Why should we have trips? They are needed for a change, recreation, socialization and to know places & people. They are needed to drive away boredom & get refreshed too. They are more needed by old than young people. They are not merely a time pass. They needn't be a long -distance ones .
Money is not merely to be earned. It is to be spent. Then only it would be useful. Travel is one of the modes of spending money. It would be never a wasteThat is why we senior citizens at Sahakar Nagar decided to have Maagha Snanam at Nanjangud which is at a distance of 22 km from Mysore. Trip needs always planning & execution. It has to be organized very well. The cooperation & involvement of every participant is quite important for the success of a trip. Further, in trips maintenance of time schedule & discipline is very important also.
Life & trip are alike. Whether it is life or whether it is a trip It is not guaranteed that there would be no problems. Any problems may arise in them. We must be ready to face them. Enthusiasm is quite essential to go on a trip more than anything. It is a great motivator.
It doesn't allow negative thoughts to emanate in the mind. It is which makes one ignore many lacunas. We may modernize but our customs would not die completely at all . Having dips in holy rivers is the major ritual of Maagha maasam. Holy river Kapila flows at Nanjangud. Nanjangud is a site of confluence of three rivers. River Kapila, River Koundinya and River Churnavathi. Besides Kapila is a tributary of the Kaveri river. There are all conveniences to have Maagha Snanam at Nanjangud.
Besides, Nanjangud is famous for Srikanteshwara Temple & is known as "Dakshina Kashi". It is known as Parusharam Kshetra too. It is said great sage Parusharama remained for some time at this place after beheading kings. It is famous for a variety of banana grown in the region namely Nanjanagoodu rasabale. Nanjangud tooth powder was very popular until recently.The distance between Sahakar Nagar Bangalore & Nanjangud is about 170 km and it is about 5 to 6 hours journey by bus between these two places.
There is a vast difference between travelling alone & travelling with friends, relatives. Travelling in company of people of same age group & travelling in age group of people of different ages is different. Travelling in group is always pleasure some. Hence, the saying " Birds of same feather fly together. You are company for them & they are company for you . It is one for all . All for one.
We left Sahakar Nagar at 6 .15 am by a luxury bus. We were about sixty in number. Women exceeded men in number. Bangalore Mysore Road was busy with heavy traffic as usual yet the journey was smooth. Everywhere we could see greenery & improvement. At Channapattana we halted for little rest and for breakfast. By the time we reached Nanjangud it was past 12 noon. The majestic tower of temple greeted us.
Temple remains opened from Morning 6.30 am to Evening 8:30 pm. The Srikanteshwara temple of Nanjangudu is the biggest temple in Karnataka and measures 385 feet by 160 feet, with a total area of 50,000 square feet. The Mahadvara (main entrance) is seven – storey high and is decorated with seven gold plated Kalasas that add a further three meters to its loftiness flanked by two horns. The outer walls of the temple are about 12 feet high. A spacious courtyard welcomes hundreds of pilgrims to the divine abode of Shiva and offers a veritable galaxy of stucco figures as it boasts of more than 122 images including Dikpalas, the largest number of Sculptures relating to Shiva and his various manifestations, several forms of Subramanya, Saptamatrikas and others. There are many exquisite bronze icons that Vie for attention and prominent among them are Tandaveshvara, Narayana with Bhudevi, Chandrashekaramurthi, Parvati, Chandikeshvara and others. The inner niches of the temple wall also depict 32 forms of Ganapathi eulogized in the Mudgala Purana and each is more enchanting than the other. The temple is a centrally protected monument. The temple is built in the Dravidian style and is the only one of its kind in Karnataka. It is said that the sage Gauthama stayed in Nanjangud for sometime and installed a Linga in this place. The temple and surroundings are maintained well. There is adequate parking places to vehicles. The gardens are maintained cleanly & neatly in the surroundings.
Though,it wasn't summer, paths were hot and feet were having burning sensation. Yet, place was replete with devotees. There were long queues before Srikanteswara Temple. For quick darshan of Sri Srikanteswara, there were tickets costing Rs 100/- & Rs 30. For Rs 100 ticket there were two laddus as Prasadam.
We decided first to have bath in Kapila river & then have blessings of Lord.
What a pleasure one would have when they have a dip in a holy river. How much hesitation they would have before having the first dip. All chill & sin would run away thereafter & holy feelings fill the heart & mind.They would like to remain in water only . It is purifying themselves not only bodily but also spiritually. When a man plunges in a holy river, he forgets all his miseries whereas when a man plunges in ocean of life usually all miseries beacon him one by one. We all had dip in River Kapila. There afterwards, we offered prayers at the lotus feet of Srikanteswara & other deities after standing in queues . By that time it was late. It was 2.30 pm. We hurried to Mysore for our dinner.
Maagha maasam in India marks the beginning of the most awaited spring season and the end of the dry winter season. As the nature starts blooming once again with the growth of fresh new leaves and flowers all around, this is the most favourite season of the people.It is believed that the Hindu Goddess of wisdom and learning - Goddess Saraswati, the Sun God or Surya Bhagawan and Lord Shiva in the lingam form were born in this month. On the fifth day in the brighter half of the moon, Panchami or Saraswati Pooja is celebrated across the country. Hence the month is particularly dedicated to Lord Surya and people worship Sun god on the four Sundays of Maagha maasam. Reciting Aditya Hrudyam on the four Sundays of the month would be very effective.
Some places we would like to see again & again. We would not be tired of seeing them at all. It is not that they are very beautiful and attractive, they win our hearts. Nanjangud- Mysore is one such place. It is not as flooded with people as Bangalore is. It is a calm & quiet place. Nowadays more people prefer Mysore than Bangalore.
How fast is human mind . How quickly it brings in brief to our memory our life which we took years to traverse. No computer can excel it . Memory can take us far far.
I have spent a part of my life in this part of Karnataka. Mysore is one where I had a year of Schooling. I studied sixth standard there between 1950- 1951. Half of sixth standard I studied at Dalvai Middle school.In Dalvai Middle school classes were in morning hours. Dalvai Middle school was far away from our residence situated opposite to famous Devaraja market on Sayyaji Rao Road. I was a late riser & was irregular to classes . Other half of sixth standard I studied in Sharada Vilas Middle School. Sharada Vilas Middle School was at Langsdown building.It was situated & nearer to our residence. In fact,it was at half the distance. Besides my neighbour too was studying in that school. His name was Chandrsekhar brother of Dr Sreenivas Murthy . I couldn't maintain any contacts with them.
Time to time I have been visiting Mysore , Nanjangud & other places for one another reason. My eldest son completed his P.U,C. and had his engineering degree from J. C. College of Engineering in 1987
Above, I recollected, when Sri Suttur Math provided afternoon food on our way back to Sahakar Nagar from Nanjangud.
Our trip ended with visits to Chamundi Hills & Nimishamba Temple , Srirangapatna.