Irupu Falls in Coorg - a weekend getaway!

-----Published in Women's Era Nov 2015 (2nd issue)-----

If you are looking for possible extended-weekend getaway options around Bangalore, you must surely consider visiting Irupu Falls in Coorg. This is about 260 kms from Bangalore and roughly involves a 6-hour drive. There are several homestays available; infact, most of the coffee planters around here have done up their homes and built in additional rooms, to be let out to eager tourists.  The prices are reasonable, the stay is pleasant and comfortable (do not expect any 5-star facilities.)  This will be ideal for friends or families travelling together.  One can, literally switch off completely (as the network connectivity in these parts is very poor), de-stress and relax, and enjoy the natural beauty of the place while breathing in the fresh mountain air.

We were two families of cousins who travelled together in April.  We set off quite early (around 4:45 AM) from Bangalore and escaped the weekend traffic. We stopped at Mysore for breakfast and proceeded to Irupu Falls taking the Hunsur- Gonikoppa route. We passed through the outer edges of the Nagarhole Forest and hoped to see some wild animals, but only got a glimpse of a few tamed elephants in a camp.

At the Homestay

The road was good (the last time we took this road, there were more potholes than road) and we reached our Homestay by 11:00 AM.  This was just about 500 metres from the entrance to the Falls.  Our hosts (who were in their mid-60s) greeted us warmly. We spent some time taking in the surroundings - the house and the garden were well maintained and our Host showed us around, pointing out the different trees and plants.  After a good homely lunch, we played a round of boisterous basket ball without following any of the rules - there was lots of grabbing, pulling, running around with the ball and a good amount of healthy laughter! :-)

Evening sky

In the evening, we took a leisurely stroll and visited the Irupu Rameshwara Temple.The evening sky appeared like a beautiful painting - as though someone had gently stroked his brush across the wide canvas with different shades of orange, crimson and blue.  The temple appeared to be placed right in the lap of the valley, surrounded by hills on all sides.  It is a lovely structure set in a wide expanse of area; the main deity- a Shiva lingam - is enshrined in a circular enclosure and looked very appealing.
After the soul enriching temple visit, we walked back; the local dogs kept us company, and guided us back to the Homestay.  We had a wonderful barbecue dinner, sitting around a bonfire and making merry of the night.  Jokes, comments, wise cracks, music and dance kept us in a jolly mood and not to forget the lovely food cooked for us by the lady of the House.  Definitely, this was the stuff of the heavens!

Irupu Falls!

Hanging bridge - Irupu trail

The next morning, after a good jog, we headed to the Falls armed with extra clothes and towels.  We were the first visitors of the day and so had the Falls to ourselves for nearly an hour. The walk, a gradual climb actually, from the entrance to the Falls is about 750 m.  A hanging bridge adds to the sense of adventure. The legend goes that Lord Rama and Lakshmana visited this place while on their way to Lanka.  Rama felt thirsty and asked Lakshmana to fetch some water who immediately shot an arrow into the hills and thus emerged the Irupu Falls to quench Rama's thirst!  Due to this, it is also known locally as Lakshman Thirtha!

Posing under the Falls

As we walked the trail, we could hear the water even before we got to see it.  The water cascading from the top fell over two levels and appeared like sheer, frothing, white milk.  The water was refreshingly cool and soothing and removed all our runner's fatigue.  The force of the water was a little overwhelming for the children but provided a free massage for the adults. After a while of fun and frolicking and posing for crazy photos, hunger pangs hit us and so we headed back to the homestay. The only problem we had was the lack of proper changing rooms near the Falls.

Back at the homestay, we ate a sumptuous breakfast consisting of a local delicacy called kadubu. Our hostess explained that these were rasgulla like baked soft balls made of rice rawa served with a tasty coconut chutney. 

Monkeying around in Kuruva Island

We then decided to explore the region and drove up to neighboring Wayanad.  The drive was beautiful - we could only see greenery all around us and it was absolutely soothing to the eye.  We visited the Kuruva Island - an uninhabited space adjacent to the back waters of the Kabini river, surrounded by mangrove bushes, gigantic bamboos and trees of several other species. We had to take a barge to cross the river and reach the island.  Being a weekend, the place was crowded and the people far outnumbered the trees!  We sat near the river bank for a while.  I am sure it would have been a much better experience had there been fewer people around. Well, so much for calling it "an uninhabited island"!

We stopped at a restaurant called Hill Top Hotel and had 'Tunch', a combination of Tea and lunch, as my daughter calls it! We then headed back to the homestay, and spent some quality family time, playing cricket, cards and carrom board.  I was glad that there was no TV or internet connectivity; all of us - children and adults - were forced to bond without any distractions and what better a place than in the middle of a coffee estate, surrounded by nature.

A book, a swing, and greenery= Total relaxation!

Dinner was again a very hearty meal, made and served lovingly.  Even the poor eaters in the family had built up a good appetite and enjoyed the food immensely.

The next morning we again wanted to visit the Falls to enjoy the natural shower.  But we opted out and instead played basketball and badminton.  After a good breakfast, we set out on our return journey to Bangalore. We stopped on the way to pick up mangoes (the first of the season), had a late lunch at Kamat Lokaruchi and were back home before sundown.

The trip to Irupu Falls was a lovely 3-day break, cathartic to the soul and left us completely rejuvenated!




      

A photo tour of the animals around the Mantralayam temple

As we sat on the banks of the river Tunga, waiting to witness a beautiful sunset, we got to see several animals.  It is such an uncommon sight for an urban dweller to see so many animals sharing the eco-space of a small town, merging with the background and contributing to enjoying the whole rural experience!   Here are a few of our four-legged brethren that we were able to capture on camera.

Buffaloes taking a leisurely stroll on the river bank

A lonely dog walking on the paved stones!

We found quite a few pigs (several black and a few white) in Mantralayam town - this one was walking on the river bank.  Looks like it is wearing 2 pairs of  tiny heeled slippers!

the Temple elephant

Close-up of the Jumbo!

Snake Kalia - a sculpture of Krishna dancing on the snake.

We saw other animals too - cats, cows, more dogs, pigs and piglets, donkeys.. but didn't get a picture of them.  The pigs and donkeys were definitely the attraction - after all, you don't get to see them in cities now.

Bangalore to Mantralayam - by road

Entrance to the temple

We had been wanting to visit the Raghavendra temple in Mantralayam for quite some time.  What with the whole family being busy - the husband travelling or generally being  occupied on weekends, with daughters having some event, project or activity at school - we were unable to plan a trip.  Finally out of the blue, when we found a weekend when everyone was free, we decided to head out to Mantralayam.  Railway tickets are very rarely available and on a weekend, definitely not; so we set out by road.

A beautiful stone sculpture at the entrance

Mantralayam is 408kms from our house in Jayanagar (as given by our car's odometer) and the roads are pretty good.  We set out early by 5:30 AM and hence had the road to ourselves.  We took the National Highway 7- the Hyderabad route - stopped at Chikbalapur's Kamat Upachar restaurant for breakfast.  It was quite decent.  We crossed Anantpur, Gooty and then took the state highway towards Pattikonda; passed by Adoni, Yemmiganur and reached Mantralyam by 12:30 pm - a good 7 hours drive with a couple of stops for breakfast and mid-morning tea.

We booked a room at the Temple Trust - we got a 3-cot bed which came in handy for our family of 3 adults and 2 children.  We had also carried pillows and bed sheets with us (the luxuries of travelling by car) and so could manage a good night's sleep on the not so well-washed hotel bedding.  We visited the temple and headed straight to lunch (as the last batch was at 2:00 pm).  There is something to be said of the lunch served in temples - it may be a simple fare but all of us ate heartily, especially my little girl who relished the sweet-tasting sambhar and rasam.  Back in the room, we rested for a while and then set out to the temple to have our darshan of Raghavendra Swamy.  It was quiet and peaceful when we went in, not much of a crowd; we could enjoy the peace and tranquility of the place and feel one with the Lord.

Sunset on the banks of the Tunga river

We also visited the Tungabhadra river, but were disappointed to see nothing but rocks with no trace of a river flowing.  We sat on the banks and witnessed the sun-set while listening to the recorded voice of the Temple security person (we possibly heard it close to 20 times!!) alerting pilgrims to be wary of pick-pockets and thieves in all 5 languages - Telugu, English, Kannada, Hindi and Tamil.   We also saw several animals walking past the river bank, serenely and peacefully, doing whatever they had set out to do.

the Rathotsava in progress

When we returned to the temple, it was packed - it being a second-Saturday, lots of holiday goers were present.  Also, several had come to see the Rathotsava that was held around 7:30 pm.  A beautiful sight it was, with the colorfully be-decked and garlanded Utsava murthy, placed on chariots - first on the silvery-white elephant and then on the traditional wooden one - and pulled around the temple shrine.  We expected the devotees to use ropes to pull the chariot, instead found that the chariot was motorized - so no tugging and pulling, just a quick circle of the outer shrine.

After witnessing  the beautiful ceremony, we then found out that they also served dinner at the temple and so headed to the Bhojanalaya to have our simple but tasty dinner of rasam rice and curd rice. While sitting in neat rows for the food to be served, we could not but be in awe of the service rendered by the temple authorities and more so by the cooks who serve food day in and day out for the thousands of devotees visiting the temple everyday - truly inspiring and amazing work!

the Utsavamurthy atop the silver elephant

The next morning, we again visited the temple and prayed to Raghavendra Swamy and Lord Hanuman - who appeared more like Hayagreeva as the horse's facial outline plate that is put on the Lord's chest stood highlighted.  With prayers to visit again, we bid goodbye to the temple town of Mantralayam and made our way back to Bangalore.   We took the same route on the return trip but we spent nearly 8 hours, possibly because of the later start.  Lunch on the way was a challenge as we did not find decent places to eat.  We finally stopped at the same Kamat restaurant in Chikbalapur where we'd had our breakfast earlier.

So all in all, it was a pleasant 2-day trip; we collected memories and enjoyed the family time, and ofcourse, returned as rejuvenated souls!
    

An unforgettable road trip through Delhi, UP, Uttarakhand

During the summer vacation of April 2013, we planned our holiday to north India.  My daughter had learnt quite a bit about Mughal history and so we thought it the right time to visit the places that she had read about.

It turned out to be a beautiful vacation - fun-filled,educative and taking us back in history to the Mughal era.  It packed in varied experiences - from watching the historic relics in New Delhi, to witnessing the soul-stirring and peaceful 'aarti' of the holy Ganges in Haridwar, to enjoying the thrill of river rafting in Rishikesh, to following the pug marks of the majestic Indian tiger in Jim Corbett National Park, to seeing the birthplace of Lord Krishna and finally to be bewitched by the eternal beauty of the Taj Mahal in Agra.

The highlight was the road trip - we hired a self driven car from CarzonRent; and with a vehicle at our disposal, we covered the 3 states of Delhi, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh over 12 days and drove nearly 1,300kms.

New Delhi-Mussorie-Rishikesh-Haridwar-Jim Corbett Park-Agra-New Delhi

New Delhi - We spent the first 4 days in Delhi visiting all the landmark monuments and places like Qutub Minar, Raj Ghat, Humayun's Tomb, Red Fort, India Gate, Rashtrapathi Bhavan, The Lotus temple, The Swami Narayan temple, the Birla Mandir.  Some of the unique sights and offerings that we enjoyed and relished were

Qutub Minar

• the Red Fort Sound and Light show - we watched the evening show; it was a fascinating walk back into the pages of Indian history
• the Change of Guards ceremony at Rashtrapathi Bhavan (this takes place every Saturday morning).  We jogged from India Gate towards Rashtrapthi Bhavan on the historic Rajpath road and were lucky to catch the Change of Guards ceremony!
• the amazing street food like Dahi Bhalla, Channa Bhature, Lassi in Chandini Chowk & the Haldirams restaurant.

Uttarakhand - From Delhi, we drove to Mussorie via Dehradun.  It was a long drive, took us nearly 7 hours; we took it slowly, enjoying the villages and small towns that we passed through. We picked up peaches from Meerut and they tasted amazing.  We stayed in Mussorie for 3 nights,relaxing and enjoying the cool weather and the beauty of the landscape.

Highlights of the Mussorie trip -

On the steps leading to Mr. Ruskin Bond's house

Watching the IPL match at a wine store

• We visited Mussorie's most famous writer, Mr. Ruskin Bond's house in Landour, in the fond hope of meeting the legend in person.   But unluckily for us, we chose a wrong time.  His house keeper informed us that he was in the middle of his afternoon siesta and could not be disturbed.  We had to satisfy ourselves with a glimpse of the hills and dales of Mussorie that he usually sees and writes so magically about in his books.  
• We played cricket in the resort that we stayed in and spent a considerable amount of time  searching for the ball!
• We took a walk around the Mall area.  It was the day of the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Pune Warriors and the kids wanted to watch the match.  We did not have time to get back to the resort to see the match, so all of us stood around the TV in a small Wine store and cheered Chris Gayle as he stormed his way to an unbeaten 175*.  RCB ofcourse, won the match!  A Police constable was curious and came to check what 4 children (all minors) were doing in a wine store.

We then proceeded to Rishikesh, stopping enroute at Sashasthra Dhara,the sulphur springs.

Highlights of Rishikesh and Haridwar -

All hands aboard - white water rafting!

A view of the Ganges

• The Lakshman Jhula bridge - one of the engineering marvels built way back in 1929 is a suspension bridge and is nearly 450 ft long, and offers spectacular views.  We walked across the wide bridge and stopped for pictures and to see the Ganges placidly flowing by.  The wide expanse of the river is an ideal spot for white water rafting and we spotted several rafts below.  We contacted an operator and opted for the beginner's level which has 3 rapids and covers a distance of 9 kms.  We first drove upstream in the operator's jeep, to the starting point called Brahmpuri, walked down to the river bank, fitted ourselves in life jackets and equipped with an oar each, got into the raft.  It was quite an adventure and we got a thrill when we maneuvered our raft successfully over the rapids.  Towards the end, we also had a chance to swim alongside the raft, and found the waters of the Ganges to be refreshingly cold!  
• Evening aarti of the Ganges - This was a beautiful experience.  In the evening, we sat on the steps leading to the river; quite a crowd had gathered there - locals and tourists like us- to witness the religious ritual.  As the sun sets and the skies darken slowly, several pundits join together to sing bhajans, recite mantras and wave the aarti plates with the flame gently billowing in the breeze, praying for the divine blessings of the sacred Ganges! 
• Visiting the Manasa Devi temple in Haridwar taking a cable car ride to reach the top of the hill to see the shrine.

In tiger country - Jim Corbett Park

Next stop in our itinerary was the lush green forests of Jim Corbett National Park in Ramnagar, close to Nainital, home to the Bengal tiger. We took the jeep drive into the forest and eagerly hoped to meet the elusive tiger but it remained elusive.  We missed seeing it by a mere few seconds and had to be satisfied with seeing its pug marks and hearing its roar.  The children (and adults too) were a tad disappointed but well, that is life!  We enjoyed the scenic beauty and drove along watching the River Kosi meander its way through the hills and valleys.




     Uttar Pradesh 

A view of the Taj from Shahi Darwaza

• We then left the hills and drove towards Uttar Pradesh.  It was a long drive; we first stopped at Mathura to see the birth place of Lord Krishna - a lovely temple has been built here.  We also visited Gokul (which is about 10 kms from Mathura). Not many tourists take this stretch , and we understood why; the road was totally in disrepair and the 10 km stretch seemed to go on forever.  The home of Yashoda and Nanda where Krishna grew up, is badly maintained and definitely not worth the effort.
• Agra is a wonderful city; the club that we stayed in dated back to the British times and the rooms were BIG by any standard.  We visited the Taj Mahal early in the morning ( to avoid the heat and rush bound to be there later in the day) and had a great time looking at the majestic relic of love.  Even though we had seen it before, we were still struck by its sheer beauty, the eye for detail and the dexterity of the masons who built it.  Everything was in perfect uniformity and in proportion.  All of us were astounded and started talking about the kind of effort that would have gone in in building such a fine marvel, back then when there were no machines or tools/technology.   
• The Yamuna Expressway - We took this highway on our trip back to Delhi and covered the 165 km stretch in 2.5 hrs.  But we had a hell of a time getting on to the Expressway; the boards were highly misleading and asking people for directions led to more confusion!

This is one road trip that will be etched in our memories. We faced a few inconveniences but they were all worth it and enriched our overall experience; and I am sure, if given a chance, we will again jump at doing this!