Karnataka offers some of the most varied and beautiful terrains amongst Indian states. It has a rich and diverse cultural heritage too. We had recently visited Mysore and Hampi, and the experience left us wanting more. Devi was scheduled to participate in the Bridge summer nationals in Mangalore from 4th June 2026, so we decided to add on a few days and visit the area around Chikmagalur.
Fortunately, some of our IIM Calcutta classmates were keen to join us, which added to the fun and so the planning began. Jagdish and Meera Acharya, who belong to Udipi, were part of the group. Their local knowledge and experience were invaluable in working out the itinerary and planning the sightseeing and routes. After some discussion, the program looked like this:
Day 1 Arrive in
Mangalore
Day 2 Mangalore local
sightseeing
Day 3 Drive from
Mangalore to Chikmagalur
Day 4 Gentle
introduction to the Chikmagalur area
Day 5 Belur Halebidu
Day 6 Mountain areas
around Chikmagalur
Day 7 Drive from Chikmagalur to Mangalore and disperse
Day 1
Our Air India Express
flight from Delhi to Mangalore was very delayed and the experience of flying
AIX was rather poor. Things got better once we met with our friends and the
trip began.
Day 2
After a sumptuous
breakfast at the hotel, we were ready for the day. Jagdish had arranged for an Urbania Vehicle
for the group. Great choice!
The Tata group in its wisdom has rebranded the Taj Manjarun as a nondescript Vivanta. Perhaps the rather ‘vibrant’ colours used in public spaces are meant to synergise with the ‘youthful’ image of the Vivanta brand. Suffice it to say this is one branding exercise that significantly erodes Taj brand equity. I had commented on this in a previous blog that you may enjoy reading. Confusion Confounded
Our first visit was to the Kadri Shree Manjunatha Temple.
I found the fusion of Buddhist and Hindu images
fascinating. Buddhism was the dominant
religion in coastal Karnataka till the 10th Century. Even though it
was replaced with Hinduism, images such as this, of the main deity, Sri
Manjunatha Swamy (Shiva) depict the confluence in sculptural styles beautifully.
The other bronze image of Shiva (or a form of Brahma) is equally interesting. It predates the mainstream Chola bronzes and is supposed to be made from Panchdhatu (5 metals). This is regarded as one of the most exquisite metal statues in India. From an art historian point of view this statue represents a Bodhisattva—either Lokesvara (Avalokitesvara) or Manjusri—dating precisely back to 968 CE. The inscription mentions the site as a Buddhist vihara that was later transformed into a Shiva Temple. Interestingly, the reverse transformation happened at Angkor Wat in Cambodia. It was originally a Vishnu Temple that was transformed into a Buddhist one. Read about our experiences in Cambodia in my blog post Cambodia - A Glorious Indic Heritage
The Chapel also has a small museum attached to it. This contains an eclectic collection of artefacts put together by the Jesuit priests in Mangalore over the years such as the first car to run on Mangalore roads.
By now we were quite famished, so we went to Madhuvan’s Village Restaurant for an amazing lunch. The non-vegetarians tucked into seafood with highlight being the Mangalorean crab masala.
The other highlight was the ‘gadbad’ ice cream – a Mangalorean specialty. It’s rather like an old-fashioned Tutti Frutti full of ice cream, jelly, nuts and fruits. This became a major favourite for the whole group egged on by Tanveer, and we ate it at virtually every meal over the next few days!
After this enormous lunch we went back to the hotel for a while but soon left to see the Sultan Battery. This was a rather underwhelming structure and can be safely avoided. There was a ferry to the beach, but the lines were too long so we went by road. The beach was crowded and not too clean, but the sunset was beautiful.
We ended the day with dinner at Pabbas. An iconic café. There was a long waiting list, but we got in eventually and ate sandwiches and gadbad all over again! This is an average place, not worth the wait.
And so ended an eventful day in Mangalore.
Day 3
Our breakfast included the famous Mangalore Buns. They
are banana flavoured and quite delicious! We had specially asked for these buns
and the hotel obliged. Fortunately, Taj hospitality is still intact despite the
name change!
We loaded up the Urbania, checked out of the hotel and started off for Chikmagalur. Our first stop was at the 1000 pillars Jain temple in Moodbidri locally known as Saavira Kambada Basadi. An iconic temple with many pillars that are all carved differently also known as the Jain Kashi.
Our next stop was at the Gomateshwara Bahubali statue in Venur. This is one of the five in Karnataka, the biggest being at Shravanabelgola. However, the one at Venur is easily accessible (no steps to climb) and there were no crowds at the beautiful site on the banks of the Phalguni River.
The next stop was for lunch at Sagar Ratna, Ujire. A delicious south Indian vegetarian meal followed by Gadbad!
We set off for a visit to the nearby Hirekolale lake.
Serene and peaceful, surrounded by hills, it was a great place to start the
visit,
After the lake we went to the Giri coffee estate. Interesting information about coffee growing and processing. There were many spices growing along with the coffee. Pepper vines snaked up the silver fir shade trees and exotic plants like star anise grew alongside. I bought some estate coffee and it’s great! As an aside they told us that where they took us was only 20 acres while the whole estate is 400 acres. The balance area is risky with wild animals like elephants roaming around.
We went to the hotel after that with a plan to visit the Mahatma Gandhi park in the evening. However, It started raining so we spent an enjoyable evening telling stories and singing
A relaxed, unhurried introduction to the area.
Day 5
This was scheduled to be the main sightseeing day with visits to Belur, Belvadi and Halebidu temples. The weather was perfect, cloudy and cool with no rain.
We drove to the Chennakeshava Temple, Belur first. We
were fortunate to get an excellent guide who stayed with us for the whole day.
He was fluent in English and very helpful in every way. This temple is nothing
short of a masterpiece of Indian art. In fact, Belur and Halebidu put together
surpass anything I have seen so far. Only Khajuraho comes close. This Vishnu
temple was commissioned by King Vishnuvardhana in 1117 CE, on the banks of the
Yagachi River in Belur, an early Hoysala Empire capital. The temple
construction took 103 years. Read more about it on Wikipedia Belur temple
The Hoysala temples don’t have the imposing Shikhars that one normally expects in Hindu Temples. However, they more than make up in the beauty of the carvings and the lace like 3-dimensional detailing on each figure.
Here is one of the best examples. The lady with the mirror.
The artwork is simply breathtaking. I have shown only a few here, but this is one of the highest points of Indian art.
After Belur we went to Veeranarayana Temple, Belavadi. This is a beautiful uncrowded temple built by the same king who commissioned the temple at Belur. There is a triple shrine here with an exquisite statue of Krishna playing the flute. Read about the temple here Belvadi Temple
After an amazing day, we headed back to the hotel for dinner and bed.
Day 6 The Hills and the Coffee Museum
The origins of coffee in India date back to the 17th century when a Sufi saint, Baba Budan smuggled in a few live coffee beans hidden in his beard from Yemen into India. He planted them on the slopes of Chikmagalur. Our first stop was at the Manikyadhara Falls. Littered with tourists and small stalls, the approach to the falls was unprepossessing. The falls even more so with pilgrims flinging off an article of clothing as per tradition. The place was ugly and unkempt. It’s not worth coming here and neither to Mullayanagiri & Seethalayyanagiri. The views are marvelous however, resembling the Lake district in UK but tourism has ruined the environment.
Our last visit was to the coffee museum in Chikmagalur. This was a typical government outfit with average displays and bored staff. We looked around a little but left soon afterwards.
The last evening was a very pleasant get-together with songs and stories and much laughter back at the hotel.
Day 7
We drove back to Mangalore airport and
dispersed vowing to keep our friendship and the spirit of gadbad alive. Here is
a little poem I wrote to mark the occasion and the trip. Most of us are in our 70s so it seemed appropriate!
साठ पर सठियाए नहीं
सत्तर का उत्तर हमपे
है
ऐश करो और ऐश कराओ
अभी तो गड़बड़ बाकी है!
I hope this blog has
whetted your appetite to visit this beautiful part of India.
Here are some additional
photos
https://photos.app.goo.gl/CPN3tTY2ZiydEzCV9
Photo Credits: All the
group members, Jagdish, Meera, Kaanchan, Shekhar, Vijaya, KBS, Tanveer, Sunil,
Usha, Ishwar, Sundari, Devi and Debu
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Check out my books. The links will take you to Amazon.
Journey to the Hills and
other Stories A nostalgic memoir of family vacations in Mussoorie.
The Mussoorie Murders A classic whodunit set in
the Queen of the Hills
Mussoorie Montage An eclectic collection of
emotional short stories set in Mussoorie
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