Our first long trip after marriage, if you can call it the honeymoon trip, was this one to Mookambika with a stopover at Bekal. It was a trip that happens once in a lifetime because the mood was very good and the places quite exotic and mystical. When we boarded the train to Mangalore that night, we didn’t realize that this trip came true due to some divine intervention. First of all, this may not have happened at all. It was a day when all of Kerala came to a standstill thanks to some issue that demanded a bandh. My wife, then working in Pathanamthitta, almost made it to the Thiruvananthapuram railway station, our embarkation point, thanks to the timely help of the police and a friend.
Anyway, our honeymoon trip was underway. The next morning we alight at the Bekal railway station with the Arabian sea and the timeless Bekal fortress providing a stunning backdrop to add a romantic touch. With the help of a friend who works at Bekal Resorts Development Corporation (BRDC), we managed to get a room in his office located inside the fort. Remember, this was back in 1996, and tourism hadn’t taken off there yet. The Bekal Fort, built by Sivappa Nayik, is an extremely important monument in the annals of Indian history, but has yet to receive due attention in the tourism scene. The surrounding beaches were a haven for smugglers and anti-social elements. However, my obsession with Bekal was too strong to succumb to these fears. My wife was also interested in this visit. The place had a lush green appearance and the healthy climate, which we owed to December, the month in which we were married. The sea was blue and inviting. This famous fort has carved a niche for itself in the hearts of moviegoers with song sequences from many hit movies being filmed here. The place had a deserted aspect that contrasted with the scenes that we see there now. This as mentioned was due to the notorious stories associated with the place. Our mood was exuberant and there was no room for discouragement.
The fort, which is a protected monument, is under the auspices of the Archaeological Survey of India. You couldn’t tell if there was a big attraction in this place that stood out. The atmosphere was unique. The beautiful beaches and waters of the Arabian Sea, together with the impressive Fort in front of it, make this place special. We had a great time walking and frolicking around the fort facilities. The watchtowers offer excellent views of the sea from both sides. The walls of the fort had openings through which weapons could be aimed at the invaders. No wonder the Bekal fort was the first choice to shoot a memorable sequence of songs from the movie Bombay. The part of the fort that juts out into the sea offers excellent views.
A dream couldn’t last forever, which we realized to our dismay as it was time to move on. It was not, and there was no accommodation available inside or outside the fort. No hotels were even to be seen, which gave us ample reason to board a bus to Mangalore. After a short stopover for lunch, we boarded a bus for Kollur-Mookambika, which was in fact our main destination. It was 8.30 and the night was growing colder and darker when we reached Mookambika. The dinner, which was purely vegetarian, was ordinary, but the taste of the mango pickle still lingers.
The experiences we had the next morning are unforgettable. We were inspired by the ancient belief that newly married couples can lead a happy married life if they soak in the Souparnika River. Souparnika originates from Kudajadri and flows for barely a kilometer from the temple. The place had an ethereal beauty with a stream that came out of the waters even in the cold weather. We took a dip together and came back euphoric. It was time to visit the temple. A local priest guided us in doing some rites. Shankaracharya started the Poojas and rites that are still performed here. This is the only temple dedicated to Goddess Parvati and it is over a thousand years old.
As mentioned above, divine intervention happened again. This time it was about two young men who shared a room opposite ours. We were looking for companions for the trip to Kudajadri and we gladly accepted their invitation to join them on the trip to the sacred hills surrounding this divine place. Since the jeep trip was expensive, we were also looking for someone who could share the cost of the trip. After some negotiation, the driver agreed to five hundred rupees, which is nothing compared to the going rate. So the jeep that usually carried 6-7 people had only four passengers. As the vehicle moved forward, the road changed from paved to muddy to rocky. It was an experience that, perhaps once, I thought could turn me inside out. After a harrowing journey of about 40 kilometers uphill, we reach Kudajadri.
The relatives of the priests who stay here permanently welcomed us. They gave us tea and snacks. A novel written, MT Vasudevan Nair, the legendary Malayalam writer with the plot woven around this very background, was told by my wife who is an ardent admirer of his. To my surprise, the scenes that played out here and the characters here behaved in exactly the same way as she had narrated. In fact, she had said this many times during the trip and the delight on her face was obvious.
There is a pond fed by the water that flows from the forest to the top of the adjacent hills. We walk along the trail enjoying clear skies and healthy weather in the middle of the forest. After a climb of about half an hour, we reached Sarvanjapeedom, where Shankaracharya measured and Mookambika Devi appeared before him. There is an interesting story behind this episode. Shankaracharya wanted Devi to follow him to Kerala where there were no Devi temples. Devi complied with Shankaracharya’s request and followed him on the condition that she never look back. At one point, Shankaracharya looked back as the sound of Devi’s anklets could not be heard. True to her words, Mookambika Devi told Shankaracharya that she would stay here and people could come to seek her blessings. Finally touched by Shankaracharya’s devotion, Devi told him that she would give darshan to the Kerala devotees at Chottanikkaara in the morning and then return to Kollur. It is not surprising that Chottanikkara temple opens at 4 am compared to other temples as Mookambika Devi arrives at Chottanikkara during the hour since the temple is open.
Our friends tried to climb the peedam and were soon seen climbing down frantically. This was because a man with a saintly appearance was hurling abuse at them for having climbed the peedam which was obviously a holy monument. Some pilgrims who were returning from a hill told that there was a cave below that was worth seeing. It turned out that it was the Chitramoola cave in which Shankaracharya mediated and gained enlightenment from the Goddess of knowledge.
A person with all the appearance of a saint was meditating in the cave that was straight out of the pages of Amar chitra kadha. We weren’t sure if he was genuine. In any case, a lot of money offered by passers-by could be seen at his feet. Here is a waterfall which added to the total effect.
It was time to go and we climbed back up and then started the trek back to the jeep After freshening up we jumped back in the jeep and started the descent to Mookambika. Quite tired after a busy day, we retire to bed with a lot of happy experiences floating in our dreams.
