January 2009: What's in the breeze Developing India-centric content for a new web portal targeted at NRIs Editing and enhancing a corporate presentation for a German bank Research and content generation for client's website on a pay-per-month basis Repackaging and writing travel content for a client's website Developing content for a new motor vehicles website - delivering 500 articles per month Creating daily reports and summaries in the alternative energy sector... and more
Check out sample articles written by writers from our network.
Writers, use the writers' contact form to get in touch with us.
A Trip to the Temples and Holy Places of South Kanara
Every year during the Dussehra holidays my parents-in-law, husband and I, go on a vacation to South Kanara to visit the various temples and seek blessings of the deities. This year was no different and we started off in a similar fashion. We left Bangalore early in the morning and reached the temple town of Dharmasthala by evening. We checked into Sannidhi Guesthouse and had a refreshing nap. The view from the guesthouse was not just scenic, but had a calming effect on the mind. One could hear the birds singing into the twilight, as if wishing each other goodnight. There were just miles and miles of lush forests with an occasional flowering tree. There was just peace and tranquility without the sound of a single vehicle. It was all the more noticeable because we had left Bangalore that morning, where one can hear only noise from traffic which makes it impossible to hear anything else, leave alone birds chirping!
Manjunathswamy Temple
With the mind totally at peace, we left for darshan to the Lord Manjunathswamy Temple. Being Vijaydashmi Day, there were hordes of devotees from near and far and all walks of life. The outer part of the temple is lit by electricity, whereas only traditional oil lamps light the inner circle and the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The ancient wooden architecture of the temple visible looked marvelous in the mellow light cast by the oil lamps. We moved in along with the queue and had a darshan of Lord Manjunathswamy. After taking the prasadam and seeking blessings of the Lord, we retired for a peaceful nights sleep at the guesthouse.
Subramamnya
The next morning, we had a quick breakfast and left for the darshan of Lord Kukke Subramanya after checking out of Sannidhi. The entire ride, from the highway to the temple town, was through dense forests or rubber plantations and over small rivulets where people could be seen bathing and splashing around in the cool water.
Having reached Subramanya, we proceeded straightaway for the darshan and entered the temple premises. The temple is considered to be the abode of the Snake God and the snakes are revered and worshipped by all devotees. Just as we finished with our prayers and were exiting the temple after taking the prasadam, we found a lot of people looking at something on the floor. Out of curiosity we peeped in to see a huge snake coming out of its hole. Everybody was praying and so did we. We were told that it is considered a very good sign to see the snake after worship.
Udupi
Feeling totally satisfied, we started back and proceeded to the temple town of Udupi. We checked into Udupi Residency and had a lovely meal of coastal fish curry and rice along with fried kingfish. Fresh fish, which is not so fresh in Bangalore, has a lovely taste. We then retired to our rooms to have a lazy afternoon nap and allow the food to be digested as well.
Kalyanpur
Later in the evening, we proceeded to Kalyanpur, a small village near Udupi where we have our ancestral deity – Lord Venkatramana. We took a little detour on NH 17, and proceeded through narrow village roads to reach the temple. The ancient temple is built with sloping tiled roofs, keeping in mind the heavy rainfall during the monsoons. Once we entered the temple, we found the atmosphere inside to be so cool and peaceful to the mind and body that we sat there quietly for a little while. We waited for the panditji to arrive and after he came we offered flowers and fruits to the Lord and the panditji performed a small puja and gave us prasadam.
We then left for the ancestral home in Kalyanpur itself, where there is a small place in the backyard, where puja and floral offerings are made to ward off any evil spirits. The entire family, as a tradition, performs this puja once in a year. After reaching Kalyanpur, we came back to Udupi and retired for the night.
Mulky and the Venketramana Temple
The next morning, after having breakfast of idli and vada sambhar, we left Udupi for ‘Mulky’, which is situated between Udupi and Mangalore on NH 17. There we went to the Venkatramana temple and offered our prayers. We sought blessings of the Lord and returned back to Udupi.
For lunch, we decided to go to a place called ‘Shetty Lunch Home’ in Kundapur, which is famous for its coastal fare. It is a famous eating-place for students studying at Manipal and was recommended to us by some of them. True to their recommendation, it was a very fabulous meal. We had a variety of seafood items and could not decide on which was the best, as each item was delicious and excellently prepared, the thought of which makes my mouth water even now.
Udupi Krishna Temple
After lunch, we returned to the room for a nap. In the evening, after tea and a nice hot water bath, we left for a darshan of Lord Krishna at the famous Udupi Krishna Temple. There were hordes of devotees thronging the temple and we too went in along with the crowd. We could catch a glimpse of Lord Krishna through a small window called ‘Kanakanakindi’. Legend has it that the poet Kanakadas was denied entry into the temple. He sat outside the temple and sang devotional songs, which moved Krishna so much that the Lord turned so that Kanakadas could see him through the window. Even today, people have to view the idol through the window and you can see only a side view.
After a darshan of the Lord, we went to visit my grandmother who lives in Udupi and sought her blessings as well. We had a sumptuous dinner there and then returned back to the room to pack for our return journey home.
Early next morning, we left for Bangalore, leaving behind the coastal scenery and taking with us sweet memories of a relaxing pilgrimage cum holiday and looking forward to the next one.
Chillibreeze's disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article.
Out of 5 “chilies”, our editorial team gave this article...
—About our writer:
Rashmi writes for chillibreeze.
>> Read more articles written by our chillibreeze staff and writers network:
more services at a glance
.gif)
