The trip had to be postponed several times. The thought that if we look at the time and context, Kodak will remain only a dream brought us to one Sunday. Otherwise, money, time or difficulties are not a problem to go on a trip. It was decided that anyone can travel anywhere if they have an untrodden cart and a determined mind, so on Sunday 25th, the journey will start at 4 am. It was the thought of crossing the Karnataka border before the road became crowded that brought us to this one time. And so at the most beautiful moment of the day we hit the goal kicker at exactly 4 o’clock in the cold morning. Six people on 3 bikes were rushing through the dark roads in search of the light of the beauty of Kotak
The decision was made to cross Veerajpet via Pariyaram Taliparamba Iriti route. At 5.30 before reaching Iritti, we went to a shop and drank tea. Since all the ideas were ready very early, we continued our journey without feeling hungry. We crossed Irtti and reached the Karnataka border. 26 more kilometers to Veerajpet. The view path winding through the blanketed kulir under the huge trees was also chilling to the mind. We were greeted by the chirping of crickets from the canopy of light filtering through. A group of travelers ran away in about 10 bullets while capturing the scenery of the forest on camera. Again and again we belted out the sense that we too were raiders even though there were no bullets. Continued the journey again.
The scenery of the forest has given way to fields and countryside. After crossing the coffee, pepper and corn fields, we reached Veerajpeta and according to the plan, the first place to reach is the Kathara Falls.
Our three carts honked through the intoxicatingly fragrant coffee plantations, honking their horns and climbing the curves and hills to reach their first destination. After parking the vehicles at a bend of the road going up the mountain, we went up to the waterfall through the forest road full of small rocks. Now we are only allowed to see from a distance.. All the ways to go down are blocked.. We moved towards the car with a little disappointment.. Meanwhile, when we asked the workers among the coffee plantations if there is another place nearby, they told us that if we go up there is a big bald hill.
So we continued our journey to that unknown mountain. At the end of the tarred road, there was a small box store and a check post where the forest guard who was there wrote down the name, number and the name of the items taken to the mountain. Leaving the bag there, we started climbing the mountain and walked along the Chemmon road, which was wide enough for a jeep to pass through. The road splits in two in the middle of the foothills of two big hills and on the left side, the road stretches up the slope of the hill like a meadow. On the right, a lane wide enough for one person to walk ends at a view in the middle of the mountain. From there again the mountain is left. As it was a bit more adventurous we chose the second route.. Started climbing the mountain.
At the end of the path was a large boulder and a tree with branches of the same size. Grasses growing all around.. strange flowers and we walked among the rock formations and had to rely on our hands to climb the steep climb. The paths were so steep and rugged that the person walking in front could not even see the person ten feet behind. The water has been drunk for a long time. Yet fatigue and thirst soon follow. Even then, the obstacles did not have the strength to defeat our mental strength, because if we lose our footing, we will fall into the depths, so we climbed the mountain very carefully.
He has to climb the steep hill again and again. One of us returned defeated in the face of hard work. Still others did not stop climbing. We finally reached our destination by 11.30 am, clinging to small rocks and tugging at clumps of grass. Even though it is almost noon, the sun has not yet defeated its coldness. There we climbed on top of the biggest rock on top of the biggest mountain and started watching the magical beauty spread around by nature. The road behind us was smiling at us. Beyond that, a few people were walking up the hill which we ignored. The road extends from the top of the mountain to another mountain. We did photography on the canvas with the backdrop of the mountains as the wind picked up strength every now and then. After spending some time we started our descent. Going down is harder than going up. The descent was held by the grass because if you lose your footing, you will reach the valley in one fell swoop. After a lot of work and with great care, when we came back, the one who had not climbed the mountain was sitting on the rock under the small tree that was half way up. On our way back we saw only three people climbing the mountain we had conquered. All other hikers climb the easy mountain. Happy to have completed a huge task on the first day, we packed all our bags and headed to the next location. After conquering that big mountain called Kabbay Hills, we next set out for Tadiyanremol Hills.
We passed through trees full of violet blossoms, cornfields and coffee plantations, and we reached a junction. There I saw a board saying Nalkanda Palace 3 km. We thought that we might have seen it as Tadiyanremol Hills and left the car back. We were speeding along the road without much traffic. The intoxicating aroma wafted from the blossoming coffee plantations. So we parked the car near the small road lined with branches of wild trees and we walked towards the palace and passed through a large entrance gate and reached the palace courtyard. It does not look like a palace. On the right side of the courtyard, we passed a wedding hall decorated with carvings and entered. The guide who was there holding a torch light called us and walked up the stairs and showed us the place where the king was sitting. We followed him with facts from 250 years ago. He told me that this is not a palace but actually a hiding place and 250 years ago the king and his followers used to come here to stay in hiding.
So the outside wedding hall was built to hold the marriage of his daughter in hiding. But it was learned that the wedding did not take place. The walls are full of old and new paintings. It will be amazing. Seeing that they had not perished for so long, he walked through a corridor and from there a door leading to the underground opened it and went down a dark staircase. There are two dark rooms to hide in if there is an attack on the hideout. Natchucha and Nattapathira can’t even see what’s right in front of their eyes. From that surprise we walked down a corridor. There in the wall was a circular window, one and a half chans in diameter, which opened towards the entrance into the palace. It is separated into 24 sections that cross the gun barrel in a special way. We heard with horror and astonishment that if a shot was fired through any of these holes, the chest would be crushed whether it was a small child or an adult standing at the entrance.
There are so many historical monuments left as proof that even before the advancement of modern technology, our forefathers had made better inventions and many wise advances than that.Filled with curiosity inside, we again continued our journey to Tadiyanremol Hills, full of huge trees and coffee plantations on both sides. After traveling through plowed fields, he reached the foothills of the mountain. The road afterwards was rough. The carts made their way up the hill to the shop, kicking up dust over gravel and gravel. After resting for a while we parked the car and started walking and finally reached a check post. There he gave his name and number and started walking. Otayan has gone down alone, did you go and come back soon, did you hear the forest guard’s malayalam in kannada was very interesting. Beyond the dense vegetation, the mesmerizing beauty of the hills is painted as if on a canvas.
The width of the road started to decrease as we proceeded past the wild cholas and giant trees. And there are no trees for shade. The path led us up the hill, past isolated trees like a grass field. Even if the sun was not too hot, we were hungry as it was almost three o’clock. Yet again we walked for a long distance. A winding road into the distant hills caught our attention. For the first time we abandoned an attempt half way up, convinced that it would be too late by the time we climbed all the way back. We said goodbye to Tadiyanremol Hills among the tourists coming and going. Now Matikeri. Our carriage sped forward, past fields and farms and small ponds, through trees full of violet blossoms. Went to a hotel on the way and had a meal. All the tired minds woke up after the meal. Excitedly, we started climbing the Madikeri pass. Madikeri is reminiscent of Kodaikanal, and the standing buildings and pine trees made Madikeri more beautiful. The Rajaseet, like a throne, stands on the hillside with its head raised. The sunset of Rajaseet is like the coolness of Kodak. Many tourists flocked there by evening.
The sight is refreshing to the eyes and mind. Paddy fields spread across the valley.. coconut groves and beyond that the mountains drawn by nature. Birds fly through the crimson color cast by the setting sun. The sun stole the light of the day and hid behind some mountains, leaving only a little red. The water show had already started at the back. While the water show was going on with LED lights according to the music, two people went looking for the room. With a room ready for 6 people for 1300 rupees, we returned to Madikeri town. Madikeri City, which is not crowded, but has a busy yellow light scattered here and there. After reaching the room, everyone took a shower and freshened up and went to eat food. Faded into the next day. 3 of us got up early in the morning and went for a walk through Madikeri town. We walked along with the cold morning in Madikeri where it was snowing before sunrise. By the time he turned around and reached the room, the rest were ready. After checking out the room we checked into a hotel and had breakfast. Inside the hotel, the information about the tourist places has been flexed and the employee of the hotel also told us about some places and the first decision was to go to Abbey Falls.
After leaving the hotel, we were traveling with the help of Google Maps. Moving from the city again through the wildness of the forest, we crossed the check post and stopped the car at the place shown on the Google map. It’s going down there. I can hear the sound of water splashing, and as I walked along a path that only one person could barely descend, I came to a wild stream flowing over a pile of pale black rocks. The road leads over a wooden bridge and through coffee plantations to somewhere far away. When we were sure that we had lost our way, we got back from there in despair and traveled a little further on the bike and finally we reached a large parking area. From there we went down the stairs. The wind swept us through the thickly growing forest. Many tourists come to see Abby Falls, which flows down from the top of the wide rocks, and the beauty of it is not damaged even when the water is low. The water splashes between the clumps and flows down in wild streams. After some time we were forced to turn him away. The next plan was to see Madikeri Palace. We drove along a busy road through small towns and arrived in front of the Palace.
A number of vehicles are parked. Two or three buildings are also located there. We asked someone for information about the palace and he told us that it is a court and the building complex including the palace is used as government offices. It is surrounded by a fort wall. We walked over it and could see different parts of Madikeri from here. After staying there for a while we moved towards the next place. Chikli Hole. When I saw him at the hotel in the morning, he decided to go. After traversing tarred roads and dirt roads, we approached it. On the right side, there is a hill like a high earth and in the middle of it, chikli reservoir is written in big letters with cement. We moved ahead and parked the car near the river. A wide walkway across the river. On the left side, granite is laid on a sloping surface. Security has advised not to enter the river as there are crocodiles. Rock formations are scattered here and there in the green grassland on both sides of the river.
Cattle are grazing. In the middle of the river, a waterfowl came to rest on a tree branch floating on the water. Mandamarutha, who came with the cold, passed us by. As it is summer, the water is very less. Water has not been released into the Chikli hole seen in the picture and it is lying dry. But that river and nature was a very beautiful canvas. After filling the camera with the river and the scenes, we returned to Dubare Forest. Gigantic gray trees grow in rows against the sky. As it was summer, our vehicles were moving through the huge trees that had shed all their leaves. As we approached Dubare Forest, the road became difficult and the entire road was plowed using JCB to rebuild the road. After overcoming all obstacles, we finally reached the goal.
As the water is low, the forest flows silently through the rocks. There are many people doing river rafting there. Rock formations are spread up to the middle of the six, and there are not too tall trees that provide shade. As it was almost noon, after eating and resting for a while, we decided to go river rafting. The charge is Rs 150 per person. Donning our life jackets, we paddled across the water between the rocks. On the other side of the river is the Elephant Camp. Elephants can be seen resting here and there while moving under the branches of trees leaning towards the river. We paddled across the stream and reached between another rock formation. We paddled back across the excited waters where the elephant camp workers were washing clothes and cooking food.
After spending half an hour in the river, we were forced to turn him around. The next destination is the Golden Temple. On the way there we saw a park full of bamboo groves. Taking a ticket of 10 rupees per person, we entered over the suspension bridge and passed many statues, seats, clumps of bamboo and trees with kelp to fight the realities and we came to another stream. The light hardly reaches the silent stream. Passing the chirping of parrots, herds of deer and countless schools of fish in the stream below the gun bridge, we made our way out of the park again and on to the Golden Temple.
After entering the temple road from the main road, it seems like a Tibetan country. All their customs and beliefs can be seen everywhere on the roadsides. We traveled along the winding road through the gray grass and finally reached the Golden Temple. It will be dominated by persons dressed in crimson. As it is evening, the temple is decorated with lamps. We went inside with the cherupachchi and around the statue of Sri Buddha which was made in gold color and decorated with gold color itself. Even the walls, pillars and ceilings are painted. The guard instructed everyone to leave because it was after sunset and it was puja time. We got out very quickly and headed towards Kushal Nagar. We found a place to stay that day among the streets where it was getting dark. For 1000 rupees, we got a room including 2 bed rooms for 6 people. Third day in Kotak. One more place to see on the way back home. Harangi Dam.
We passed through the urban areas and moved through isolated places free of crowds. Even when he reached Harangi, he was very hungry. After eating puttum from the nearby hotel, we crossed the main gate of Harangi and the river is beyond. Beyond is the park and garden. We walked through the gardens. All access to the other side is closed. Third day at Sinikutak. One more place to see on the way back home. Harangi Dam. We passed through the urban areas and moved through isolated places free of crowds. Even when he reached Harangi, he was very hungry. After eating puttum from the nearby hotel, we crossed the main gate of Harangi and the river is beyond. Beyond is the park and garden. We walked through the gardens. All access to the other side is closed. When we were watching a film in a cinema theater, we were in a situation where another curtain was drawn in front of us. We walked back disappointed. Stealing the cool memories of Kodak and through the wildness of the forest through the passes where the warm breeze blows. Through dreams strewn with violet flowers, we turn with dreams in Kotak that are not yet tired. The journey does not end, it will continue.
Thanks…….
Visakha Allus
