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Take this 3-day pilgrimage trip covering the eminent temples of Karnataka to satisfy your quest for paying obeisance to the abodes of deities.
Starting Point: Bengaluru
Intermediate Destinations: Kukke Subramanya - Dharmasthala - Venur - Moodabidri - Karkala - Hornadu
End Point: Sringeri
No. Of Days For The Journey: 3
Day 1: Kukke Subramanya - Dharmasthala
Day 2: Venur - Moodabidri - Karakala
Day 3: Hornadu - Sringeri
How To Reach:
The best means to commute would be a road trip, as halting at the intermediary destinations becomes convenient. The places are well connected by road and can be reached via the state transport buses. Private tourism buses also ferry pilgrims to these temples.
Best Time To Visit: Anytime between September and March is ideal to visit these holy places.
Weather Conditions:
Winter: These places have mild and cool winters, with pleasant weather conditions. Hence, a large number of pilgrims visit during the winter season.
Summer: People in these places experience hot and humid summers. Travellers avoid visiting during summers because of the scorching heat that can make the experience quite sore.
Monsoon: While Horanadu and Sringeri receive a good amount of rainfall during the monsoon season, Venur and Karkala experience heavy rains. Kukke Subramanya and Dharmasthala receive moderate rain. It's best to avoid visiting these temples during the monsoons.
Things You Need:
Pack light. Less baggage keeps one stress free. Carry sealed water bottles and snacks, besides your wallet, phone, and camera and other belongings. Carry plug-ins to keep your phone and camera charged. Purchase temple offerings to the dieties.
Different Routes To Commute:
Day 1:
Route 1:
Bengaluru - Nelamangala - Kunigal - Hassan - Kukke Subramanya - Dharmasthala, via NH75.
Route 2:
Bengaluru - Kunigal - Melukote - Hassan -
Kukke Subramanya - Dharmasthala, via NH75 and NH150A
Route 3:
Bengaluru - Ramanagara - Channapatna - Madduru - Mandya - Melukote - Shravanabelagola - Hassan - Kukke Subramanya - Dharmasthala, via NH275
If one opts for Route 1, it is a 337-km drive to Dharmasthala through Kukke Subramanya, via NH75 and takes about 6.5 hours.
Route 2 would take you 8 hours to reach Dharmasthala via NH75 and NH150A, through Melukote, Hassan and Kukke Subramanya.
Route 3 takes about 8 hours and 14 minutes via NH275.
Day 2:
Route:
Dharmasthala - Belthangady - Venur - Moodabidri - Sanoor - Karkala, via Mangalore-Dharmasthala Highway/Ujire-Dharmasthala Road, NH73 and Mulki-Belthangady Highway
This is a 1 hour 47 minutes drive without traffic from Dharmasthala to Karkala through Venur and Moodabidri.
Day 3:
Route:
Karkala - Sheerlu - Kudremukh - Horanadu - Shanthigrama - Sringeri, via NH169 and Kalasa Main Road
This concluding route from Karkala to Sringeri on the 3rd day, through Kudremukh and Horanadu, covers 122 km, via NH169 and Kalasa Main Road.
A Short Stop At Melukote...
If one opts for Route 2 on Day 1, a short stop over at Melukote to pay a visit to the Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple would add to the sacred visits. Start the journey at dawn to cover this temple. The temple is at a distance of 81.1 km from Kunigal.
After this, one can move ahead to Hassan for breakfast and proceed further to Kukke Subramanya, Sullia Taluk, which is a 101-km drive from Hassan.
Also Read : Attractions On The Way From Bangalore To Kukke Subramanya
Kukke Subramanya Temple is dedicated to Lord Subramanya. Legend has it that Lord Shiva sent Subramanya as a protector of snakes against the wrath of Garuda at the behest of Vasuki, king of snakes. This temple houses the silver tower of Garuda.
After this, one can move on to Dharmasthala. This historically and religiously significant village houses Manjunatheshwara temple, which is famous for its gold lingam. Other attractions here include the towering monolith of Bahubali, atop the Ratnagiri hill.
To acquaint oneself with the history of Dharmasthala, a visit to the Manjusha museum is a must. It has a collection of antiques like metal scriptures, ancient scripts on palm leaves, swords, vintage cameras and vintage typewriters, besides other interesting things.
Also Read : The Miracles At Ghati Subramanya Temple
Netravati River Barrage, a 2-km drive from Dharmasthala would be perfect to spend the evening amidst scenic beauty.
Start your 2nd day with a short drive to Venur, which would take about an hour. Venur is a popular Jain pilgrim stronghold housing ancient Jain basadis. There are several ancient heritage temples surrounding the countryside. The 35-feet statue of lord Gomateshwara is the biggest attraction here.
Moving on to Moodabidri, overwhelm yourself with the Tribhuvana Tilaka Chudamani Basadi and many alike that are the earliest jain monuments of the place.
Proceeding further to Karkala, there are 18 Jain basadis worth exploring. It also houses the famous 42-feet-high statue of Bahubali, the second tallest of its kind in Karnataka.
Start your 3rd day with a drive to the green town of Horanadu through the mountain ranges of Kudremukh. The town is home to the famous temple of Annapoorneshwari. The diety is enshrined in gold and the pilgrims who pay obeisance to this diety are blessed to never run out of food.
75 kms from Horanadu is Sringeri, another green haven home to the mutta of Adi Shankaracharya. The famous Vidya Shankar Temple here is built in accordance with the astronomical theory with its 12 pillars, corresponding to the zodiac signs. Another major temple here is the Sarada Temple.
