KOLLUR TO KUDAJADRI

I have wanted to visit Kudajatri , for the last couple of years. Our visits to the Moogambika Devi temple at Kollur had always been rushed , leaving no time for a Kudajatri trip.This time when my husband's schoolmate contacted us with a view to meet us and then go on to Kollur and maybe Kudajatri as well, we decided to join them on this trip.So here we were in Kollur.We had a spiritually satisfying darshan of Mookambika Devi , partook of dinner at the temple hall and returned to the guest house where we were lodged.After arranging for a jeep to take us to Kudajatri the next morning we retired for the night.(The road to Kudajatri is only negotiable by jeep,hence the need for a jeep.)
The next morning,by six a.m.,after a couple of cups of strong coffee we were ready to start off on our adventure.  The four of us got into the waiting jeep.The friend's wife(Usha),self and husband got into  the back of the jeep while Kumar(the classmate),sat next to the driver.There were strong grips hanging down from the framework above our heads.......... and these were to prove very useful once we got onto the jeep track later.
The distance by road from Kollur to Kudajatri  approximately 25 km.,15 km. of which is the infamous jeep track ! Legend has it that the first Sankaracharya meditated here and there is the Sarvajna peedam on the Kudajatri peak dedicated to him.The jeep track only goes until the Moolasthana at Kudajatri.To reach the peak one has to trek up(about 2 km)The peak is at a height of about 1343 m.above sea level.

The cool morning air was exhilarating.The road meandered through verdant forests and glades as we passed through small hamlets like Mattimane,Hebburuli. We spotted a few wild fowls and wild boars as they darted accross the road .Nittor village saw some jeeps lining the road as this was where most tourists who come by buses get down to catch jeeps for their onward journey.Just beyond Nittor is  a sharp right turn onto the jeep track.

Seeing the jeep track or rather the absence of it in most places,we suddenly realised what we were going to be in for! At some places we had to bump over boulders, sometimes roots,ruts,ditches ..etc.Soon, these were coupled with steep hair-pin bends too !For the most part now,the track ran on the edge of the slopes.The sheer drop to one side though scary, presented some awesome views.As we ascended, the steep hair-pin bends got to be almost continous.By then we were all holding onto the grips for dear life!The view of the valley was a beautiful one but all we wanted right then was for the ride to be over.Suddenly in

the distance we saw a white building( the Inspection Bungalow ) gleaming in the sun.That was where we were headed as the track ends there,informed our driver Santosh.Finally we roll to a stop next to the I.B. At close quarters the building looked rundown and haunted.There is a very small temple here ( this is the Moolasthan of the Devi), maintained by an Adiga family.They have been living here for generations, the priestly duties to the goddess being handed over from on to the next.Their ancestral home is across from the temple.They also provide home cooked meals to visitors on order.The summit is higher up and is reachable only on foot.The beauty here is so overwhelming and this is a must visit place for all nature lovers. After slaking our thirst with plenty of water we decided to start to start climbing.Raji's classmate who was not coming up offered to take care of our bags.

The climb was steep and took us through different kinds of terrain.The initial part was more rocky.We had to be careful and at places needed to use our hands for balance while climbing.The path soon started to look like the bed of a rivulet.I am sure in the rainy season there would be water flowing down to contend with as well.The rough path got to be slightly shady thanks to over hanging branches of trees on one side.The rocky surface gave way to fine gravelly dust and we were on a vast expanse of arid area with the sun beating down on us.The slope was ever upwards and steep too ! We cross a group of chattering collage students on their way down after catching the sunrise.Just as we thought we were almost to the top we realised that now we were going to be trekking up with  a sheer drop on one side and not much space on the other side either.The mountainside was barren and in the distance we could see other slopes  which were green with vegetation.The view was a fantastic one......Clouds and mist everywhere. We had to pick our way very carefully as the fine gravel made the slopes slippery.The terrain changes again.Now the path leads through a canopy of thick green trees, creepers and undergrowth.It was blissful to be out of the sun !Just before entering this area we could see a shelter on a far off summit.This is the Sarvajna peedam dedicated to  Adi Shankaracharya. The walk through the shaded area is pleasant though there are  rocks or pebbles of all shapes and sizes.

As we climb, we come upon a fork in the path-one leading to the top and the other  is said to lead to an idol of lord Ganapathy. We choose to go straight up as we had no idea of the distance to the Ganapathy.The path soon bursts out into bright sunlight and barren rocky terrain and we see the peedam ahead.There is nothing but barren rock at the summit.The temple town of Kollur could be soon in the far distance and the temple too was visible from here.From the back of the peedam,  a steep climb down  leads to the place from where the river Souparnika starts(approx. 1 km.).We decided not to try this as the climb was supposedly quite difficult.We pose for pictures and gush at the beauty all around. A strong breeze cools us from our climb.We took just under an hour to reach the summit.We start our climb down after countless photo shoots.We make good time to the jeep and climb back in for the ride back to Kollur.

In retrospect I feel that it was not such a hard trek at all and I would love to do this again sometime.