Rambling Around

Wanted to begin the new year by indulging in my passions of travel and photography and did just that this new year. Drove down to Karde from Mumbai for a rejuvenating beginning to the new year! Spent a couple of days gorging on sea food and gorgeous sunrises and sunsets!
We set out from home at 0630hrs on the first day of 2010 and got on to NH17. 

We had the moon for company all along.

The first dawn of the year was an awesome sight from the Panvel bypass.
Had an idli dosa breakfast at Kamaths in Mahad and moved on to Khed from where we take the turn for Dapoli and onwards to Karde where we had booked a room in Hotel Kinara. 

Reached the Hotel at 1230hrs after covering a distance of 290kms. Our lunch order was confirmed on the phone by the Hotel a day earlier. This is the practice followed by all the Hotels in the area hence you cannot just walk in and expect to be served. The meal order has to be placed at least a couple of hours in advance.
Had an excellent fish Thali and a delicious veg Thali and followed it by getting back to the room and resting for a while before proceeding to Harnai beach to witness the fish auction.

Harnai beach is around 8kms away and we reached there via a treacherous path by car. The boats had come in and the auction was on in full swing.

What struck us was the way the fish was transported from the boats to the shore. The boats cannot come in right up to the shore due to shallow waters and hence bullock carts, yes bullock carts, take sacks of ice to the boats, offload the fish onto the ice in plastic crates and cart it back to the shore!
It was fun watching and clicking all the activity on the beach. Spent nearly an hour there, after which we returned back to our Hotel that was all decked up in celebration of 2010.

On our way back spotted this cannon at Harnai.
Watched the sun go down which created a magical ambiance with paragliding activity on the beach.

Had an awesome dinner of, yes, fish! Retired early for the day as had to get up early to go for the ‘dolphin viewing’ boat ride at dawn.

Saw this heavenly sight from the balcony at 0600hrs.
The boat was scheduled to arrive at the hotel to pick us up at 0700hrs. And sure enough, saw the motor boat puttering in on time, and we, along with 8 other tourists, were helped aboard by the crew. And on we went in search of the elusive dolphins.
Managed to spot a few in the half hour ride that cost us only Rs.100/- per head.

The sunrise witnessed from the ocean was awesome!
Revelling in the beauty we returned to the hotel had ‘kanda pohey’ for breakfast and got ready to visit the ‘Kadyavarcha Ganapati’ which is around 20kms from the hotel at Anjarle.

Had a peaceful darshan of this legendary idol. This idol is believed to have come ashore Anjarle from the sea and was installed on the cliff using wooden pillars in around 1150. Later it was renovated during 1768 to 1780. The Ganesh idol’s trunk is curved towards the right, which is very rare. Kadyavarcha Ganapati is also considered as the live deity (a jagrut daiwat) who responds to distress calls of common people (nawsala pavnara Ganapati).

The dome of this temple has the ‘Ashtavinayak’ embedded on it.
There is a small Shiva Mandir adjacent to this temple.
Sat there awhile and returned back to the hotel for yet another excellent meal of fish and ‘vaalaach beerd’.

Spent the evening walking along the beach, watching a glorious sunset.
For dinner that night had an unusual prawn biryani. It was a Malwani flavoured biryani and absolutely yummy! And of course every meal was accompanied by delicious solkadi.

Got up early as it was the final morning at Karde for us and wanted to take in as much as possible of the ambiance of a lovely morning on the beach.

Went for long walk on the beach and around 0930hrs set out on the return journey to Mumbai. But had a stop scheduled on the way.

There was this beautiful old temple at Murud Harnai which is just about 2kms from Karde.

Murud is also the hometown of our great freedom fighter Bharat Ratna Maharshi Dhondu Karve whose bust is erected opposite the Durga Devi temple.

This Durga Devi temple was built almost 300yrs back and the pujari affirmed that his was the 6th generation looking after the temple.

The carved wooden pillars in the temple are beautiful.

A Ganesha temple in the premises

There is a large bell at the entrance of the temple. The temple poojary told us that it was brought by Chimaji Appa after winning over the Vasai fort, from one of the churches there.

Had our breakfast at Dapoli and returned to Mumbai via Mandangad covering a distance of 249kms.
The roads were largely good and the traffic minimal. Only in certain patches the road was rough – untarred.

Reached Mumbai at 1630hrs after a magical holiday at Karde.


Getting there
By Train

Mumbai - Karde
• Mumbai - Khed Station (via Konkan Railway)
• Khed Station - Dapoli (29 km) (via private transport – jeeps, etc. / state transport -   ST buses)
   Dapoli – Karde (20kms) (via private transport – jeeps, etc. / state transport -   ST buses)                

By Road
Mumbai – Karde
290kms Route Mumbai - Panvel – Mahad –Khed – Dapoli – Karde (Mumbai –Khed NH17)
250kms Route Mumbai – Panvel – Mangaon – Mandangad – Dapoli - Karde  (Mumbai – Mangaon NH17)      

A mini Tibet in South India, 2,000 kilometres from Tibet! To know the Tibetan way of life and to see the Golden Temple, the people in South India need not venture very far from their homes. 

A few kilometres from Madikeri in Karnataka is Bylakuppe where the Indian government had leased 3,000 acres of land to the fleeing Tibetans in 1961.

The’ Lugsum Samdupling’ settlement has grown to a veritable township with monasteries, nunneries and cafes and stalls that showcase the Tibetan way of life. Bylakuppe is the largest Tibetan community in exile with about 40,000 people in five settlements containing monasteries, kindergarten to higher level secondary schools, health care clinics, a hospital and a traditional Tibetan medical facility.

As you near the settlement you will find monks in robes zipping past on two wheelers. Makes one wonder – what’s the hurry for the monks? Ah well, the monks here are well rooted in tradition and well connected with all modern technology too.
You will see monks chatting away on a mobile phone in one hand and rolling beads on his rosary in another!
All the monks exude a friendliness and warmth towards all visitors and are ready to answer any question that is put to them.

The most visited temple here is Namdroling (The Golden Temple) and the signage is loud and clear. And of course you can spot it from afar.
The monastery attached to this temple is considered to be one of the best places for higher learning. This monastery dedicated to the teachings of Palyul Lineage of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism was established by His Holiness Pema Norbu Rinpoche shortly after he came to India from Tibet.

Three beautiful larger than life gold plated statues look down at visitors above the altar. Buddha around 60 feet tall holds prominent place, flanked by Guru Padmasambhava and Amitayush (each around 58 feet tall).

The walls are adorned with colourful paintings depicting gods and demons from Tibetan Buddhist mythology.
The altar is decorated with flowers, candles and incense.
Dragons twirl up pillars on two sides of the platform.

The entrance has a curtain of beads which is the favourite of kids who love going in and out.
We stepped out and were generally looking around when we saw monks streaming into another temple nearby. We followed and were rewarded by a pleasing rendition of chants as they sat down, opened the books on the bench in front of them and started praying.

Three of them sat at a bench where there were these long wind instruments which were blown at strategic intervals.
A senior (I think) monk played the cymbals while another beat the drum occasionally.

After about five minutes of chanting, a couple of monks walked in with a kettle of water and offered it to a few of the monks who were chanting.

Outside on the lawns there was a group of monks relaxing from whatever they were doing and readily agreed to be photographed.

The exterior of the new Zangdokpalri temple looks majestic with a majestic rainbow arch.
We are so used to being told not to photograph the idols in temples, that the ready willingness of the monks to let the idols in their temples being photographed is such a pleasant and welcome surprise.  
The nearest town for Bylakuppe is Kushal Nagar. Auto-rickshaw is the best mode for a trip to the Golden Temple from Kushalnagar town. There are frequent buses shuttling  between Mysore and Madikeri. Get down at Kushalnagar.
If you are driving from Mysore towards Madikeri by SH 88, Bylakuppe appears a few kilometres ahead of Kushalnagar town. A sign board gives indication towards the left on the road to Madikeri. Kushalnagar is about 30 km (18 miles) from Madikeri town.

There's a large parking area near the Golden Temple. A shopping arcade next to it houses many curios shops and restaurants. There are not many hotels in Bylakuppe, though there is some guesthouse accommodation as part of the Monastery. Better options for stay are available at Kushalnagar and Madikeri, in that order.

At the northern tip of Mumbai, in Borivili, lies the magnificent Sanjay Gandhi National Park. It is the breathing space for stressed out Mumbaikars who wish to go birding, or just a walk in the forest! 

Nestled in the green environs are the glorious Kanheri caves. These caves date back to 11AD and beyond. As per the records work on these caves began in 1BC and carried on right through 11AD.
It is 6 km from the National Park Main Gate. Kanheri comes from the Sanskrit word Krishnagiri generally meaning black in colour. They were chiseled out of a massive basaltic rock outcropping.

There are 109 rock-cut cells, carved into the side of a hill. Each cave has a stone plinth for a bed. A congregation hall with huge stone pillars contains the stupa, a Buddhist shrine. 

Farther up the hill are the remains of an ancient water system, canals and cisterns that collected and channeled the rainwater into huge tanks.

Most of the caves are the Buddhist viharas meant for living, study, and meditation. The larger caves were chaityas, or halls for congregational worship, are lined with intricately carved Buddhist sculptures, reliefs and pillars, and contain rock-cut stupas for congregational worship. The large number of viharas obviously prove a well-organized existence of Buddhist monks' establishment.
Kanheri was a University center by the time the area was under the rule of the Maurayan and Kushan empires.
It  is credited with the largest number of cave excavations in a single hill and it thrived due to its proximity to ancient sea port towns like Sopara (Surparaka, the Supara of Greek; Subara of Arab writers; the ancient capital of northern Konkan), Kalyan a thriving port.
It is generally believed that Buddhism first arrived in Aparantha (Western India) at Sopara which is very close to Kanheri.
The caves were mentioned by early visitors like the Portuguese in the 16th century A.D. and other travellers and voyagers of Europe. Of the numerous donor inscriptions found here mention of ancient cities like Suparaka (Sopara); Nasika (Nasik); Chemuli (Chemula); Kalyana (Kalyan); Dhenukakata (Dhanyakataka, modern Amaravati in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh) are found. The donors were from all class of the society, from the members of the royal families to the commoners.

The most prominent among the excavations at Kanheri is the Cave 3, which is a chaityagriha which was excavated during the period of Yajna Satakarni (c. 172-201 A.D.)
On plan it consists of a large rectangular hall with an apsidal back, a verandah and a spacious court in front, the dimensions of the hall being 26.36 X 13.66 X 12.9 m (l x b x h). 

A row of 34 pillars divide the hall into a central nave and flanking aisles. 

The roof of the nave is barrel vaulted while of the aisles are flat. There are evidences of provision of wooden rafters to the vaulted ceiling of nave which are gone now. 

The pillars of the hall are not uniform and of different styles and shapes and devoid of symmetry. 

A stupa is provided at the apse of the hall which measures 4.9 m in diameter and 6.7 m in height. The façade of the hall is 

pierced by three doors with two groups of two couples, each 

group carved in the oblong recesses between the doors. A huge chaitya window bereft of any ornamentation was provided for the passage of light. 

The side walls are sculpted extensively with two massive images of standing Buddha in varada mudra and other 

Bodhisattva images. These sculptures are of later additions and are datable to around 5th – 6th centuries A.D.

Cave 1 is an unfinished chaityagrha, originally planned to have a double-storeyed verandah and a porch, apart from the pillared hall. The cave is dated to 5th – 6th centuries A.D. as the pillars with compressed cushion or amalaka top appears generally during this period.

Cave 11 which is also known as ‘Darbar Hall’ consists of a huge hall with a front verandah. 

The hall has a shrine on its back wall and cells on two sides. The floor of the hall two low stone benches resembling Cave 5 of Ellora. 

Buddha in dharmacakrapravardana mudra adorns the shrine. The cave has four inscriptions of different periods, one dated in Saka 775 (A.D. 853) of the reign of Rashtrakuta King Amoghavarsha and his feudatory the Silahara prince, Kapardin. 

The inscription records the donation of various gifts and funds provided for the purchase of books and repairs to the damages.
Even if you are not a history buff, it is worth the visit for the wonderful views that you get on the way to the top and from the top. It is an invigorating trip that one would not mind, whether one has interests in history, culture or just plain adventure.