ಬಹಳ ದಿನಗಳ ನಂತರ ನಿಂಗಿ ಮತ್ತು ಗುಂಡ ದರ್ಶಿನಿ ಹೋಟೆಲ್ ಒಳಹೊಕ್ಕರು. ಇನ್ನೇನು ಆರ್ಡರ್ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು ಅನ್ನುವಷ್ಟರಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಂಗಿ,
"ರೀ, ಆಕಡೆ ಸರ್ವೀಸ್ ರೂಮ್ ಇದೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿಗೇ ಹೋಗೋಣ. ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಗಲಾಟೆ ಜಾಸ್ತಿ" ಎಂದಳು.
ಗುಂಡ ಆಕಡೆ ನೋಡಿದನು. ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನವಾದ್ದರಿಂದ ಜನ ಸಿಕ್ಕಾಪಟ್ಟೆ ಇದ್ದರು. ಸರ್ವೀಸ್ ತಡವಾಗುತ್ತಿತ್ತು ಅನ್ನೋದು ಗುಂಡನ ಊಹೆ.
"ಅಲ್ವೇ ಸರ್ವೀಸ್ ರೂಮ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಬೆಲೆ ಜಾಸ್ತಿ ಕಣೇ. ನೋಡು ಕೆಲವು ಐಟಂಗಳಿಗೆ ೫೦ ರೂಪಾಯಿ ಜಾಸ್ತಿ. ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಅಲ್ಲೂ ಜನ ಜಾಸ್ತಿ. ಯಾವುದು ಅಲ್ಲೂ ಏನೂ ಬೇಗ ಆಗಲ್ಲ ಬಿಡು. ಅಷ್ಟಕ್ಕೂ ಸೆಲ್ಫ್ ಅಥವಾ ಹೋಟೆಲ್ ಸರ್ವೀಸ್ ಆದರೇನು, ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಒಂದೇ" ಎಂದು ನಿಂಗಿ ಮನವಿಯನ್ನು ತಿರಸ್ಕರಿಸಿದನು.
"ಅದು ಹೇಗೆ ಒಂದೇ ತರ ರೀ! ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಏನೇನೋ ಹೇಳ್ಬೇಡಿ. ಅಪರೂಪಕ್ಕೆ ಬರೋದು. ಇನ್ನೂರು ರೂಪಾಯಿ ಜಾಸ್ತಿ ಆದರೆ ಏನಾಯಿತು?" ಎಂದು ನಿಂಗಿ ಪಟ್ಟು ಹಿಡಿದಳು.
"ಹೇಗೆ ಅಂದ್ರೆ. ಸರ್ವೀಸ್ ರೂಮ್ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಹೋಟೆಲ್ ಸರ್ವ್ ಮಾಡ್ತಾರೆ. ಸೆಲ್ಫ್ ಸರ್ವೀಸ್-ನಲ್ಲಿ ಗಲಾಟೆ, ಜನಜಂಗುಳಿ, ನೂಕುನುಗ್ಗಲಿನ ಮಧ್ಯೆ ನಿಂತುಕೊಂಡು, ವೈಟರ್ ಹೇಳಿದಂತೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಮೆನು ಅನ್ನು ಮಾಣಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಒಪ್ಪಿಸಿ, ಕಾಯುತ್ತಾ, ನಿನ್ನ ಟೇಬಲ್ ಗೆ ನಾನು ಸರ್ವೀಸ್ ಕೊಡುತ್ತೇನೆ. ನಿನಗೆ ಹೇಗೂ ಕುಳಿತಲ್ಲಿ ಸರ್ವೀಸ್ ಸಿಗುತ್ತೆ ಅಲ್ವಾ ಇನ್ನೇನು ಬೇಕು. ಎರಡರಲ್ಲೂ ನೀನು ಆರಾಮಾಗಿ ರಾಣಿ ತರ ಕುತಿರ್ತಿಯ ಇನ್ನೇನುಬೇಕು ನಿಂಗೆ. ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ವೇಯ್ಟ್ ಮಾಡೋದಕ್ಕೆ ಸರ್ವೀಸ್ ದುಡ್ಡು ಯಾಕೆ ಕೊಡ್ಬೇಕು. ನಾನೇ ಇದಿನಲ್ಲ ವೈಟರ್" ಅಂತ ಗುಂಡ ಸಮಜಾಯಿಷಿ ನೀಡಿದ.
ಗುಂಡನ ಈ ಮಾತು ಕೆಲವರಿಗೆ ಕೇಳಿಸಿತೋ ಏನು, ಹೋಟೆಲ್ ಕ್ಯಾಶಿಯರ್ ಸೇರಿಸಿ ಮೆಲ್ಲನೆ ನಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು.
ಇಷ್ಟು ಹೇಳಿದ್ದೇ ತಡ, ನಿಂಗಿಗೆ ಅವಮಾನವಾದಂತಾಯಿತು. "ಏನಾದ್ರೂ ಮಾಡ್ಕೊಳಿ ಹೋಗ್ರಿ. ನನಗೇನು ಆಗಬೇಕು" ಎಂದು ಮುಖ ತಿರುಗಿಸಿ ಮುನಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಳು ನಿಂಗಿ.
" ಸರಿ ಕೋಪ ಮಾಡ್ಕೋಬೇಡ, ಇರೋದನ್ನ ಹೇಳಿದೆ ಅಷ್ಟೇ. ಏನು ಬೇಕು ತಿನ್ನಲು ಹೇಳು" ಗುಂಡ ಸಮಾಧಾನಿಸಲು ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಿಸಿದನು.
"ನೀವೇ ವೈಟರ್ ಮತ್ತು ಓನರ್, ಮೇನು ಕೂಡಾ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಬಳಿಯೇ ಇದೆ. ಆರ್ಡರ್ ಮಾಡಿ. ನನ್ನ ಏನು ಕೇಳೋದು. ಬೇಕಾದ್ರೆ ತಿಂತೀನಿ" ಎಂದು ಮುಖ ತಿರುಗಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಇದ್ದ ನಿಂಗಿ ಕೊಂಕು ಮಾತನಾಡಿದಳು.
ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಹೊತ್ತು ಇಬ್ಬರ ಮುಖ ನಾರ್ತೆಂಡ್-ಸೌತೆಂಡ್ ಆಗಿತ್ತು. ಕೆಲವು ಜನರು ಕೂಡಾ ಇದನ್ನು ಗಮನಿಸಿದರು. ಹೋಟೆಲ್ ಕ್ಯಾಷಿಯರ್ ಗುಂಡನ ಬಳಿ ಬಂದು "ಸರ್ ಸರ್ವೀಸ್ ಇದೆ ಆಕಡೆ ಹೋಗಿ. ಮೇಡಂ ಗೆ ಸೆಲ್ಫ್ ಸರ್ವೀಸ್ ಸರಿ ಹೋಗಲ್ವೇನೋ" ಅಂತಾ ಗುಂಡನನ್ನು ಪರೋಕ್ಷವಾಗಿ ಮಡದಿಗೆ ಮಣಿಯಲು ಮನವಿ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡನು.
ಅನಿವಾರ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಮಡದಿಯನ್ನು ತಣ್ಣಗಾಗಿಸಲು ಗುಂಡ ಸರ್ವೀಸ್ ರೂಮ್ ಗೆ ತೆರಳಬೇಕಾಯಿತು ಎನ್ನೋದು ಹೇಳಬೇಕಾಗಿಲ್ಲ! ನಿಂಗಿ ಮಾತ್ರ ಮುಗುಳ್ನಗೆಯೊಂದಿಗೆ ಜಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಬೀಗುತ್ತಾ ಮೆನುವನ್ನು ತಿರುವಿದಳು.
I did not have much time for birding in Hosaadu village. Thankfully relatively reduced year end work load helped me to quickly wander around the harvested paddy fields in morning and grab some avian creatures under beating sun. My intention was to trace the call of Malabar pied hornbill which turned out to be entirely different story eventually. The Malabar pied hornbills are spread throughout the west coast nowadays, the reason which I am also unaware.
The pied bushchat as always friendliest bird for photographer. Stays still on perch even with human movements.
The long tailed shrike was darting across the field while looking for its partner. It seemed to be disgruntled by my movements as if I stole its peace. Eventually after stalking for a while, the bird did allow me to grab few shots. Later it flew to invisible horizon and moved towards home.
I spotted Malabar Lark after long gap. With plumage matching the surroundings, its is not easy to photograph despite being relatively bold. I fumbled a lot from view-finder before I could focus this in my camera.
The paddyfield pipit seemed to be extremely shy and hence no photograph
The ever elusive common bird pale-billed-flowerpecker finally reached my digital sensor. This bird seemed to be less shy and busy collecting nesting materials for its new home. I got crisp pictures of this tiny bird. Here are them.
The common tailorbird is regular visitor to in-laws house. It generally perches on those tiny plants either in search of prey or preening. Here are some.
Finally, the neighbour cat was curious to see my activity. Many such cats arrive at house premises to relax or look for prey.
I could not visit the pond which is tucked away amidst the sprawling fields. The pond sourced by backwaters of Souparnika river is brimming with wetland creatures. I have spotted lesser whistling ducks here. Hope to see more migrant birds if I get chance to visit again! These pictures were taken just before the harvest around September. Hope you enjoy them
Check out my Bird Series blogs here : NKBirdSeries
Cows are treated with utmost respect in Indian tradition. India has plenty of Goshala where stray cows are fostered, indigenous cows are encouraged and connected research on cows are carried out. One such Goshala we visited was well-known Neelavara Goshala maintained by Pejawara Matha of Udupi. It was a brief visit along with Neelavara Mahishamardhini temple visit.
The Neelavara Goshala is spread out over vast area which is ideal for cows to freely roam around. The bullying cows are tied in the shed and also calf. The non-aggressive ones roam freely around the larger area of Goshala. The calf reaches out to visitors for any food. The Goshala has around 3 large multistoried sheds enough to accommodate high population of cows. Some of them were seen grazing behind the cow sheds in open forest. A research center is also situated in premises of Goshala on cow by-products.
The other attraction is the beautiful Kalinga-Mardana Krishna temple housed in middle of beautiful lake. The lake is quite expansive and the temple is artistically constructed amidst. The lake would be slippery during monsoon season and hence be aware.
Being year end holiday rush, my cousin revealed that the Kukke Subramanya temple would not be ideal to visit now. The plan had to be shifted but where? We pondered and finally Shri Karinjeshwara Temple near Bantwal beckoned us due to its divinity and natural beauty.
Our plan was to start early and visit before noon. Plenty of reasons to support it
The temple sanctum at Shri Karinjeshwara opens only after 6PM post lunch which is difficult time to visit. The winter Sun sets early and further management becomes difficult since our village is located farther from place. Also climbing down the trail may foresee unwelcome challenges.
The Sun would be beating down on the open area which would make it is terrible to hike post 11AM with kids.
We consumed light breakfast at Mudabidri before resuming our journey. The route had multiple deviations due to which navigation was must. The winding roads were majorly cutting through dense forest which was soothing amidst curvy drive. Following the maps, we comfortably reached the Karinjeshwara temple where the holy pond welcomed us with its natural beauty! Devotees take holy dip in this large temple pond auspicious occasions. It is called Gadha Teertha I heard.
Since my parents were on-board, I drove till the base of Parvathi temple. That too was fascinating with dense forests, mega hills. huge boulders flanking the drive! After short uphill drive, we reached the Parvathi temple and ready to pay obeisance to Goddess.
The crowd was less being a weekday. This helped us to explore the place without hustle and hassle. The Goddess Parvathi is installed facing East followed by her son Lord Ganapthy facing South. I have seen Ganapathy facing south at Sharavu Temple, Mangalore. Not sure if installation of Ganesh facing South has unique significance. We consumed the Teertha (sacred water) and were eager to climb the hills to have darshan of Lord Karinjeshwara.
My parents skipped the climb due to age constraints. Myself, wife and kids started our hike towards Karinjeshwara temple. The initial stretch even though has stairs is downright steep. It takes additional time to climb this stretch. The priest has to daily climb the hills via stairs to perform pooja of Lord Shiva at the summit! Alongside, intrepid monkeys are second trouble. They easily grab the offerings you carry to Lord if not cautious! Their valiancy is unmatched which force the visitors to surrender belongings
Devotees offer service to deity by taking stairs from base of temple to Karinjeshwara temple for well being. First have darshan of Goddess Parvathi and later Lord Karinjeshwara. We met many such devotees throughout our hike!
The bird's eye view of Parvathi temple looks beautiful like Goddess
The second stretch even though open, is not strenuous. It involves climbing rocky area which is mix of stairs and rugged surfaces. At this time, the Sun was radiating hard but winter ambiance was enough to mitigate the intense sun. Perhaps, summer would be arduous at this stretch.
Myself, wife and twin boys were able to clear the path in 20mins. I guess overall we consumed around 30mins in gross to climb towards Shiva's abode. It was not as strenuous as threatened by known people. Sometimes it is better to explore on own to gauge the severity of situation.
The views all along the trail was mesmerizing, with quarry mining as black spot. There has been huge uproar to kill this mining which was threatening the structure of Karinjeshwara Hill. Not sure what happened later.
After a short hike, we reached the deity's shrine around 11AM and was blessed to behold the divinity. The shrine was dimly lit which made difficult to photograph. The linga was ornate with silver armor which means abhisheka (divine shower) had concluded already. The flowering of deity was yet to begin. Since Mahapooje was at 12PM, there was plenty of time to adorn the deity with flowers. Here is picture of sanctum from mobile.
I picked up my 600mm lens and captured pictures of close-up. Being dimly lit and my camera's acceptable ISO was 800, I could not snap better than the below one.
The Karinjeshwara temple timings. Watch out for that long break from 12PM to 6PM.
Perhaps the Paravathi temple below is open for longer hours due to road connectivity. I did not note the timings of Parvathi temple.
The views of hills from Karinjeshwara temple are majestic to watch. The haze photobombed the beautiful look of nature. They will look splendid during monsoon season when hills are verdant and clouds dancing over the stage of sky!
The temple itself
Once darshan concluded, we stepped down towards Parvathi temple. We reduced the pace of down walk to enjoy the proliferating nature. It was beautiful winter day with mild weather of coast helping us to cherish the moments. The area is surrounded by1000 acres of forest. One can enjoy the majestic views of sprawling forests and chirping of vernal hanging forests. I am sure this dense abode would certainly abound with more avian beauty!
That routine lousy moment of louse extract :-)
Mythological Importance
I could not gather much information on importance of place mythologically. The honorable temple priest presented a short note on the divine place.
The Karinjeshwara has significance from multiple eras. The shiva here is udbhava linga which means self-manifested.
The place has significance from Kritayuga when sages worshipped Lord Shiva.
In Tretayuga, Lord Rama visited this place. The Seeta Pramana Stone is identifier for that. The presence of monkeys is also another importance. The temple deity is offered naivedya during Mahapooja and served to monkeys near the shrine. We did not witness this important part of ritual due to time constraints
In Dwapara yuga, Shri Krishna along with Pancha-Pandavas had visited this place. The Gadha Teertha, Janu Teertha and Ungushta Teertha created by Bheema signifies their visit.
At present times which is Kaliyuga, festivals occur during two auspicious days. One is Bheemana Amavasya (also called as Aati Amavasya) which generally falls during July-August timeframe another is undoubtedly MahaShivaratri which falls during February. The utsava murthy from the Karinjeshwara temple is carried to Parvathi temple and festival rituals are carried out. The Parvathi temple along with Lord Ganesha was installed by Shri Madhwacharya which is around 800yrs ago. Before that, there was no shrine dedicated to Goddess Parvathi here.
During Bheemana Amavasya, devotees take holy dip in Gadha Teertha and subsequently have darshan of both temples. This ritual is believed to get rid of sins and skin diseases.
The Holy Teerthas
If you are fit, I suggest you take stairs from base of temple. You will miss Ungushta and Janu teertha if you climb from Parvathi temple. Here are remaining pictures of Gada Teertha.
The fish inside holy Gada Teertha are fed with puffed rice by visitors. The fish throng once the puffed rice is thrown into pond.
Summary of locations to visit at Karinjeshwara
Gada Teertha, Ungushta Teertha, Janu Teertha (while climbing to Parvathi temple)
Parvathi and Ganesha Temple
Karinjeshwara Temple
Sita Pramana Stone near Karinjeshwara Temple
Naivedya feeding to Monkeys
The nature surrounding the Karanja hill
If time permits, sunset from summit
Miscellaneous details:
Even though slippery, monsoon season would also be best time to visit the divine location.
Photography was allowed during our visit including sanctums. This situation is bound to change. No guarantee that same rules would be applicable eternally.
It is easy to reach Karinjeshwara if you opt Bantwal-Dharmasthala highway. Since we started from Kapu, google maps was the only option. Unless you are a frequent visitor to this place, it is difficult to drive on your own. There are numerous deviations which are confusing and bound to miss.
Last but not least, this is holy place and not picnic spot. Be sensitive to religious matters and maintain sanctity of the place. Do not litter the place and carry the trash.
A short video of our visit including the narration by priest of Karinjeshwara
