[airguitar]

We all travel to Kalasa so much, don't we? Yet there are so many details about this place that I have never looked at more closely. Let's start with a bit of history and the background stories a bit. The Kalasa town is surrounded by Bhadra on three directions and wherever you go you are not far from Bhadra. A sunset picture to start :

The story of Kalasa

Varuna and Mitra, two rishi brothers, chose the banks of Bhadra to do penance. As is usual, Indra and others were worried about what Varuna and Mitra would achieve if they completed their penance and the powers that they might acquire. They sent Urvashi to distract them and their penance broke. Enamored by her they emitted their veerya - sensing the birth of someone special that had the powers of the penance Indra and the Gods kept a "Kalasha" or a "Kumbha" to prevent it from falling onto the ground. This Kalasha / Kumbha acted as the womb for Agastya to be born. Therefore, Agastya is called "Kumbhodbava". At the same time Vashistha was born too being released from the curse of Nemi Chakravarti. As Agastya was born, Shiva appeared before him and asked him what Agastya would want from him, to which Agastya requested that Shiva stay in that place as Kalaseshwara and Shiva accepted.

Much later, Shiva and Parvati were getting married at Kashi. The dwellers of the whole universe went to Kashi to witness the glory of the wedding. Agastya went too. Due to this move of population, the earth began losing it's control and Shiva asked Agastya to move back to Kalasa to counterbalance this. Needless to say, Agastya was disappointed that he could not witness this wedding - to which Shiva said that he will be able to witness it from wherever Agastya was and that there would be a nithya girija kalyana ( daily wedding ritual ).

Now, day and night in the Gods' world ( Uttarayana and Dakshinayana ) together correspond to one year. In the human world, it corresponds to 1 year, split by the summer solstice. The wedding festival happens to this day, once a year at the Girijamba temple at Kalasa, typically 2 days after Deepavali.

With that intro about Kalasa, let's get into the Pancha theerthas of Kalasa which play an important role in the annual functions and pujas of Kalaseshwara. What I thought would be an easy find turned out to be quite a tough conquest ( I couldn't find one still ).

Notes :

• All theerthas fall on the right bank of Bhadra and should all be within 5 kms of the Kalaseshwara temple. We shall also see about other thirthas that are mistakenly thought of as part of this pancha theertha.
• Some of these places can be dangerous when the Bhadra is in full flow, so take care
• Some of these have a "Kshetra" temple nearby, we'll see what they are
• Kalaseshwara procession stops at each of these theerthas during annual festival of the temple - so I would say a good time to visit these is along with the group to see what Pujas are performed
• Many locals didn't know as many as 3 of these theerthas' locations - that's what prompted me to write this post to a large extent
• I have provided the coordinates for all barring one or two , just copy and paste into your favorite map to navigate

[airguitar]

The Pancha Theerthas in the order Bhadra flows through them

Bhandara Theertha or Kosha Theertha
This is the theertha that is the hardest to reach ( I didn't have the time ) as the approach road to this is covered with agricultural land. This theertha perhaps can be reached from the Bynekadu side ( Kalasa - Samse road ) more easily. If someone does get here and has the coordinates pls post - I didn't have the wherewithal to figure this out in the single day I had.

Story: Kosha theertha or Bhandaara theertha is where Kubera left wealth required for Shiva and Parvathi's wedding. Navanidhis were left at this place by Kubera on the orders of Shiva. Taking a bath here is believed to give the worldly / material benefits to the people taking bath.

(Admins : Apologies - multiple posts are to have self contained information about each theertha - if on a single post they might be interspersed reducing readability, plus editing options get minimized if I edit the same post ).

[airguitar]

Koti Theertha
This is also a little obscure place, but once you figure the place it's not hard to remember. When you head out of Kalasa town towards Abbukudige or Sooramane falls, the first thing you encounter is the Ilvaleshwara temple (established by sage Agasthya). Past the temple the overbridge ( for vehicular movement ) begins. Just before the bridge, stop on your left, get down and look around on the left side of the bridge where it starts, you will see some steps down which take you to a Shivalinga and Nandi - this is Koti Theertha.

Story : This is where crores of Gods and bhaktas that came to witness the wedding stood and therefore called - Koti (crore) theertha. The part of the river is called "Kotihole" or "Kotehole". Taking a bath here will absolve people of a crore sins.

Coordinates
Ilvaleshwara temple : 13.231285571359011, 75.34727321328705
Koti Theertha : 13.2298997,75.3468774

[airguitar]

Rudra Theertha

Is the place where Gaalaba Maharshi did penance. You take the left after the Kalasa Venkataramana temple and go on the concrete road upto the Ganapati temple, park your car, walk into the banks ( and into the river if you are going in a season where the river is not full ), walk to the biggest boulder you see first. You will see a shivalinga, nandi and the markings of a feet - Rudrana paada or Rudrapaada. This is the exact Rudra Theertha. The place is as great as Gaya for doing Pindadaana etc. It is believed that the Kalasa temple is the head of the Aghoraroopa taken by Kalaseshwara and these markings of feet at Rudratheertha are the feet of the Aghoraroopa. It is also believed to be the place where the 11 rudras stood in penance to please Lord Shiva - the place where Shiva showed up and stood in front of these rudras is where we have the foot imprints. Be very careful - if you are going in the non dry months - you may not see the foot prints or not even make it that far if river is in full flow.

Coordinates
Rudratheertha/ Rudra paada: 13.237659,75.3443037
Ganapati Temple: 13.237813036030998, 75.34534975891641
Gopalakrishna temple : 13.237625048474722, 75.34635290509715
Venkataramana Temple : 13.238946180179411, 75.35062298185655

[airguitar]

Amba Theertha

This place perhaps is the most beautiful of all the theerthas. The water flow is very heavy during even summer and therefore one has to be very careful when she enters the water. You get thousands of smooth river stones that look beautiful. There is a mantapa where Kalaseshwara sits during the annual festival.

Story : The place is known as the place where Parashurama took a dip to absolve himself of the sins of killing his mother ( interestingly there is also a similar story of Parashurama and Ramatheertha Bande behind Theerthahalli Rameshwara temple ). By taking a bath here one is supposed to be absolved of Matru Ninda. The place is known by other names like Matrika theertha. It is also associated another story where during a walk Parvati felt thirsty and Shiva created a pond by shooting his arrow. Some distance away is where Shri Madhwacharya did penance and a miracle and you will see this place - Bheemana Bande and you will see inscriptions about Madhwacharya. There is a hanging foot bridge over Bhadra next to Bheemana Bande also called Bheemana Kallu.

Other places that are documented nearby but I couldn't figure - like Uppinakayi Kola and Seetheya Seragu are nearby too. There also apparently is a lake nearby when you shout 'Amba' a flower (Ranjada hoovu aka Bettada Tavare ) comes up.

Coordinates
Bheemana Kallu/Bande : 13.241330406346796, 75.34107891142543
Hanging Bridge (a view from the bridge is as below) : 13.242447772937544, 75.33966970350174
Amba theertha : 13.249271231711024, 75.34454440167666
Uppinakayai Kola : Unkown
Seetheya Seragu : Unkown
Amba Kola : Unknown

[airguitar]

Naga Theertha & Vashishtha Theertha

This is a little confusing. There are two theerthas here : the board at the temple lists both as separate theerthas ( in fact they are geographically ). However, by temple literature and pooja vidhana, Kalaseshwara sits at both places during the annual festival and so this confusion. The places are distinct, but together they constitute one theertha of the pancha theertha.

Nagatheertha is difficult to find. You have to go the Horanadu road a bit and a few kms before Horanadu there is a right turn ( ask for Nursery road or Bhadra Sasyakshetra road ) Go as far as you can on the concrete road, you will reach a place called Ganapati Katte, continue on mud road from her and there is a board pointing to the right for the nursery. At that point you take the left mud road that is narrow and goes through some undergrowth. You pass a home on the left, continue. Finally you can drive no more and there is an estate gate to the right. Park your vehicle there and walk in the same direction ( yes, it's a narrow footpath, with trees on either side completely alive with wildlife like wild boars etc, but they will all be hidden within the undergrowth - so exercise caution); keep walking until you reach the river, turn right and continue walking on the bank until you see some nagashilas painted in yellow. That's pretty much what you can see at the place. PS: Nagatheertha as it is marked on Google maps today is not correct - it is actually Rudratheertha.

Again, it may not be possible or too risky to get the place when the river is full.

Story : During Girija Kalyana Takshaka, Vasuki and other snakes were provided accommodation here and so the name. It provides absolution from Nagadosha/Pretadosha etc if you take a dip in the river here.

Vashishtha Theertha

You can see this place and the bridge from Nagatheertha, but you are better off approaching it from the Kalsaseshwara temple side. From the rear exit of Kalaseshwara temple take left and continue along the concrete road until you reach the river and the hanging bridge. Alternative road is to proceed along the road to Bangalore for a few meters and then take the left sharp U turn hairpin that will put you on the Vashishtha theertha road.

Below the bride is a few stairs that take you to the Vashishtha Theertha. You will see a Shivalinga and a pooja area.

Also nearby is a Vashishtha Ashrama/cave, Bhairava temple and Ganapati temple. The other attraction is the hanging footbridge that provides stunning views of the Bhadra. You can drive all the way to the ashrama/theertha. When one says "Kalasa Hanging Bridge" - they are almost always referring to this one - though there are a few more hanging bridges in and around the town.

Coordinates
Nagatheertha : Last drivable Point, you will have to start walking on the foot trail from here until the next point: 13.246746593021683, 75.36193889740109
Nagatheertha : From the path where you are already walking look for a trail that descends to your left at this point: 13.246844853171634, 75.3636222108926. From here walk towards the river, and on the river bed take a right and continue until you see huge rocks in the middle of the river to your left.
Nagatheertha (actual place ): Sarpashile/Endpoint, From teh above point take a few steps and you will be here: 13.24711954936754, 75.36249738390956 : this is where you find the sarpashila etc. This is the actual nagatheertha where Kalaseshwara sits during the annual festival.
Vashishtha Theertha / Ashrama : 13.240699363382754, 75.36526146910626
Hanging Bridge : 13.241595555338918, 75.36485109112083
Agastyarchita Ganapati Temple : 13.240579261661985, 75.36477196595658
Bhairava Temple : 13.237103466037757, 75.36353144426145

The pictures below are that taken at Naga theertha. Not posting any pic of Vashishtha theertha as it's widely available on the internet ( and I didn't have it handy right now no my computer )

[airguitar]

The outliers that are frequently thought of as a panchatheertha

The other Naga Neertha
This Nagatheertha is confused as one of the pancha theerthas : it is not. This is on the way to Sringeri from Kalasa via Kudremukha. This occurs on the right side of the road somewhere after Gangamoola Cross. The place is locked but you can see the deity from outside. The place obviously is ancient, but the temple appears relatively new. It's a beautiful place but now locked for the public. From one of the blogs I read a few years ago, I remember reading that these were resting places for people that traveled from Belthangady to Sringeri via foot through the forest.

Coordinates

Naga theertha : 13.254973198826864, 75.16187835196062

Ganga Theertha
When Shiva agreed to Agastya that nithya kalyana will take place at Kalasa, Parvati refused to go as there was no way to see Ganga at Kalasa. So at this point Ganga took an incarnation at Kalasa. Taking a dip here will give one the same benefits of dipping in the Ganga. The place also goes by a name Triveni Sangama.

Coordinates
Ganga Theertha : Unknown

Varaha Theertha
This again is a beautiful place for sarpa shilas and now currently out of bounds for the public like so many other places around Kudremukh. Earlier it was your regular "picnic spot" near Kudremukha. Perhaps is still accessible during the Kudremukh trek, but unsure.

Coordinates
Varaha Theertha : Unknown

[airguitar]

Tourist Attractions In and around Kalasa

Here is a list of places around Kalasa - many of which I have had the privilege to visit. Some remain on the wishlists - especially the treks - info gathered from Kannada books or routine trekkers.

In Kalasa

• Panchatheertha - Bhandara theertha( kosha theertha ), Koti theertha, Rudra theertha, Amba Theertha, Naga-Vashishtha theertha and the little places around that I have mentioned above. You need a full day morning to evening at Kalasa to cover all these.
• Ganga Theertha
• Venkataramana temple
• Chennakeshava Temple
• Girijamba Temple
• Kalaseshwara temple ( separately don't miss buying the drumstick leaf thokku at the shop near the temple )
• Bheemana Kallu and hanging bridge
• Hanging bridge near Vashishtha theertha
• Hebbale bridge
• Duggappanayakana katte - Go on the Kalasa Magundi road for a kilometer, until you see a forest office board/park on the left. Stop your car there, take the entrace ticket and walk up inside to Katte to see a grand view of Kalasa. It is believed that there is a treasure hidden here that belonged to a local king and is guarded by a serpent. The forest dept is refurbishing the place at the time of writing and you may see some workers. Coordinates : 13.233501640870832, 75.36584082624657 if needed. However, you may not be able to navigate as Google maps maybe confusing. Just take the road that I mention.
• Nemmakki-Bhadra Sangama (not drivable to the point, ask locals and walk )

Between Kottigehara and Kalasa

• Kelaguru Teapoint and estates
• Durgadahalli Kalabhairaveshwara temple ( if you want to see the puja, go on Mondays only and in the morning around 8/9 AM ). Otherwise it's still a good place to see some Nayaka age shields and swords. This is off Sunkasale
• Ranijhari and Ghatikallu view : Stunning views of the hills when you go up a little from the temple - either by foot (towards the fort ) or by a 4x4. This is off Sunkasale. Ranijhari is seen as the place where Chennabasava Nayaka's pregnant queen committed suiced from ( for a vivid, dramatized version of the story, read the book Chennabasava Nayaka by Masti Venkatesh Iyengar -the book references Ballalarayana Durga, Ranijhari, Kalabhairava temple etc )
• Ballalarayana Durga and Abbi falls : This is a day trek, and easily doable by a DIY plan or you can take someone as a guide from the nearby Durgadahalli ( this is off Sunkasale )
• Mydaadi view point which provides a panoramic view of the Belthangady and Charmadi area ( this is near Marasanige )
• Hemavati river source : This is off Javali. The temple was created by a maharshi Jaabaali and so the village of Javali derives it's name from the rishi. At this place is the source of Hemavati river and the Ganapati temple.

Near Samse

• Yelaneeru Falls - Inside a private estate. You have to speak to the estate owners, pay the entry fee and they will take you to the falls. The falls derives from the place/village called Yelaneeru. Yelaneeru ghat is a well known place for many generations - as it faciliated a path from Belthangady to Samse/Kalasa. To this day a road exists ( doable by bike or 4WD ) until Didupe and from there you get jeeps to Belthangady ( it perhaps is a 20km journey overall from Samse to Belthangady and taking 45 minutes during non monsoons )
• Didupe falls ( see above, but you cannot do on regular cars from Samse side )
• Yelaneeru - Didupe - Belthangady drive on a 4WD
• Gaaligandi - Take the roads up the estates ( the narrow road next to Forest Guest house Samse and within minutes you will be going up the estate roads ) to Gaaligandi view point from where you can see all of the area ( and remote view of Ballalarayana durga ). You will get lost easily in the turns and take someone along that knows the place. Normal cars wont to do in monsoons and also during summer you need a higher ground clearance for your vehicles
• Ganapati temple - This is a popular tourist spot on the mainroad before Samse with a lot of people clicking selfies. Provides some great views of estates and the temple.
• There are 3 ancient Jain basadis around Samse - worth a visit

Around Kudremukha-SK Border-Sringeri

• Treks : Many treks start from the checkpost at Basrikal or from Bhagavaty.
• Kudremukh trek - you can seem some splendid grasslands, the erstwhile Lobo House ( which is not maintained anymore but was an important stopover until a few years ago, now in a state of disrepair ), Lobo's grave, then on the top, the remains of a church and a british Bungalow. There is also a trail from Belthangadi side from Navur-Sulyodi to Kudremukh. Earlier people used to ascend from Samse side and descend on Navur side ( which was steeper ), now I hear that there is no permission to descend via that side. Kadtikallu, Hirimaraguppe are zones on the Belthangady side of the hills, which is beautiful.
• Gangadikal trek
• Kurinjal trek
• Bhagavathy Nature Camp - Beautiful place next to Kudremukha main road. Forest dept runs camps and just Safaris
• Kudremukha town and Bhagavathy temple
• Bhadra viewpoint near Kudremukha
• Lakhya Dam ( out of bounds for the public )
• Gangamoola ( the source of Netravati, Bhadra and Tunga, now out of bounds for the public )
• Varaha Theertha - out of bounds for the public
• Naga theertha - you can view this from the main road, locked/ out of bounds for the public
• Hanumanagundi Falls - at SK border and now out of bounds for the public.
• Kerekatte Orchidarium - this is after SK border and towards Sringeri

On the Horanadu side

• The Adishaktyatmika Horanadu Annapoorneshwari temple
• And from here Kyatanamakki hills. It's undulating hills best suited for sunrise and sunset. From the road it is a 2 km jeep ride with some ridiculous driving terrain only suited for the best of 4wd vehicles. Don't take your vehicles even if 4WD unless you have had a first hand look at the terrain. At the end of the drive, the vehicle has to be parked and you have to hike up gently over the hills to get to the sunset spot. 20 mins or so gentle walk. Jeeps can be hired from Horanadu or from the Kyatanamakki tea point on the main road
• You can drive on all the way till Kogre-Shantrigrama if you enjoy bad roads and nature ( a few years from now this will act as a short route from Sringer i to Horanadu as opposed to the Basrikatte road, which even is being redone as I write )
• Haluvalli Subramanya temple : This is on the Horanadu-Magundi road located at the village of Haluvalli

Other Places

• Abbakudige and Soormane Falls - The Soormane falls is located in the Abbakudige estate, next to the a home. An entry fee of 20 per head is collected. The falls is beautiful and is a small walk from the house ( house is driveable all the way to the house through a combination of pukka and kachcha roads ). Coordinates : House(13.240382741596093, 75.3294022851327), Soormane Falls(13.241195628269796, 75.32758372438411)
• The Abbakudige estate itself is a super place to drive through - if you drive in March/April - it's spectacular to see the coffee blooms. A close up of a coffee plant in bloom as below. If you see an estate in bloom from above, it will look like jasmine flowers have been spilled in tonnes. Coffee bloom happens around Rama Navami each year, typically at the first shower of the year. In case of delayed start of summer showers, some use sprinklers to get the plants to bloom. At the same time early showers ( like the ones we had in Feb this year ) are a deal breaker as the previous harvest may not have completed.

[airguitar]

Over the years, the hill tourism in Karnataka was generally restricted to Coorg and Chikmagalur ( Mullayyanagiri, Kemannugundi etc ) and Kalasa/Kudremukha saw limited footfall and only those of "serious" trippers. Now it's a commonplace - no place can be called untouched. The hill tourism has gradually spread to and has in it's stranglehold all hitherto pristine places - Kalasa, Thirthahalli, Sagara, Sirsi, Kumta, Karwar and heck even the remote corners of Khanapura and Bhimgarh.

Gazillion homestays and resorts ( that now charge per "head" and not per "room" ), that cater to increasingly city-like activities : Karaoke Singing, Infinity Pools, Gyms, Places for drinking, smoking, barbecues ( heck I see people asking for barbecue places by river side - knowing our own reputation of keeping public places clean - this gives me a heart attack that people could do all these things ), children play area, outdoor sports areas, golf zones, disco floors etc.

The demand for these "city" things takes away all the sheen and glory from the places in the hills. Nary a quiet spot left. Pls don't mind, just an old man ranting.

That's all folks!

References
[1] Skanda Purana
[2] Temple books and archives of Kalaseshwara temple
[3] Local priests

[speedmiester]

Thanks for the travelogue and sharing the story of Kalasa. I had been there just couple of months ago, never did try to understand the history of this place.
Will definitely stay a day longer next time around.

[hisunil]

Beautifully articulated and written, could add pancha lingas too around Kalasa to make this a complete listing of most places around Kalasa. Thanks a ton for taking time to share and detail all the points and places.

Namaskara
Sunil

[Stryker]

Excellent info about a lesser known but very beautiful place in Karnataka. Very interesting to read the origin story about Kalasa too. I have visited Kalasa a few times, as my mom's cousin lived there for several years before moving to Mysore after retirement. Of course, the foremost reason being visits to the Horanadu Annapoorneshwari temple. Although we did visit a couple of places you have listed above, we haven't made an effort like you to actually go out and discover all the panchateerthas. I'll certainly use this as reference when we go there next. Thanks.

[jeeva]

Originally Posted by airguitar

Over the years, the hill tourism in Karnataka was generally restricted to Coorg and Chikmagalur ( Mullayyanagiri, Kemannugundi etc ) and Kalasa/Kudremukha saw limited footfall and only those of "serious" trippers. Now it's a commonplace - no place can be called untouched. The hill tourism has gradually spread to and has in it's stranglehold all hitherto pristine places - Kalasa, Thirthahalli, Sagara, Sirsi, Kumta, Karwar and heck even the remote corners of Khanapura and Bhimgarh.

Gazillion homestays and resorts ( that now charge per "head" and not per "room" ), that cater to increasingly city-like activities : Karaoke Singing, Infinity Pools, Gyms, Places for drinking, smoking, barbecues ( heck I see people asking for barbecue places by river side - knowing our own reputation of keeping public places clean - this gives me a heart attack that people could do all these things ), children play area, outdoor sports areas, golf zones, disco floors etc.

The demand for these "city" things takes away all the sheen and glory from the places in the hills. Nary a quiet spot left. Pls don't mind, just an old man ranting.

That's all folks!

References
[1] Skanda Purana
[2] Temple books and archives of Kalaseshwara temple
[3] Local priests

I understand the concern. Every single place is being taken over by the "tourist" mafia. They come, drink, litter, don't give a damn given about the sanctity of the place, ruin, and come back with a bigger crowd to ruin what's left out. I wonder why people just can't respect nature and want to take everything for granted. They should take a hint from the ongoing pandemic. For most of the city crowd, a vacation is all about getting loud, nasty and a preposterous celebration of irresponsibility.

Sometimes, I think only if there is a way to keep these places hidden from the prying eyes of tourists!
Sometime back, I drove through coastal Karnataka all the way to Murudueshwara, and visited a lot of temples including Kalasa and Sri Annapoorneshwari temple. It was a solo drive for about 2 weeks. Loved driving up from Udupi to Kalasa through Kudremukh.

[snr]

Brilliant write up! Yet another location that needs to be explored in the future! Thank you for sharing!

[kannan666]

Excellent writeup about the history of Kalasa, been there last in 2012 but never knew the stories surrounding the various teerthas. Hopefully can make another long overdue visit to the place soon once the Covid situation passes, thanks for sharing.