On the Mountain Top! Feldberg Mountain-Frankfurt Germany

On Top of the Mountain

After 5years span again I came to Germany.Today my son-in-law took me Feldberg Mountain.This is my second visit to this place. I always like Mountain and its majestic look.

The Großer Feldberg ('Great Field Mountain') is, at a height of 879.5 metres, 2885 feet the highest elevation of the Taunus mountains, above the sea level and of the entire Rhenish Massif. It is situated in the Hochtaunuskreis district in Hesse, Germany.

   When the weather permits, it offers a beautiful panoramic view of Frankfurt's skyscrapers and its surrounding area.A great place for hill walking with spectacular views of Frankfurt and the surrounding towns and villages. The route leads through the idyllic forests of the historically significant Teufelsquartier im Taunus. I always watch the 800-meter-high Großer Feldberg, which is unwooded in the summit area. In addition to a lookout tower,. It has Natural forest paths - View of the Großer Feldberg and over the Faunus

Also a great place for mountain biking, and motor bikes...long winding roads.

 

There’s something so majestic about being in the mountains the sky is just crystal clear and bright blue. The air is crisp and clean, and pierces the back of your throat when you inhale, reminding you that you’re alive. And nature is at its most brilliant: the towering pines and spindly birch trees all playing in the pillows of pure, white snow. And seeing such magnificence, and experiencing it with all your senses, it really puts a lot of things into perspective. Aside from the air purity, your nostrils will be filled with wonderful fragrances as you travel the mountain, not only from the pines, mountain flowers, and other plants, but from the mountain itself.

Whenever I am hiking in nature, I feel so much more connected to the world around me! Enjoy the air and behold the view. Climb it so you can see the world, not so the world can see you.”

 I feel incredibly small, amidst the power and glory of nature. And it makes me contemplate that the One who made these mountains, also made me. Feeling, literally, on top of the world, overcome with a total-sensory experience of “I can do anything – this is amazing.” ¬

Feeling all powerful, accomplished, peaceful, excited, and calm. Breezes blow through your hair and cool you and the sun shines right in your eyes and somehow it feels like a blessing.

You find deep peacefulness when spending time on a mountain. It is a unique feeling of calm and tranquility that you need to experience to understand. It filters through you, and stays with you for a time after you leave. When walking on a mountain, take time to sit down and reflect for a while: appreciate the stillness, and listen to the silence. You’ll be glad you did. They say you have to climb up a large mountain to appreciate how small you are. Mountains are humbling, in a good way, as they help you gain perspective on life. The higher you climb the mountain, the more you will appreciate this. Look out at the world from high up on a mountain; the world is amazing and so are you. Marvel in their beauty. Be awed by their vastness, and appreciate the gift that they are.

Earth and sky, woods and fields, lake and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more that what we could learn from books.” – John Lubbock

Mountains are so special; they have such magic to them. Even if you don’t even climb them they call to you. .In the woods or up on a mountain top. It’s just you and mother nature.A  feeling of being at one with nature, insignificantly small in a vast mountain landscape and more alive than I feel anywhere else.  Here’s some of the reasons I like …

The Views and the wide open spaces.  White-topped peaks, soft, billowing drifts contrasting with rocky terrain and the bluest of skies I’ve ever seen.  I’ll let the views speak for themselves…The peace and stillness.  It’s so, so quiet at times with just the faint sound of skiers schussing through the powder, a muffled laugh in the distance, the breeze, and the sound of my own breathing and I want it to last forever. That feeling of being on top of the world…it’s amazing, and you can certainly feel it.

Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you are climbing it.”

Bhagamandala and Talacauvery-Mysore and Coorg Trip Day-4

 

Next day morning Our journey took us on another spiritual quest as our next destination was Bhagamandala, One of the most popular hill stations in the country, Coorg is not all about nature but also of equally popular religious sites as well. This breathtakingly beautiful hill station in the western ghats of Karnataka state, boasts of being a popular destination among devotees as well. Sri Bhagandeshwara temple is one such shrine which attracts hordes of devotees to Coorg.

 

Sri Bhagandeshwara temple is situated at an elevation of 898 meters, at the Bhagamandala village in Coorg, which is also famous for the Triveni Sangama, a popular sightseeing place in a Coorg tour.

In Skanda Purana, Bhagamandala was known in ancient times as Bhaganda Kshetra. Long ago one great sage namely Sri Bhaganda Maharshi was living here in his ashrama with his disciples. Therefore, the place was named after the great rishi Sri Bhaganda as Bhagamandala. Sri Bhaganda Maharshi did severe penance to invoke the special blessings of Lord Subramanya and Lord Shiva. Lord Subramanya blessed the Maharshi and the place. Lord Subramanya named the place Skanda Kshetra and manifested it in the form of a stone image. Lord Shiva blessed Sri Bhaganda Maharshi and assured him of his divine presence in the place. Sri Bhaganda Maharshi installed a Shiva Linga and invoked in it the divine presence of Lord Shiva and worshipped it. Since the holy Shiva Linga was installed by Sri Bhaganda Maharshi it became popular and known as Sri Bhagandeshwara. It is traditionally believed that a very special manifestation of divinity is present in Sri Bhagandeshwara Linga at Bhagamandala.

 

A holy bath in Triveni Sangama in Bhagamandala is not only enchanting but spiritually uplifting. Which is sacred as there is the confluence or sangama of the three rivers The Triveni Sangama is formed out of the confluence of three rivers namely Sri Cauvery, Sri Kanika, and Sri Sujyothi. Sujyothi of course, like the river Saraswati at Ganga Triveni Sangama at Allahabad, is ‘Antarvahini’-subterranean-not visible to our physical eyes. . Interestingly Sujyoti is largely mythical as it’s meant to be flowing underground and joining the main river as she spreads herself and flows along.

 

Architecture of Bhagandeshwara Temple

The architecture of Bhagandeshwara Temple is striking and rich. Architecture has a special place in my heart, as they speak of timelessness. Bhagamandala has a fusion of two architectural styles from Kerala and Nepal ? The main templeis constructed in a large stone courtyard, with multi-layered roofs of reddish hue and pagodas and shows beautiful carvings on the wood ceiling, the granite walls are covered with floral motifs and murals are made from vegetable dyes. The entire art and architecture is in its best form inside the temple.

 

The exact date of the construction and dedication of Sri Bhagandeshwara and other temples in Bhagamandala is not known, because no historical records are available in that regard. But it is believed that the origin of the temples belongs to the puranic age. According to the available historical records, it is known that Maharaja Veera Rajendra Wadeyar, the King of Kodagu, renovated the temple in 1790 AD. Sitting by the Sangama, I could see the religious importance here; pilgrims throng the Sangama to take a dip in the waters and to perform rituals to their ancestors. Tula Sankramana festival (in October) attracts huge amount of people.

I saw another aspect overlooking Bhagamandala that could have been an inspiration too ?the twin peaks of Mt. Thavoor and Mt. Koppatti. This region has a big potential to inspire adventure lovers or anyone who wishes to savour the mesmerizing beauty of the Shola forest ranges. Well, me stood and relished a moment myself.

After Darshan of Sri Bhagandeshwara We move on to the Brahmagiri hills to Talacauvery where the river originates and flows down 800 kms down to Poompuhar in Tamil Nadu. 

 

Story of Talakaveri

It is said that when Shiva and Parvati were getting married at Kailash Parvat, everyone went there to witness the wedding. As a result, the earth started tilting there. So, Agastya Rishi was sent to the South to maintain the balance of the earth. He was reluctant, and said, where he will get Holy Tirtha or Holy water for his daily rituals. Shiva filled the holy water in his Kamandal and said – here take it with you and go. So, Agastya Muni came down south. He sat on the Brahmgiri hill to meditate with his Kamandal carrying the holy tirtha.

 

In the parallel universe, Indra had to hide in a lotus stalk and needed some Holy Tirtha to get back his form and kingdom. The closest Tirtha was in Agastya Muni’s Kamandal. When Indra prayed to Ganesha for help, Ganesha took the form of a crow and sat on Agastya’s Kamandal. When he tried to shoo away the crow, Kamandal tripped and the water flowed. Agastya chased the crow till it took the form of a small boy and the Ganesha. In another story from Skanda Puran, Kaveri is the river incarnation of Lopamudra, the foster daughter of Rishi Kaver. She was married to Agastya Rishi.

At the entrance is a big arch leading to steps that lead to the Talakaveri tank. If you stand at the valley end of the arch, you see the vast green valley with layers of hills in different shades of green. It is a beautiful landscape of lush green Western Ghats. I only wish I had visited in the early morning or late evening. In the mid-noon sun, it was impossible to stand there, even with the soothing green in front.

Temple Tank

When we reached the temple tank it was a lovely sight. An enclosure around the spring called Gundige is connected to a small pond. A small Kaveriamman temple is on one edge of the pond. In the temple has the same image of Kaveri in a standing position emptying the pot in front of her

 

 A priest was performing Puja at the temple. From the small pond  river which flows underground and emerges after about a kilometer down the hill. There are shrines above the spring and temples dedicated to Agasthyeshwara and Ganesha. It is believed that the Saptha Rishis had performed a penance here to get immortality. The priest inform us that the Agni Kundas can be seen there.

 

You can go inside and take a dip, but not touch it with your feet. It is the holiest of places in the Coorg region and it must be respected. After saying a silent prayer, we headed to the temples that are still further up from the tank.

Agastheeswara & Ganesha Temples

There are small but very beautiful temples. One of them is called Agastheeswara and was built by Agastya Muni. The other one is dedicated to Ganesha to commemorate his role in bringing Kaveri here. We spent some time there and felt a sense of peace that comes from places that have been worshipped for a long time.

 

The beautiful range of Brahmagiri Hills, as seen from the TalaKaveri view point..!!⠀Brahmagiri hill ranges, one of the biggest and the beautiful hill ranges of Karnataka. It houses numerous trek spots for adventure junkies and also the home for invariable species of flora and fauna.⠀ A sublime atmosphere which automatically transports you into a spiritual trance. Tala Cauvery a must visit place.

Our tour completed in four days on the way we visited Aprmeya Temple and back to Mumbai.

JaishreeIyer

Kaveri Nisargadhama-Mysore Coorg Trip- day-3

Saturday earlyMorning we left from Mysore and start our journey to Coorg. On the way we first visited Kaveri Nisargadhama.

 

Nisargadhama is a series of small and large islands on the Cauvery river near to Kushalnagar town in Coorg district of Karnataka. There are many shallow portions of the river through which one can just walk through. The 64-acre island, surrounded by the Cauvery river, can be accessed by walking across a hanging bridge. 

 

Established in 1989, the picturesque picnic spot with lush foliage of thick bamboo groves, sandalwood and teak trees has lovely river-side cottages.River kaveri here bifurcates and flows on both sides of the island. 

 

This island has attractions including Boating, Elephant Rides, Swimming in selected places in Kaveri River in summer season (Prohibited in Monsoon), Hanging Bridge is the famous attraction here which connects to the island, Bamboo house, and rare birds. The walk across the Hanging Rope Bridge to reach Nisargadhama is an absolute delight. The bridge connects the mainland to Nisargadhama. 

 

It is a treat to our eyes with thick bamboo groves, sandalwood and teak trees surrounded by river Kaveri. You will also get to spot rabbits and peacocks and small reserved area for Deer’s in the forest.

 

A short walk from this bamboo house and we reached the Kaveri river smoothly flowing across grazing the rocks and tempting all of us to lay our feet on it. All of us stepped into the river. The bottom profile was rocky and hence sligtly slippery, but there was no depth at all. Moved to the centre point and the view was amazing. Sat on one of the rocks in the middle and this is what you get to see in your front.

 

The two trees bending over seemed to enhance the total ambience. Undoubtedly this is the most beautiful location of the whole island. We sat there for almost an hour enjoying the water gushing through our feets

There is also facility for tourists to move around the river through pedalled boats in a limited area by paying a prescribed For those who would like to stay overnight in the Nisargadhama, there are a few cottages available in the forest park where they can spend a peaceful night in the Nature’s lap. This is the place for wide forest who looking for relax within natural beauty and there are many gaming facilities arranged for kids, really worth to visit this place.

 

Name of Place: 

Kaveri Nisargadhama

Location:

80 kms from Mysore in the Mysore - Madikeri Highway.

30 kms from Madikeri, in the Mysore route

Travel plan:

Check out this place on your way to Madikeri, if you are coming from Bangalore. This is just after Kushal Nagar. Easy to miss the board. Hence keep an eye on the left side after Kushal Nagar.

Time needed for a visit:

Ideally you can spend one full day here. A minimum of 3 hours is needed.

Hotel:

Food is available inside the island and also there is restaurant near the parking lot

Stay;

There is a govt owned guest house in the island. Else opt for a stay in Madikeri - the hill station in Coorg.

 Slowly we started our journey to the next location - The Golden Temple at Kushal Nagar (To be continued in next Part.

Jaishree Iyer