Manthralaya with Ajji & Thata

My Grandparents had been insisting that they be taken to Manthralaya for quite sometime now. This trip having been on cards from May had been postponed, cancelled for various reasons. The non-Availability of train tickets to this place had been a major detering factor and it would be difficult for them to travel on a bus or otherwise.

I was lucky to have found a Tatkal ticket this Sunday the 10th on Udyaan Express for 12th and plans were already rolling for what could turn out into a great trip edging more towards the divinity angle. A Return ticket was booked on Ahmedabad Express for the evening of 13th.


My Ajji & Thatha ( Mr Narayana and Mrs Subbama)


Left the office early on 12th and reached home. Soon we made it to the station in car and boarded the Udyaan Express. The very unfateful train that would reach Mumbai on the 13th, The very unfateful day when 3 explosions rocked the city after 26/11. Luckily we needed to get down the train at "Manthralayam Road" Station and let the train go further.




Manthralayam:
The sleepy town by the banks of Thungabhadra River in the District of Kurnool, vastly Underdeveloped, trying to recover from the deluge that the floods brought in last year.


We made it to the room by 6:30 AM, after hiring an auto from the station to the temple. Quickly got ready to enter inside the temple for an ecclesiastic time with Lord Raghavendra Swamiji's Sannidhi.

The temple surely brings in that sense of devotion to even the more lighter souls like me who are cut loose. The brindavan which is the epi centre of the attraction houses the live samadhi of Sri Sri Raghavendra Swamiji who lived and traversed during the 16th Century. We finish all the Darshan and the poojas by around 9:30 and are left with doing nothing untill lunch. I just cashed in this oppertunity and put several Rounds(Pradhakshine) around the Temple(Sanctom Sanctorum).

It was soon 12PM and lunch time was here. This pious meal served for the dedicated lot was marked by Rice delicacies of various kinds. I had a strong feeling that i ended up eating half a kg of rice for the meal.

Post lunch we headed on Panchamukhi temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman on the other banks of Thungabhadra River. This bank belongs to Raichur district of Karnataka , while Manthralayam was with AP. Since there is no water transport to cross the river, we took an auto which needed to take a long detour and finally reach panchamukhi, covering close to 20 kms for a distance that had been under 4kms crossing the river. The dilipated state of the road, the miseries that the recent floods had brought to this area is definitely an eye opener for the urban lot who are stuck realising their material dreams, succeeding through competition, Win by pull/Push.

These areas lack even the basic sanitation facilities. The water from the houses are directly let into the pits dug up in front of the house. This stagnating impure water wastes is a live breeding ground for insects, an open invitation for anybody wanting to pick up diseases. The crumbling infrastructure like the roads, transportation needs a complete facelift.

Yet, people have a sustained economic system that is more or less near the poverty line, there is absolutely no dearth for the curiosity on their face, a occasional smile. Even though i could see huts and similar such houses all along the way, these huts were colorful,some of them even had a DTH antenna at their Top :-)



We made it soon to Panchamukhi, a place where Sri Raghavendra Swamiji once meditated below the rocks for 12 long years, and it was at this place where gods appeared before him and entrusted him with the mission of carrying himself to Manthralayam where he would permanently rest in peace. One could see some of the natural Rock formations where a huge rock rests miraculously on small chunk of rock and it stands firm for ages now.




While on the way back we needed to pass through the thungabadra river Bridge that forms the road link between AP and Karnataka. This bridge had been washed away completely with the floods last year. one could see chunks of portions of bridge fallen into the river and rubbles of road leading to the bridge. While the new bridge is in the phase of construction , a temparory bridge has been laid for the light vehicular movement

We made it back soon to Manthralayam, the same bumpy ride, the Auto that seems to miss out on Shock absorbers. We packed bags and left for the Railway station. The ahmedabad Express arrived on the platform late by 20 mins, yet elegantly made it to Bangalore just in time the next day morning.

The short trip had thus finally ended, My grandparents had been happy about seeing the god and luckily they finished the trip without Much strain

Soligere- Up, Up and Above

The Monsoon of 2011 has finally arrived. Although it has taken off to a slow start, the clouds bursting open is always a joyful moment that brings in much awaited smiles across regions in a country like ours. It is also the right moment to loose the coveted tag of a so called " Urban Dweller", Someone like me who's lost in a city whose traffic and infrastructure seems to cripple to worse states day after day.

So i had been thinking of taking a break for a simple easy get away somewhere in the outskirts of Bangalore and "Soligere" almost momentarily occurred to my mind. I had been to this beautiful place last year as a part of the Sangama-Muthathi Trek. It was during this time did i actually realize that not so far away from Bangalore, can one actually find some splendid Water bodies. following on the Trail of Mother River Cauvery, i had come across some amazing landscapes.

Coming to 2011, a year that hasn't had anything in store for me, half of the year had already passed staying indoor and refraining from any notable outdoors or camping. The weekend of July on 3rd had been here and i had decided that i shall be biking to Soligere. This Serene place is not so far away from Bangalore, yet not near. This place where river flows far and stretched, this place where the only sound that i could hear was that of the animals and birds, this place where only a handful of people resided.

Indeed this place is over a 100kms from Bangalore and has an environment that totally transcends into a different kind. The place not known for many people, The people who are always heading to Nandi hills or Skandagiri to add more litter and thrash. I'm hurt seeing the plight of Skandagiri which was once a quiet hill with few stone structures and some magnificent views turning into a dump yard for people who throng to this place on the weekends. Luckily Soligere has shied away from the attention which has in turn done more good to the place and has helped retain its austere surroundings completely untouched and unharmed.


The place impressed me as much as it did an year ago. So what is this place all about,?what does it really have in store for me ?

Well, Soligere is a small village lost in a hillock off Sathnur, Kanakpura Taluk of Ramnagara District. The place has a settlement of over 10-15 families amounting to less than 40 people who mainly depend on agriculture, livestock rearing and crafts for their livelihood. As one reach the top of the Soligere hill, there is no human settlement and the hill ends with a beautiful view point.



This view point opens up a wide panoramic landscape to the soul who needs to trek to the top as there is no motorable road. (People wanting to damage their bikes could certainly do some off road biking). One could see Cauvery river flowing swiftly in wide and winding trails , cutting across the mountains, flourishing lush green vegetation that forms Sathnur and Muthathi Forest Range. One could see places as far as Shivanasamudra hydro project, Shimsha , etc from this view point. The even more luckier souls could spot a herd of Wild Elephants, Bears or Small Animals. I believe the photos shot from my mobile will do the rest of the talking about the place.

The ever blowing winds seem like they were here to take away all the worries of a man along with them as they brush against you. Nature certainly takes the front seat and everything else seems to be in the backseat. A feeling of surrender to the mother nature seeps in and leaves you spell bounded. A watch tower cum guest house provides relief from winds and rains, it also doubles up as a place for night camping.


My dear friend Shyam had luckily accomponied me to this wonderful place, I'm sure he enjoyed as much as i did.

A place to visit on a weekend, to spend some time in process of nothingness, a small nap, or to get lost watching those huge and wide landscapes, to watch the river flowing in sheer elegance, to get lost and to be found. to discover, to learn, to unlearn. Soligere is certainly the one place for people who want to drive away from those popular tourist spots overflowing with people and business. The ideal place for a quiet retreat with family or friends. A place to hang out and refresh, rejuvenate your minds and body.


Note:

The last motor able stretch for 4 wheelers ends at 5kms from the view point, That means to say that people heading out on cars need to trek along the mud route for 5kms.

The last motor able stretch for 2 wheelers ends at 1km from the view point. That means to say that people trying the off roading will need to trek just 1km to the top.