Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava

12-12-2004 program on you tube now [Videos 1 to 35 ALL]

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathaman othsava 1

Starting elladaru iru song…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWCASWMxNH8 Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathaman othsava 2

Natya Dharmi Dance School - Deepthi Srinivas and Music Party,

Dancers Mithun Shyam, Bhamini Boppanna, Deepthi Hanumanthaiah, Shabdha Shyam, Thrupthi Hanumanthaiah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21W4bP51qsk&feature=related

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathaman othsava 3

Natya Dharmi Dance School and Deepthi Srinivas and Music Party,

Dancers Mithun Shyam, Bhamini Boppanna, Deepthi Hanumanthaiah, Shabdha Shyam, Thrupthi Hanumanthaiah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6C3We7cLbk&feature=related

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathaman othsava 4

Natya Dharmi Dance School and Deepthi Srinivas and Music Party,

Dancers Mithun Shyam, Bhamini Boppanna, Deepthi Hanumanthaiah, Shabdha Shyam, Thrupthi Hanumanthaiah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qfjhB2t_sk&feature=related

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathaman othsava 5

Natya Dharmi Dance School and Deepthi Srinivas and Music Party,

Dancers Mithun Shyam, Bhamini Boppanna, Deepthi Hanumanthaiah, Shabdha Shyam, Thrupthi Hanumanthaiah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-SJBpDjSQc&feature=related

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathaman othsava 6

Natya Dharmi Dance School and Deepthi Srinivas and Music Party,

Dancers Mithun Shyam, Bhamini Boppanna, Deepthi Hanumanthaiah, Shabdha Shyam, Thrupthi Hanumanthaiah

Hon. Former PM Sri. H D Deve Gowda arrives, Dr. G S S, Dr. Kambara, Dr. Hanumanthaiah, Sri Mukhya Mantri Chandru,

Sri. T M Sathish, Sri. Ramaiah, KRV’s Narayana Gowda, Sri. B. L. Shankar,

Inaguration and jyothi , Sri H D Deve Gowda Speaks and leaves,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkepiQSCyXw&feature=relatedEkavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 7

Honoring Sri. B M Ramaiah, Mysore Bank Manager and KRV’s President T A Narayana Gowda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKB2iVKT99I&feature=relatedEkavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 8

Honoring KRV’s President T A Narayana Gowda , Prize distribution for winners by Dr. Kambar, Dr. G S S,

Prize distribution for winners by Sri. Mukhya Mantri Chandru,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTX1Wc1QHi0&feature=relatedEkavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 9

Prize distribution for winners by Dr. Hanumanthaiah and Sri B L Shankar, Prize Distribution by V M Kumaraswamy

EKAVI inuku nota by Sri. K. T Jagadish,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX_mQlQCFV0&feature=related

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 10
Dr. Chandrashekara Kambar Speaks - Dr. Hanumanthaiah MLC Speaks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAkg4iqC1XYEkavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 11
Dr. Hanumanthaiah MLC ,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6JKewlkyvg

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 12
Dr. Hanumanthaiah MLC, Sri. B. L Shankar, Sri. Mukhya Mantri Chandru MLC Speaks,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMdnzbteSI8

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 13
Sri. Mukhya Mantri Chandru, Sri. T. M. Satish Speaks,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52JfQR-hU-Y

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 14
Sri. B. M. Ramiah, Sri. KRV’s T. M. Narayana Gowda Speaks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irglS-ltPLwEkavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 15
Sri. KRV’s T. M. Narayana Gowda, Website Udghatane, Dr. G.S.S Speaks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcmXoYJ8p88

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 16
Dr. G.S.S Speaks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uP_9V8ZKZo

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 17
Dr. G. S. S. Speaks,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugi-QXLsT2s

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 18
Dr. G .S. S. Speaks, Honoring Guests,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f63bksTjzTA

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 19
Honoring Sri. Srinivas G Kappanna, Sri. C. Ashwath, Smt. Prema Karanth
Sri. C. Ashwath Sings, NS Prasad, Shabir Ahmed, Sri. Lokesh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CITcDIIO4Y0

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 20

Sri. C. Ashwath and Party Singing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN-MPAS6nos

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 21

Sri. C. Ashwath and party singing,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEHSma2RDc0

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 23
Sri. C. Ashwath and party singing,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c5GkJ4FGdQ

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 24
Sri. C. Ashwath and party singing,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KddkmSm_HDQ

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 25
Sri. C. Ashwath and party singing and Nruthya
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhTclqPxmXYEkavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 26
Nruthya, Bramhi Troupe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb4yws6VuoY

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 27
Nruthya, Bramhi Troupe, oh banni sodarare bega banni
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6zVx5yj-jM

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 28
Nruthya, Bramhi Troupe,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8nW-hbQK3c

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 22
Dance directed and BENAKA Chidrens Mandali - Bommanalli Kindara Jogi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i40cwsHEW0c

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 29
BENAKA Chidrens Mandali - Bommanalli Kindara Jogi
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zrtakW-XypE

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 30
BENAKA Chidrens Mandali - Bommanalli Kindara Jogi
http://youtube.com/watch?v=tCIHmzxHVUw

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 31
BENAKA Chidrens Mandali - Bommanalli Kindara Jogi
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8hh_UbEwXag

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 32
BENAKA Chidrens Mandali - Bommanalli Kindara Jogi
http://youtube.com/watch?v=WKlSY_Y9IyA

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 33
BENAKA Chidrens Mandali - Bommanalli Kindara Jogi
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0DpC52PLYd0

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 34
BENAKA Chidrens Mandali - Bommanalli Kindara Jogi
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hJYtWW1iccc

Ekavi Kuvempu Janmashathamanothsava 35
BENAKA Chidrens Mandali - Bommanalli Kindara Jogi
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_EWAkxSEhc4

Kuvempu’s Kuppali

HERITAGE Kuvempu’s renovated ancestral home The verdant settings at Malnad are any visitor’s dream. This feeling of oneness with nature can well and truly be experienced when one visits Thirthahalli taluk in Shimoga district where the gentle Tunga seems to add an extra tinge of green to everything growing around her. Kuppali in the taluk, the birthplace of Rashtrakavi Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa, or Kuvempu as we know him, is no exception to this rule.

While every Kannadiga worth his salt knows about the writings of the colossus, what probably has gone unnoticed is the fact that efforts are on to perpetuate his memory for posterity in his place of birth. Taking the lead in this direction is the Rashtrakavi Kuvempu Prathisthan, Kuppali, which has converted his house into a trip down memory lane for his fans.

Located 18 km from Thirthahalli on the Thirthahalli-Koppa road, you get down at Gadikal if you’re taking the bus and go a further two km to reach the place. The authorities have taken care to asphalt the road leading to Kuvempu’s house, so if you’re driving down, there’s no problem. Incidentally, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation operates a Rajahamsa ultra-deluxe bus service from Bangalore to Kuppali.

Open year round

Kavimane is open to visitors all year round from 9.30 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. Once you pay the entry fee of Rs. 5, you’re transported to a world where the great poet grew up and probably made his first foray into language and literature. It is a veritable storehouse of everything big and small connected with the life of Kuvempu, giving one an insight into the poet’s life.

Some of the many interesting things are the kalbi (a wooden store box for grains), a dandige (palanquin), and Kuvempu’s wedding invitation and the mantapa in which he tied the knot to Hemavathi in the late hours of April 30, 1937. This is just the beginning of a trip for ardent lovers of the man and his works. As one goes round this house, renovated at a cost of Rs. 75 lakh, it reveals more about the poet.

The house is typical of the Malnad area, complete with a birthing room with its small wooden cradle suspended from the ceiling beside a bed and a separate room adjacent to it where women were confined during menstruation, with a door leading to the courtyard behind the house. A slit ventilator above the kitchen oven, which allowed the smoke to fill the attic (where firewood would be spread out for drying), is today a rare sight.

Even as the Jnanpith-winner’s poems resound through strategically placed speakers transport you to another realm, you’re greeted by a section that houses the various honours heaped on during his lifetime. Some rare handwritten manuscripts of Kuvempu, including that of Sri Ramayana Darshanam, are on display here.

The Prathisthan has also built a few cottages nearby for those who would like to spend a few days at the place and carry out research on the poet. Kavishayla — a rocky place where Kuvempu used to frequent to commune — with his muse is nearby and worth visiting.

JAIDEEP SHENOY

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/06/04/stories/2005060402030100.htm

The tradition of preserving the ancestral houses of poets and such memorabilia does not prevail very strongly in Indian culture or at least in the Kannada cultural tradition. The reason being that the poets of the past have been more or less anonymous with very few facts known about their day to day lives. But, in the case of poet laureate Kuvempu, one of the greatest cultural personalities of our times, there seems to be every justification for preserving his ancestral house. The very soul of his writings is bound up with the ambience of his childhood and his intense memories embodied in the surroundings of Malnad. Especially the house at Kuppalli, now named Kavimane, is an integral part of his fiction. Therefore, the poet’s house at Kuppalli is at the same time a tribute to the great writer, an attempt to preserve the now vanishing culture of the Malnad and to create a memorial for the generations to come. Initially, when the proposal was mooted to renovate the poet’s ancestral house which was old and dilapidated, many had reacted strongly seeing this as an attempt to tamper with the uniqueness of the structure. However, the plan which did involve re-structuring was also careful enough to allow for the use of the existing material such as wooden pillars, beautifully carved in the traditional way etc. The Kuvempu Pratishtana, a trust which also had among other objectives that of creating the memorial, implemented the plan as well as that of adding sculptural edifices to Kavishaila — so dear to the poet.

When the plan was ultimately completed, everyone found it satisfactory because while renovating and strengthening the house, the ground plan was retained to the extent possible. This included the typical domestic architecture of the Malnad starting with a huge front yard and ending with the traditional bath. The house also includes the traditional inner quadrangle within the main structure as well as the ‘atta’ (loft). The house holds the typical Malnad kitchen with all its paraphernalia. All this has been retained in the renovated Kavimane. In Kuvempu’s novel Kanooru Heggadithi, the atta where the hero Hoovaiah reads, discusses and contemplates is the male world of the new generation while the kitchen and the backyard are the women’s world. The great novelist had given concrete and complex treatment of both these worlds. The visitor today, of course, has to re-create from his reading the busy and jostling world of the past for which this house must have been a shelter.

The Pratishtana has now made this house also a museum of sorts because it displays the domestic kitchen utensils as well as the agricultural and related equipments used in the last century. With the disappearance of the traditional kind of farming and the related activities of winnowing and beating the corn, most of these equipment have become obsolete. The visitor has the opportunity of seeing these in Kavimane as well as some of the interesting containers, jars etc made of earthenware and cane used in the early part of the last century.

It is a rewarding experience to study the domestic architecture which had specific functions to perform because the house was in a way an extension of the typical agrarian way of life of the Malnad. The house was not just a private retreat like its modern counterparts, but the centre of the family’s economic and cultural activities. It is sad but true that there is no way one can return to this lost world, but it is also essential for the new generations to visit it imaginatively with the help of the reconstructed Kavimane.

Kavishaila, which is one of the great creative symbols in Kuvempu’s life and works has been given a majestic shape with sculpture resembling the ancient Stone Henges of England, but made to blend with the geography of the place.

One can also experience the profundity of Kuvempu’s intellectual work by looking at the books, manuscripts etc in the Kavimane museum.

Hoguvenu Na, Hoguvenu Na,

Nanna Olumeya Goodige

Maleya Nadige, Maleya Beedige

Siriya Cheluvina Roodige

….

Alli Kanana Madye,

Bhadre Tumbi Harivalu Nunnage…

Hoguvenu Na, Hoguvenu Na

Nanna Olumeya Goodige

— Kuvempu (Pakshikashi)

Chief minister Kumaraswamy quoted the above lines while recently inaugurating the Kuvempu Centenary Building in Kuppalli and pointed out that finally Kuvempu did come to his favourite Malenadu - this time to stay. The Kuvempu Centenary Memorial Building which is once again constructed on the model of the Malnad houses. This building, constructed at a cost of Rs 55 lakh, includes Hemangana, an auditorium in memory of the poet’s wife Hema. The memorial building also houses well appointed dormitories for men and women, a dining and kitchen sections, a library building and the office of the Pratistana. Kannada University, Hampi has also established a research centre in the memorial building. Secretary of the Pratishtana Kadidal Prakash points out that the memorial building will be used for holding, art, culture and literary camps, seminars and symposia of the state and national levels.

Amidst all this, the proposal by the government to start a bio-diversity forest in Kuppalli has created a controversy. There are apprehensions that this would be in line with the concept of national parks which in turn requires evacuating the traditional human habitations. Environmentalists have already raised a voice against such destablisation which has caused havoc elsewhere in the Malnad region. However, secretary of the Pratishtana Kadidal Prakash says that this proposal Jaivika Aranya would include only a core zone where there is zero human habitation. The periphery would not change the habitat and the lives of the people. He also feels that as there is already an apprehension of sorts among the people, it is necessary to take the people into confidence before implementing the proposal.

His suggestion should be seriously considered since if the people are made evacuees, it would be a travesty of all that Kuvempu stood for. Though Kuvempu found the highest spiritual experience in the world of nature, he always saw it as a protective ambience to the human world. There is no artificial separation of the worlds of human beings and nature in Kuvempu’s writings and this should not be forgotten.

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/Apr252006/spectrum1526242006424.asp

Once upon a plantation

PHOTOS: BHUMIKA K

VISUAL DELIGHTS Poet Kuvempu’s home in Kuppalli now houses a museum.

Constant quest. Thirsty travellers. Adventure seekers. Exclusive location. Peak season. Private pool. Wild destination. Tariff plans.

A random run through this sequence of phrases and you are tired of even thinking of a vacation. Suddenly it transforms from being a much-awaited break to an impending looming large must-do “thing”. A craving for the new is offset by a yearning for the familiar. The incongruity of travelling, and of the traveller, is what the home stay banks on.

Seeking a combination of everything one can possibly pack in two small days cramped into a weekend, Vihangama Holiday Retreat is unearthed. A few recommendations, a website check, hurried calls and it seems a good match.

An arecanut plantation on the banks of the river Tungabhadra, nestled in the hills of Malnad in Shimoga district seems perfect for some quiet and a flavour of the land. It has the works — boating, river-side stay, the promise of lush forests on the rolling hills, and Kannada litterateur and thinker Kuvempu’s favourite hillock of reverie nearby.

Going through twisting bends on the hillside, rushing past the sleepy town of Shimoga, the road heaves and sighs further up the hills towards Tirthahalli.

Idyllic setting

A sharp hairpin curve indicates you are at Vihangama Nursery’s doorstep. A quiet walk a few hundred metres from the main bus route, and you see the beginnings of estate life — a cow-catcher at the gate, the sound of barking dogs, construction work going on, coffee plants peeping from amidst arecanut trees, and vines of pepper and vanilla climbing up the arecanut trees, the promising sight of a cosy cottage nearby.

The striated rock overhanging on the Tunga river can make an interesting boating destination

It’s not surprising that K. R. Dayananda and his wife Sheela decided to make this place home. Their own farmhouse — very unlike sprawling ones you would normally associate with the word — nestled between a line of cottages for holiday makers, is surprisingly small. Dayananda leaves his supervision post where labourers are drying arecanut (it’s the harvest season).

A warm welcome and enquiries about the journey set the tone for the holiday. Instantly it almost seems you are visiting relatives, not checking in at a resort, and the Dayanandas become Uncle and Aunty. Over hot tea Uncle talks of the time when he first came and saw the land over 25 years ago. He followed a cattle track up the hill and found a brilliant view running down. He instantly decided he would buy it and name it Vihangama meaning a bird’s eye-view.

Breakfast is scrumptious with dollops of fresh butter and the traditional akki rotti at the hosts’ dining table. When there are a small number of guests, Aunty herself cooks in the home kitchen and dishes out some amazing fare like neer dosai and gojjus, healthy curries and soppu saaru, apart from yummy desserts with every meal. The reassurance of a good home-made meal that you can come back to, after a day of sightseeing or playing by the river with appetites soaring high, is really comforting. (Large groups of guests are catered to from the town.)

Lunch and dinner is peppered with interesting conversations with Uncle on anything ranging from vanilla farming, the farmer’s movement in the region, Naxalite movements growing in the area, Kuvempu’s works, and which way the vote bank is likely to swing.

An almost two-hour boat ride (hand-rowed by estate workers) from the estate banks will take you up the Tunga in the evening to visit a rock overhanging chipped and chiselled into striated patterns by the strong Tunga waters in the monsoon. When the water has receded it offers a weathered rock that pigeons nest in. The boat goes below this overhanging and weaves in and out creating strange echoes within.

Even if you decide to do nothing, you will be tempted to venture out when Uncle gives you options. A trip to Kuppalli, around 20 km from Vihangama, Kuvempu’s hometown, is really inspiring. His home has been converted into a museum. With its rich wooden pillars, stair, wooden floors and lofts, the bananthi kone (a room where women were tucked away in warmth after delivery), the traditional bathroom where yenne snana (oil baths) were a grand ritual, it resonates of his stories. It not only offers insights into Kuvempu’s life and literary works, but also tries to recreate the homes and lifestyle of the Malnad people.

Starting from the kambli (a thick woollen rug) used in their long rainy monsoons to the giant wooden granaries accessed by ladders, huge wooden and metal cooking pots and pans used by joint families, you get a peek at everything. Kavishaila is the hillock near his home where Kuvempu sat for hours and dreamed of the brilliant view for literary inspiration. He was also cremated there and today Stonehenge-like sculptures stand as a memorial.

Sibbalagudde can be another stop on the way. Buy a kilo or two of puffed rice in the village and head to the fish sanctuary, where huge black glistening Mahseer will throng and splash uncontrollably at your feet to gobble up the kadlepuri. Much like in Sringeri. Being deemed as Devara Meenu or God’s fish and gathering at the feet of a flight of stairs coming down from a temple, anglers stay carefully away from them.

Morning brings with it the smell of arecanut boiled fresh and being spread out to dry in Vihangama’s yard. A brisk walk to the nursery and a dip in the Tunga can start your day well. Take a book to sit on the banks by the river on the estate to just soak in some river flow, birdsong and fresh air. If you are the kind who can walk and climb a bit, set a day aside for a day-long excursion. Uncle knows a few spots unmarked on tourist maps that offer you pristine slices of Nature, just served up for you (is what one would like to believe).

Jogi Gundi comes with its stories of a swami who sat meditating looking upon a pond below. Water from the hill rushes through this Blue Lagoon-like place. Watch out for the leeches en route, though! Next you can trek through a bit of jungle soaring with the racket made by crickets, to hit Barkhana that offers a stunning view of the Sita Nadi falls in the hazy distance. Soak in the sight of unbelievably thick forest cover rolling up and down the hills till as far as the eye can see.

Agumbe (around 30 km from Tirthahalli) is a popular tourist spot known for its brilliant sunsets and steep ghats. Try to get here by sunset. The peak of Kundadri (25 km), one of the highest peaks in Karnataka, offers a 360- degree view of the forests, ponds and paddy fields below. The road to the small Jain temple atop this hill is still being made and a four-wheel drive is a safe bet. Or simply climb up. There are many more such peaks and waterfalls you can trek to if you carve out some time for yourself!

How to get there: Find National Highway 13. Drive till you get to the steep bend about 55 km after Shimoga (heading towards Tirthahalli). If you drive a mere three hundred meters from the main road, you will arrive at Vihangama. It’s about 320 kilometres from either Bangalore or Goa, and 120 kilometres from Mangalore airport. Get around the estate in your own vehicle or hire a taxi from Tirthahalli town.

For more information about the home-stay, log on to www.vihangamaholidayretreat.com or call 08181-228211/227025.

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/12/31/stories/2005123102140200.htm

__________________________

Kuppali is around 18 km from the taluk headquarters, Thirthahalli and 80 km. from the district headquarters, Shimoga. From Shimoga, one has to take the National Highway NH-13 (Shimoga - Thirthahalli road) to reach Kuppali. From Bangalore, one has to take the National Highway NH-206 to reach Shimoga and then take the above mentioned route. There is an overnight bus run by KSRTC from Bangalore to Kuppali. The total distance from Bangalore to Kuppali is around 350 km. From Mangalore, one can take NH-13 to reach Kuppali. The distance from Mangalore to Kuppali is 161 km.

Kavishaila is a rock monument made of megalithic rocks and dedicated to Kuvempu. It is on the top of a small hill in Kuppali. Arranged in a circular fashion, the rocks have been placed to resemble the Stonehenge in England. At the centre of this rock monument is the place where Kuvempu was laid to rest after his death and a memorial has been constructed at that location. Near this monument, is a small rock where Kuvempu used to sit and discuss about literature and other topics with his other litterateur friends. A rock containing the etched signatures of Kuvempu, B. M. Srikantaiah and T S Venkannaiah is present near the monument. Poornachandra Tejaswi later engraved his signature on the same rock. The scenery around this place is breathtaking. Granite slabs containing engraved poems and quotes of Kuvempu have been placed near the monument

Poetry on the hills

AURA Kavishaila has the palpable presence of the towering personality of Kannada literature, Kuvempu

Kuppalli’s hill Kavishaila is all about a certain aura. It hits you even as you climb it. It is exceptionally quiet and very, very green. It seems to imperiously gaze upon the vast spread of Malnad. Atop the hill is a very simple, and yet somehow dramatic, architecture — stunning stone structures resembling those at Stonehenge in South England, believed to have been built in the megalithic period. What also adds to the quiet drama of Kavishaila is the palpable presence of the towering personality of Kannada literature, the late Kuvempu. It was on this hill that the poet played as a child, sat endlessly looking at the vast green splendour, thought about life and wrote some of his best poems.

Anyone travelling to Kuppali village to get a glimpse of Kuvempu’s house, Kavimane, must make a detour to Kavishaila, a hill away literally. The stone structures greet us all along the trek. Once on top, there are more of those structures in a circular fashion, which seem to shield Kuvempu’s memorial. The stones stare out into the sky, much like Roman relics. They look terrific, particularly when it rains.

A few metres away from the memorial is the rock on which Kuvempu and his friends would sit and talk about life, the beauty of Kavishaila and Navilukallu, the sister hill, the rain, the rainbow, flowers, the changing colours of the day… and, of course, literature. The rock has the names of Kuvempu, T. Venkannayya and B.M. Sri etched on it, all of who spent time here.

As you sit on this hill, you can’t but remember Kuvempu’s collection of essays and poems which vividly describe the Malnad. In fact, it would be a great idea to read some of it before getting to Kavishaila. Kuvempu’s house, Kavimane, just below the hill, has the entire collection of Kuvempu’s works and several other things related to his life — from his wedding invitation to the pen he used and the awards he won.

In his collection of essays, Malenadina Chitragalu, Kuvempu says the longer he stayed in Mysore the more he thought of Kavishaila and Navilukallu. He writes: “Kavishaila and Navilukallu heal us of the noise and dirt of Santepete in Mysore… Their beauty is so strongly etched in my mind that I can have a darshana of them in my mind’s eye at my will. The darshana in a temple built by humans is but only trivial before this breathtaking darshana… Every time I think of Kavishaila and Navilukallu, I am electrified. I am lost. I do not know if there is a feeling more sacred, more pure, more pristine…”

Kuvempu’s collection of poems, Kruththike, has six sonnets on Kavishaila alone. They describe the many shades of Kavishaila. One is particularly telling:

Quiet! It’s a sin to speak here…

The hill is meditating…

Joy is worship and silence is prayer

In this temple of Nature.

Ah! Nothing like being up there with just a mild drizzle for company.

TRAVEL TIPS

Kuppalli is 350 km from Bangalore, 80 km from Shimoga, 18 from Thirthahalli. Travel via Shimoga and Thirthahalli or take the direct bus from Bangalore. Visit Kavimane, but don’t miss Kavishaila and Navilukallu in rain. There are a few cottages at Kuppali and Thirthahalli. You get puliyogre with pickle at a small canteen in Kuppali at noon.

PRASHANTH G.N.

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/09/17/stories/2005091703190100.htm

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