We have been wanting to do a roadtrip in India for a longtime. On our recent visit to India, we decided that we would drive to Chickmagaluru in Karnataka. Most (many) folks may not have heard about Chickmagaluru (Coorg is more known and popular destination in that part of Karnataka). Well, Chickmagaluru did not disappoint…. it was an amazing roadtrip for so many reasons… Here goes….

Chickmagaluru is a beautiful unexplored hill station in Karnataka. Mountains, waterfalls and coffee plantations make it a paradise for nature lovers. The aromatic fragrance of coffee floats in the air incessantly and endless cups of filter kappi makes for a complete day. Chickmagaluru literally means “The town of the younger daughter” in the Kannada language. The town is said to have been given as a dowry to the younger daughter of Rukmangada, the legendary chief of Sakkarepatna and hence the name (Thanks Wikipedia). I also heard from locals that not too far away from Chickmagaluru is another town called called Hiremagaluru which means “The town of the elder daughter”. Clearly, Chief Sakkarepatna was a wealthy man, giving away small towns as dowry in the marriage of his daughters. The region of Chikamagaluru is the area where the rulers of the Hoysala Empire started and there are several monuments / temples that represent their reign. 

Chickmagaluru is about 150 miles from Bangalore (now called Bengalauru) and is well connected now by an excellent highway (NH 75). NH 75 originates in the port city of Mangalore (now Mangaluru) and goes East about 350 miles into the state of Tamil Nadu (currently ends in the city of Vellore). We connected to NH 75 on the outskirts of Bangalore via the NICE highway. NICE  (Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises) officially called Bengaluru–Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor, is a 4 to 6 lane private tolled expressway that connects the two important cities Bangalore and Mysore. 

After an amazing breakfast of Khara Baath (it is kinda like Upma but it is not the same) and Masala Dosa at one of the famous “darshini” restaurants in Bangalore, we were on our way to Chickmagaluru. The drive on NICE was uneventful and after about an hour we were on NH 75. It was a very smooth ride on this four lane highway in our Toyota Innova Crysta. We had an experienced driver (Sivappa) who knew the the area well and had done the trek to Chickmagaluru many times. Sivappa made the fist pit stop at Hotel Mayura in Mandya (they had excellent rest area facilities). After a quick pit stop here, we were back on the road.

Our next stop was in the city of Hassan. I had many memories of visiting Hassan during the 90s when I was working in Bangalore.  Sivappa took us to the Hoysala Village Resort, a beautiful enclave with a restaurant and several cottages for a stay as well. We were greeted with a traditional welcome and treated to sumptuous meal. We had several traditional Malnad dishes such as Akki Roti, Neer Dosa and Ragi Manni… more on Malnad cuisine later in this blog. 

After an amazing lunch, we were back on the road to Chickamagaluru. We arrived at the Taj resort around 4 pm. We were greeted with a welcome drink… no surprise it was a coffee drink … coffee spritzer as we completed our check in formalities. Chai  / filter kappi and pakoras followed… 

We settled into our rooms, relaxed, showered and explored the resort. Excellent massage facilities, a game room, live entertainment all available at the resort. Booked our massage for the next day… a traditional Kerala oil massage. After an early dinner, we crashed for the night. We had a busy day planned for Day 2. 

Day 2 started early with an amazing breakfast and endless cups of filter kappi. After breakfast we got back in the car with Sivappa at the wheel heading to Belur to see the historic temple there followed by the temple at Halebedu. 

The twin cities of Belur and Halebidu are around 17 km apart and were home to the Hoysala dynasty for three centuries. Belur was the early capital of the Hoysala Empire in the 11th-century, before they built Dorasamudra (modern Halebidu). The main Chennakeshava temple at Belur was completed and consecrated in 1117 CE, though the temple complex continued to expand for several years. According to inscriptions discovered here, it was called Velur or Velapuri during the Hoysala era. It was built by the Hoysala ruler, Vishnuvardhana, under the guidance of the Hoysala architects.

After a short 15-20 ride min ride, we reached the beautiful quaint little town of Belur set on the river banks of Yagachi. This was the capital of the Hoysala dynasty between the 11th and 13th centuries.  We navigated our way through the crowded streets Belur to the temple complex. The temples of Belur are all situated inside a single complex enclosed by high walls making it a single stop for exploring the site in its entirety. Most of all the main sanctum and the magnificent shrine of Chenna Keshava Temple is dedicated to Lord Vijayanarayan, one of the twenty four incarnations of Vishnu. 

We walked in through the gopuram, a large ornate entrance, into the vast temple complex. As we entered, we saw the main temple  sitting in the centre, on the right of the temple is the Kappe Channigraya temple and a smaller temple dedicated to a Lakshmi reincarnation, the goddess Sowmyanayaki, sits slightly behind the two. On the left of the Chennakeshava temple, is the Ranganayaki temple. We decided to hire a professional guide to  take us through the temple.  Our guide highlighted several details and nuances about the temple, the architecture, history and many more intricate details. He told us that Chenna Keshava Temple is the only functional Hoysala temple, and as of this day Pujas are performed both in the morning and evening. I will try to share a few details here, but it is impossible to capture it all in this blog. 

• “Sala” was the founder of the Hoysala dynasty in 950 CE. Legend has it at an early age he single-handedly fought and killed a rampaging tiger to protect his guru. The name Hoysala derives from “Hoy” which literally means to “Strike” and “Sala” the founder. the royal emblem of the dynasty reflects this brave act.
• Kappe (Frog) Chennigaraya Temple, is a small shrine resembling the main temple lies directly to the South of the main sanctum. There’s an interesting legend to the Kappe temple.
• The temple’s construction commemorated the victory of Hoysalas over the Cholas in the great battle of Talakkad.
• The lowest friezes of the main temple features 650 carved caparisoned elephants in various moods, some charging, some playful and some just peacefully standing. 
• There are 38 beautifully carved freestanding bracket figures accenting the upper walls and the overhanging eaves around the outside of the temple and pillared hall.  Voluptuous beauties known as Madanikas adorn these brackets in various dancing and ritual postures.( I have a picture of one of these Madanikas)
• The pillars of the temple show some of the best details and finishing of sculpture and art work in the entire complex. The Narasimha pillar is one of the most popular of these temple pillars. There are a total of 48 pillars, all uniquely carved and decorated. The four central pillars were hand chiseled by artisans and feature madanikas or celestial damsels.

The temples at Belur are cut from chloritic schist – a soft stone (soap stone) allowing for intricately carved temple walls.This stone is extremely easy to chisel, but attains iron-like firmness when exposed to the elements. Additionally to maintain the shine of the temple the stone is treated with a chemical wash and then wax polished once every ten years.

After about two hours exploring the temple complex and taking in the beauty, the splendor and the magnificence of it all, we left for Halebidu. 

Halebidu is about 20-25 min drive from Belur. We drove through a lush and still countryside and navigated narrow streets to arrive at the temple complex. Dedicated to Lord Shiva the 12th-century Hoysaleswara temple is also referred simply as the Halebidu temple. The unique temple complex built with soapstone has four porches for entry. We entered from one of these entrances and again hired a guide to help us navigate the temple complex and learn about the history, architecture and intricate details of the various sculptures. 

The temple resembles the Chenna Keshava temple at Belur, except for the more profusely carved, exquisite figures adorning the shrine. This temple exemplifies sculptural extravaganza. There are two very large Nandis (Nandi is a bull and the vehicle of Lord Shiva) – our guide told us that these were the 6th and 7th largest in the country. The horizontal and vertical friezes create a marvelous interplay of light and shadow. There are sculptured friezes that run along the lower portion of the temple walls which feature elephants , lions, charging horsemen, scenes from the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata as well. There were some mythical beasts and some erotic sculptures as well. 

After spending a couple of hours here at Halebidu, we were ready to leave, feeling overwhelmed  with the experience of seeing these two magnificent temples (and we were dizzy all the fine details and stats shared by our two very learned guides). Our driver Sivappa had suggested that we also visit another lesser known temple at Belavadi. This Belavadi temple completes the trifecta, we were told. We decided to go along with Sivappa’s recommendation. 

The Veeranarayana Temple at Belavdi is known as the triple Hindu temple. The temple has three separate square sanctums connected through an unusually large square ranga-mandapa. The main shrine is dedicated to Viranarayana (Vishnu). The other two shrines are dedicated to Gopala, and Yoga-Narasimha. The temple was deserted, we were the only visitors here. The security guard doubled up as a guide and explained some of the details of this temple. We spent 15-20 min at this temple and were ready to head back to the hotel

Sivappa brought us back to the hotel right on time for the pakodas and you guessed it.. more filter kappi (yes, there was chai too). We had booked appointments for Kerala massage at the hotel. The Kizli (pronounced killi) oil massage was amazing and like all massages put me to sleep. I needed 3-4 showers to shake off the oil from the massage.

Day 3 was going to be more outdoor experiences. We decided we get an early start and headed to Mullayangiri, the tallest peak in Karnataka (6300 feet). Mullayangiri is located in the Chandra Drone Hill ranges part of the western ghat near Chickamagaluru. The peak gets its name from a small temple at the summit, which is dedicated to a sage “Mulappa swamy” who is believed to have meditated at the caves only a couple of feet below the summit. The drive up to Mullayangiri was very scenic, a winding narrow road that took us the top (actually to the parking lot at the top). There are 464 “ steps” that take you to the top of the peak. Then there are another 10 steps that take you up to the temple. The views from the top and along way up are breathtaking. It was as expected much cooler at the higher altitude, and extremely windy. There is not much to do at the top other take in the views and experience that the “top of the world” moment. We had a cutting chai in the parking lot before heading back to the hotel. 

The rest of the day was spent visiting a few of the natural lakes in the area. One of the lakes was very close to Bhadra Natural Game Sanctuary. We also we went to MG Road (yes, Chickamagalur also has one) to some shopping for coffee and spices. 

Day 4 was our final day in Chickamagalur. The final item in our agenda was a visit to a coffee plantation. Karnataka is the leader and produces more than 70% of the total coffee produced in India. Coorg and Chickamagalur have the largest number of plantations in the region. Rich soil and favorable weather in the area make it the best place to cultivate coffee beans. Coffee from this region is famous for its distinctive flavor and scent. 

We arranged a “bean to mug” experience through the hotel’s concierge service. It was short drive to the plantation. We were greeted by Prasad, the owner of the Bean Breeze plantation. Prasad focuses on speciality coffee and his enthusiasm for coffee is infectious. His explanation of the history of coffee, and the process of growing and making coffee was interesting and informative. Prasad walked us through his plantation as he was explaining the origins of coffee and talking about the varieties of coffee grown in the region. He brought us back to his coffee “lab” and offered samples of coffee that he made for us. Here are a few nuggets of information that we picked up from our interactions with Prasad;

• The origins of Chikmagalur’s coffee can be traced to a Sufi saint named Baba Budan, who brought seven coffee beans from Yemen and planted them on the region’s hills in the 17th century. 
• Robusta and Arabica are two varieties of coffee in the region –  (99% of the world coffee is Arabica or Robusta). While Robusta beans are renowned for their robust flavor and high caffeine concentration, Arabica beans are noted for their rich aroma and moderate flavor. 
• The flavor of the coffee is improved by hand-picking and sun-drying the beans.
• Coffee is an annual crop – it takes about 9-10 months from flowers to fruit. Harvest is usually in Nov/Dec. They have 2-3 rounds of harvesting.. The average age of the plants is 15-20 years. 

We enjoyed the “bean to mug” experience. We bought some coffee beans and spices at the plantation before we left. ( I found out later that this tour is available on Trip Advisor and is very highly rated). 

I cannot end this blog without writing about the Malnad cuisine and the various treats that we enjoyed on his road trip. The Malnad region refers to parts of Karnataka near Mangalore and Tamil Nadu. The cuisine is well known for its distinct flavors and features locally grown herbs and spices. Many of the dishes are made with rice, lentils, jaggery and coconut milk. There are many dishes that we tasted during our stay in the region… here are a few;

• Akki Roti – It is a thin crispy rice flatbread made from a mixture of rice flour. It is usually served with a generous dollop of ghee and some chutney. Can be eaten with vegetables or daals 
• Neer dosa – It is a variation of the traditional dosa, except that the batter is not fermented. It is usually had with a spicy gravy. We had with coconut coriander chutney
• Holige Mane – these are flat dosas stuffed with a mix of jaggery and coconut. They are flavorful, sweet and a must try delight. They are also known as Obbattu in Andhra and Puran Poli in Maharashtra. 
• Rage Manni – It is a soft steamed cake made of, no surprise, Ragi (a type of millet). It is soft, spongy and fluffy. It is served as breakfast dish and eaten with (you guessed right) ghee and chutney. 
• Malnad Curry – It is a traditional curry that showcases the region’s love for bold spices (pepper, cloves, cinnamon, etc), herbs and other local ingredients. It can be had as vegetable curry or with meat. The other spices included are cumin, ginger, coriander and yes, coconut and jaggery. We ate this with regular wheat roti (phulkas)and akki roti. 

I am sure there are many other delights in the region which we did not get a chance to taste. We will be back in the region soon and will enjoy them next time. 

We had an amazing time on this road trip. Everything was just perfect. Our driver Sivappa (not his real name) was excellent, the resort was terrific (hospitality of the Taj is unparalleled), the temples were magnificent, the splendor of nature was incredible and the food was a delight. Many many thanks to our friends who organized this road trip and gave us amazing company.