3-Day Trip to Sakleshpur

Nine of us, 7 seniors and 2 super seniors, in the age group of 61-88, left Bangalore last Wednesday to Sakleshpur, an uncharted territory to all of us. The four male members distributed the work: one, Home Stay; another,  transport; the third took charge of the entire 3-day travel, and the fourth used his contacts for special darshan at Kuke Subrahmanya. Each one excelled the other in his assignment, while the five ladies (one brought her 88-year old mother along), liberated from kitchen, had a gala time. 

Babu, unknown hitherto but a driver par excellence, drove us in his 12-seater Tempo Traveller. Goes the extra mile to please his customers.

We took breakfast at Dhruvatara, had darshan at Siddalinga temple and headed to Sakleshpur. With Aam Panna Ras made from the home-grown mangoes, the young and enthusiastic host-couple welcomed us to their abode.  

Lunch, prepared as per our selection, was delicious. Meanwhile Ravikiran, the host, drew an itinerary for our entire stay. He then drove us to his 65-acre coffee and pepper estate. Other items included coconut, mango, jackfruit, sappotta, avocado, lime…From the animal kingdom wild elephants, boars, peacocks, deers and cobras strayed in occasionally. (At the mention of cobra, one lady whispered into my ears – Can we return home please?) We then rushed to the two local temples, one on a hillock and the other facing Hemavati river, before they closed, and were back ‘home’ for dinner. That marked Day 1.

On Day 2, Thursday, after a sumptuous breakfast of the region and a packed-lunch of Puliyogare, Lemon rice and Curd rice, we headed to Kuke Subrahmanya – a long ghat section drive. The temple would close in another thirty minutes. But thanks to our friend’s connections, we were accompanied up to the final entrance to the temple after which we were left to join the melee of devotees thronging for darshan – as in Guruvayoor or Tirupathi.

On way back we shopped at Chikki (groundnut) factory and Spice Bazar. Assorted pakodas with steaming coffee awaited us back home. The ladies then went around, plucked jasmine flower, converted them into malas – one for each, one for the puja room of the host, and one for Babu’s tiny Ganesha in the Tempo Traveller for the next morning. This time the dinner menu included Malnad idli, a health-conscious trim version of Thatte idli, and tender coconut malai dessert.

Day 3, Friday, was hectic. Everyone bought his requirements of pepper, white pepper, high-end coffee powder... from the host. We finished breakfast, hugged or blessed the host/hostess, host’s mother, and gave liberal tips (by old generation standards) to the entire staff. A fond farewell from one and all. and we left for Belur Channakesava temple and Halebeeedu – the best part of the trip perhaps. 

In Belur the architectural marvel, intricacies, attention to details were simply breathtaking – be they the 48 differently, distinctively carved pillars, the Narasimha carving at the ceiling dome or, in the exterior, the tiny delicate carvings conveying messages after messages. The one that I recollect is an adolescent boy hugging a donkey passionately. Reciting a Sanskrit sloka the Guide explained that in adolescence even a donkey will look a charming girl. In another a fly was sitting on a semi-cut jackfruit enjoying his day’s meal, a lizard was all set to prey on the fly, and a snake at the back of the lizard ready to pounce the lizard for lunch. He recited yet another sloka to explain the food chain concept.

The architecture in Halebeedu was destroyed mercilessly by the invaders. No puja is performed on any defaced murthi. Hence Halebeedu is just a monument, unlike Belur which is a temple with daily puja. The meticulous planning of Halebeedu is remarkabale. It took 20 years to erect a miniature, and 103 years to complete the real one. Yet another marvel is a 35-feet long one-piece stamba that is placed on a plane surface without any plastering. One could see a thin layer of space between the stamba and the plane surface on which it stands. 

We reached Bangalore at 7 pm; shook hands and asked one another, “When and where next?”  Yes, with a good home-stay host, good food, an excellent driver, a good vehicle, and participants on same wave-length, the whole trip could be summed up: Swarg Se Sundar.