Subhasis's Home

As we drove up the hills beyond Kushalnagar early in the morning, the ubiquitous fog announced the arrival of the town of Madikeri.It was saturday morning.I was sleeping in the bus and suddenly woke up by chill wind and saw those curvy roads going up to madikeri.It was amazing. The driver was driving so fast.I was bit scared of facing an accident.But what it felt to us is, the driver is quite familiar to the place.The morning was wet,cold and foggy.Sun was about to rise, when we reached at our home stay. We booked our home stay two days before.They charged 800/ per head.The home stay looked like a hunted house to us at first.It was 5.30 AM, when we reached at the homestay.Nobody was there around.One guy among us, got down from the bus and knocked at the door.An Old man opened the door after 10 minutes.He was wearing a black jacket and had put a cowboy hat.He looked like funny to us.He welcomed us to the homestay.Here are the some pictures of homestay at the morning.



We took rest for a while.Everybody was so excited.Then, we started exploring places around the homestay.We found one small waterfall.The waterfall originated from the mountains and was flowing across the estate.In coorg,people stay in estates.A house in the center of a big area, covered by trees is called an estate in coorgy language.I went to a coorgy school nearby.The school was so beautiful and at the top of one small hill.Here are some pictures of school and waterfall.





I wonder how does it feel to live in a coffee estate with plenty of greenery and a private waterfall at your expense! We definitely relished the experience as we walked into the stream that flowed with full vigour.After refreshing ourselfs, we headed towards Bhagamandala & Telecauvery.It took around 45 minutes from the homestay to reach there.At the convergence of the rivers Cauvery, the underground Sujyothi and the Kanike, the Bhangandeshwara temple here has a distinct Kerala touch. Because of the three rivers, it is also called Triveni Sangama. The serene temple has intricate carvings and a copper roof. A dip at the Triveni Sangam nearby is supposed to revive sagging spirits, but take prior permission at the temple.Every October 17, on Tulasankranama, thousands come here to swim and pray. For this is Telecauvery (meaning Head of the Cauvery), the origin of one of the seven sacred rivers. The source of this long river, which passes through two states, is on the top of the hill called Brahmagiri. It is 1535 metres above sea level.Here are some pictures of Bhagamandala & Telecauvery.




After that, we went to Abbi falls.Just 7 kilometers from Madikeri town are the Abbi Falls, as remarkable and striking a sight as you would see anywhere. The narrow road to Abbi Falls is a combination of steep ups and downs, twists and turns, wriggling through the green and dense foliage of surrounding coffee plantations. Situated on private property, a narrow pathway leads you downward to where the waterfall can be seen. As various streams congregate in the mountains above, they swell with the monsoon rains and force their way down the mountain slope. Splashing hard against the huge boulders of rock, unmindful of the crevices and hollows, the water drops at enormous speed accompanied by gushing sounds. This white wall of water creates a misty cloud with its moisture-like spray and descends into a flowing stream to perhaps join with the River Cauvery somewhere in the vicinity. Here are some of the pictures.



It was around 6 PM in the evening.We returned to the homestay.The old man already prepared a corrgy dinner for us.In coorg, the common foods in an resturant are bamboo shot curries,mutton biriyani, pork curries.But, the old man prepared a nice mix of coorgy and noth indian food.It was just yummy.
In the next day we headed towards golden temple.After the Chinese took over Tibet, the refugees were settled at Bylakuppe Near Kushalnagar and the Buddhist Monastery was re-established here in 1972. It houses over 250 monks today. The monastery not only attracts large number of young Tibetans seeking enlightenment and education, but also draws huge tourists from all over India and abroad. Here are some pictures of the temple.







Every inch of the road was wet and every bit of earth was green. Distant hills were covered with clouds indicating many more rainy sessions ahead in the day.It was really a nice experience.