A family Fun Trip to Mercara

Mercara Trip from 9th to 10th June 2007

This month we had a good trip to some important tourist spots in Karnataka. The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation had several packages on their list. Almost all the packages are very good. . After dilly dallying, we decided on a two day tour to Golden temple Nisarga Dhama,Talacauvaery &. Mercara, Accordingly, four days in advance we booked 7 tickets through an agent in Hanumanthanagar. The package is inclusive of accommodation. Rs.1,200/-per seat.

Every time we use to plan our visit to temple sites. However, just to have a change in our programme, we planned this package.

On 9th June 2007, a party of seven people started our journey. We left our place at 6.30.am and reached the starting point “Badami House” to board the K.S.T.D.C bus about 7.am.. Since it was a Second Saturday, all the seats were full. In fact, this is the second bus, we could manage.

The bus took the Mysore route, the Guide Mr.Yesudas, explained the programme of the day at the beginning of our journey.

During our journey, he showed the place where the actual shooting for Sholey was done.This place is in Ramanagar enroute to Mysore. Because of its proximity with huge rocks and mountain terrains, the producer of the film selected this site and named this area as Ramgarh fort. Even now tourists passing through this area recalls the scene shot in this particular area. Before Chennapatna the bus was stopped for our breakfast in a nearby hotel Raj Bhavan.

During the course of our journey we passed through Srirangapatna Fort, the Capital of Tippu sultan. This was ruled by two Muslim rulers for 36 years namely Hyder Ali and his son Tippu Sultan between1763-1799. We also saw from a distance the Lord Ranganatha swamy temple which is 1,200 years old and also the burial place of Tippu Sultan.

Our first visit was to Golden Temple in Bailukuppa. The entire area has been maintained very neat and clean. Here we saw the Tibetian Monastery wherein the statue of Buddha as well the tomb has been fully gold plated. We were told that when the Chinese army invaded Tibet in 1952 and took over Lasha including the Patola Palace, Dalai Lama left Tibet for India with his followers and later he approached Nehru to accommodate his people till they attain their Independence. Hence on humanitarian grounds a vast area in Bailukuppa, a hamlet in Karnataka was given to them for their rehabilitation. With the assistance of Government of India and aids from other countries, the entire stretch of land has been well developed.

The Monastery, built by them is one of the tourist Spot in Karnataka. This place has also got a residential accommodation for Buddhist Monks to learn the teachings of Lord Buddha. This place is worth seeing. One important feature of this place is that no foreigners are allowed inside the premises without valid permission from the Central Government.

The bus halted at Kushalnagar near a Hotel Aditi for Lunch . Since we had taken some items namely, Curd rice, lemon rice and also some chapathis for our bus journey, we finished curd rice and lemon rice for our lunch. Geetha prepared chapathis with sabji for our journey. Later we proceeded towards Cauvery Nisarga Dhama, where we went round for a boating. We had to reach the boating area through a hanging bridge for 5 minutes. The child Aishwaraya who accompanied us had an Elephant ride.

There is every scope for improvement in this place. The Department could have taken little more interest to make this place more attractive by planting more trees and also by up keeping the boating place. A guide inside the area is a must during visiting season. People do visit these areas at week ends invariably and it is high time that if private participation are also involved, people can make their visit more meaningful. Every effort should be taken to prevent people carrying plastic bags inside the Dhama.

After our visit to Nisarga Dhama, we proceeded towards Mercara(Madikeri). It is the capital of Kodagu, the land of the fiercely loyal and martial kodavas,many people from this place have earned their name and fame in the Indian Army, like Field Marshal Cariappa and General Thimmaiah. Kodavas are extremely proud of their heritage. The only way to this hill town is by road from Mysore. Here we saw the natural beauty in full strength with coffee plantation,paddy fields, grass lands,pepper and cardamom vines and orange orchards. and all other plants in and around the hills and mountains. This magnificient environ has made Kodagu being called the “Scotland of India” .

On the way we saw the Abbey Falls.which is located inside an estate where water gushes over rocks After reaching certain distance we had to board a Jeep to reach Abbey Falls. Literally, we have to walk for one and a half km distance to reach the Abbey Falls which is situated in a very steep place. The tourists were enjoying the falls and taking bath also. By the time we reached our Jeep point, almost all the people in our bus were exhausted and many of us had a good tea at a nearby tea stall.

Amidst all this flows the life giving Cauvery, regarded as the source of life by the Kodavas. Medikeri seems like other countless hill towns in the country with steep,narrow roads and houses .


The Rajs’s seat in Madikeri has occupied a pride of place, a cliff-edge point where , it is believed the Maharajas used to enjoy sunsets. On clear days, sunsets are watched with silent reverence However, due to bad weather, we could not see it There was some drizzling also. We proceeded towards the Raja Seat Garden in Mercara which is really worth seeing. The Garden with blooming flowers as a whole has been maintained very well by the Department of Horticulture. There is a musical fountain also. At 7.00 pm the display at the musical fountain started which was colourful and breathtaking. We took some snaps also. The child Aishwarya who accompanied us had a merry round in the Toy Train which is an additional attraction. It is pertinent to mention here that from the Raja seat one can see the entire area.

After our Garden visit, we proceeded towards our hotel for stay. We were accommodated at Popular Woodlands. This Hotel seems to be good. By about 8.30.pm we had our Dinner. The Chapathis and curd rice which we had taken with us, served the purpose. We had a good sleep at the Hotel and had a good hot water bath around 5.00am the next day.

The next day i.e. on 10.6.07, after our morning tea ,we were ready by 6.30.am. and proceeded towards Omkareshwara temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Here the temple is
constructed under the Mogul architecture. We were told by the Guide that when the Muslim rulers were destroying the Hindu temples in many parts of India, this temple was architecturally styled like a mosque to prevent the onslaught of Muslim rulers.

After the temple visit, we proceeded towards Talacauvery, in the Brahmagiri hills, the birth place of Cauvery.. The Birth place of Cauvery has been maintained neatly and a small Shiva temple has been built a year back .From the top of the Brahma Giri one can have a panoramic view. However, because of heavy fog nothing was visible. The starting point of Tala Cauvery was found to be through a small spring which flows through the mountain and flows through Tamilnadu after entering the Plains and finally mix with the Sea at Bay of Bengal. At the Tala Cauvery, only Shankarji had a dip and he enjoyed the bath. I could not venture for any dip due to chillness.

While returning from Tala Cauvery, we purchased coffee powder, honey and other Spices. .

We enjoyed our journey all along. Some boys and girls who travelled with us entertained all the passengers by singing film songs individually and also some group started Antakshari One young girl, anchored the entire programme

By about 9.45.am we had our breakfast at a K.S.T.D.C. Hotel at Bagamandala. It is pertinent to mention here that the tiffin items provided by the Restaurant was not good and even the child Aishwarya refused to eat the tiffin.
From Bagamandala we proceeded towards the ancient Bhugandeswara Temple of 1790 period. Now a major renovation work is going on inside the temple. This temple is named after Bhaganda Muni who installed the Shivalingam at this site. The temple had attracted the attention of many royal dynasties of Karnataka who used to worship. The King Doddavirajendra renovated this temple damaged during the battle in 1790. We also saw the place of Triveni Sangamam wherein the Cauvery river merges with two other rivers and flows through near the temple. People were seen having a holy dip at the place of Triveni Sangamam and some of them were seen performing the rituals to the departed souls.

After the temple visit we reached Gonikoppa at 1.20.pm where we had our lunch at Hotel Guru Prasad. From here we started our journey to Nagarhole forest area by 3.15.pm All the people in the bus were very eager to see the wild animals in the Nagarhole forest area. There was a rush for the purchase of tickets for the Safari. It was Rs.95/- per individual. At 4.pm we got into a 31 seater bus to ferry the people inside the forest area. All along the way we could see only some deers. However, we could not see any wild animals at all. However, at the fag end of our journey, we could see some elephant

By 5.30pm, we left Nagarhole to Bangalore .It was a 5 hours journey. On the way we had our dinner at Mylari Hotel at Maddur which is famous for Maddur vada.

It was about 10.40 pm when we reached Bangalore. We alighted near the Byatarayanpura Police Station and got into two autos to ferry us back to our place.
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By and large, it is very pertinent to mention here that the success of our programme was due to proper planning in advance coupled with co-operation from all the members.

A Memorable visit to Puttabarthi

During the last two months Bhanu & Ramachandran is to correspond with me about their plan to visit Puttabharthi, the abode of Satya Sai Baba. Though I knew something about Prashanthi Nilayam, I did not know the amount of progress being done at Prashanthi Nilagham and also Puttabarthi. On a request from Bhanu, I started collecting information about the bus, accommodation and other facilities available at Puttabharpathi. My friend Mrs Kalyani gave me some information about the facilities and darshan. She also gave some telephone numbers pertaining to some good hotels. Accordingly, I booked accommodation at Hotel Sai plaza for our journey on 26th December 06. Unfortunately, we could not get KSRTC Bus reservation on 26th December 06 as per our plan. Hence we were forced to change our schedule to 27th .and accordingly the tickets were purchased in Raja Hamsa leaving at 10.45.am On 27th December 06, we left home at 9.30.am and boarded B.M.T.C. to Kempegowda Bus Terminus. Due to some technical. Snag , the bus arrived late at about 11.15.am. andleft Bus station at 11.3o.am. There were half a dozen seats vacant.. Perhaps this might be due to an earlier Vulvo Bus to Puttaparthi. Seats were very good and comfortable. So to say the entire journey was very enjoyable. While Bhanu & Company were busy talking each other since there seats were very close by, I had to see some good company to talk. Fortunately, to my luck a college student from Hyderabad was next to my seat. I just started introducing and after sometime we were good friends.The boy is from Darjiling . He was traveling with his sister and a relative. He was quite resourceful and gave me some information about accommodation etc., at Puttaparthi. It was about 4.pm when we reached Puttaparthi Bus terminus. The entire family of the boy was helpful in guiding us to the Prashanti Nilayam. Since we were new to the place, they literally took us near the accommodation counter. Since Bhanu could not sleep on floor and also new to the place, we just moved to the hotel were we had booked accommodation earlier. Due to some communication gap, they had cancelled the accommodation and there was no room for our reach. However, we were given accommodation at a higher rent of Rs.1500/- per day. As there was no other alternative we had to accept the offer and pay the advance. We occupied the hotel room around 4.30.am. and by 5.pm after refreshing ourselves we left for Prashanthi Nilayam for prayer between 5.pm to 5.30.pm The visit to Prashanthi Nilayam was quite exiting. This place is really fine and there is lot of discipline in the Nilayam. The entire area is neatly organized and the volunteers were doing their job very meticulously. We waited for Baba’s darshan,but could not see him.However, we participated in the regular Bhajan from 5.pm to 5.30.pm. Normally, Baba will also participate in the Bhajan. Since he was exhausted due to Christmas programmes on 25th December 06, he could not make up. In the meanwhile, we alsosearched for some good accommodation at a lesser rate.
-It is pertinent to mention here that the Prashanthi Nilayam, the abode of Sri Satya Sai Baba has a fantastic building consist of a big prayer hall which could accommodate more than 5 to 6 thousand as per my estimate. Perhaps this might be even more. The entire hall was jam packed. At the front entrance of the Prashanti Nilayam, one can see Maha Ganapathi Statue adorned majestically drawing attention of one and all and on the other side, one can see the statues of Rama,Seetha and Lakshmana along with Hanuman. The entire building housing the Prashanthi Nilayam is neatly kept. For the convenience of the devotees, there were separate Halls for South Indian, Western and North Indian foods. .Only vegetarian foods are served in these Halls. In addition there were Coffee/tea stalls and also a Bakery to meet the needs of the devotees. During our visit to these places we saw almost all the halls are crowded with devotees. Exactly between 7.am to 8,30,am it is breakfast time. One can get good breakfast comprising of idli.pongal,vada ,uppuma or other items and sweets also. From 11.30.am to 1.30pm it is lunch time. Like wise in the evening from 4.pm to 6.pm it is tea time and 7.pm to 8.30.pm it is Dinner. One can get good chapatti and curry etc including curds rice or simple meals. Each item they charge Rs.2/- only. For us for Rs.6/- we had good food. One should admire the patience and also the pressure under which the volunteers are at these canteens work.One can see their devotion and attention in their work. The seva attitude among people irrespective of their region, language and caste can be seen in the Prashanthi nilayamSince this was my first visit so also of Bhanu & Co, we were thrilled to see the gathering of Sai deavotees. After our prayer, we just roamed the campus of Prashanthi Nilayam. We had our dinner by about 7.pm and later roamed near the main building and later retired to our room. As we were exhausted due to bus journey we slept early. The next day 28th morning, Bhanu woke up early to have darshan of Baba.. It was nearly 4.am when she reached the Prashanthi Nilayam. However, self and N.K.R reached the place by 7.30.am. As usual we waited for Bhajan and at stroke of 9.am it started and ended exactly at 9.30,am. However, there was no sign of Baba in the hall. However, again, we came to know that Baba is likely to give darshan between 3.30.to 4.30.pm. Hence by about 3.30.pm we shifted to a moderate hotel as the rent per day was more in the earlier one. Later by about 4.45.pm baba gave darshan in a closed car and participated in the prayer. He was present till the prayer was over at 5.30.am. . Bhanu had a good darshan and was very happy.. After participating in the prayer meeting, we just entered into the Publication Division and purchased some books,. CDs & .VCD. We also visited the shopping complex nearby and purchased goods worth about Rs.300/- It was about 7.45.pm when we came out and entered the North Indian Cafeteria. We had good food and later returned to hotel for rest and sleep.

On 29th morning, Bhanu again went early for darshan. self and N.K.R. reached Prashanthi Nilayam by 7.30.am and waited for darshan. However before the Bhajan started at 9.am,Baba went in a closed car and participated in Bhajan. Self and N.K.R. after attending to Bhajan and later having our breakfast left for KSRTC booking counter at 10.30.am for booking a Non-AC Mayura Bus for our return journey at 5.pm. It was about about 10.pm when we reached our house.The entire journey was very peaceful,enjoyable and pleasant. I feel such frequent trips is quite necessary for rejuvenation of mind and body.In general I was very much impressed about the progress being made by the Swamiji and his devoted.devotees in transforming the entire Puttaparthi, a hamlet into an international fame. With the swami’s initiativeness, puttaparthi and its surrounding areas were able to get drinking water, good educational institutions,music and vedic schools apart from hitech hospital. People from far flung areas do visit puttaparthi for medical and educational needs. When we go round the entire Prashanthi Nilayam and its surroundings we can see unity in diversity.
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Visit to Thiruvayur

Visit to Thiruvaiyaru in Thanjavur District from7th to 11th January 2007

During January every year the Aradhana celebrations of Saint Thyagaraja is being telecast by Doordarshan and other channels. Whenever, I used to watch this programme over Doordarshan, I always think of visiting Thiruvaiyaru during the celebrations. During my tenure at Doordarshan, though I had many occasion to visit Thanjavur and other adjoining places, somehow it does not materialize.

After my association with Laughter Club and meeting several people, I had an opportunity to meet friends having same set of minds. Whenever, we meet we used to talk about classical music with special emphasis on Saint Thyagaraja and Purandara Dasa. We also discussed about the contributions made by late Muthuswami Dikshithar, Shyama Sastri. and other giants like Oothukkadu Venkasubbaiyer,Mysore Vasudevachar,Swathi Thirunal,Muthaiah Bhagavathar etc. My knowledge about music is literally zero, however right from the beginning I had cultivated the habit of listening to music and enjoy the essence in it. Listening to music at home and also attending to music programmes in Bangalore and elsewhere is part of my hobby. At times whenever, I feel alone and gloomy, it is music which comes to my rescue. There are certain ragas which kindle my spirit the whole day.

I should thank my mother and sister Rajika solely for my interest in classical music. I used to listen to amma and Rajikka rendering various compositions of Saint Thyagaraja,Shyama Sastri and Muthuswami Dishithar. Rajikka even at this age had a rich voice while rendering various compositions. As I said my knowledge about Thala ,swara and laya in music is zero even though I learnt Instrumental music for three years. Somehow thala has not entered into my mind. Sometime I feel ashamed whenever I see youngsters putting thala in music concerts. I really envy them. On various occasions, I have seen young boys and girls sitting at the fore front of the concert hall listening to music aptly and making notes. I am happy that the younger generation are gearing up themselves in classical music and the days are not far off when we can see many people in the field.

With all humility and reverence to Saint Thyagaraja, I made up my mind to attend the 160th Aradhana Celebrations of Sant Thyagaraja being held at Thiruvaiyaru . During a casual talk with my friend Shri Lakshminarayan, I expressed my desire to visit the place and also other places in Thanjavur and adjoining areas. To my surprise, he also wished to visit the place and accordingly we ventured our programme and decided to do so . We planned this programme during November 06.

I enquired with Rajikka and also Doordarshan friends about the actual date of the programme and accordingly we decided to leave Bangalore on the evening of 6th January 2007. Though we made frantic enquiries to reach Thanjavur by train, due to the big event starting from 4th to 9th January 2007, we could not get train ticket . However, I was able to
get K.S.R.T.C. AC Bus Mayura for our journey on 6th January 07. The bus was really quite comfortable. Self and Lakshminarayana boarded the bus at 8.30.pm and reached Thanjavur by 7.am.the next day 7.01.2007. Immediately, on arrival at Thanjavur old bus stand we started enquiring about the hotel accommodation nearby. Due to the Thyagaraja Aradhana celebrations almost all the moderate and economy class hotels were full. Some of the hotels were charging more. However, to our luck we got into a nearby Eswari Lodge for our stay for two days.

After refreshing ourselves , we had our breakfast at nearby Hotel Kartik. It is very unfortunate to mention here that the upkeep and maintenance at the bus stand and surrounding areas are very poor. The authorities have not given their mind for the upkeep at an important tourist place. There is no use in pointing out these lapses when our so called leaders and civic authorities are not bothered about it.

As per plan we walked our way towards the great Brahadeeswara temple at 9.30.am. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This was built by the great Chola King. This temple has been declared as an World Heritage Monument A fine example of Chola architecture. We also visited Parvathi ,Ganesha and Murugan temples. It is pertinent to say that these temples are worth seeing. A large number of foreign tourists do visit these places every now and then. More than 1000 shivalingams followed by nandi were seen in the temple gopuram. One should admire the skill and dedication of the sculptors. The abundant prakara and sanctum sanctorum of the temple is a testimony to the encouragement of the Chola King during their tenure . Here we took some snaps.

:Later. we took an auto to see the Palace of Tanjur Maharaja which is now converted into a gallery where one can see number of art works. The Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji’s Saraswathi Mahal Library is one among the few libraries in the world with texts of the medieval period. It is a treasure house of knowledge. It contains rare and valuable collection of manuscrips, books, maps and paintings. It is an heritage building where one can see many paintings of Ravi Varma. After our visit, we returned to our Lodge at 1.30.pm and rested for sometime and later boarded a bus to Thiruvaiyaru.

It took half an hour to reach Thiruvaiyaru. We immediately went round the place and saw the Samadhi of saint Thyagaraja. I just prostrated before the great Avatara Purusha with all my humility and prayed for sometime. We also saw a huge pandal where two separate platforms were erected for music concerts to enable musicians to render their music one after other without any break. This is an unique event where one can watch the conglomeration of musicians rendering music compositions one after the other. When one programme is going on in one platform, before it could end,. the next participant musician with his accompaniment are ready in the other platform

We were lucky to sit in the front row and could watch the event close by on 7th afternoon. It is very interesting to say that there were number of artists both budding as well as
seasoned senior artists . The pandal as such was full wherein music lovers of India and abroad were seen . In the meanwhile, we collected the V.I.P. Passes to enable our entry to the pandal for the main event on 8.01.2007, the main Pancharathna enclosure. We left the place by 9.30.pm by bus to Thanjavur so as to enable us to prepare for the main event on 8.1.07.

On 8th January 2007 we got up early by 5.am. After our bath and rest we had our coffee nearby restaurant at 7.am . By .7.30.am we had our breakfast and boarded a bus to Thiruvaiyaru. It is a happy to see a lot of bus waiting for passengers to ferry to the Musical extravaganza . By the time we reached the Pandal at Thiruvaiyaru, it was about 8.am.The Pandal was already overcrowded with enthusiastic music lovers However, since we had V.I.P. passes which we collected the previous day, we could get entry into the Pandal without much difficulty. We could watch the programme very close by.

I have not seen such a huge gathering in my life time for a music programme. It is very pertinent to mention here that all the people were seated in a systematic manner. The Musicians comprising vocalists,insrumentalists, percussionists occupied the front row to enable them to render the Pancharathna Krithis of saint Thyagaraja. Earlier, the bronze idol of Saint Thyagaraja was taken in a procession all along the road followed by Oon chavruti Bhajan. One interesting aspect I could notice on the Bhajan route was that every household has put Rangoli in colour in front of their houses. Many musicians did participate in this Bhajan also .It is happy to note that children ,middle aged persons and senior citizens were seated very close by and . some of them carried printed booklet containing the compositions of saint Thyagaraja to enable them to sing the Kritis.

At the stroke of 9.am the Pancharatna Kritis started and ended at 10.am. followed by Maha Mangalarati which is the culmination of the main programme. While the programme was inauguratead on 4th January and concluded on 9.1.07 . After the Maha Mangalarati we got the Prasadam also. Doordarshan, Chennai had made elaborate arrangement for the live telecast of the event. I could also meet some of the colleagues who were earlier working at DDDK,Bangalore.

Later on our way back, we also visited the house of Thyagaraja, which is now under renovation. We also saw a samaradhane in connection with the 160th centenary celebrations of late Thyagaraja.

Before boarding , we also visited the Pancha Nadiswhawar temple constructed by Raja of Thiruvaiyaru, son-in law of Tanjavur Maharaja.. The temple architecture as such was very fine . The temple prakara and sanctum sanctorum was mainly on temple vastu shastra.

At 12.noon we boarded a bus to Tanjavur and reached our Lodge at 12.45.pm and had our lunch at nearby Hotel . After rest and sleep we again boarded a bus to Thitai, a
temple constructed for Guru Bhagavan. We worshipped the lord and got prasadam and left for Thanjavur. At 8.pm, had our dinner and after a stroll we were back to our Lodge and at 10.pm we retired to our bed.
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On 9th January 07 we woke up at 5.45.am and had our tea at 6.am. After bath, we left the room at 7.30.am and immediately got into a bus for our journey to the temple town Kumbakonum. By about 8.30.am we reached the temple town. It is unpleasant experience at this famous place. The bus terminus was so unhygienic and the upkeep and maintenance is very poor. Although, Thanjavur and Kumbakonum attracts more number of tourists both Indian and foreigners, it is really painful to see the upkeep in almost all the places . Even the hotels, it is very poor standard. It is painful to say that though these places generate more revenue, the service to the people/tourists is very poor.

Immediately after arrival at Kumbakonum bus terminus, we had our breakfast and went round in search of a good hotel accommodation. After searching and searching at last we got into a moderate S.M.Lodge at 9.am which is very close to bus terminus. After dumping our luggage, we boarded a bus proceeding towards Thirunallar, the famous Shaniswara temple near Karaikkal(Pondicherry) . It was about 12.00 noon when we reached the temple. The temple is being maintained very well . We had good darshan of Lord Shiva and also Shaniswara. We offered our prayers for the wellbeing of our family members and also kith and kin . It is very important to mention here that whenever I used to receive my salary, I used to keep a small portion in separate covers. One such covers was designated to Lord Shaniswara and a total of Rs.4000/- was collected in this cover.

All the amount was donated to the temple in turn for special puja/ homa in the name of my grand daughter Aditi,son-in-law and daughter. They will send the prasadam to 411 Vignesh At 1.pm we had our lunch nearby hotel. It was not a hotel actually, it is a house wherein a family is serving the people by providing good food. Of course they charge Rs.20/- per leaf. I rate the food served to us was excellent.

Later after our Lunch we boarded a bus to Karaikal to enable us to reach the other destination Shirikali and Vaideswara temple. During bus journey, suddenly I noticed a fat women occupying the vacant seat next to me. She was aged between 30 to 35 very bulky and I was so much irritated perplexed because she had taken away almost all my sitting place leaving very little to me. I can say I was totally sandwiched by her sitting posture My friend Lakshminarayan who was next to me was enjoying my plight since I was in between them. .I showed my unpleasantness in my face and she also expressed her helplessness. At last, her destination came and before alighting from the bus she asked for forgiveness. I cannot blame her, poor girl. When this is my plight just sitting next to her, what would be the fate of her husband ? imagine ;


During our journey, we come across many cross section of people both rich and poor each having their own grouse. I can start writing episode after episodes without any break. I can say I am very happy and I owe a great dept of gratitude to my Lord Guruvayurappan who is always keeping me in good spirit. I cannot forget those days when I had to undergo misery and sorrow . With all this, now I feel it is negligible.

In the meantime we reached Shirikali , the place where the famous musician Shirikali Govindarajan hails . From Shirikali we changed our bus to Vaideswaran temple . After offering our prayer to Lord Vaideswaran, Murugan and Angarakan we left the place by 5.45.pm and boarded to Kumbakonum and it was 7.pm when we reached the Kumbakonum bus terminus. After having our dinner we returned to our Lodge. Unfortunately, in the lodge we had to face mosquito problem in spite of using the mosquito destroyer. Of course we used fan also. The whole night was Shivaratri. Because of open drainage in and around Kumbakonum, mosquito menace is a common phenomenon .

The next morning, 10th January 07, we woke up at 6.am. After bath, we left for Swamy Malai , the famous Murugan temple, in a mini bus which is about 3.km from Kumbakonum . The roads here are very narrow. Somehow we reached the place at about 8.30.am and we were very lucky to have a Good Darshan of Lord Muruga. We were also fortunate to see a Grand Abhisheka of the Lord with Sandalwood paste, milk etc and later decorated with lot of flowers. For our naked eyes such rare occasions will give lot of satisfaction.. My self and my friend were very happy to see this unexpected event. Here I remember, that saint Purandaradasa in one of his compositions has mentioned that Eyes without seeing such rare events in life is no good. When we are hale and healthy we should make use of the opportunity to see such events.

After taking Prasadam, we boarded a mini bus to Kumbakonum. On the way we alighted near Hotel Venkataramana, and had our morning breakfast. This hotel by and large was very fine both in taste and also its ambiens.

Later we visited nearby all the temples namely, Sarangapani, Kumbeshwara, Kundodhari, Lord Rama. Here each temple has its own temple architecture and has its own historical background. Students of history and archeology do visit these temple frequently for their studies. Although these temples are worth seeing, it is very sad and unfortunate that these temples are not being maintained properly. The upkeep and maintenance of these temples are very poor. I feel if the concerned authorities takes little interest at least by levying some entry fees from the visitors, definitely there will be scope for improvement. While visiting these temples we also visited the Maha Magha Kolum, where for every 12 years Mahangam a big event take place. This is the place where a number of people died due to a stampede occurred during the visit of Jayalalitha .


I feel the temple administration in all the temples are very slag in their approach towards the upkeep and maintenance. It is seen that almost all the temple,lands are misused and encroached. The surrounding areas in some of the temples are full of filth and stagnant water percolating all over. There are no proper water management in the temples. While the people of Kumbakonum boast of their temple town but in reality they do agree about the upkeep and maintenance. Here also there are two to three Bus terminus but all of them are in a very bad shape.

After visiting these temples we just roamed in the busy bazaar streets to find out anything interesting . By 1.30.pm, we had our lunch in a nearby hotel and reached our lodge for rest till 4.pm and later left for booking accommodation.

We got the return journey reservation in KSRTC A/C Mayura which was very comfortable. The same day, around 10.pm we left Kumbakonum and reachead Bangalore the next day 11.1.07 at 7.am.

By and large our trip to Thanjavur and surrounding areas were interesting and fascinating.The entire credit goes to my friend Shri Lakshminarayan who throughout the journey was discussing about the various issues both general and public during our journey.

In conclusion, though KSRTC has a good number of AC buses, it is unfortunate that the management has not taken any initiative to interact with passengers about their service and other facilities . As a passenger friendly, KSRTC should make a survey of good hotel in and around tourist important places and also other destinations to advise their crew members to halt at the designated places only which could cater to the needs of passengers Now the Conductor/driver stops the vehicle at their own convenience instead of taking the passengers into confidence.Also the names of such hotels should be printed in brochures to enable bus passengers to know such information in advance.

It is shocking to see that in many places where the buses normally halt for coffee break and lunch, the unclean and nauseating toilets welcome us.It is unfortunate that no one has complained about these issues.

GRAND MEMORIES OF GOA

A TOUR TO GOA FROM 9TH TO 13TH NOV 2006

During the month of October last year, I visited some of the important tourist places in North India. Fortunately, one such small tour was planned by Ravi during his short visit to India from 5th to 21st November 2006.

Initially our idea was to go on a conducted tour organized by I.T.D.C. to Goa. Unfortunately, to our bad luck there was no accommodation available till January 2007.
However, on enquiry with the K.S.T.D.C, we were told that they have a five day tour package to Goa, Jog falls and Gokarna. As the fare was reasonable with accommodation, and also the Bus was very comfortable we accepted their offer and purchased the tickets. The total cost of the tickets were about 5,000/- We reserved our accommodation for our journey from 9th to 13th November.

As per their schedule, we left Bangalore by KSDC Bus from Badami house on the evening of 9th November 2006 at 9.30.pm and reached Sagar by about 5.45.am.the next day Friday 10th November 2006.. . We were put up in a Hotel in Sagar for a short stay for bath & refreshment. Later at about 7.am we had our breakfast in an adjoining restaurant. After our breakfast we boarded the Bus at 7.30.am towards the next destination Jogfalls. We reached Jogfalls by about 8.am. Unfortunately, to our bad luck there was no water in the falls. During good season it is really worth seeing the falls. However,we took some snaps nearby for our album. After half an hour stay at Jog falls, we left for Gokarna, which is 3 hrs journey from Jog falls.

At about 12.00 noon we reached Gokarna, the famous temple of Lord Shiva. This temple has its own temple history. This temple, we were told is very ancient temple and people from all corners of the country do visit this place for its historical significance..

Although, the temple is very ancient and has its own history, it is very pertinent to mention here that the temple is not being maintained properly. There is any order in the temple sanctorum. The temple priests literally covered the deity as if it is their personal property. There are more number of priests inside the temple who never bothered about the real rituals in the temple rather than making money for themselves. This has really pained me much. I went to this temple with lot of enthusiasm. But, when I saw the reality inside the temple, I was taken a back. There is no proper order inside the temple. I purchased a seva ticket for the puja. Nobody bothered to do proper puja. With all devotion to the Lord Shiva I make this statement. Everybody wants to make easy buck in one way or the other..

By about 12.30.pm we left Gokarna for our next destination Goa. On the midway to Goa we had our lunch at Kamat Hotel in Ankola . The food served was very good so also the ambience .The Hotel atmosphere was really good. After our Lunch we left for Colva beach in Goa, This was the first beach we saw in Goa .When we reached this beach, it was about 5.pm. This place was very nice to look at and after seeing the sun set etc,


we left for Goa Tourism Hotel where our accommodation was arranged. It was 8.45.pm when we reached the hotel. At the restaurant we had our dinner by about 9.30.pm. After having a good bath at 10.pm we retired for the day.
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The next day 11th November 06 by about 7.30.am we left for our site seeing. Initially, we visited the Dona Paula Beech and took some snaps. We also saw the Dona Paula suicide point and also the statue. The entire area is maintained very well. Goa as a whole is a tourist destination place.The roads, parks are really fine. It is the beaches here that has attracted many tourist across the world .After Dona Pula beach we had our breakfast at Hotel Ruchi in Goa by about 8.30.am. After breakfast we reached Aguada beach by about 10.30.am and it is here we traveled in a motor boat.(motor crusine) During our journey in the boat some good snaps were taken. It was really an excitement to travel in a motor boat . The boat passed through one end to another end and during our boat journey we also saw many DOLFINS . The entire area in this beach was really fantastic.After our boat journey . I had an occasion to sit on a motor boat and Ravi took two snaps.

After our visit to Aquada beach., our bus proceeded towards Aquada Fort . It was around 12.15.pm. Later after visiting the fort, we proceeded towards Anjuna beach. Here Ravi entered the water. HE enjoyed the dip. We were dam tired and hungry and boarded our bus which stopped near a Hotel Sher-e Punjab for our lunch. Here we got a shock . The food supplied to us was not up to the mark although the charges were very high. At about 3.15 pm we reached VAGATUR BEACH after making a round we reached CALANGUTE BEACH by about 4.30.pm. Here both myself and Ravi had a dip in the beach. It was really a good experience. Being a Saturday there was a mad rush of people from every corner of India.

At about 6.45.pm we reached Mondavi river . Here we purchased tickets for a dance/disco at the Cruise. After dance and music the cruise went round Mondovi river. We totally enjoyed the cruise journey. Here also I noticed lots of people in the cruise to watch the disco.Here Ravi took some good snaps. Later we reached Hotel Sanyog by about 9.15.pm and had our dinner. By about 10.pm reached our Hotel.

The next day 12.11.06. we were ready by 7.am and proceeded towards St.Xavier church, which is an old church in Goa. Here also we took some snaps. We also had an opportunity to walk in the nearby garden and also an old church. By about 9.am we reached Hotel Ruchi where we had our morning breakfast. Later by our 10.30.am we visited Mangeshwar temple and Shanti durga temple at 11.am. After this temple visit , we boarded our bus for our next destination. On the way we had our lunch around 1.30.pm It was around 4.15.pm we reached Ankola and had our tea in Hotel Kamat. By 4.45.pm we started our journey to Bangalore. The journey by and large was very good but for good hotels. It is a pity that there are no good hotels on this belt except some Kamat group of hotels.

The entire journey was really fine. We were accommodated at Goa tourism development Corporation Hotel. for two nights and as a whole Goa is a good city. Some of the areas are neatly maintained. I feel except the breaches, there is no other tourist attraction. People here are mostly non-vegetarians because of the availability of Sea foods.

To me the tour to Goa was really a memorable one..

I also wish that all my friends and relatives do visit Goa once in a life time.