Horanadu trip

The serpentine roads lined by lush green trees on both sides,at times the trees forming canopies barring sunlight from reaching the ground below. The splendid view of mountains, thatched houses, the rivulets disappearing into nowhere, the cows grazing, the luxuriously grown paddy fields, the slopy coffee plantations, the intertwined pepper and beetel creepers, the chirping of birds, awesome sunrise and sunset, the laidback lifestyle… what more can a frustrated soul need to rejuvenate?

These were the lovely sights on which I could lay my eyes on over the weekend. I had been on a temple- tour to Horanadu and Sringeri which lie the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. In addition to these, there were a few spells of rain to soothe my tension ridden nerves. A special thanks to Manipal for giving me my much awaited break.

We (me, sis, uncle and aunt) started from bangalore on friday night . Due to extended weekend there was an hour’s delay to board the bus. On boarding the bus, the blissful journey started. Next day the early morning greeted me with a plesant sight of mist laden mountains which brought me memories of the Delhi-Amritsar trip. We reached Horanadu that lies amidst the western Ghats and on the banks of the sowparnika River at 7:30. We refreshed and had a cup of coffee and went to get a darshan of Goddess Annapoorna who is said to bestow her devotees with abundant food. After which we returned to our cottage and rested for a while post which the 3.5 hour journey to Sringeri- the abode of goddess Shardamba- the bestower of knowledge started.

The road connecting the Horanadu- Sringeri was ecstatic . Sometimes the sharp curves were sending cold jibes across my spine.
On reaching Sringeri, we checked into our room and went on an evening stroll in the vehicle free roads and later went to the temple. After getting the darshan of the goddess we went to the sit on the banks of the Tunga which was flowing as though there was no end.

The next day again we went to the temple and crossed the tunga on the overbridge to see the Swamiji’s enclave. The serene surroundings , the walk uphill on the kutcha road to the kalabhairaveshwara temple has left an imprint on me.

Later we went to Kalasa to get the blessings of Rushyashrungeshwara which is around 10 kms from Sringeri. We returned to Sringeri,  rested till evening and packed our bags to head back to the concrete jungle J