Excursions : Mangalore
Udupi, 60 km from mangalore, is an important vaishnavite centre with a krish¬na temple and a gold chariot, also the birthplace of the masala dosa.
Dharmasthala, 35 km on the manga-lore-belur road, has the famous man-juratha temple and a 14-metre-high statue of bahubali. Nearby are the jain temple colonies of venur, moodabidri and karka-la. During the annual laksha deepotsav festival, the dharmasthala temple is illumi¬nated with 100,000 lamps.
Sringeri, charmingly unspoilt, is located amidst the lush coffee hills of chikmagalur. Near harihar is the southern seat of the or¬thodox hindu hierarchy, home of the fourth sri sankaracharya math. The vidyasankar temple has 12 zodiac pillars, on each of which the sun’s rays fall, according to the time of the year. It is 326 km from bangalore.
Jog falls, india’s highest waterfalls, 105 km from shimoga town and 60 km from honnavar. Nearest airport is mangalore, 230 km away. The four falls, raja, rani, rocket and roarer of the sharavathi river, make a spectacular drop of 292 metres. Best time to visit is soon after the mon¬soon, in july/august.
Shimoga, nearest airport is mangalore, 200 km away. Rail connection to hubli, mysore and bangalore. At ambuthirrha, 51 km away, lies the origin of the shara¬vathi. Visit the fort of the keladi nayakj the sacred heart of jesus church in town and head 120 km from there to m dachadri, a western ghats preserve ,« trekker’s paradise. The bhadra wildlife sanctuary, 28 km out of town, is home to flying foxes, panthers and weaver birds.
