A family trip
A trip to Mookambhika was in my wish list when I came to Kerala. But when and how was not planned.15 years back I visited Mookambhika .That was with my sister’s family.when I was searching my fathers magazine collection I found one Sree Mookambhika Mathrubhumi supplement.The magazine was dated 2019.
From the magazine I happened to read some good writings from great writers.I should say they were taking me to Mookambhika temple .From my previous trip that happened long back I could recollect only the ‘ezhuthiniruthu ‘ of my nephew. He sat on my achans lap infront of the saraswathi mandapam.
Bijiechi is called as Mamma by all the kids,a name she chooses for herself.
Mamma pampering Esha🥰🥰.A photo taken during her visit…. )
we went to the Sowparnika river that flows through kollur near Mookambhika temple.
I got a message or a call (I forgot)from my sister that they might travel to Mookhambhika temple during their visit to Kerala for one month visit.A thought ,not yet planned since the month is December and the weather seems good.Their daughter Lakshmi was in 10th and her board exam was nearing. Covid changed the routine exam process and kids are undergoing an inevitable transformation .Vichu, their eldest son is in Gujarath so that was not a concern.
………………Mamma’s family …………
That was a quick decision to travel to Mookambhika .Some google search and a few phone calls ,a hotel was booked for 2 nights.The plan was extended for 1 more night stay at Coorg.So travel by car on 17 th and return back on 20th .I was a bit worried about Sidhu because he has to submit his assignments before Friday.He said he will take care of that.I was least bothered about Esha’s classes as she is only in 3rd.
An Innova was rented out and clothes were packed. By 7 am we started our trip to Mookambhika.Melanie was taken care by Gokulmaaman .Ganapathy atharvaseersham and daivadhasakam was recited in the car .
That was a new experience for me ,since we usually don’t do it during our trip. Felt good at heart and mind.The lyrics were familiar to me but I cannot recite it fully.I used to hear Anuradha paudwals recital a lot. Loved her voice and recital.Top big cans of water and our luggage were kept in the trunk and the truck was fully packed. The route was clear it starts from Purathur and through Tirur ,Tanur,Parappanangadi,Kozhikode ,Vadakara,Mahe ,Thalassery,Kannur,Payyanur,Kasargode Mangalore it ends in Kollur.
Manojettan. along with others were excited about the journey.He was the “saaradhi “ who controls the vehicle throughout the journey.Mamma was seated in the front passenger seat ,close to him( Big support☺️).
This write up is mainly my thoughts and the sequences of events that happened throughout the journey.Each person in the car might have a different story to tell. Amma and Achan were enjoying their trip with daughters and grand children( not forgetting Manojettan)in their old age.They started their old age travel entrusting their kids in proper hands and enjoying as well as worrying about their grand children.I heard many times Achan telling Vichu Rishi and Sidhu that they are more capable of doing things compared to what they are doing now. , a grandfathers worry about future.
Esha threw up few times and we were searching for a not bad restaurant to have our morning breakfast.It was on Kozhikode Kannur bypass road. I forgot the restaurant but Amma helped me in getting back to the forgotten restaurant. I like food and loves to tell anyone about the good food .Amma has good memory and she told me that there was a group of people in the hotel .
I was so excited to cross Kozhikode and heading towards Vadakara, as my engineering college is situated there in Maniyur.Going back to the those memories always fill my heart with pride and fullfillment.On the way long I remembered my friends faces .One of mammas family friends were staying in Vadakara and they happened to be very close to the road where we are passing.Stopped and talked to them and we resume our journey. On the way long I was wondering about the national highway that we are travelling.ours was NH 66.My NH travel experience was entirely different from the one that I had before.When we were in Chennai mostly our Kerala trips were on road.Krishnagiri …Coimbatore …Salem highways we enjoyed a lot.Here we cannot experience that fastness but enjoyed the crowd the trucks and the people on the road .I should say a different NH travel experience .May be the 6 lane project brings more delightful experience in our future trips.
Topics for discussion comes and goes throughout our journey, achan seems more worried about India ,the inequalities he sees and the non secular practices he witnessess.We stopped at a resaturant.We adults all had our fish/veg meals.I was sitting opposite to Esha Lakshmi and Sidhu and it was time pass for me to watch them ordering their food and eating them.What I felt in them is they are least bothered about the money but wanted to eat the best food they like.And in between I heard them telling about different food they tasted and liked.Achan used to tell he cannot remember the name of the dish.I know amma enjoys eating from outside tasting verity of food.Sidhu doesn’t like taking photographs but when I clicked a photo of mamma with Esha he came and sat with her.Sometimes he is like that.
Some sweet memories of our trip.
Resumed our journey after a happy stop and our next destination was Mangalore.But in between we changed our plan .Bekal fort was just few kms away.we stopped in front of Bekal fort.
Sun was on the top and my photography was bad….But managed to take one.As every place has a history so is Bakel fort.It was constructed in the medieval period in the year 1650 AD. It spreads around 40 acres of land and close to the Arabian Sea.
Some random pictures from the gallery.
Achan after his college degree was working in Kanjangaad for a while .He had been to Bekal fort many times but rest of us where visiting the fort for the first time.We spent almost 1 hour there resume our journey.
We reached Mangalore in 1 and half hours.Everyone needs a coffee break.And so we stopped infront of a coffee shop.Everyone ordered their favorite .I was not in a mood to drink coffee. Just outside the coffee shop there was a shop that sells avil milk .The main ingredients were milk and banana. It was heavy but I liked it.The coffee was expensive.
It was getting dark and we need to reach our hotel at the earliest.Sidhu our google was in action and the roads were covered appropriate time.Everyone was tired . We covered 152 kms in in 3 and half hours and reached our destination entering through the big arch.
Animon residency welcomed us.It was just 1 and half kilometers from temple.
We all slept and next day morning we all went to sawparnika river
It was a nice experience standing in the cold water and bitten by the school of fishes.Monkeys we’re running around everywhere. It was happy to capture some good moments of them through my phone camera.
There is a temple close to the river , and we met one malayalee who lives there.The Kollur Mookambhika was crowded but we had a good Darshanam. Did a little bit shopping close to the temple.
The hotel staff were really helpful and they said we will get jeep from temple premises for our journey to the kudajaathri.That was a much awaited journey for all of us . From different articles I read a lot ahout kudajaathri and sreesankarachaaryaas sarvanjapeedam.
We all got into the Jeep.(Achan and Esha were not feeling good in the morning.Achan doesn’t want to take a risk going to the kudajaathri as the path is tough.But Biji Chechi asked both of them to get ready .)
Jeep was parked and we all got down.Manojettan bought some food before we started our journey and we all had it near the pond.The trekking was good .Esha Sidhu and Lekshmi were running and climbing .
After 1 and half kms of trekking we reached Sarvajnapeed.A saint and a scholar who was born in Kalady meditated here. Sage Adi Shankara also established a temple at Kollur. A small temple called Sarvajnapeetha, is built with stone. This small structure bears a name which is similar to Sarvajñapīṭha, also called Sharada Peeth of Jammu and Kashmir.which was visited by Adi Shankara during his long spiritual journey, where he defeated other scholars in philosophical debate and opened the southern door of the temple.
The Shola Forests and thick forest cover Kodachadri . Kodachadri hill contains iron ore in its soil and test digging was also done here during the 20th century and it was identified that the stones found here have magnetic properties. One iron pillar of about 40 feet length is planted erect in front of Moola Mookambika Temple near peak of Kodachadri (Courtesy ..https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodachadri)
After spending some time there we came down to the the temple pond and drank water that flows through the rock.And we all got into the jeep .The driver was waiting for us.
The descend was hectic for me and Esha .Esha threw up first and later it was my turn .But everyone were happy and later in the hotel we all share our experiences .we are happy that both Esha and achan were perfectly healthy and amma was so happy after the trekking as she had a fear of not able to climb the hill.Amma me mamma and Manojettan went to the temple and prayed and could see the nadayaddakkal of the temple Devi is carried in a palaquin and the temple is closed.In between Manojettan got missing and we didn’t carry our phone too. We waited near the shoe keeping place and finally he came after having kashaayam . Everything went good and we all slept sound.Next day trip is to Coorg.
Morning we all went to Sowparnika river and a temple close to that and one visit to the Mookambhika temple.