Mysore,Coorg and.....Cauvery

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.”

Day 1…We travel to Mysore

our vehicle was speeding along NH 17 that connects Bangalore with Mysore when we spotted Kamat Lokaruchi that was to be our breakfast stop that Monday morning after we had basked in the warmth afforded by my friends in Bangalore over the w-e there.

 After a sumptuous meal topped with some excellent coffee we continued…passing Ramnagara, the silk town…also made famous by its granite outcrop used for shooting famous movies such as David Lean’s Passage to India and our own path breaker Sholay. Then it was Chennapatna, the wooden-toy town, with the many rocking horses adorning shop fronts.  Mandya, the sugar and rice granary of Karnataka,came next ,and we got down to serious business… sightseeing.

Entering the threshold of Srirangapatna I remembered Moonstone a novel by Wilkie Collins of the Victorian era and acknowledged as the greatest of English detective novels by T.S.Eliot. It narrates events about how a British officer came upon and stole a sacred Hindu diamond during the siege of S. A series of deaths connected to the theft lends a sense of bad luck and cursedness to the mystery of the stone which is finally traced by three Hindu Brahmins and restored to the Hindu Idol. A fascinating read!

Srirangapatna became the de facto capital of Mysore under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, Tipu having finally dispensed with the charade of deference to the legitimate Wodeyar Maharaja who was actually his captive, and proclaimed the State under his own kingship. In the short lived but heady period, Srirangapatna flourished and is today a historical town dotted with the decaying legacy of a glorious era.

  You cannot miss seeing the celebrated Sriranganathswami Temple which dominates the town, making Srirangapatna one of the most important centers of pilgrimage in south. The temple was built in the 9th century; the structure was strengthened and improved upon architecturally some three centuries later. It is a medley of the Hoysala and Vijayanagar styles. There is a huge image of Lord Vishnu in slumber made of black stone. The five-story Gopuram is also a feature of the temple. Different incarnations of Vishnu are depicted inside. 

 

The decorated, well sculptured chariot in front of the temple was donated by Hyder Ali. The presence of the river Cauvery, which bifurcates here to make Srirangapatna an island town, is considered auspicious and sanctifying as evidenced by the folks who had gathered at its bank.It was coming on to Mid-day as we quenched our thirst with sugar-cane juice and resumed  our drive looking at sign posts indicating points of interest … the driver reminding us constantly “One full day required Saar!”… that we halted to view the next offering

Dariya Daulat Bag – Tipu’s famous summer retreat is a beautiful flower garden established in 1784 in Persian style. The Palace inside is elegant, though small. The pillared corridor that runs round the palace is covered with cane curtains and I wondered,not for long;they must act as sun shade  for the collage of paintings running all around the inner wall of the corridor. Though faded out, the frescoes on French-British-Mysore war remind us of history. On the western wall, frescoes of Tipu and Hyder Ali, engaged in the battle of 1779 against British; on the eastern wall, Tipu as a host to the kings of neighboring states, are notable. ASI should set about restoring these paintings, if we have to continue to showcase the era of Tipu…the only king of South India to have thwarted the attempts of the British time after time.

Lush green islets decked with birds throughout the year… that's Ranganathittu bird sanctuary for you. The sanctuary is located a few miles away from Srirangapatna and is the breeding site for several bird species on their migratory route from the North; all located on the islets in the portion of river Cauvery that flows through. We took a leisurely walk along the river bank, watching the birds in motion and at rest, under cover of thick bamboo groves and huge trees including the Banyan, Eucalyptus and palm. It is a well maintained sanctuary with a Salim Ali center inside

We were now 6 hours on the road and were in a hurry to reach our hotel in Mysore some 15 km away, check in, finish a quick lunch and get on with it. Very soon we plunged into the cacophony of the city and threaded our way through the not so unruly traffic and around the well made circles and clock tower to our destination

Sanctuary of the Wodeyar dynasty – The Mysore Palace

 In the afternoon with a mild Sun bearing down we entered the precincts of the Mysore Palace.A brief history goes like this…Tipu destroys the old wooden palace and other buildings in Mysore to build his new capital. But he dies in 1799, leaving the Wodeyars to rebuild and renovate the old palace in wood and rule from there for almost 100 years when in 1897 fire consumes the structure. Maharani authorizes construction of a new palace at the very same site and Voila! the current palace comes up in 1912.

We tossed between an Audio-tape tour and a human guided tour and chose the latter. We were happy to be with a Guide who cared to disseminate as much as we wanted to know and then some, with all the nuances he could muster.

 Accents, Aroma and Attitude of people from around the world joined us in our tour of the spacious halls, gilded pillars, three dimensional pictorial entities of richly adorned royal families by Raja Ravi Verma and many architectural embellishments and stained glass that were on view. Murals depicting the famous Dussera celebrations were also seen.

 

The Palace is an aesthetic blend of Hindu (inside) and Mughal (outside) architecture. It has impressive gilded domes,the tallest climbing up to 145feet from ground.

Coming out of the guided tour we explored the spacious palace from outside and marveled at the architecture and layout. The many gates of different sizes and for a designated purpose and the innumerable temples and shrines for propitiating various Gods before an expedition by the King or for a family celebration...said it all.

 We spotted foreign tourists enjoying an Elephant ride and taking many pictures of the trained temple elephants …the animal which has served Indian royalty over many centuries… through war and peace.We quenched our thirst with very clean processed water that was available and proceeded to join our driver with the car outside, turning our neck back ever so often to gaze at the palace and its grandeur.      

I leave you with these pics of Palace when lit.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

St Philomena Cathedral
This beautiful Cathedral was built in 1956 and is one of the largest churches in the country. It has been built in the Gothic style with beautiful stain glass windows and lofty towers.The cathedral’s crypt houses a  statue, acquired from France, of Saint Philomena, a 3rd century saint from Greece. 

Our driver who was quite passive during the course of the afternoon suddenly became verbose and led us towards the state run silk emporium directly in front of the Church. He somehow caught the lady’s need for doing something different and managed to get us in to the shop. Soon we were in the vise like grip of the attendants there who brought the shop down for us to see and buy. Eventually we got out, but not before purchasing some merchandise.

After a cup of refreshing “special Tea” at the road side shop we braced ourselves for our ride towards Krishna Raja Sagara dam or KRS as it is affectionately called by the locals. The dam is erected on ….Cauvery, through the collaborative effort of Sir.M.Vishweshwariah and the presiding Wodeyar King in the 1930’s.It goes along with Brindavan gardens which we were eager to see that evening. After a cool 30 minute ride we were there along with busloads of visitors .The Botanical Park and the attendant fountains were a treat to watch. The sensuous combination fountains and colored lights was a soothing finale for our busy day.

 

An interesting aside… the garden was overcrowding as dusk fell approaching the time for “Lights on”  “Sound On” and  the photographers were busy clicking the ‘Groups’ and the “Honeymooners” and I saw everyone clutching a print of the just taken photo! WOW!! As I looked around I saw a small portable devise standing discretely behind a bush where a couple of guys were busy taking out prints for distribution. Such is the influence of digi tech.

 

Day 2…We travel to Chamundi Hills and to Coorg

Goddess Chamundi is the presiding deity of Mysore and the Maharajas and she is located at the outskirts of the city at 1000Metres above sea level. We exited the hotel before breakfast and drove to Chamundi Hills that also affords a panoramic view of the city.  

 There is a gigantic statue of demon Mahishasura, in vivid color, as also a black Nandi out there. We took in the view of the city quickly and returned unable to bear the growl of the stomach. Our driver said good Kamat like BF was one hour away and listening to our protest stopped at a quaint Mysore Iyengar restaurant soon.We hit pay dirt as Perry Mason would say.We feasted on yummy Mysore Dosas etc and coffee ooh…la…la. The Udupis of Mumbai and the Murugans of Chennai have much to learn.

The Mysore – Medikeri (Mercara) road is a good road to travel and we were  cruising at a good clip for the next 2 Hrs  looking at the flat country side, the sparse traffic having aided us in our pursuit to reach quickly the hillside and the coffee plantations beyond. As we approached the realm of Orange County Resort,the air was filled with Jasmine like fragrance of snow white coffee blossoms  which rushed past us,on that very narrow road.

 The Resort is set within a 300 acre working plantation …Coffee, pepper, cardamom etc, all tucked within the cool green hills of Coorg at an elevation of 800 meters and bordered by Cauvery on one side and forests on the other. 

We were ushered to our spacious suite adjoining a lake and the smart hostess attired in a Coorgi outfit walked us through the facilities within; plantation style cottage with terracotta floors, court yard baths, private pool and Jacuzzi and talked about the facilities, without ; activity center, three different dining options, Library with free coffee brewed in front of you as you browse through a coffee table book on Gen. Cariappa or read about ethnic Kodava dishes like Pandi Curry ( Pork Curry ) .

Library

A View of the Resort Cottages

To top it all every evening we were treated to a cultural show, showcasing talent of the communities nearby.  We were to witness the warmth and caring attitude in every one of the staff that served us and  made our stay pleasant.

 The resort is abundant with Nature; Tall Silver Oaks, Rose wood, Banyan and Bamboo coexist with innumerable bird variety that is truly an ornithologist’s delight. There is so much to explore for nature lovers away from the maddening din of humanity. And always a pleasing “Namaskara” rings out at you as you pass by a Resort staff on your stroll.

 Days 3 - 5 ...More of Coorg

There was no unnecessary relaxation for us at the Resort as we packed our days with activity under the able guidance of Ganesh, who with his in-depth knowledge of local history, botany, culture and unmatched enthusiasm to please the visitor, added flavor to our experience. He took us on walks around the resort, to the local village alongside Cauvery, on coffee plantation walk explaining all about the Origins of Coffee which in itself is a great story that I will recount at another time. 

coffee cherries ready for picking

village home

 

 

 

 

Misty Cauvery

On the penultimate morning we split, she having decided to go for a longish Nature walk while I drove up to Medikeri, nearby, to view the Raja’s seat which affords a panoramic view of the hills and where the erstwhile Rajas and their consort sat watching the Sun rise and set...singing

Sunrise, sunset ...Sunrise,sunset
Swiftly fly the years,
One season following another,

Laden with happiness, And tears                                                      

view from Raja's seat

I traveled another hour to Tala Cauvery the origin of the river which has been following us all through; a tank has been erected here on a hill side and near it is a small temple. The river originates as a spring feeding the tank. Water then flows underground to emerge as the river downhill a mile away. I felt much rejuvenated after taking a spoonful of water from the priest there, and thought about the great Dr. Livingstone who failed in his quest to locate the origin of River Nile sometime in the 19^tcentury.

She went on her Nature walk along with some folks and we  met later for a Coracle ride,a round and flat bottomed boat,on the river,our last act  for the day and for the trip.Our 4 day tryst with Coorg was coming to an end and we had enjoyed every activity that was available to explore amidst the cool green and pleasing environs.

Au Revoir...