Karnataka Pilgrimage tour by Car
Dakshin Kannada temples by Car
Pilgrimage tour covering all the important Dakshin Kannada temples is a popular travel circuit from Bangalore. With some care and planning, one can have a great and memorable pilgrimage. Based on my experience, I have short listed some practical tips.
Day One : Start from Bangalore and reach Dharmasthala. (Bangalore – Dharmasthala route map). If you start early from Bangalore, you can reach Dharmasthala before the temple closes for the afternoon (at 2 PM) and also have Anna prasada at Dharmasthala.
There are plenty of accommodation options at Dharmasthala. These guest houses are managed by
the temple authorities. Unless you are visiting in peak season,
accommodation at Dharmasthala should not be an issue.
You can plan for evening darshan
and Pooja at Dharmasthala (7 PM – 8:30 PM). Apart from
Manjunath temple, other must-see places at Dharmasthala are shrine of
Annappa Swamy , statue of Shri Bahubali at Ratnagiri Hill, Vintage car
museum and Dharmasthala Museum
Day Two : Have early darshan at Dharmasthala, park your vehicle at
Dharmasthala and visit Kukke Subramanya by taking Public transport
(Bus). Road to Kukke from Dharmasthala is in bad shape and hence the suggestion of
visiting Kukke by bus.
There are plenty of buses and it takes only 1.5
hours to reach Kukke Subramanya. Ensure that you reach Kukke Subramanya
in time for Mahapooja that starts at 11 AM.
Start back to Dharmasthala
after Anna prasada at Kukke.
In the evening, head to Udupi from Dharmasthala. If you start by 5 PM, you can reach Udupi by 7:30 PM. There are plenty of budget hotels at Udupi near Sri Krishna Mutt itself – Please do book in advance over the phone
Day Three : Have early morning darshan at Udupi (Pachamrita Abhiskeka is at 6 AM) and start for Kollur (Via Kundapur). If you start by 8:30AM from Udupi to Kollur, you will reach Kollur well in time for the Mahapooja that commences at 11 Am at Kollur. You can start back to Udupi after Anna Prasada and reach Udupi well in time for Rathri Pooja and Rathotsava at Udupi Krishna Temple. Rathri Pooja at Udupi commences at 6:30PM.
Day Four : Start early from Udupi and reach Sringeri (Via Manipal – Karkala – Bajagoli). From Sringeri, you can start back to reach Bangalore by late evening. Alternately, you can visit Horanadu and then start back to Bangalore next day.
The above itinerary ensures that you have sufficient time for important Poojas at various temples and also is less taxing on the driver and the vehicle.
Contribution of Mr. Shenoy, Karkala