Kabini - In the lap of nature

One of the places in Karnataka where one can enjoy wildlife and get immersed in the lap of nature is Kabini. It is about 80 kms from Mysore and located inside the Nagarhole National Park. It is named after Kabini, a tributary of Kaveri. We visited Kabini a while ago and stayed at the Jungle Lodges Resort. For a long time, this used to be the only place to stay at Kabini and therefore always heavily booked. Now there are other resorts too but if one is planning to stay at the Jungle Lodges, it is advisable to book well in advance because it is still sought after.

Man and animal

Have you ever witnessed a bull race? It is a sheer display of exhilaration, heroism and raw energy. A few years ago, we watched a local bull race near Ullal, in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka and it was quite an experience. 

 As we approached the venue, we saw huge hordes of people from surrounding villages making their way to witness the event. We didn’t have to ask for any directions for we simply followed the crowds. The local villagers had already taken the best spots and the VIPs were seated in a temporarily erected shamiana. We managed to find a place for ourselves close to the VIPs so that we too could enjoy a great view. It seemed to be primarily a male sport as I could hardly find any women among the spectators. There were two tracks covered with ankle-deep muddy water and separated from each other and the spectators by red mud embankments. We realized that the contestants would have to race in pairs in perhaps a dozen heats. Soon the contestants flaunting their bare chests, turbans and bright coloured folded veshtis and shorts paraded with their respective pairs of bulls. The bulls were also decorated with bright ribbons, woolen flowers and bells. Each contestant was accompanied by a couple of men- perhaps their coaches and strategists - helping them to keep their nerves. 

The spectators were in complete frenzy when the race started. The contestants raced amidst complete cacophony of cheering crowds, village drums and whistles. We were sure this egged the bulls and their men to get into the zone and sprint through the muddy waters. The bulls ran like crazy and the men tried to keep pace by not letting go off the rope that connected the two. It was not clear who was controlling whom, if the men were racing the bulls or if the bulls were dragging the men at a speed beyond their limits. The men who got the prizes became instant heroes bringing glory to their families and villages. The bulls got their share of indulgence and the spectators went back charged contagiously with the raw energy that filled the air.

Atypical Beauty

An uninhabited island in the middle of the deep blue Arabian Sea, carpeted with heaps of sea shells and decorated with various kinds of polygonal columnar geological formations - that’s St. Mary’s Islands near Malpe beach in Karnataka. A hidden treasure and an absolute must-see!

St. Mary's Islands

We took an overnight bus from Bangalore to Udupi and stayed at Malpe beach. The beach had lovely white sands and was ideal for swimming. Our travel book recommended an excursion to St. Mary’s Islands and so we decided to make a trip there the very next day. The ferry ride to the islands took over 20 minutes and we were told that although the name actually refers to a group of four islands, we would be dropped at the island which was most popularly visited. The ferry stopped a few metres away from the shore and we had to wade through knee deep water to reach the island. Although the travel book had told us what to expect, what we actually saw exceeded all our expectations. The island was completely uninhabited and the only folks around were those who had taken the ferry along with us. The sea was mostly deep blue with shades of turquoise.

Basaltic Lava Columns

The characteristic feature of St. Mary’s Islands is the presence of stunning polygonal column-like structures formed with basaltic lava, millions of years ago. Each formation is unique and it was fascinating to look at them closely- most columns were stuck to each other but revealed the joints, some columns stood with slight gaps in between. Some columns looked as if they were vertically bunched together and chopped at the ends smoothly while others seemed to be chopped leaving jagged, uneven endings.  Although the Geological Survey of India has recognized it as one of the geological monuments, we did not see any particular effort to educate the visitors about its composition, formation, scientific studies being conducted and so on. Thus, for most visitors, it remains only a beautiful sight to be enjoyed. Another interesting fact we gathered was that Vasco da Gama is believed to have first stopped at St. Mary’s Islands before reaching Calicut during his first voyage to India in 1498. That also makes it historically significant, but again, we did not see any signs or information on the island which supported this claim.

Heaps of sea shells

The island is also a shell-collector’s paradise as there are heaps and heaps of shells on the beach. The island has a small park for children with slides and swings and some benches to sit. There are no shops or restaurants on the island and we found this to be very unusual. On the way back in the ferry, we wondered if keeping the St. Mary’s Islands out of the regular touristy traps was a carefully considered policy of the authorities meant to actually preserve the local geology or if it was a missed opportunity of promoting geo-tourism or if it was simply a sheer indifference towards our rare and incredible wonders. 

Mystery Church

Some places have the power to transport you straight on to Hindi movie sets when you first encounter them– like the yellow mustard fields, huge mansions with high staircases, temples with lots of bells perched on hill-tops and many more. My visit to the partially submerged Holy Rosary Church at Shettihalli near Hassan, Karnataka, transported me straight on to the sets of a horror film by Ramsay brothers.

We had found this church mentioned in some corner of our travel guide; yet, we decided to check it out. It was close to evening and the clouds had started gathering but that did not deter us from going ahead. We drove as per the directions but had to ask several people along the way for the ‘Shettihalli church’ as it is popularly known. We almost missed the narrow mud track that takes you close to the church. There was no one around. We parked at a spot and walked through the high bushes along the mud track until we reached an open area from where we could see the submerged church. It was built by the French over a hundred years ago and is now submerged under Hemavathy reservoir. From what I understand, the church is not always submerged under the water, but it was hard to imagine it that way as it looked like it was frozen in time. The dark clouds, the still waters and the eerie silence around added to the spookiness. We were the only ones around and I am sure even a slightest sound could have freaked us out. The longer I looked at the church, the more I got convinced that there must be hundreds of stories lying buried within its walls – stories of hope, belief, pain, destruction and fraternity. Stories that beckoned travelers like me, but left us unsettled looking for answers.