By Shobha Rao Smilemaker
May 21: After returning from a beach holiday abroad, we suddenly decided to go to a beach in India, before they get closed during the heavy monsoon rains season. We found this unique beach experience much better experience than in those crowded beaches abroad.
We reached Kundapur Delta point which is generally a place where a river merges into the sea. But this place is unique in the world because, not 1 but 5 rivers merge at this point onto the sea.
The five rivers are called Souparnika, Chakra, Kubja, Varahi, and Kedaga and so this place where all the five rivers join is also called Panchagangavali river.
There are 2 parallel running seawalks constructed from Kodi and Gangoli, from which you can view these five rivers joining the Arabian Sea.
The timing was perfect - without the summer heat and before the heavy rains, we were greeted by the local boat owners in perfect weather!this was probably the last few days before the boats were permitted to go into the ocean, before they shut down for the rainy months.
The transition from the river ride to the ocean ride was on very rough choppy waters as the boat shook from side to side. Suddenly we squealed in excitement as we sighted a dolphin tail in the distance, and then one more..and then many many more!
We were so thrilled to watch so many dolphins swim just below the sea water surface, so close to our boat.
Then we left the ocean to go to backwaters of the Panchagangavali River in Kodi, Kundapur. The combination of fresh water and sea water is ideal for the growth of mangroves, and thanks to the efforts of the forest department in the last decade we have a huge area of mangroves that protect the shore and also boost tourism.
Our boat went under a green canopy at one point and we even saw a giant jelly fish in the waters. The calm waters, the greenery, the good company along with the chirping of birds made this an unforgettable boating experience.
We just had to see the ancient Kundapur lighthouse. After that we visited the quint Chandreshwari Goddess temple where the idols are placed facing different directions. This is the first time; I saw really ornate huge idols outside the main shrine made of wood and covered in silver. Even small temples of our South Kanara district are unique in their own way!
After that we felt like kids again, getting fully drenched in the Kodi beach waters and even rolling in the sands. Such a luxury that there were absolutely no other people on wither sides of the beach and amazing cloudy weather too.
After a thorough shower at the the quaint Kundapur Forest Guest house on the banks of the river, we had an amazing local lunch and rested for a while in the air-conditioned comfort overlooking amazing natural scenery.
On the way back to Mangalore from Kundapur, we stopped at the Dr Shivaram Karanth theme park located at his native hometown called Kota. This place is dedicated to the Jnanapeeta awardee.
We saw so many statues even before we entered the landscaped garden There was an impressive bronze statue of Dr. Karanth in the middle of the pool,but the fountain was off. Even the main building with a collection of his books in the library, art gallery, anganwadi and indoor auditorium was closed for the day.
We walked by the open air auditorium and clicked pictures with the statues that depicted characters from his book - yakshagana artists, drum beaters, kambla bull racers, teacher with kids, etc.
We left the place with a smile, feeling proud of our South Kanara culture and natural beauty that are still to be discovered in the many hidden locations that are present in this region!
Shobha Rao Smilemaker has a vision of living in a world where people use their ability to find and make smiles in any situation. She is a lawyer by qualification, a soft skills trainer by passion, a motivational speaker, a freelance journalist, a bestselling author, an avid traveler and founder of 'Smilemakers Trainings'. She can be contacted at www.shobhasmilemaker.com.