A blog about tripping across the country through epochs and once in a while tripping in the present!
Saturday 2 May 2020
Kasaragod – Kerala in a District!
The Great Konkan Run – Day 16: Chandragiri, Bekal Fort, Thaikadappuram
Backwaters, Isthumus of Valiyaparamba, Payyanur
The Backwaters of Kasaragod in Kerala
Perhaps the most atmospheric fort in India - Bekal Fort
Today is your first morning
in Kerala in Kasaragod, the northernmost district of the state. For the next
few days, the plan is to keep driving south until you hit Cochin; Cochin is
like the halfway point of the state and you still like to call the place Cochin and not
Kochi. Next time you will like to come back to Cochin during the Kochi-Muziris
Biennale festival; spend few days among the creative people for some intellectual and sensory spa treatment and then drive down to Kannyakumari; and maybe to
Rameshwaram.
Waking up to Kerala - Streets of Kasaragod
The breakfast place
It is pouring outside. Love
the monsoons in Western Ghats. Kasaragod is a medium sized city, rain washed
this morning and the good people are already in motion on the roads. Time for
breakfast and yes, as expected, the menu just like in North-East, will surprise
you but then this is what travel is all about. It could seriously raise the
hackles in other parts of the country. There is vegetarian choice too and you
are good to go on your journey southwards.
Chandragiri Fort built on the Chandragiri Puzha or the Payaswini River
Finding a stepwell in Kerala is a surprise
Most people go straight to Kochi and
to the tourist infested areas of South Kerala leaving you alone with the
surprises of North Kerala. The first surprise arrives early. Overlooking the
picturesque river Chandragiri that flows into Arabian Sea just to the north is
the laterite Chandragiri Fort. Drenched with lumniscent green, the smallish
fort makes for a good surprise. There
are proper signages at the entrance and almost immediately the resident caretaker
appears as you go through the standard ninety degree fortified gateways into
the fort. Except for the bastioned walls there is no structure inside the fort.
Chandragiri Fort - Views of Chandragiri Puzha or Payaswini River
Google map of Chandragiri Fort
Apparently, Chandragiri Fort that was built in 17th century has
Vijaynagar connections though you don’t see any characteristic reliefs but then
this is all locally available laterite stone with no granite presence. Yes, there is
no structure built upon the ground but as you walk to the furthest wall, a
stepwell reveals itself. This is a surprise. So just like in the North, even
the forts in Kerala have stepwells. Apparently, even in the Western Ghats with
plenty of rains, water harvesting structures were needed by the garrisons posted in the fort.
An ad for Theyyam, a ritual form of worship popular in South Karnataka and Kolathunadu - you could not witness a performance in the trip
The joy of driving on coastal roads is so keep meeting the sea
Trikkannad Tryambakeshwara Temple
The road ahead comes up to
meet the sea. There are boats and sand on the shore. You just cannot miss an
opportunity to be on the beach. It has been over a week when you last saw the
sea at Tarkarli Beach in Malvan, Maharashtra. Few minutes of the waves and you are recharged. Just across the beach is the traditional pyramidal Trikkannad Tryambakeshwara Temple with women attired in traditional
sarees and devotees sitting on the floor langar-style partaking the prasad.
Yup there she is - Shaila Banu
The scenes of waves lashing
against the rocks with the lovelorn Shekhar in real danger of being swept away into
the waters and teetering on the ramparts high above singing and going all
melancholic play out in your mind from the movie ‘Bombay’. It just seems like
the perfect location for a fort and for what Shekhar was going through. Just
when it seemed his resolve and patience was wearing down, Shaila Banu appears miraculously,
running and her blue dress billowing in the breeze. 'The Tu Hi Re' song was shot in the perfect location of Bekal Fort.
Romancing Forts Kerala Style - Flowers in the hair for the girl and lungi for the boy is mandatory. And you thought love only blooms in Delhi monuments
Bekal Fort: Can you feel the love?
Forts by their nature are
sanctuaries for people in love and on a given day they play out scenes witnessed during the lifetime of love – love brewing when the boy and girl are still shy and there
is lot of giggling as they walk around; early love where the lovebirds find a
spot behind the bush to makeout, mature love where the couple sits under the
tree and some heavy duty conversation happens; lovers’ tiffs and quarrels
happen too and the resultant rushing out and some making up. In 'Bombay',
apparently, the setting of the Bekal Fort turns the love story into a marriage.
The main gate of Bekal Fort in Kasaragod, Kerala
Stepwell makes an appearance at the Bekal Fort too
Bekal Fort is immaculately
maintained with the right proportion of horticulture created and some raw monsoon beauty. Unlike Chandragiri which is reached after climbing steps, the Bekal Fort is built on the ground level which though when seen from the sea side, is actually an outcrop of rock high above the sea. So while the sea protects it from three sides, the fourth side from which you enter has a moat and the same ninety degree high walled approach. Inside, a central patch
has beautifully laid out lawns and hedges. Just like Chandragiri Fort,
apparently there were not many structures built here except for a magazine and
the step well.
View of Bekal Fort from the observation tower
Another Observation Tower inside the fort
There could have been some brick structures but probably the
fort was primarily used for defense purpose and for surveillance of sea only and not meant as a permanent residence for the ruler. There is a
central circular observatory post that looks like a bastion provided with a
ramp for access to the top.
The laterite stone walls come alive in the monsoons in the Konkan - Bekal Fort
To best enjoy the fort, walk
along the fortified ramparts and take in the views from the bastions and
peeping through the loop-holes. The best thing you love about Konkan in
monsoons is the vegetation that grows on the laterite stone. Imagine something
as unforgiving like a stone fort wall coming alive with these dewy and delicate
little plants, flowers, ferns and moss.
Some passages that led down to the sea at Bekal Fort
Through a small gate in
the fortification walls and down a paved path, you come down to a bastion like
structure sitting on top of rocks right on the sea. This is the place to watch
the waves crash and experience how exciting forts can be. Ratnagiri Fort has
views from way up there. Here you are in the middle of the action.
The beautifully maintained Bekal Fort - Great job by Kerala ASI
Bekal Fort, probably has
the most thrilling atmospherics in India as waves pound the bastion and
battlements. Kerala ASI has done a beautiful job maintaining the fort that had
the presence of almost everyone from Kadambas to Vijaynagar and to Tipu Sultan.
You could spend an entire day her. The beach down there on the North and the
fishing village on the South looks enticing. But this is Kerala and the trick
is to keep yourselves tearing off the places and keep moving.
Your ride arriving at Thaikadappuram backwaters
What is Kerala without a
boat ride on its backwaters. But you are not going to Alappuzha. You have to
grab the first chance you get. Speaking to the fishermen mending their nets
near Thaikadappuram Beach in Nileshwar Taluk, it seems a boat ride can be
arranged on the River Thejaswini which forms an estuary up ahead as it meets
the sea. The beach also sees Olive Ridley Turtles when they come ashore to lay
eggs. This is thrilling. You were not expecting a boat ride on the first day in
Kerala. But then Kasaragod has surprised you all day.
Cruising on River Thejaswini in Kasaragod, Kerala
Thaikadappuram - Backwaters cruising is a spiritual experience in Kerala
Boat riding on the
backwaters is a feeling. As the boat hums over the palm-fringed waters the
world turns into this meditating sage, the mind goes silent and you are lulled
into this uplifting delicious stupor. For few minutes, the thoughts that are
usually cock-fighting up there seem to have untangled themselves, and having spread their
mats have gone into repose.
Map of Thaidakappuram Beach and Backwaters of River Thejaswini
The boat turns around. Time
is up. The backwaters boatride is like a spa treatment for the mind. You feel
light and relaxed. Hope those thoughts don’t start duking it out again soon. You are back driving on these winding coconut palmed roads through these
villages with houses of red tiles.
Map of Valiyaparamba in Kasaragod District of Kerala
Bridge leading to Eedayilekkad Island
Kasaragod has one more
surprise waiting. You spend few minutes at the Edayilekkad Island view point on
the bridge as the sun goes down spreading pink hues in the sky. You are soon
crossing another bridge that brings you to the Isthumus of Valiyaparamba. This
is another geographical wonder on the Konkan coast. You still remember going up
the Kodi Bengare near Udupi and to the mouth of sea.
Waves on Valiyaparamba Beach
Here in Valiyaparamba, a
tiny sliver of elongated land separates the backwaters and the sea. It is twilight
as you approach the beach. You lie down on the wet sand as more dark clouds
roll over the sea as waves come in a sweet rhythm. It turns pitch dark and now
you can only listen to the sea. There is something therapeutic about being
around water. You are back in that meditative zone.
Kasaragod is the Ultimate
Kerala Destination
The only thing missing from Kasaragod are the tourists. You
have the whole place to yourself. There is a fort on the hill - Chandragiri
Fort. There is a fort by the sea – Bekal Fort. There are beaches – Chembirika,
Uduma, Kappil. There are temples by the beaches. There is a strip of land with
the roaring sea on one side and a serene river on the other – a secret; ok
almost.
And then
there are the backwaters. Oh yes! You don’t have to go down south to Kollam.
Just 50 km from Kasargod lies Valiyaparamba separated from mainland by Kavvayi
Backwaters. Fed by four rivers and dotted with islands, Valiyaparamba is the
perfect spot for some backwater cruising.
Above the gentle hum of the motor just lose
yourself in the palm lined waters and experience what God’s own country is all
about.
You will stay in Payyanur
for the night.
The journey continues.
Day's Progress
Route
Taken – Kasaragod to Chandragiri Fort, to Bekal Fort, to the backwaters of Thaikadappuram,
and then to Valiyaparamba. Stay at Payyanur
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