A Traveller's Diary - Kamalashile, Maranakatte, Tallur, Hattiangadi & Guddattu

There are a few important temples around Kundapura. Though these temples are popular in that part, they are not very famous outside Karnataka. As we came to know about these temples, we wanted to visit as many of them as possible. All these places are well connected to Kundapura, though the bus services are not so frequent to some of these places.

The first place we wanted to go was Kamalashile. Though, it is just 35 kms away from Kundapura, there are not many direct buses to this place. So, we boarded a bus at 8:00 AM to go to Siddapura which is on the way to Kamalashile. It took almost one hour and we reached Siddapura at 9:00 AM. As there was no bus to Kamalashile till 10:00 AM (and no taxi/auto driver was willing to come to Kamalashile), we had our breakfast in Siddapura. Finally, we boarded the bus and reached Kamalashile at 10:15 AM. The temple is just 200 meters away from the place where the bus stops.

Kamalashile

The temple in Kamalashile is dedicated to Sri Brahmi Durga Parameshwari. This Goddesses is the convergence of Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati. The temple is very close to the river Kubja. All male devotees have to remove their shirt/banian before entering the temple. We had the darshan of the Goddess for more than 10 minutes as the temple was not much crowded. We then bought prasadam and sat in the temple for some more time looking at the Goddess.

We came back and reached Siddapura by bus at 11:00 AM. From there, we wanted to go to Maranakatte. However, there was no direct bus to Maranakatte at that time and we should go to Neralekatte which is on the way to Maranakatte. But, the bus to go to Neralekatte had just left and the next bus was only at 1:00 PM. Someone advised us to go to Ampar (which is a junction). Though this route is longer by 10 kms, we decided to go to Ampar instead of waiting there for two hours. The bus to go to Ampar was ready, but it started only after half an hour after we boarded. We reached Ampar at 12:15 PM and the next bus to go towards Maranakatte would be at 1:00 PM. So, we had our lunch in a small hotel in Ampar.

There was no direct bus to Maranakatte from there as well. So we boarded a bus at 1:00 PM and got down in a small village called Vandse, where we had to change the bus to go to Chittoor (which is on the way to Kollur). By the time we reached Vandse, the bus to go to Chittoor was leaving. Our bus conductor stopped that bus by blowing his whistle. We thanked him and boarded that bus. (Till we boarded this bus, we spent a lot of time in waiting rather than in travelling. However, from here onwards, we didn`t have to wait at all and we got all our next vehicles immediately). 

The bus reached Chittoor in 15 minutes (There is a town with the same name in Andhra Pradesh also). We boarded an auto to go to Maranakatte, which is just 2 kms away. The auto stopped in front of the temple at 1:45 PM.

Maranakatte

The temple at Maranakatte is dedicated to Sri Brahmalingeshwara, who is considered to be the son of Sri Mookambika in Kollur. This temple is surrounded by a stream which is called Brahmakund. The temple was crowded even at that time. We had to rush as someone told us that the darshan would be stopped at 2:00 PM. The main deity is in standing pose here. We had a hurried darshan as there were more than 300 people inside the temple and the darshan was about to be stopped.

We came out and had our evening coffee in a restaurant (though it was not exactly evening). Our next plan was to go to Guddattu, which should be reached from Kundapura only. I asked the owner of the restaurant about the other temples around Kundapura. He told us about Hattiangady where there is a Ganesh temple.

From Maranakatte, there are two routes to Kundapura - one is via Ampar and the other one is via Tallur. He advised us to go to Tallur as Hattiangadi is just 5 kms away from there. We came out and were looking for an auto to go back to Chittoor. Just then, one bus started to move (which was standing in front of the restaurant for a long time) and was going towards Chittoor. When I asked the conductor, he told that it would go to Tallur also. We boarded the bus and reached Tallur at around 3:45 PM.

Tallur

We got down on the main road in Tallur. We should take a left turn to go to Hattiangadi, however, after getting down from the bus, I saw one beautiful temple in a street on the right side of the main road (Had the driver stopped the bus a few steps either behind or afterwards, I wouldn`t have seen the temple as it was not visible from there due to the shops on the main road and we wouldn`t have visited it). We crossed the road and went to the temple which is just 100 meters away from the main road. It is again a Shiva temple and he is known as Mahalingeshwara there. The temple was opened at 4:00 PM and we had a very good darshan. We came back to the main road and hired an auto to go to Hattiangadi. We reached Hattiangadi in 10 minutes.

Hattiangadi

Hattiangadi is on the banks of the river Varahi. However, we could not see the river anywhere around. I was very surprised when the local people told us that Hattiangadi was once the capital of the Alupa kings. It is a very small village now. They also told us Hattiangadi was also ruled by Hoysala kings and, during that period, it was called Goshtipura as so many intellectual discussions happened there.

We reached the temple at 4:30 PM. The main deity here is Sri Siddhi Vinayaka, who is in sitting pose. There is a small temple for Shiva also in the same premises. There were not more than 10 people in the temple. The priest told us that there was a bus to go to Kundapura at 5:00 PM and it would stop exactly behind the temple. We spent 20 minutes in the temple and came out when we saw the bus coming. We went to the spot, but the driver told us the bus would leave only at 5:00 PM.

There is another temple exactly behind the temple we visited (beside the place where the bus stopped). As we still had 10 more minutes, we went in. It is Vishnu temple and the deity here is worshipped as Shankaranarayana. We were in the temple for 5 minutes only as we didn`t have much time. We boarded the bus and reached Kundapura at 5:30 PM (The distance is around 12 kms).

Our next plan was to go to Guddattu, where there is a Ganesh temple. So, instead of going till the bus complex in Kundapura, we got down on the main road where the bus to go to Guddattu would stop. We got the bus immediately and it reached a junction by 6:00 PM from where Guddattu is just 4 kms away. We boarded an auto and reached Guddattu by 6:10 PM. We asked our auto driver to wait for us as there were no modes of transport available to go back.

Guddattu

The main deity in Guddattu is worshipped as Maha Ganapati. He is called Jaladhivasa as there is water flowing under the main idol continuously. As the main idol is Swayambhu, it is not exactly in the shape of Ganesha. We spent around 15 minutes in the temple. 

Somebody in the temple told us to go back to the junction as soon as possible as there was a bus to go to Kundapura at 6:30 PM and it would probably be the last bus for the day. We boarded our auto and reached the junction by 6:35 PM. The bus came at 6:45 PM and we reached Kundapura at 7:30 PM. 

A Traveller's Diary - Ambalpadi, Katapadi, Kateel, Suratkal and Mangalore

On 18 June 2015, we (my mother, my aunt and myself) vacated our cottage in Udupi at 7:00 AM. On the previous day, the priest in Sri Krishna temple told us about six temples which were located between Udupi and Mangalore. As I had seen the district map of Udupi, I understood that we could cover only four of those temples before reaching Mangalore. Those temples are in Ambalpadi, Katapadi, Kateel and Suratkal.

Ambalpadi

We hired an auto to go to Ambalpadi, which is just 4 kms away from Sri Krishna temple in Udupi. In fact, Ambalpadi is now a part of Udupi. We reached Ambalpadi at 7:15 AM. The temple is dedicated to Goddes Mahakali, however, there is another temple in the same complex for Lord Janardhana. The temple was constructed in Kerala style and it was not much crowded. We had a nice darshan of both Mahakali and Janardhana. We spent around 20 minutes in the temple and boarded the same auto and got down at the bus complex in Udupi.

Katapadi

Katapadi is located on the highway to Mangalore and is 10 kms away from Udupi. We boarded a mini bus at 7:45 AM and reached Katapadi at 8:00 AM. Katapadi is a Tulu word which means Tie It Down (There is a town by name Katpadi in Tamil Nadu, but this is Katapadi). The temple is just 300 meters away from NH17 and is on the other side of the highway. We had crossed the road very carefully as it is one of the busiest highways in our country which connects Mangalore with Mumbai.

The temple in Katapadi is dedicated to Lord Vishnu who is worshipped as Venkata Ramana. The temple was painted in red colour and looked as if it was painted recently. The temple is very clean with green surroundings. We went in and had the darshan of Venkataramana. The main idol here is not exactly in the same manner like the one in normal Balaji temples. We were in the temple for about 20 minutes and came back to NH17. We boarded another bus to go to Mulki, which is a junction and is around 30 kms away from there. From there we should catch our bus to Kateel.

We reached Mulki at 9:30 AM and Kateel is just 12 kms away from there. As there was still time to catch our bus to Kateel, we had our breakfast in Mulki. In fact, we looked out for a restaurant to have our breakfast in Katapadi also, but we didn`t find a decent one. We boarded the bus to go to Kateel at 10:00 AM and reached Kateel at 10:20 AM.

Kateel

The temple in Kateel is just a few steps away from the bus-stand. This temple is located in the middle of the river Nandini and was constructed on pillars. The river flows from the rocks and, hence, it looks like a waterfall. I had not seen such a temple before, though I had seen so many temples in both Southern and Northern parts of India.

The main deity in this temple is Sri Durga Parameshwari. The Goddess is very powerful and it is a belief that your wishes will be fulfilled soon if you pray in this temple. The temple is visited by thousands of devotees during Fridays. However, as it was Thursday, the temple was not overcrowded. We had our darshan immediately and we stayed in front of the Goddes for 10 minutes. When we came out, we saw a bus exactly in front of the temple. When I asked the driver if it would go to Suratkal, he asked us to board the bus and get down at Talipadi, which is a junction and is just 5 kms away from there.

Suratkal is 35 kms away from Talipadi. We changed our bus in Talapadi and reached Suratkal which is on the highway to Mangalore. The temple is on the bank of the Arabian Sea and is around one kilometer away from NH17 (again, we had to cross the highway carefully). 

The temple is far away from the village and there were no modes of transport available at that time. The local people told us we might get a vehicle if we would wait for some time. However, as we were not sure of how long that wait could be, we started walking towards the temple. We reached the temple in 15 minutes.

Suratkal

The temple in Suratkal is called Sri Sadashiva Mahaganapati temple. Though, Shiva is the main deity, Ganapati is also equally important, who is in a small temple in the same complex. The temple is on a small rock and there were around 30 steps to reach the temple. The temple was open and the afternoon pooja was going on at that time. We had the darshan of both Shiva and Ganapati and we were in the temple for 20 minutes.

We came down at 12:30 PM and had a cup of tea in a small hotel beside the temple. From there, the beach is just a few yards away. In fact, the lighthouse is just a few steps away from that hotel. As my aunt did not show any interest to see the beach, she stayed back in the hotel (She is from Nellore and goes to the Mypadu beach so frequently. But, my mother and myself are from Hyderabad, and we rarely get a chance to see a beach). We reached the beach in three minutes.

The beach was so calm, but the sea was very rough. There was a warning board - ROUGH SEA, DO NOT SWIM. There were two girls in the beach at that time and it looked like they came there for a photo shoot. One girl gave so many poses and the other girl took her photographs in different angles. They smiled when they saw us and continued to get engaged in their own task. We sat at a place which is away from their coverage area. We were there for more than half an hour enjoying both the tides and the poses (Let me clarify - both the girls were in casual wear and not in swim wear. After all, it was Karnataka and not Goa).

Mangalore

We came back to NH17 and boarded the bus to go to Mangalore which is 15 kms away from there. We reached the main bus complex in Mangalore (which is called State Bank) at 1:45 PM. We had our lunch in Jain Restaurant and the food was very tasty. Moreover, they gave us a fruit and ice cream also, which was a surprise to us. Our next plan for the day was to cover four temples in Mangalore. We hired an auto and went to Gokarnanath temple.

Gokarnanath temple is located in a place called Kardoli in Mangalore. It is a big temple and is very beautiful as well. The Shiva Lingam in this temple was said to be consecrated by Narayana Guru. The temple was originally constructed in Kerala style, but was changed to Chola style when it was renovated in 1991. The temple is in a large area and is very beautiful (I used the word very beautiful twice in the same paragraph only to help you understand how beautiful the temple is).

The temple was open, but the Sannithi (Garbhalaya) would be open for visitors only from 4:00 PM. As it was just 3:00 PM, we sat there in the visitors' chairs for one hour. We had the darshan of Shiva when the temple was opened. We also had the darshan of other deities in the same complex. I liked the idol of Sai Baba which is very graceful with two lions on either sides.

We then hired an auto and went to Sharavu Maha Ganapati temple which is located in a place called Hampankatta. The temple authorities told that Sharavu in Kannada means beautiful and the Ganapati idol here looks really beautiful. However, I also heard another story. Long ago, a king killed a cow with his arrow by mistake. To get rid of the sin, he constructed the temple. As arrow means shara, the deity is called Sharavu Maha Ganapati. We were there in this temple for 15 minutes and moved ahead.

We again hired an auto and went to Manjunatha temple. This temple is very big in size and it took 15 minutes for us to complete one Pradakshina (Parikrama). It is located on a small hill called Kadri. It is beleived that Parashurama stayed on this hill for sometime praising Lord Shiva. Shiva appeared in the form of Manjunatha and blessed him. There are also temples for Ganesha and Durga in the same premises. After spending more than one hour in the temple, we came out and had our evening tea in a hotel opposite to the temple. We then hired another auto to go to Mangala Devi temple, which was our last visit in Mangalore.

We reached Mangala Devi temple at 6:30 PM. It is located in a place called Bolara. Mangala Devi temple is the most famous temple in Mangalore. In fact, the city was named as Mangaluru because of Mangala Devi only (Just like Mumbai was named after Mumba Devi). 

Some people here told that this temple was built by Kundavarma, who was the king of this area in the 9th century. However, a few others told that this temple was originally built by Parashurama and later Kundavarma renovated it.

Though, this temple is not small in area, it is not very big either. But, the Goddess is very powerful. We were in the temple for more than 45 minutes and out of that time, we spent more than 30 minutes in front of the Goddess only. We came out of the temple at around 7:30 PM after buying Prasadams. We talked only about Mangala Devi for a few hours, even after leaving the temple. Such was the impact the Goddess had on us.