Chikmagalur - the land of Coffee

Day 1 - March 5th 2015 - Bangalore - Chikmagalur (Belur/Halebid)

An impromptu holiday happened - thanks to Club Mahindra to Chikmagalur. Booked at the Taj Gateway Hotel and started out at 6.30am on May 5th 2015. After taking a left at Nelamangala, we stopped at the first eatery on the NH 77 for a very so-so breakfast, though the toilets were clean, the vadas were sour and so was the chutney and sambar...anyways, after having this insipid fare, we drove on and at Hassan, we turned right and via its outskirts we reached a junction where we took a right to Belur. This side trip was prompted by the fact that the check in time was 2pm, and it was not even 10am despite cruising at a sedate 80 kph and not touching lofty speeds of 100 or 120 !! After Belur we also went to Halebid..and despite these 2 detours still managed to reach the Taj by turning right soon after reaching Chikmagalur and on Kadur - Mangalore road, found it just up a tiny slope nestled in the Baba Budan Giri ranges and checked in at noon.

Chikmagalur is a small town located in the south-western part of Karnataka at the foothills of the Mullayanagiri range . The name Chikmagalur means ‘younger daughter's town’ in Kannada. It is 250 km from Bangalore (178kms from Mysore), and is a popular weekend getaway.

Earlier, Chikmagalur was called by the name of Kadur district till 1947. Later it was given the name of Chikmagalur, because of its history. It is believed that it was given as dowry to the younger daughter of Rukmangada, who was the chief of Sakrepatna and the other part was given to the elder daughter, which is known as Hiremagalur.

Chiklamaglur is famous for its tea (to a lesser degree than coffee) and coffee plantations. In fact, it is the place where coffee was cultivated for the first time in India. It was Babu Budan, a Muslim saint who brought coffee seeds from Yemen in 1670. Today a mountain range to the north of the town is named after him, and where our hotel the Taj Gateway is nestled. Later, when the Europeans came to India, they took over the plantations and trade of coffee and tea.

Situated just 30 odd kms away from Chikmagalur are the historical world heritage sites of Belur and Halebeedu.

Belur and Halebid

Between the 12th and 13th century, Belur and Halebid formed part of the vibrant Hoysala Empire. For those who want to get their history facts all correct, the Hoysalas were from the hill tribes of the Western Ghats and for several years, served as feudal vassals of the Chalukyas. Belur on the banks of River Yagachi was the first capital of the Hoysala Empire and was earlier called Velapuri. 

Under Vishnuvardhana, the greatest of the Hoysala kings, the capital was shifted to Halebid, a few kilometers away. Halebid was earlier known as Dwarasamudra (Gateway to the Sea) because of the abundance of water bodies here )please note the past tense). It was during Vishnuvardhana’s rule that most of the wonderful temples in Belur and Halebid were constructed, particularly the Hoysaleshwara temple. In the early part of the 14th century, Halebid was sacked by the armies of Malik Gafur, the slave general of Allaudin Khilji of the Delhi Sultanate (another instance of the sad history of the Islamic occupation of India). 

The stone sculptures are in such delicate detail and so life like they seem to be on the verge of speaking. Imagine if they could..what stories they could tell...!

After check in, relaxed in the beautiful spacious room, with a sit - out which opened on to the swimming pool, surrounded by lush greenery with the sun setting over the baba Budan range, a cup of fragrant flavorful brew of coffee in one hand and the other in your partner's hand, what better way to let the day slowly slip away? We just relaxed, strolled in the lawns for a bit and watched some TV..and eyes closed out a perfect day!

Day 2 - March 6th 2015 - Chikmagalur

A lazy late rise left us in an indolent mood, in no hurry to go anywhere. So had a leisurely coffee in the balcony overlooking the pool, went for a stroll, read the newspaper and in general just chilled. By 11.30am we decided to visit the 1200+ years old Kodandarama temple which we had passed when we were driving in through Hiremaglur en route to our hotel the day before. 

Kodandarama temple

This temple seems to have been constructed in several stages.  It is believed that the nine siddhas performed penance here, so the village pond is known as Siddha Pushkarni. Parashurama, is believed to have lived here, so the town is also known as Bhargavapuri.  A huge statue stands testimony to this fact at the temple entrance.                                   

The Garbhagruha are constructed in the Hoysala style, while most of the other constructions are in the Dravidian style. The navaranga and mukhamandapa were later additions. These are surrounded by a wall made of brick and mortar, which sort of takes away from the ancient temple's beauty, according to me.

Inside the sanctum, on a pedestal, there are the figures of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita with a kneeling Hanuman. Unusually, Sita is placed to Rama’s right in this temple. It is believed that a devotee Puroshottama expressed a wish to see Rama and Sita’s wedding and he was granted the wish. As the bride in traditional Hindu marriage sits to the right of the groom, this position, it is believed, is reflected in the Garbhagruha. Rama and Lakshmana are depicted with their bows and arrows here. As Rama’s bow is called Kodanda, this temple is known as Kodandarama Temple. In the prakarama there are small shrines for Yoganarasimha, Kalinga Mardhana Krishna, Ramanujacharya, etc. One can also see the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu. The outer walls of the Garbhagraha are sculpted with figures of the various forms of Vishnu. Had a lovely relaxed one on one with the Gods, literally, as we were the only ones there ! The serenity and tranquility was soul stirring. Fortunately for us, a big load of tourists landed but we were just as we were leaving.

By this time we were hungry and so we drove off in search of food. Placed a takeaway order for lunch at the Maharaja Hotel opp Giri Inn on IG Road, collected the same, bought some chilled beer, fruits and what else, coffee (smile) and reached the hotel at 2pm. had a relaxed late over-spiced (sigh) lunch watching the India - WI World Cup match. After assuring that India had destroyed the opposition once again this season, napped for a brief while. A swim put life back in to an indulged body...had a simple fruits - curd rice dinner...read for a while and went zzzz.

Day 3 - March 7th 2015  - Chikmagalur - Bangalore

Left the lobely hotel at 10 am after a relaxed breakfast and the cloudy sky ensured a cool drive right through. We stopped at Mayuras for lunch which is just before the Belur Cross toll booth, after 2 toll booths from Chikmagalur. Barring the thali meal, which was very tasty, everything was priced like a 5 star hotel ! Anyways, a clean toilet, tasty and hot food were available and that's all that mattered (Thanks Malu for the tip!). We cruised home at a leisurely pace and barring a small traffic snarl at the Yeshwantpur station, at 2.30pm. Loved Chikmagalur, its laid back atmosphere, the Taj was super as usual...what more can one want? A lovely break...!      

Travel Log :-  Kms on the Odo - 550kms                                                                                                                    Weather - Super ! Cloudy and cool