Karnataka Pilgrimage Day 1 : All’s well that ends well (including two ‘pots’ of ‘gold’) Part- II

           After a point, we entered into the Kudremukh National Park, home for the cheetah, spotted deer, bison and other animals.  Dilip alerted us to look around the surroundings to spot some wildlife.  It rained consistently and mist greeted us after a certain point.  Alas, time was too insufficient to even think of photography. We downed the window-glass and let the bliss overtake us.  Wow!  After a while we spotted a tail.  Whose could it be?  Of a fox? Or a wolf?  Oh no, it is a dog’s!  Suddenly Dilip found a small snake crossing the road (I could not see it, to my dismay).  The forest was dense and pleasant.  Memories of my trip to Darjeeling four years ago came to my mind.  Suddenly I looked at the watch: 4.30 p.m.  At inopportune times, we remember unpleasant things. 

          Life is replete with setbacks.  But do they have to crowd the mind in such pleasant surroundings?  The strain of so many hard days coupled with tension and arduous road journey got into a vicious cycle and had a telling effect on me.  I started feeling breathless amidst the cold breeze and began to burp hard.  Yes, motion sickness seemed to have caught up with me despite Domperedone.  I beckoned Dilip to a halt.  He stopped the car in a corner of the road, so as not to block other vehicles following us.  When I opened the door, I almost set my foot on a thick growth of vegetation alongside, before I cautiously pulled back.  What if I stomped my foot on the tail of a creepy creature, which could pop its head (or hood?) out and enquire of me in its own language (hiss) as to why I disturbed it!  Thankfully, nothing of that sort happened, not even the puke.  All that happened was a loss of time to the tune of ten minutes, while two Marutis went past us during that time.

          I momentarily felt better because of the break, but the real ramification of this puke scare was known just five minutes later, just ahead of the Tunga river, when we found one driver with his head in the under slung of his car.  Dilip noticed that the two Marutis that crossed us had a minor side collision and so their drivers were working hard to get back on to the road.  

          When we reached Sringeri, it was raining, so I left my cameras inside the car.  We prayed at the Sarada temple, where we had a wonderful darsan.  While circumambulating the ‘Prakara’ we found a designated place for ‘Aksharabhyasa’ (the ritual of initiating children into studies).  We then moved to the ‘Vidya Sankara’ which resembled the the Chalukyan temples of Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal.  The historian in our group stated that the temple would have received more patronage during the Vijayanagara period for various reasons. Vidyaranya, the mentor of Harihara and Bukka, founders of the Vijayanagara empire, was the seer of Sringeri ‘peetha’ (‘centre of learning’) so the name ‘vidya’ could have been prefixed to Lord Sankara.  The scholar  identified the lion head carved on the side panel of steps as being of Vijayanagara vintage.

          We talked to one another and alighted the stairs and took no notice of a spectacle happening right in front of our eyes – a fully arched rainbow, just about to fade!  How stupid I was to leave my camera bag in the car!  Just hold, the spectacle was not over (read: my guilt got accentuated).  Another complete rainbow formed within this arch and I could get hold of my mobile camera (a poor cousin of my regular camera) and clicked a part of the double bliss and the lower rainbow in instalments!  

We then saw the river Tunga from above, but through the crystal clear waters, we could spot some fish.

          


           When we commenced the journey, it struck me that if one saw a full rainbow, one would find a pot of gold at its end.  We saw two, where were the pots?  It did not take long for me to understand that being in Sringeri on that day, taking Goddess Sarada’s blessings and getting to see the spectacle constituted one pot of gold.  Where was the other?

          Pleasant weather continued to lead the way to Kollur and after a descent of about twenty kilometres from Sringeri, something struck the glass panes of our car very hard.  It was a heavy downpour and we were just a stone’s throw from Agumbe, the place ranking second in terms of highest rainfall in the country and the one with the highest rainfall in South India.

          By then it grew dark, but Dilip was relieved that the rough stretch of the road was repaired.  We were now going through a very dense forest.  We could see nothing except what was visible to the headlights of our car.  We missed the beauty around us, but there is always next time.  The charioteer dimmed the lights and stopped the car as we watched an antelope cross the road in  a hurry.

          I was disappointed.  I thought I would get to have a good view of wild life, but, apart from the snake that I didn’t see and the antelope that crossed our path with lightning speed, all we got to see in the Kudremukh National Park were three cats and four dogs and a couple of leeches, one of which had the audacity to attack one of my team-mates!

          Time ticked by pretty fast and the unlit path was full of curves. One should travel by this road to experience the word 'meander'. I requested our charioteer to make us reach by 8 p.m. He drove diligently yet fast.  It worked on my mind and I burped continuously.  One more puke scare.  One more hoax.  Ten more minutes lost.

          There were some rough patches in the road which slowed our progress, so the 8 p.m. worship was now out of question.  Our Kollur contact now stated that if we could reach Kollur by 8.45 p.m., we could be in time for the last ‘aarati’ of the day.  We were not sure of the Goddess’ mind.

          In the meanwhile, Dilip gave us the story of ‘Mookambika’.  Adi Sankara requested the Mother Goddess to accompany him to be the presiding deity of Chotanikara temple near Ernakulam.  The Goddess agreed, with the condition that he should not turn back and that the sound of Her anklet was the proof of Her accompanying him.  En route, a Rakshasa imprisoned the Goddess, who took some time to kill him and resume Her journey.  Meanwhile, a concerned Sankara looked back and the Mother turned into a statue and wanted to stay there (This legend is very similar to that of Sakshigopala near Puri).  It is believed that Mookambika takes precedence over Chotanikara Amman in respect of prayers.

          After what seemed to be eternity, we were in Kollur! I looked at my watch – it showed 8.35 p.m. – we were ten minutes before time.  Without even the thought of freshening up, we rushed into the temple and were just-in-time for the last ‘aarati’ and what a sight it was!  We felt blessed once again.

          Because we had not made it to the 8 p.m. worship, we missed dinner that day.  So what, we not only made it to Kollur in time, but also saw the ‘aarati’ of the Goddess.  Had we not found our second pot of gold?

          All of us thanked the Goddess for the wonderful charioteer who took us to so many places and ensured we got there in time.  We didn’t want to imagine how life would have been if that unknown driver turned up in time! Dilip, in turn,  basked in the happiness of a personal achievement- of covering more than four hundred kilometres on this route in a single day!

         

          I could not click many pictures because of the tight schedule. God(dess) willing, I hope to visit the places in a relaxed manner! If this write up motivated you to visit the places, please take a few days' leave, enjoy the beauty of the Western Ghats and, last but not the least, be blessed!

(concluded)