Travel Log#8
A Devotional Trip to Pay My Indebtedness
The small hill town of Sringeri was just opening up when I landed at the only bus stand around 8 a.m. I was disturbingly surprised and anxious whether the town was deserted and then got reminded of the ongoing pandemic situation. With the lockdown lifted just two weeks before, not just Sringeri but the whole state was rather slowly opening up.
After I had refreshed myself at a stay, I set out to visit one of the most popular shrines of Karnataka State - Shri Sharadamba Temple, dedicated to the Goddess Saraswathi, the God of Knowledge. It is located next to the bank of river Tunga with a grand and magnificent view. There are shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva and Ganapathy nearby. As I was walking towards the temple, my expectation was that the town would be booming with lots of merchants and shops. But even as the clock turned 10, many shops were yet to open. Or that is what I wondered. Only a meagre of shops were functioning and nothing more. The fact was that the town hadn't opened up to devotees or tourists from farther land yet. Anticipating there would less number of devotees turning up for worship the whole town wasn't at its zenith.
After a heartily satisfying worship of the Goddess I had breakfast at a peculiar and interesting hotel. Named as "Maruthi Tiffin Centre", this unique hotel served food on banana leaves, with the guests seated on the floor. Thanks to this unique attribute of the hotel, there was a noteworthy queue in which I had to wait before I could get a seat for a banana leaf. Eventually I got a seat after waiting around 15 minutes and I enjoyed a sumptuous and palatable meal.
At the noon I treaded along the river bank and explored the place. There was a secluded spot which caught my attention and I made sure I was there without wasting any time. This spot offered a peaceful trance with a surfeit of pebbles under my feet and the water just ankle heigh. I cherished each and every moment, trudging along the pebble studded river. There was a kid who was taking a dib in the water and I wished I could be that kid. The only things that stopped me from being that kid were my mobile and wallet. Dark clouds were hovering up in the sky asking me to leave and I happily obliged.
I purchased souvenir photo frames in my evening walk for shopping which also included buying the Sringeri famous Jackfruit and Banana chips. With a satisfactory and pleasant feeling I left the tranquil town of Sringeri vowing to return whenever I could. My adventure life mostly focused on weekends were on a moratorium due to the pandemic lockdown. But now I am glad that the Sringeri trip is a salutation to resume my exploratory life in the near future.
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MaddiE's Sringeri Gallery
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