Choose another map, showing:

• Maldives
• India (east)
• India
• Asia
• Eurasia
• Eurasia, Africa & Pacific
• The World

Other entries in Madikeri

Nisargadhama, Namdroling and Harangi

27 July 2002

We were up bright and early, and drove down to Nisargadhama, an island in the Cauvery. This was covered with bamboo thickets and was under the control of the Forest Department. We wandered about for a while, looking at the thickets, contemplating the Cauvery, which was muddy with the fresh rainwater and flowed sluggishly past, after which we went off to the nearby hamlet of Bylakuppe.

Bylakuppe was home to Namdroling, one of the largest Tibetan monasteries outside Tibet. Thousands of monks and nuns lived and studied there, and standing in the courtyard, one hardly had the feeling that one wasn't in Tibet! While we were in the monastery, there was a sharp shower. In the aftermath, the whole monastery and its surrouindings were bathed in a soft sunlight which seemed to give it a magical air. We wandered around like kids in a candy store, for the monastery and its buildings were richly decorated with colourful figures of gods and demons, spirits and sages, heaven and hell, warriors and wise men, animals and birds, reds and blues and greens and vivid golden yellows... The monastery was truly a photographer's dream. Alas, I was armed only with a point and shoot camera, and this was long before the advent of our digital camera.

From Namdroling, we went to the Harangi Dam, beautiful place on the Cauvery. It was deserted and looked desolate, with unkempt gardens and threadbare lawns. But a walk on the dam was quite exciting, what with a stiff breeze and the beautiful view from there.

Add to del.icio.us Add to reddit