Jun 18, 2009
As travelling and observation has been my hobby and passion, on the advice of one of the readers of the Daijiworld.com, i recently took the route of Karkala-Naravi to Belthangady. It proved to be a journey through history and nature.
The township of Karkala presents a picture of medieval ambience with narrow roads and streets lined with old traditional houses and shops that are stuffed with varieties of goods and merchandise. Karkala has rich treasure of historical monuments that belong to Hinduism, Jainism and Christianity.
Karkala acquires its name from the term ‘Kari Kallu’ meaning ‘black granite’, which is available in large quantities which had been used by the Jain sculptors and architects generously in constructing various ‘basadis’ and the gigantic monolithic statue of ‘Lord Bahubali’ or ‘Gomateshwara’.
Chaturmukha Basadi and Savira Kambada Basadi
Among the Jain monuments, the ‘Chaturmukha Basadi’, constructed in 1586, is the most attractive that manifests the architectural and sculptural achievements of the medieval artists. The famous monolithic statue of ‘Lord Bahubali’ rising to a height of 42 feet was installed on a rocky hill in 1432. Every twelve years, thousands of Jain devotees come to Karkala to perform the Mahamastakabhisheka. The next Mahamastakabhisheka will take place in 2014.
Besides the Jain Basadis, there are a number of Hindu temples that go back in history. It is said that, the Goud-Saraswats from Goa who were fleeing from the atrocities of the Portuguese landed in Karkala and were generously welcomed by the Jain rulers of the region. The temple of Venkataramana in which the Goud-Saraswats worship was constructed in 1537. Another famous temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu is the Anantha Padmanabha temple which is also situated in the vicinity of the Karkala town.
The famous church dedicated to St. Lawrence at Attur in the outskirts of the Karkala town is one of the most revered pilgrim centres which attract people from different faiths. The present church was built in the year 1839.The miraculous circumstances that led to the foundation of the church and the belief in the power of St. Lawrence to intercede with God and grant favours to those who invoked his name turned the church into a pilgrimage centre. Every Thursday people from different faiths and places throng to the church for novena prayers. Every year
in the last week of January, people from all walks of life regardless of religion and from all over the country pay a visit to offer their prayers during the annual festival spreading from Tuesday to Thursday.
Other important attractions of the Karkala town are the Ramasamudram and the Anekere, the latter now being divided into two by a connecting road and is filled with silt and vegetation which requires restoration.
There are private buses at regular intervals to Belthangady which take the Bajagoli-Naravi-Guruvayanakere route. There are also few buses that take Moodabidri-Venur-Guruvayanakere route. While the travel through the Bajagoli-Naravi route is a feast to nature lovers, the Moodabidri-Venur route presents a rich experience to the lover of both history and nature.
As the bus proceeds on the Bajagoli-Naravi route, the travellers, those who are alert can see the churches at Miyar and Nellikar (recently renovated) and a number of temples, mosques and government schools. In between, the old tile-roofed houses and shops as well as the bungalows of the rich pass through. The winding roads through hills and forests enable the traveller to view the coconut, areca nut and rubber plantations at regular intervals.
From Naravi, one can get the glimpses of the gigantic Western Ghats through the gaps in the forests. During this season the hovering white and dark clouds at the top of the ghats and the green patches at the centre and bottom give a feeling just out of the world. One can also come across the signboards demarcating the Kudremukh National Park. It takes around two hours to reach Belthangady from Karkala through this route.
Those who take the Moodabidri-Venur route can visit the famous Jain monument, the ‘Thousand Pillared Basadi’ (Savirakambada Basadi) at Moodabidri and the monolithic 38 feet high statue of Gomateshwara at Venur erected by the Jain ruler Timmanna Ajila in 1604. Venur also has a few other Jain Basadis and a Mahadeva temple.
Karakal, Dharmastala and Venur
Dharmasthala also has a monolithic statue of Gomateshwara situated on the Ratnagiri hill. This statue is 52 feet in height and weighs around 200 tons. This statue was sculpted by Shri Renjala Gopala Shenoy of Karkala and was installed at Dharmasthala in 1975. Thus, out of four monolithic statues of Lord Bahubali or Gomateshwara, three are found at Karkala, Venur and Dharmasthala. The first and the tallest (57 feet) statue of Gomateshwara, considered to be the world's largest monolithic statue is at Shravanabelagola in the Hassan district erected between 978-993 on the Vindyagiri by Chamundarya, a general of King Gangaraya.
Those travellers who are interested in adventure and history can also pay a visit to the Jamalabadu Fort located 8 kilometres from Belthangady on the road to Killur. The fort was built by Tipu Sultan in 1794 and named after his mother, Jamalabee. The top of the fort can be reached through a narrow path comprising of nearly 1876 steps that are cut out of the granite hill. The fort was captured by the British in 1799 during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in which Tipu Sultan was killed at Seringapatam.
The stretch from Karkala to Belthangady has a number of historical monuments as well as natural beauty that would make the journey of any lover of history and nature memorable provided he or she has enough time to explore this region.
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