Traveller Hoots

A glimpse of Maravanthe beach playing on the mind, the next plan was a quick drive to Mangalore and return back to Udupi.  It was 10:30am when we routed to Mangalore to visit Kateel temple. Since childhood, Mangalore is dear to my heart as I had heard a lot about it from my  Mangalore friends <3 Though it is a black box for me, I had good references to Mangalore culture.  Bhoota kola, Yakshagaana, Dollu kunitha being their iconic dance forms. Also, I cannot stop myself from praising the pathrode and neer dose . Obviously, for non-vegetarians, it is a paradise for seafood. We had an interesting discussion on the various angles of Mangalore among us. Kateel Durgaparameshwari temple is an ancient temple and is the Goddess of Shakti worshipped largely by the coastal areas of Karnataka. As I had observed, most Mangaloreans would have a photo of Kateel devi in their home. So, this had made me curious to visit this temple whenever I would be in Mangalore. Many great personalities visi

With Udupi Sri Krishna Temple behind us, it was onward onto Kere Basadi - Varanga, Karkala . This place was on my bucket list for two years. I was impressed by the aerial view of this Jain temple posted on social media. I always felt "That's the place to live amidst nature". The greenery and an outstanding structure in the center of the lake always fascinated me. With the setback of Jomlu theertha falls, my friends somehow reluctantly agreed to visit this place on my words, and hence we were looking forward to exploring this unexplored place in Varanga, Karkala. A brief note on Kere Basadi Kere Basadi is located in Varanga , a small village 26kms from Karkala, Udupi. Varanga is a popular Jain pilgrim center. The village is a home for many centuries old ancient Basadis. The word Varanga is also closely associated with Varangacharita, a novel on fictional prince Varanga to preach principles of Jainism . The main Basadis here are Neminatha Basadi (Here Basadi), Chandranath

" Unplanned Trips are the BEST !!! " The sudden plan Last Thursday, Pradeep pinged me to plan for a trip as Rocky was leaving to Germany. On the other hand, Rocky had to visit Udupi to meet his relatives. So I just popped an idea that how about all of us visiting Udupi, which would be like hitting two birds with one stone :P A quick call to the group, soon  Pradeep, Rocky, Tharun, Shwetha were ready for this last minute trip. Rocky booked 5 tickets to Udupi the same night. We just had 24 hours of time with office errands, nobody had a clue what we would be exploring in Udupi. The Journey Friday night, Bangalore drenched with heavy rains and huge traffic. The bus arrived two hours late. We boarded the bus at 12:30am in midnight. We were happy to see each other. After talking for a while, we were all tired and soon we fell asleep. Next morning, a beam of sunlight through the bus window woke me up. A sense of curiosity, I peeped through the window. It was 6:15am early morning. T

Melukote was on my travel list on finding out that ancient temple architecture to many movie songs being shot there. It sounded a sublime place for a weekend outing - 150kms from Bengaluru. Also, It had been a long time I met my LG friends. This was so perfect to call out for a weekend drive. Dragged out my friends - Teju, Pradeep, Sud, Rocky for a hangout and there we go !! Melukote Melukote is famous for Cheluvanarayanaswamy and Yoganarasimha temples. The place gained importance after the Srivaishnava reformer Ramanujacharya lived here for 14 years. Many devotees of Sri Vaishnava and Brahmin cult visit here to seek blessings frequently. We were excited to explore the temple architecture and the ancient remains. The journey towards Melukote So, the journey started on a Saturday morning. We were pleased with Pradeep's driving adventures ;) So we gave him a chance to drive this trip. On the other hand, we did not have any better option! That's a different story !! :D We had plan

With Shrungagiri Shanmuka temple behind us, it was onward to Omkar hills, which was around 5kms further. In 15mins, I could notice the white temple tower standing tall touching the blue skies and in few minutes, we finally reached Omkar hills at 11 am. [caption id="attachment_3786" align="alignnone" width="1048"] Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Temple view[/caption] Brief on the place: Omkar hills - As the name itself contains the spiritual incantation "OM" , so is the place - an abode of spirituality and peace. The main attraction of the hills is the Dwadasha jyotirlinga temple . The other areas of interests are Sarva dharma Samanvaya, Matsya Narayana temple, huge HMT Clock tower and Dhyana Mandira. The view from the hills is fantastic and also this is one of the highest points of the city i.e. 2800ft above sea level. The place is suggested to be visited early morning for cooler breeze and peaceful atmosphere. The place is lesser known for a weekend