miscellany - Unassuming Ankola

Unassuming Ankola

When you first set your eyes on Ankola, you discover that it is really small and quaint. You could easily go around Ankola and two days are more than sufficient to explore the place. The town is a perfect offbeat beach getaway with much to offer. A picturesque hamlet, Ankola is known for its quiet morning walks, temples, festivals, paddy fields and its special native breed of mangoes called Ishaad and also for cashew harvesting. To get the best taste of local life, walking alongside the roads and visiting the shops ute is the best way. The local cuisine that consists of boiled white rice, fish curry and basale soppina hulaga (a vegetable sambar) is a feast to the taste buds.

Located on NH-17 between Karwar and Gokarna, Ankola is perhaps one of the unexplored destinations in Uttar  Kannada district, with the Arabian sea kissing the coast and Gangavalli River flowing nearby.

Ankola has many enchanting and natural beaches such as Honnegudi and Nadibag beaches. They are known for their beautiful picnic spots as they are known for their golden sand, swaying palm trees, soothing sea, clean sky and spectacular sunset views. Ankola offers a perfect escape from the hectic schedule of work and city life, making room for a highly relaxed break! At Gangavalli beach one can encounter the beautiful confluence of Gangavalli River meeting the Arabian Sea.

The temples in Ankola are known for their splendor and magnificence. Ankola houses many temples such as the beautiful Mahamaya temple, architectural Venkatramana temple, Arya Durga temple and Eswar temple.

There are two big festivals celebrated by the town residents every year. One is the annual mela called bandihabba celebrated on the occasion of Buddha Poornima in the month of May in the premises of Shanta Durga temple, which attracts people from the nearby towns and villages. And the second one is the most popular festival of the town known as karthik celebrated in the month of November wherein the deities of all the temples in Ankola will be carried on a palanquin.

Apart from the tourist attractions, Ankola has historical significance too. In response to Mahatma Gandhi’s salt satyagraha, freedom fighter M.P Nadakarni  broke the salt law in Ankola in April 1930 in the presence of 40,000 people.
Richa Hegde

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Kashi of the south
It was noon and the sun was in no mood to mellow down. We were climbing the rudimentary steps, with each step almost two-feet in height and irregularly shaped, to visit the ancient cave temple of Kalkaleshwara in Gajendragad. The temple’s outer walls are a continuation of the famous fort of Gajendragad. Gajendragad is a town in Ron taluk of Gadag District. A small niche in the massive rock-face houses a Linga whose origins are unknown and there is a shrine dedicated to Veerabhadraswamy nearby which is also carved on the rock-face. The locals call this place Dakshina Kashi (Kashi of the South). There are dark caves in the rock-face all around which have been sealed now so that people don’t get lost in them. The priest told us that the caves run deep into the mountains and the oxygen levels in them are quite low.

The temple has been associated with many mythological stories and miracles.  A few metres from the linga, there is a small square-shaped well which is known to be a perennial source of fresh water, with water dripping into it from a huge root of a Peepal tree above. Where the water flows into is unknown just as its source. From the temple one can catch site of windmills on the hills on the opposite side. The cool breeze was a welcome respite and we descended slowly recollecting the tales we has just heard.

Gajendragad is famous for being the place where Tipu Sultan, the Marathas and the Nawabs signed a treaty which marked the end of the Mysuru War II. It is located on state highway 42, at about 57 km from Gadag city and at about 27 km from Ron.
Rijutha Jaganathan