Pongal at Goa - the Mahadev temple at Tamdi Surla

The river that flows by the side

At the edge of the Tamdi Surla sanctuary is the 12th century Mahadev temple.  This was where we came on our first evening at Goa, and subsequently another day too.

The first evening, we skirted the temple and did some birding in the forests around.  On the second visit, we visted the temple and trekked up to the upper parts of the river, in search of butterflies!

As I read the blue ASI board below, I once again realised how poor my history is!  So who were these Kadamba kings who supposedly built this temple that survived the Goa inquisition by virtue of being tucked away in this little wooded corner of Goa?

I was intrigued to learn on my return that they were the first rulers to use Kannada as an official language for administration!  The rulers before them, in Karnataka, were all from elsewhere it seems and so, Sanskrit was the mode of communication thus far.

The temple, viewed from the side.  It is still used for worship, and there is a lingam inside.

I was fascinated at the perfection of the circular pillars

Mayurasharman is believed to be the founder of this dynasty, earning his spurs by battling the Pallavas, and winning at Srisailam. (I read this in the Wikipedia page.)

They were Hindus to begin with, some later kings moving in to Jainism.

The Kadamba style of architecture is characterised by these temple shikaras, which are rather plain.

The material is basalt.

Amazing work on the ceiling

I particularly liked this bit.  If you click on the picture, you will appreciate it in more detail.  I wonder whether they were painted in the old days.

The view looking into the sanctum, where there is a lingam.  Legend has it that this has always been an abode for a king cobra.  I am glad I didn't know that earlier.  I would not have ventured in! There was a carving of a cobra on one of the panels too.

Beautiful carvings everywhere

The temple is ringed by hills, and there is an air of tranquility in the evenings, as the sun sets.  Supposedly, as the first rays come from the east, over the mountains, they light up the lingam.

Another piece of beautiful carving

The side of the shikara

As we re-crossed the bridge to head back, I was struck by this large fig tree on the banks of the river.  Ficus mysorensis, probably nurturing an entire ecosystem here, as all fig trees do.

Pongal at Goa - getting there

11th Jan 2013

Our aim was to get on the 2pm Vasco express bound for Kullem, Goa. This was my first visit ever to this western state, and no, we were not headed for the famed Goan beaches, but to the foothills of the Western Ghats and the Bhagawan Mahaveer Sanctuary. As usual, the getting-on-the-train itself was an event in itself, with us being waitlisted until the last day. Finally, the group of nine that we were in our coach had six berths, 2RACs and one WL who could travel because the other two on her ticket were confirmed!

So, we learnt something new about bookings and reservations on the Indian Railways, as we set out via KR Puram, Hubli and Dharwad, and then on to these unfamiliar names - Londa, Castle Rock and our destination Kullem!!
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What a nice name I thought! 12th Jan, and chugging along in the ghats as we crossed into Goa from Karnataka.

Beautiful, forested mountains brought us all to the doors of the carriage to enjoy the cool air as well.

Our fellow companions included a whole band of little kids, first there seemed to be only a couple of them, then their tribe grew to half a dozen, and by midday, it was close to a dozen, as they ran up and down the corridors trying to amuse themselves.

One little girl was rather distraught and kept yelling, "papa", for her dad at the top of her voice.  The problem was that her dad had a reservation in the next compartment, and she did not look kindly on this forced separation from her beloved papa!

Our favourite was the chubby little fellow who insisted on spreading jam on his bread adn following the other older kids around!  There was a Lay's chips packet "war",  which resulted in the battlefield being spattered with chips, shrugged shoulders and crunches under feet! The kids lost their charm at this point!!

The Dudhsagar falls - a little rivulet now.  Regular passengers on this route remarked that in season, the spray from the falls can be felt in the train!

Another view, as we went around the falls

Several tunnels along the way too

Always good to reconnect with the great Indian train journey, I mused, as I looked at the green hills that passed by.

It was close to noon by the time we arrived at our station, having enjoyed Dharwad pedas and freeh green channa-in-the-pod from the hawkers who got on and off.  Much better than the railway food of ghastly idlis and dosais we had for breakfast.

A short ride in the tempo traveller with Syed and we were at Nature's Nest, Goa!

The resort is located in a coconut, banana and betel nut estate

The place is filled with these powder puff shrubs, which attract sunbirds, bulbuls and parakeets, 

The dining room, where we had our meals.  We arrived for a delicious lunch with a wonderful dhal and vegetable gravy, Goan style.  The food was fresh and yum, though I must admit on day three I was a bit tired of the overdose of coconut milk!

The row of cottages

Our cottage - kaner.  Kaner is the Goan name for the Yellow Oleander

We settled in and wandered around the campus, saw a flying lizard, dipped our feet in the little spring pool they have, and after evening tea, we set off for our first outing to the Tamdi Surla temple area.

What A Wonderful World indeed

What A Wonderful World With David Attenborough -- BBC One [FULL HD] - YouTube

and this -

Time to stop and stare

Yellow Tabebuia at Karur

It made me stop and stare...

Time to stop and stare

What is this life if full of care
We have no time to stand and stare?
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep, or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this, if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

William Henry Davies 1871 - 1940