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The Vaishnodevi Experience 2023

My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
3 comments

Coastal Karnataka Temple Tour

Hello everyone, I back from another vacation, this time to Karnataka. My son, Samhith’s birthday falls on 6th May, and we wanted to spend it at some temple. So, this time, we visited many temples in coastal Karnataka. Look out for many interesting posts on all the places we visited.
To give you all an idea of the places you can all soon read about, here’s the tour programme we followed:

Day1:

  • 3:00PM departure by Bombay- Mangalore bus.

Day2:

  • 3:45 AM Arrival at Kumta.
  • Car to Gokarna.
  • Visit to Gokarna Mahabaleshwara Temple
  • Performing the sacred rites for our ancestors.
  • Evening- Trip to Sajjeshwara Linga Temple near Karwar
  • Night halt at Gokarna



Day3:

  • Dhareshwar
  • Gunavanteshwar
  • Idagunji Ganapathy
  • Murudeshwar
  • Kollur Mookambika Temple
  • Annegudde Ganapathy Temple
  • Udupi – Sri Krishna Temple
  • Night Halt at Udupi

    Day4:
  • Viswaroopa Darshan and KsheerAbhishekam to Lord Krishna at Udupi
  • Kundapura – Kundeshwara Temple
  • Darshan and Pada Puja to Sringeri Acharya, who was camping there.
  • Hattiangady Ganapathy Temple
  • Sai Baba Temple
  • Vadabhandeshwara Temple
  • Malpe Beach
  • Night Halt at Udupi

    Day5:
  • Udupi to Sringeri by Bus
  • Sringeri Sharada Temple
  • Temples in Sringeri
  • Night Halt at Sringeri

    Day6:
  • Suprabhata Seva to Sharadamba
  • Shakatapuram – Temple and Darshan of Badari Shankaracharya
  • Horanadu
  • Kalasa
  • Night Halt at Sringeri

    Day7:
  • Dharmasthala
  • Subrahmanya
  • Madhur Mahaganapathy, Kasargod
  • Mangalore –
    Mangaladevi temple
    Gokarnanatha Temple
    Kadri Manjunatha Temple
    Sharavu Mahaganapathy Temple
    Venkatramana Temple
  • Kateel Durgaparameshwari Temple
  • Hosanadu Annapoorneshwari Temple
  • Night Halt at Sringeri

    Day8:
  • Bus to Bangalore
  • Night Halt at Bangalore

    Day9:
  • Bus to Puttaparthi

    Day 10 and 11:
  • Puttaparthi- Darshan of Sri Sathya Sai Baba

    Day12:
  • Bus to Bangalore

    Day 13 and 14:
  • Visit to Relatives at Bangalore

    Day15:
  • Bus to Bombay

    A long trip, wasn’t it? Well, the reason was a wedding at Bangalore that we had to attend, and the excuse for this long itinerary was my son’s date of birth on the 6th may, and his star birthday on the 9th. We always try to celebrate his birthday differently. Last year, we had been to Kodaikanal to have darshan of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, and the year before, we had been to Ganpatiphule. This year, we visited all these temples. I have put up my itinerary, so as to help people who would like to make a similar trip.


    So look out for more details of this long trip…..
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Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 22, 2008 at 1:49 PM

    hey akka,
    your trip must have been really fun and exciting couse i could feel that i was travelling with you while i was reading this experience. Actually appa also liked it but i don't think he told you. Where do find the energy to sit and write each and everything as soon as you come from that place!!! Great goin! love you

    Kanthi

    PS since i don't have a gmail a/c, i m sending as anonymous.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Midhun Kumar AlluJuly 23, 2008 at 1:51 AM

    Hi,

    Could you post a link to pictures taken at these locations ?

    Thanks,

    ReplyDelete

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