Trip to Chikmagalur

My year-end visit to Chikmagalur (my first to this popular hilly tourist destination) with family and cousins was just the break I needed after a hectic 2014. En route we stopped at Belur to visit the famous Hoysala shrine, and Halebidu, its twin town, we visited on our way back.

Sharing a few photos from the memorable trip.

Belur

Was bowled over by the intricate work I saw firsthand (I had previously seen and admired their beauty only in photos/movies) in the Chennakesava Temple, Belur. The Hoysalas’ exquisite craftsmanship has clearly stood the test of time and how. The place was teeming with tourists, and guides offering to explain the history behind this wonderful temple and architecture are also dime a dozen. If you have at least a couple hours to spare, it is best to take the help of a tour guide and get to know the details thoroughly.

Halebidu

  

The place outside the The Hoysaleswara Temple at Halebidu wasn’t as neat as in Belur and comparatively not maintained well at all. Inside the temple complex, however, was a totally different story. The temple and architecture was very similar to what we saw in Belur, but bigger. The sweltering afternoon heat and thronging crowds did not deter us from spending a few good hours immersing ourselves in the splendor and beauty of the place. Once again, I was reminded of how glorious, diverse and advanced our civilization had been centuries ago and how sadly, we now seem to have lost the plot totally,

Chikmagalur

The ubiquitous silver oak trees dot the coffee plantations all around. Pepper vine grows on these trees and the green, raw peppercorns can be plucked and pickled with lime to make a tasty accompaniment to rice and curd.

The scenic Deviramma temple, lit up at night.  The silence and uncrowded space is a welcome change from the usual chatter we find in temples.

The Ayyankere lake (touted as Karnataka’s second largest lake) is a great picnic destination. You can relax and calm your senses just looking at the serene waters.

The base of Mullayangiri, Karnataka’s tallest peak. Although I should concede that the drive up to this point can be dangerous since the winding route is treacherous  and tricky, especially to people not familiar with it. Best to use the services of a driver familiar with the terrain.

The view from the hilltop.  It takes 460 stony steps to climb and reach the tip of this hill at 6337 feet, where sitting pretty is a small Shiva shrine. Definitely worth the sweat,

The undulating western ghats form a superb backdrop

Buttermilk Falls – another popular trekking destination. We however chose to travel a few kilometers on a rickety jeep till we reached a rocky, narrow strip of land (from where it was impossible to use a vehicle) and then trek for a few meters from there. It took a few minutes of careful walk before we heard the sound of gushing waters and finally the view of the milky cascade emerged from around the corner. Pleasantly for us (unlike in other popular waterfall destinations) there was nobody except us. Soaked in the lovely sights and sounds for a half an hour before we started back to our resort.