and reservoir on it,  and later numerous other rivers as we wound our way down to Chikmaglur, Mangalore and then along the coast back to Goa via Udupi and Kumta. Forests and lakes were also aplenty and we went to the Jogi-matti forests as well as amazing lake at the base of the Chandravalli caves near Chitradurga and the Kodachadri nature reserve as well as the many reservoir lakes created by the dams over the various rivers near Shimoga. Of hills and mountains, I could not have named a single one from the Deccan plateau besides saying that they were all part of the Eastern or Western Ghats. But the hills we crossed had names -- Kodachadri, Mullayanagiri (which boasts of the highest peak in Karnataka), Kundadri (with a Jain temple on top) and so on. And our travels made us traverse the steep western slopes of the Western Ghats at Agumbe inadvertently twice -- up and down in a single outing.  But that is another story.

A first glimpse of the beauty of Goa

I had not known that there were so many rivers, and the fact that almost every river was dammed and harnessed came as a big shock -- one would have thought that the Narmada Bachao Andolan would have stopped similar attempts on other rivers.   Another shock was to go to the Jog Falls and see the little trickle of a waterfall in front of us and then see the massive construction work that is going on right at the view point in the name of tourism. Some massive space station like circular building is being built along with several other ghastly cement and concrete monsters just there, next to the viewing platform from where millions of tourists look at the Jog Falls each year. The already existing buildings are very pretty and built in local style so as to merge beautifully with the surroundings, but they will unhappily have to give way to the ugly concrete giants. So upset and aghast were we that we did not stay even for 5 minutes at the Jog Falls although it had taken us more than 3 hours each way to get there. One wonders how such monstrosities can be permitted in the name of tourism and development. My advice to anyone who is planning to go to the Jog Falls, keep away.

The ruined temple in the Kavaledurga fort

We also visited an astounding number of forts and temples on this trip. Temples we knew there would be aplenty in South India but we were not prepared for so many forts -- each other impressive and holding a unique fascination of its own. It started with the very beautiful Chitradurga Fort, followed my the lesser known but equally enchanting Kaveladurga Fort near Shimoga, where one had to trek a couple of kilometres to get to the palace ruins. On the way we saw this enchanting temple that you see on the right -- sadly it was locked...And on the last day of our travels back to Goa, we visited not one or two but three forts on the same day. It started with the well preserved Mirjan fort near Kumta, then going on to the Cabo de Rama (from where we got the best views of the Arabian Sea on this trip) and the dilapidated and almost nonexistent Betul Forts in South Goa. 

My favourite temple-tree-pair at Hampi

We saw too many temples for me to be able to talk about all of them here. It all began in the fascinating Hampi of the Vijayanagar empire from where we went to the cradle of temple architecture in the region to be found in Aihole, Pattadakal and Badami, and ending in the full blown and very elaborate and intricate carvings in Belur and Halebid of the Hoysalas. Hampi, as usual was overwhelming. There was also a special significance for me to go back, because the last time, Stephan and I were there together. I tried to go back to some of the places and do some of the things we did then, and it broke my heart at times.

The Nandi temple in the Chitradurga fort

Here on the photo above is Stephan's favourite little temple-tree pair from Hampi. The tree has grown, the temple looked more run down than when we there last time, but the pair still stood there, silhouetted against the glowing red western sky, and filled my heart with a sense of continuity, of deja vu, of having found a lost treasure. We found another such little temple (but this time with a Nandi sitting inside it) tucked away in a forgotten corner of the Chitradurga fort, but this temple was precariously perched on top of a little flight of steps. 

The prettiest temple on this trip at Belavadi

But there was one temple which stood out for me in this whole trip; curiously nobody ever mentions it when they talk about South Indian temples... devoid of the usual crowds we saw at the main tourist sites of Belur and Halebid, the breathtakingly beautiful Veeranarayana temple at Belavadi near Chikmaglur stood out. Built around 1200 AD it is a triple Vishnu temple. The dark Gopala idol in one of the three temples is considered to be the most well proportioned such statue of that time and is really exquisitely beautiful. The intricate carvings, the long columns of pillars along the central corridor, leading to the central garbagriha, all add to the charm and the dignity of the place. And the placement of the temple is so precise that it is believed that on the 23rd June, during the summer solstice, the sun's rays reach all the way through the long corridor right up to the dark garbagriha and lights it up, even if it is only for a few minutes, every year.

The Tungabhadra at Hampi

A view of some of the vast rocky ruins at Hampi 

The incredible masses of rocks everywhere in Hampi and on the Tungabhadra gave Hampi a completely different feel. Our stay in Hampi was made easier because of Ravi, who we got to know through my German friend Sarah. Ravi is the one man you need to know in Hampi. He told us what to do, where to go, with whom and how.  We moved to his Guest House for the last days and between him and the hosts, Ganga and Jaya, of the Ganesh rooftop restaurant opposite, we were very well taken of. Food was excellent all through our stay, and starting with our chance lunch at the Shravani hotel in Gadag (which cost us all of 160 rupees) on the road from Dandeli to Hampi at the beginning, the excellent food cooked by Sushila at Inchara and by Samvid's mother in the Guddadamane Homestay (in Chikmaglur) in between, to the Thimappa Fish Hotel in Udupi where we ate fish to our heart's relish on banana leaves (and came

Mr. Srinivas at his tea stall near a busy road crossing

away after paying just 510 rupees) we got excellent South Indian food to eat everywhere, that too mostly at very reasonable rates. Yes, Hema reminded me that I forgot to mention Srinivas, who has a roadside tea stall somewhere along our way who insisted that he go in and make fresh coffee for the two of us one morning leaving us to munch on the fresh goodies that were becoming available from the kitchen inside. But when it came to paying the bill for everything came to about 60 rupees. He refused to take any more and also happily posed for me when I asked him for a photo.

Our homestay Inchara near Shimoga

Our decision to stay in out-of-the-way homestays rather than hotels was the best idea we had, I think, on this trip. In the process, not only did we get to know some lovely people, we also got to eat the best of local food and get insider tips about what to do and how best to spend our time. And through our hosts we managed to get exclusive tours of coffee plantations, an exclusive overview of the whole process of how coffee is produced, and also the most knowledgeable guides to show us around. [We found out that the coffee-pickers got Rs.10 per kg of plucked coffee pods and that expert pickers  could pluck upto a 100 kgs per day in the peak season!] We were lucky in our choice of homestays (and in the one or two places where we weren't, we quickly moved elsewhere) and the whole experience was so nice that it took off a lot of the stress of travelling so much everyday. 

The yellow homestay Guddadamane near Chikmaglur

We were treated to the best of Malnad cuisine in most places we stayed, and the spices were always tempered to suit our taste. Our best hosts were in the outskirts of Shimoga in a lovely homestay called Inchara where not only were we treated as family members (with Manju and Sushila catering to our every need) but on asking for a tamul-pan to munch on the way, our hostess gave me a huge packet of dried supari from homegrown areca nuts at the point of leaving, which I am munching till today. The fact there are large areas of Karnataka where areca nut is produced in huge quantities along with coffee and coconut came as a bit of a surprise. For, I had somehow mistakenly imagined areca nut to be an exclusive produce of the northeast since we consume so much of tamul and paan.

Our trip took a different turn towards the end of the second week of our trip --  we had not really socialised or met up with anyone we knew except on one occasion (when we had met up with an old friend Mrs. Jois in Shimoga) till then. But from our last day in Chikmaglur all the way upto Kumta, we met and spent time with old friends and acquaintances. It began on our last day in Chikmaglur when we visited the home of a friend of Hema's to meet his 90 year old but still ram-rod straight mother after having lunch at his beautiful resort Nexstays Coffee Grove resort.  

I had spent three weeks in Udupi in early 2008 attending my first workshop on field work and documentation along with some other students from Germany and India. Mr. Krishnaiah had hosted us and facilitated our stay at the Regional Research Centre in Udupi on that trip. So I contacted him again. Although now retired from active service, Mr. Krishnaiah and his family gave us a very elaborate welcome and made our stay in Udupi very special with all the extra care and attention to our every need 

Sunset at the Malpe beach near Udupi

The beautiful St. Mary's Island near Udupi

The welcome at Krishnaiahs

(which included Mrs. Krishnaiah taking us shopping and giving some coconut oil to Hema to cure a headache); Mr. Krishnaiah was his usual self and regaled us with a wealth of information on every subject that came up. It was thanks to him that we got to see and understand the intricacies of the Kaavi art form (the white and ochre wall paintings) that we later went to see in some temples in Honnavar and Sirsi). It was lovely to be back in Udupi again, to go to see the places I remembered from my last visit, and to stay and eat the excellent food of the Kediyoor Hotel again which has only expanded and become bigger and better in the interim.

Kaavi Art on the Ramachandra tempe at Honnavar

Former Vice Chancellor of the Kannada University at Hampi, Professor Viveka Rai and his wife Kokila, who I had last met in Germany several years ago and who has also retired since but is still very active as a researcher, very kindly invited us for lunch in Mangalore and we used the trip to go and see the very beautiful frescoes and paintings in the St. Aloysius Church there. And if that was not enough, we finally went and spent two nights at a wonderful sea-side resort 'OmBodhi Retreat' that my childhood friend from Guwahati, Indrani, and her husband had set up in Kumta. Unfortunately, Indrani was away just then but she made sure that we were very well looked after. The sunsets at the beach in front of her resort were completely out of the world, the rooms beautifully done up in signature Indrani style and the food excellent. 

Somewhere along the coast

From Mangalore all the way back to Goa we drove along the coast and it was such a treat. The sea is beautiful but also beautiful are the lighthouses, the white storks and egrets, the coconut trees lining the coastal road bending towards the sea; breathtakingly beautiful are the vast water bodies created when a river mouths into the sea -- we crossed many rivers on our way -- just so that you believe me, here are the names of some rivers we crossed (from south to north) -- Gurupura, Netravati, Nandini, Sambhavi, Suvarna, Sita, Padukere, Kumdarpur, Panchagangavali, Kollur, Chakra, Souparnika, Kolluru, Yadamavu, Byndoor, Sankadagundi, Chowtani, Venkatapur, Pallinadi, Alvekodi, and finally the Sharavati river near Honnavar and the Kalli river again, before entering Goa and crossing the Zuari river there. The backwaters of the Kundapur river was beautiful and we even took a boat ride to see the mangrove forests created in the river delta. We went to see the very pretty Galgibaga beach where turtles come to lay eggs in the season, but there was a shooting for some ad going on, and the whole area had been taken over by the crew who were adding to all the rubbish and trash that filled the  back lane right up to the sea. We left quickly. The huge Shiva statue at Murdeshwar was also on our way but we saw it from the roadside and did not stop.

The view from the Cabo de Rama Fort in South Goa

Back in Goa and in Shamir's home, we kept up our sightseeing for a further two days, and I am very glad we did so. Because we saw something very different in those two days -- Goa is different not only from Karnataka but also from the rest of India, it is hard to pin down what exactly is different, but it is obvious that something is. Perhaps it has to do with the Portuguese past and the predominantly Christian present, but it just felt more civilised, more decent and less frantic than many other parts of India. It is definitely also greener with huge stretches of forests and water between the different parts that make up Goa. We went to see the old and magnificent churches of Old Goa that are so large that I am sure just walking to see them gave us our necessary daily 10,000 steps.

Rock paintings at Usgalimal in Goa

We also went to visit an old stately Goan home, from the time of the Portuguese but the most striking thing we saw were the pre-historic engravings (6000-8000 years old) we went to see in a place called Usgalimal in South Goa. Cruder than those in Bhimbhetka, these engravings are clearly visible on a massive laterite rock face. Pity that there was just one guard on duty and not more was being done to prevent people from stepping over those ur-alt engravings on the rock face.

How does one end such an account? What was it that fascinated me most on this trip? Hard to say. I love rivers anyways so perhaps it is no wonder that I was most impressed by the many beautiful and enchanting rivers we crossed on our trip. Surprisingly, the many temples and other historic buildings we saw on this trip impressed me less than I had expected. Perhaps it was because I had seen most of them before, perhaps it was an overdose and after a while we just could not take in any more. But the amazing sights of nature we saw along the way never failed to impress -- the forests and trees, hills and rivers, birds and fish, and the sunsets and sunrises.  But it was the little things and the fleeting chance encounters that left a deeper impression -- I still can't forget the wistful look on the face of the lady who was running a roadside hotel, where we stopped for breakfast one morning. Her sad face, her gloomy expression, as she waved us goodbye, broke my heart. I tried to look at us through her eyes -- there she was standing by the roadside producing dosas and idlis with tea/coffee for little money for people travelling on the road every day. But she was not going anywhere. Her world was just there. But the two of us, although we were both women like her, we could just sit in our big and sturdy car after finishing breakfast and set off to wherever we wished to. It made me realise how lucky and blessed we both were to have been able to do such a long trip, just by ourselves, once again. I did say a silent prayer of thanks that day, wished the lady much luck to realise her dreams, and wondered whether Hema and I would be able to go on yet another similar trip, next year.