Stairway to heaven....Part-1

There are not many places on the planet that deserve the saying “Stairway to heaven”. The Kudremukh ('horse-face' ) ranges are among the most beautiful and unforgettable pieces of land that I can ever seen and renowned for its Countryside land nestled in a bowl of hills & Owing to stunning dense forests the mosaic of natural grassland though the area is rich in wildlife and abundance of opportunities for Nature Lovers.

The wet climate and the tremendous water retentive capacity of the Shola grasslands and forests has led to the formation of thousands of perennial streams in the region & one of the identified  hot spots for Bio-Diversity conservation in the world

We got up 1 hour before the sun and headed up into the foggy mountain. After a few minutes walk we could able to see the first rays of Sun light hitting over the top of the mountain it was amazingly beautiful and I managed to do a tiny bit of climbing to get a better view. First Glimpse of mountain in foggy morning watching from bottom was amazing to see.  

We were entranced by the captivating beauty of a vast expanse of verdant meadows. With its sheer expanse of rolling meadows set against the turquoise sky and the ‘Kudremukha' summit standing guard at a far off distance, was a totally overwhelming sight.

The route from there to with the slopes colored in various shades of red and maroon, from the withering grass and shrubs. The peaks constantly reminded us of their presence through occasional glimpses when crossing initial hill ranges. A painless ascent brought us to the first meadow beyond the tree line. The place was a due reward. The sky and the landscape displayed a riot of numerous hues.

I was drawn to this spot of virginal beauty and ascended the steep grassy slopes devoid of trails. Whether sunning idly on a warm rock overlooking in idyllic views from higher up, it's a dramatic day of big weather - puffy white clouds and blue skies.

 

A couple of hours walk we reached the top. Had a great time on top & moved towards the range to reach another side of the summit. We moved at upper vast grasslands with reluctance to cover the next few kilometers and reached to our destiny point.

Sand Dunes Temples…Talakad

The saga of temples in Talakad is supported by the rich history of the land of the ancient dynasties of south India, the Gangas (350-1050 AD) were one of the most illustrious who ruled over a greater part of Mysore, then known by the name Gangavadi. Along with the Kadambas, the Gangas rose to power and ruled over the southern part of Karnataka. They continued to rule over Gangavadi till the close of the 10th century. When the Cholas overpowered the Gangas during the 11th century, Talakadu was renamed as Rajapura. In 1117, Vishnuvardhana, one of the greatest rulers of the Hoysala dynasty seized Talakad from the Cholas and assumed the title of Talakadugonda. In commemoration of this achievement, he built the Keerthinarayana temple at Talakad.

 

Today, most of the magnificent temples of this ancient town are submerged in sand. The entire stone pillars (square at the base and fitted into a wheel below the abacus) lie scattered throughout the town. Among the temples of Talakad, the Pathaleshwara, Maruleshwara, Arkeshwara, Vaidyanathee-shwara and Mallikarjuna temples form the pancha lingas. In honour of these five Shiva temples, a fair is held once in 12 years called Pancha Linga Darshana. The Pancha Linga Darshana is held on a new moon day during the auspicious month of Karthika.

Keerthi-Narayana Temple (1117 A.D), Talakad

Besides the Pancha lingas, there are many other magnificent temples in Talakad. The Kapileshwara temple is one such structure that has a Navaranga with pillars, pierced stone windows and ornamented creepers with dancing figures. Another magnificent structure is the Keerthinarayana temple, which is the only temple in Talakad to have been constructed in the Hoysala style of architecture. A greater part of this temple is buried in sand. Other than the sanctum sanctum, there is a Sukanasi and a Navaranga in this temple.

Inside the sanctum sanctum stands an eight-foot-tall statue of Keerthinarayana. Recent excavations in the temple complex have brought to light remains of earlier centuries. Among the findings are an intricately carved Mantapa (with carvings of Ugranarasimha) made of stone, which is about 12 foot tall. A thulasikatte, remnants of a Garuda kamba, 2 stone inscriptions and walls of an unknown structure were also found here.

The presence of a large mass of sand in Talakad amid lush green vegetation is something that is worth pondering. While geologists say that Talakad is filed with sand carried by the wind from the dry bed of river Cauvery, the locals still prefer to go by the age-old tale of Alamelamma and her curse.

Localite Rama Nayaka narrates the story rather dramatically. About 400 years ago, Srirangapatana is supposed to have been under the control of the mighty Vijayanagar Empire. Alamelamma was the wife of the king’s representative named Srirangaraya. Every Tuesday and Friday, Sri Ranganaya-kamma borrowed Alame-lamma’s jewels and returned it after the pooja. Meanwhile, Srirangaraya developed a tumour on his back, resembling the hood of a cobra (the disease is called Bennu Phani Roga or Raja Roga in Kannada). Srirangaraya, along with his wife, came to Talakad to worship Vaidyanatheshwara with the hope of being cured of his ailment.

 

Srirangaraya, however, did not survive for long, and his wife settled down in a small village called Malangi. During this period, the Wodeyars took over Srirangapatna, and started demanding the jewels. When Alamelamma could not bear it no more, she sent a nose ring to Srirangapatana and jumped into a pond in Malangi with the remaining jewels.

Before she ended her life, Alamelamma is supposed to have uttered three curses, of which one is “Talakadu Marulagi.” When translated to English, it means, “Let Talakadu be covered with sand.” The locals still believe that Alamelamma’s curse is the cause for the large mass of sand in Talakad.

Shingani Gudda

Shingani Gudda

 After finishing my work I directly joined Mangalore YHA team on March 19th evening and around 7 we left Mangalore & within a span of 3 hours journey reached to Shishila GopuGokule’s home stay. More guys joined our team and all had a very tasty dinner at his house. After dinner I & some of my teammates decided to sleep in the open Machan under the Full moon night (the moon will swing around Earth more closely than it has in the past 18 years, lighting up the night sky from just 356,577Km away.). It was a wonderful experience to sleep peacefully under the open sky watching the Moon stars till our eyes started to close in the chilly night.

Nice breeze blowing calmly and all was very relaxing and soothing to the mind and body I fell asleep dreaming of loveable memories in the beautiful night. After a hot bath had breakfast & took pack lunch & left that place at 7 in the morning. A few minutes’ walk we took some deviations into the forest & followed one route which passes through thick jungles with a decent uphill.

When we entered the jungle we had been swallowed by a canopy of green, our eyes snatching only an occasional glimpse of blue sky. There were many birds making mixture of hysterical sounds in the jungle which was encouraging in our journey. Eventually in the distance we heard a band of Howler monkeys.

 

Russell Viper photo taken by Mr.Subash Pai

 

We continued the 2 hours nice walking admiring the scenery of rain forest. It was very dense and encloses a mixture of local fruit variations. On the way along we learned about some insects and wild animals (Water dogs or Neer Nai & Mara Nai all belong to the subfamily of Lutrinae under the Mustelidae family living only in Western Ghat region in India) which are in those areas explained by Mr. Dinesh Holla. The natural flora of the surrounding is different from any other rainforest and it is beautiful in its variety.

After spending some time near water point we started to climb final destination. Crossing a few gigantic trees across the trail beneath the jungle canopy we gazed upon a carpet of dry red leaves rolling unencumbered to the horizon. Bizarrely, as we emerged onto a small clearing atop the mound, we were now above the forest canopy - standing in the sky - peering down on the largest tract of Western rain forest.

Nishane Gudda



This was the unique mountain in Charmadi range was 99% trail goes through the thick evergreen forests. We stood silently on top of the Shingani Gudda and listened to the stillness of the jungle. The only sound we heard was the heaving of our chests, the rhythmic thumping of our hearts banged in our ears. This hills surrounded by KalluPade, Nishanigudda, UdayaGiri, Amedikallu, Ettinabuja, Jenkallu & Ettinabuja on 360 degree panoramic view.

After spending enough time we left the peak & we changed our track for change. On return journey miracle I got back my mobile & Cam which I had lost on track. A long downward walk I reached the road & had bath in a river. After taking hot coffee in Gokule house we turned back to our home. It was opportunity to experience different things and a phenomenal dance of nature that transcended our imaginations after this trip.