When Kannada flicks like Dweepa , Naayi Neralu , and Mungaru Male hit the theatres, they presented the urbanites the simple beauty of rain. Although Dakshina Kannada receives abundant rain, it has never been promoted as tourist destination during the monsoon.
Come June or July, foothills of the Western Ghats in Belthangady and Sullia taluks, and Karkala taluk in Udupi district offer a splendid sight during rains, says G. Thukarama Gowda, a government official of Nidle in Belthangady taluk.
Rainy season
“It is a pleasant experience to drive along the foothills from Sullia in Dakshina Kannada to Someshwar (Agumbe) in Udupi district in rainy season,” he says.
“A rain tourist package can cover a drive along Subrahmanya-Gundya-Dharmasthala-Guruvayanakere- Venoor-Moodbidri-Muniyalu-Someshwar (Agumbe) route. Tourist operators can offer such a package,” he says.
“If anybody grumbles about heavy rain in this belt, I consider them emotionless and heartless,” he says.
Enchanting view
Mr. Gowda says just a walk on the banks of the Kapila in Shishila from Dharmasthala-Shishila Road offers an enchanting view of rain and the gushing waters.
There is a temple and a hanging bridge across the Kapila at Shishila. “The particular spot is simply beautiful, calm, and quiet. You can even feed a colony of fish on the Kapila close to the temple,” he says.
“On the way from Dharmasthala to Shishila tourists can enjoy many flowing streams,” he says. Devu Hanehalli, a writer and a trekker, says can just walk on many ghat roads connecting Dakshina Kannada to enjoy rain. Tourists could walk on beaches and “kalu hadis” in rural areas. A. Padmaiah Naik, Joint Director of Agriculture, Dakshina Kannada, says paddy transplantation in rain to some extent can be seen at Mittabagilu, Suriya, Nada, and Bangady areas in Belthangady taluk, and Balya in Puttur taluk. B. K. Deva Rao at Mittabagilu annually cultivates 35 varieties of paddy. Tourists can walk on the bunds of paddy fields enjoying rain, he says. K. Vasanth Rao of Todikana in Sullia taluk says tourists can just walk to Devaragundy falls which was 2 km. away from Mallikarjuna temple at Todikana. As in Shishila, here too visitors can feed a fish colony near the temple. Todikana is about 19 km from Sullia.
View of forest
Mr. Rao says a 3-km trek to Kolikallu Male offers a lovely view of the forest. This hill can be approached from Peraje. The district receives 3,500 mm to 5,000 mm rainfall annually on an average.
T.K. Sharath Kumar, a teacher, says the water falls, thick greenery, and the incessant make it a picture-prefect view between Ujire and Charmadi.
