Udupi was one of my dream destinations and is an unexplored getaway from Bangalore. Being a coastal region in Karnataka it is very famous for beaches. The main tourist attraction in Udupi is ST.MARY ISLAND which is 400kms from Bangalore, If you are planning to visit Udupi, adding Murudeshwar to the plan is a good option. Murudeshwar is 100 Kms from Udupi, Also, Mangalore is close by . There is a another Island called Netrani Island where adventure enthusiasts can enjoy Scuba Diving.
We planned for a two days trip . Our itinerary consisted of Murudeshwar , ST.MARY Island and beaches . Udupi is very famous for Sri Krishna Temple . Also, Malpe beach from where we take a ferry to reach St.Mary Island was close by to this temple.Therefore we booked a hotel(24 hours checkout) which was at a walking distance from Sri Krishna Temple. We booked a cab from FARCAR.in( The cab was on time and we didn't have much problem in finding the places , so over all it was good and reliable one ) and started from Bangalore on Saturday around 8pm , we reached Udupi on Sunday around 4am and checked in .We started to Murudeshwar at around 8am reached there by around 12.30pm. Kodi beach, which is on the way to Murudeshwar , is a good place to stop for a break.
Murudeshwar is famous for world's second tallest Shiva statue (123 feet) , built on Kanduka hill and surrounded by water on three sides. The entire story of Murudeshwar is sculptured in the cave below the Shiva statue and is as follows, Ravana worshipped Lord Shiva to attain immortality by getting Aatma Linga. Pleased by his prayers , Lord Shiva grants him the boon with the condition that it should be never placed on the ground. Having obtained this boon, Ravana started Back to Lanka.
Sage Narada came to know about this and feared that Ravana will obtain immortality and create a havoc on earth . Therefore he approaches Lord Ganesha and requests him to prevent the Atma Linga from reaching Lanka. Ravana is a great devotee and performs his rituals everyday in the evening. Having known this , Lord Vishnu blotted the Sun and Ravana stopped near Gokarna to perform the rituals.At This time , Lord Ganesha in the disguise of a Bramhin approaches Ravana , Ravana requests him to hold the Atma Linga and not to place it down until he finishes his rituals.Lord Ganesha agrees for the same on a condition that he would call Ravana thrice and if he did not return by then he would place it on the ground. Lord Ganesh places the Atma Linga on ground and Lord Vishnu removes the illusion . Ravana realises that he has been tricked , becomes very furious and tried to destroy Aatma Linga and when he tired to destroy it, some pieces were scattered and he threw the cloth covering of Atma Linga in Mrideshwara which was later renamed as Murudeshwar.
we had our darshan, had lunch and spent some time in the beach. There were water sports like speed boat . We started back to Udupi at around 3pm and reached at around 7pm .Day 1 in our ininerary was over.
On Monday morning we went to the Sri Krishna Temple at 6am , had darshan and had our breakfast and checked out of the hotel. We went to Malpe beach at around 8am. From Malpe beach we have to go to St.Mary Island by ferry and it will start at 10am. Therefore we decided to spend time in the beach. In Malpe beach also there were water sports like speed boat, para sailing , banana boat. But water sports start only after 10am . As we reached at 8 itself we the beach was less crowded and peaceful and clean.
We went to the ticket counter by 10 am and they refused to give us tickets as we were only 5 of us and they needed a minimum of 15 people. We were highly disappointed as it was a monday morning and people visiting this place on monday morning is of a lesser possibility. But there was no way we were going back without seeing the St.Mary Island.We waited for an hour ,we were planning to pay extra and convince them but luckily a group nine people came there and finally we were all set to St.Mary Island, our most awaited destination!!
The ferry went past small Islands of rocks and when we came closer to the Island we were transferred to smaller boats that took us to the ST.Mary Island.The view From the Island is truly breathtaking!!! The shore filled with shells and pebbles instead of sand, The gradual variation in the water from golden to green to blue , The hexagonal volcanic rocks, the coconut trees, was absolutely stunning and is a real treat to eyes! This was something which I could never think of missing!!
St.Mary Island was named " El Pardon de Santa Maria " by the portugese explorer Vasco da Gama as a dedication to Mother Mary in the course of his voyage to Calicut. Geological studies indicate that these Islands were formed at the time when Madagascar was seperated from India.The rocks here are hexagonal in shape and are made of basalt. We will be given an hour to spend in the island and then will be taken back in a boat and later a ferry.
We then went back to Malpe beach where we did para sailing, had our lunch and then started back to bangalore. On our way back, we visited Dharmastala which is again another famous temple and reached bangalore around 3am on tuseday. The best time to visit this place is from December to mid February.
It is a place that is definitely worth a visit and the one you will never wanna miss!!
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