One summer afternoon, we were returning home via the Tirthahalli- Agumbe road. Suddenly, we saw a signpost that said 'Kundadri - 7 kms'. Wonder how we had missed it during our previous journeys on this road! Kundadri was one of the local places on our 'must-see-sometime' list. And, we decided to check it out this time.
Kundadri is a small mountain belonging to the Western Ghats range. Until a few years ago, trekking was the only way to reach the top. In order to make the Basadi (Jain temple) at the top accessible to all, a businessman from Mumbai spent a few crores to build a narrow, motorable road. One still has to cover the last few metres on foot.
See the 'Welcome' arch somewhere near the centre of this pic? That is how the diversion from the main road looks like from the top!
Since the sun was shining down brightly upon us, we decided to bide some time at the empty, shady parking zone. The others divided the newspaper and I reclined the seat to have a comfortable cat-nap.
I must have been in this blissful state of semi-sleep for about ten minutes when we were joined by about eight young men on 4-5 mo-bikes. After noting the local registration number on our vehicle, they gave us a once-over and made their way to the top. Obviously, they were regulars here...
Suddenly, another vehicle came up. As the occupants- 2 boys & 2 girls - got off the car, two laggards from the earlier group stopped to investigate. To me, they looked like students from not-so-far Manipal. In fact, if betting was in fashion, I would put all my money behind my guess!!
Laggard 1: Lo! Ningyaavdo? (Hey! Which one will you have?)
Laggard 2 : Ibroo chennaagilla, maaraaya... (Both aren't good enough, man...)
The scoundrels, both of whom wouldn't have made it to the qualifying round of any beauty contest, carried on in this fashion for a couple of minutes. When their jibes drew absolutely no reactions, they went away - to join their friends.
Just wondering.... what would have happened if there was an altercation? We would have been forced to intervene? How does one handle unruly behaviour like this one??
Even though we were not involved, this incident had dispirited us. We needed a change of scene and we decided to go to the peak. The Manipal-set followed us and stayed a few metres behind us - probably, they felt safer....
After climbing about 70-80 steps, we were there! At the entrance, there is this beautiful pond - named 'Malathi'. You know, the water must have been quite warm... wonder how the fish manage!
There is a parapet around this pond. But, I'm sure, some people will jump over the parapet - to get a good pic/ to partake this water as holy water,...
Let me tell you a folklore about this pond. Take it with a BIG pinch of salt, okay?
If you throw a lemon into this pond, it is supposed to re-surface at some other water body in the plains - many miles away (Sorry for forgetting the name of this second water-body)!
Right next to this pond, there is a small temple. No frills and fancies - only a cool, dark room with an idol of a Digambara monk. The lone priest, who treks everyday from the foothills, tells us that about 250-300 years ago, a wandering monk- Kundakacharya- decided to spend his last days here. The locals built this temple in his memory and named the hill after him. The talkative priest tells us a little about the management and the activities associated with the temple.
After the customary aarati by the priest, we spent some time, drinking in the lingering fragrance of flowers & incense. The priest told us that we could take pics if we wanted to. One of the Manipal boys took a lot of pics and we decided to explore the surroundings....
From the other side of the temple, you can have a panoramic view of the landscape. It would be dangerous to get too close to the steep edge.
Once again I think of people who will take the risks to get good pics - unmindful of the fact that a mishap could spoil the trip for everybody...
A ramshackle building blocks the approach and the view from behind the temple.
In front of the temple, the mountain descends as a not-so-steep, rocky slope with patches of green puddles here and there....
After lounging about for a few minutes, we decided to leave. The Manipal group had left much before us. The bikers had vanished. There must be some niche out there that can be used as a hang-out.
You know, this visit to Kundadri was an eye-opener of sorts. Quite alarmingly, we realised the total lack of security in places like this. According to newspaper reports, these days Malnad's popular nooks and peaks have been encroached by vandalisers. If the concerned govt. departments have failed to provide security, well... we should look after ourselves.
To all you people going to such places - Take care...
Kundadri is a small mountain belonging to the Western Ghats range. Until a few years ago, trekking was the only way to reach the top. In order to make the Basadi (Jain temple) at the top accessible to all, a businessman from Mumbai spent a few crores to build a narrow, motorable road. One still has to cover the last few metres on foot.See the 'Welcome' arch somewhere near the centre of this pic? That is how the diversion from the main road looks like from the top!
Since the sun was shining down brightly upon us, we decided to bide some time at the empty, shady parking zone. The others divided the newspaper and I reclined the seat to have a comfortable cat-nap.
I must have been in this blissful state of semi-sleep for about ten minutes when we were joined by about eight young men on 4-5 mo-bikes. After noting the local registration number on our vehicle, they gave us a once-over and made their way to the top. Obviously, they were regulars here...
Suddenly, another vehicle came up. As the occupants- 2 boys & 2 girls - got off the car, two laggards from the earlier group stopped to investigate. To me, they looked like students from not-so-far Manipal. In fact, if betting was in fashion, I would put all my money behind my guess!!
Laggard 1: Lo! Ningyaavdo? (Hey! Which one will you have?)
Laggard 2 : Ibroo chennaagilla, maaraaya... (Both aren't good enough, man...)
The scoundrels, both of whom wouldn't have made it to the qualifying round of any beauty contest, carried on in this fashion for a couple of minutes. When their jibes drew absolutely no reactions, they went away - to join their friends.
Just wondering.... what would have happened if there was an altercation? We would have been forced to intervene? How does one handle unruly behaviour like this one??
Even though we were not involved, this incident had dispirited us. We needed a change of scene and we decided to go to the peak. The Manipal-set followed us and stayed a few metres behind us - probably, they felt safer....
After climbing about 70-80 steps, we were there! At the entrance, there is this beautiful pond - named 'Malathi'. You know, the water must have been quite warm... wonder how the fish manage!There is a parapet around this pond. But, I'm sure, some people will jump over the parapet - to get a good pic/ to partake this water as holy water,...
Let me tell you a folklore about this pond. Take it with a BIG pinch of salt, okay?
If you throw a lemon into this pond, it is supposed to re-surface at some other water body in the plains - many miles away (Sorry for forgetting the name of this second water-body)!
After the customary aarati by the priest, we spent some time, drinking in the lingering fragrance of flowers & incense. The priest told us that we could take pics if we wanted to. One of the Manipal boys took a lot of pics and we decided to explore the surroundings....
Once again I think of people who will take the risks to get good pics - unmindful of the fact that a mishap could spoil the trip for everybody...
A ramshackle building blocks the approach and the view from behind the temple.
In front of the temple, the mountain descends as a not-so-steep, rocky slope with patches of green puddles here and there....
After lounging about for a few minutes, we decided to leave. The Manipal group had left much before us. The bikers had vanished. There must be some niche out there that can be used as a hang-out.
You know, this visit to Kundadri was an eye-opener of sorts. Quite alarmingly, we realised the total lack of security in places like this. According to newspaper reports, these days Malnad's popular nooks and peaks have been encroached by vandalisers. If the concerned govt. departments have failed to provide security, well... we should look after ourselves.
To all you people going to such places - Take care...
Hell with these ill behaved people. Someone should carry out a sting operation on such people. Catch them red handed and beat them black n blue. Dandam dasha gunam bhaveth :)
ReplyDeleteNicely presented write up.
Thanks Soumyakka :)
Thank you :)
DeleteIt is this bad behaviour that I cannot understand. Something weird seems to happen to our boys when they are in a 'boys only' group ...