Devaragundi Waterfalls and Irpu waterfalls

It was end of the rainy season, and that year monsoon also was fantastic so our Mangalore YHA decided to visit some Waterfalls. Mr. Dinesh Holla, Sudheer Kumar & Rajesh Naik, these 3 team members selected several known & unknown waterfalls & planned a 2 days trip.
As usual an early Saturday morning with slight drizzle we started with Mr.Mohan our regular vehicle from Mangalore. A Devaragundi waterfall is situated between thick forests near Todikana temple. The Todikana temple is dedicated to the deity, Mallikarjuna, here is revered highly by the people of surrounding villages and it has a rich history. With an unspoilt, charming waterfall in the vicinity, a pool for shoals of fish and an astounding view of the high hills of Kolikkamale, Thodikana qualifies as much as a place of great natural beauty as a destination for the devout. The Mallikarjuna temple itself is not imposing, with short walls all around and a pyramidal tower above the sanctum. The high flagstaff is plated with copper. There is no sculptural extravagance either. But the outer walls of the shrine do have a series of colourful frescoes depicting the legends of the temple. As we took a walk around, he explained episodes from mythology around which the paintings are woven. According to him, the temple has been in existence for 3,000 years. This spot was in the middle of the forests of Thodu and Kana and got the name, Thodikana.
We parked our vehicle near the temple & started our walk in the rain. Some of our team mates didn't carry umbrella or a rain coat to protect themselves from rain, I also happily joined that group & enjoyed the rain walking in the rain was a pleasure,

At a kilometer and a half towards the south of the temple is the Devaragundi Falls, an undoubtedly stunning spectacle. We a group of 3-4 were a little ahead from our main team and because of heavy rain and as we were engrossed in nature's beauty we missed to take right deviation in the thick forest, After a lot of confusion and some adventure we able to join our group. After crossing one small stream we reached one side of the waterfalls. Devaragundi in Rainy seasons flows in a full volume & After December its flows very low. Everyone spent some time in this place & we moved on. According to mythology, the temple was a true abode of nature with pristine rivers, waterfalls and rich wildlife. Sage Kanva, who was in search of a secluded place for his penance, made this place his own. The legendary Pandavas, during their exile, also stumbled on this place. Arjuna who needed the mighty weapon of Pashupathastra to overcome the Kauravas thought this was the ideal place to perform penance. Installing the linga at the foot of the waterfall, he observed a rigorous penance when Shiva and Parvathi appeared with Vishnu in the form of a fish and bestowed him with a boon. Mythology also has it that the place was sanctified by the visit of gods, Hari and Hara, giving the falls the name, ‘Devaragundi’, meaning ‘a waterhole of the gods’. The temple was well maintained during the times of Ballala rulers and much later by the kings of Coorg. An important spot to visit here is the Shastara Vana forest and the stream flowing next to it called Mathsyatheertha or Meenagundi, teeming with hundreds of large fish. They are considered sacred and are well protected.

Devaragundi waterfalls

 On the way we spent some time in Devarakolli waterfalls also as one part of our plan. A Devarakolli waterfall is located between Mangalore - Madikeri State highway. Whenever i travel in this route I usually will spend some time in this place as approach is very easy because it’s near the main road. This is a small especially rainy season waterfalls. We left this space within 10 minutes Because of limited time. Next we reached Madikeri stepped forward to Abbiyala waterfalls in Chattalli village.

This is also especially rainy season waterfalls &also situated on the road side only. Here water fall cascades from nearly 70 feet height. We spent night at Gonigoppa & next day morning we visited the famous Irpu waterfalls & later visited Chelavara Waterfalls & Kakkabbe view point.

Kakkabbe -in early morning...

Totally we had a fine memorable trip in the rain. After watching so many waterfalls every fall at its best during monsoon it was a real treat for mind and body.