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 We were almost an hour behind schedule when we left Hassan at 8:30 am for Mangalore.
En route, we branched off along a not-so-good road to visit the important pilgrimage centre of
Subramanya, so called after the presiding deity at the temple, where he is worshipped as
Murugan, strangely in the form of a cobra. According to legends about this forest shrine,
'nagas' (cobras) once sought Subramanya's protection, which he provided in nearby caves and hence this form of worship. The deity is believed to have great healing powers and many pray there for progeny.
 After a lunch break in Mangalore, the beautiful district headquarters town, we set out for Udupi, one of Karnataka's most important places of pilgrimage. Udupi is synonymous with Krishna worship. The temple in the heart of the town has little to mark it architecturally, but the whole ambience is steeped in an atmosphere of love and devotion to the much-adored child god. Tired after a long day of travel, we rested that night in Mangalore and set out the next morning to see the town, which has a pleasing culture its own. Among the places a visitor should see are the St. Aloysius College Chapel on Lighthouse Hill, known for its intricate 19th century frescos, the Suratkal Beach and the Shremmanti Bai
Memorial Museum.
And so, on to Dharmasthala, the last place of religious importance on our trip. The presiding deity is Manjunatha. A feature of this Shaivite temple is the 'prasadam' in the form of a meal, which a pilgrim is enjoined to take. Indeed, the distribution of this 'prasadam' is something to remember, considering that thousands of pilgrims visit the temple round the year. The simple meal is served in a huge, immaculately clean hall by groups of earnest volunteers. As soon as one batch of pilgrims has finished, the place is cleaned up in no time for the next batch. Near the town is a statue of the Jain saint Bahubali, a12 metre tall monolith, installed in 1973.
On the road again, we headed for
Kodugu, with some degree of anticipation, because after so many one-day stops, we would be taking a five-day break there. The drive up the picturesque ghat road only whetted our appetites.
Madikeri, the district headquarters, is a small, attractive town
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set in beautiful hills surrounded by the forests of the Western
Ghats.  Almost any place in it is within walking distance. Nearby is the Omkareshwara temple, dedicated to both Vishnu and Siva. Built in 1820, it has tiled roofs typical of Kerala temple architecture, but it has also white domes, showing Muslim influence. Again, Muslim influence is seen in the Rajas' Tombs, memorials for Virarajendra Raja and his wife and for Lingarajendra Raja. The Raja's Seat, situated in a park, is a structure where Lingarajendra Raja used to sit and enjoy the scenery. One glance at the scenery and one can easily understand why he was captivated.
Half an hour from
Madikere, you come to Abbey Falls after a bit of a walk. They are best visited during the rains, as otherwise, there is just a trickle.
Bhagamandala, 36 km away, is a confluence of three rivers, Kanike, Kaveri and
Sujyothi, with a beautiful bathing ghat. A peaceful
Bhagandeswara temple is situated nearby. Tala Cauvery, 8 km further on, is from where the Cauvery starts down the hill on its journey to the
Bay of Bengal. Both Bhagamandala and Tala Cauvery are held in great veneration and draws visitors in thousands. One day, we drove towards Mysore and visited the Tibetan settlement in Bylakuppe village. Those in the settlement were part of the influx of refugees who crossed over from Tibet across the Himalayas at the time of the Dalai Lama's flight to India. The refugees were dispersed and Bylakuppe was selected for the southern settlement as its climate and mountain setting, it was thought, would better suit the Tibetans. The village also has a monastery.
From there, we went on to Kauvery Nisargadama, perhaps the most beautiful place we visited on the trip. A small island reserve in the Cauvery, the place was full of bamboo. Accessible only via bamboo and steel bridges - and crossing them was an experience in
itself - there is a deer park, boating, and elephant rides, besides machans built in tall trees to view wild life. Very peaceful and pleasant, the place seemed so far untouched by tourism. It was time to return and we sadly packed our bags for the drive back via Mysore and Bangalore. And in no time at all, the heat and dust of Chennai had us in their familiar embrace. But who were we to complain? After such a trip!
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