Between a river and the Arabian Sea

The Sharavathi backwaters quietly lap at your feet; Colonel Hill’s column solemnly surveys the erstwhile seaport; the Ram Tirth lies above serenely while the Saraswat Brahmins go about their business in the Chitrapur Mutt nearby. Honnavar is an amalgamation of all that’s beautiful, says B V Prakash

The sea coast of the State extending over a 300-kilometre stretch is dotted with many a township endowed with the  beauty of the beach. Often the sea is met by one of the west flowing rivers from the mountains of Malnad which only adds up to the charm of the place. Honnavar, which sits between the sea and the river is one such dreamy town. As you drive over the long bridge you will be spellbound by the breathtaking beauty of the wide Sharavathi rushing to meet the Arabian Sea.  You will also come across quite a few tiny islands in the river which presents a heavenly view. But it is not just the sea and   river that Honnavar is all about. The town conceals in its folds a few interesting locales of different sorts–natural, historic and religious. It would need a couple of days at least to go around discovering some of these points of interest.

Honnavar is a very ancient town with mentions about the place at various points in time historically. It is said this place had been referred in the works of Greek writer Periplus in 247 AD itself. Later references have also been made, be it in the Jain Ramayana in 10th Century or in the account of Ibn Batuta, explorer and scholar of Morocco, who referred to this place as the city of Hinaur during his visit here in 14th Century. During this period a large population of Muslim community of an Arab origin lived here under the rule of Jamal ud-din Muhammad Ibn Hassan who was a feudatory chief under the Vijayanagara kings.

In those days Honnavar was also an important port through which overseas trade flourished. Its hinterland extended as far as Goa in the north and to Hubli in the east. In later years as the region was taken over successively by Hyder, his son Tipu, followed by the East India Company, the importance of Honnavar as a trade centre faded gradually and it became another taluk of the present Uttara Kannada district. It is, however, gaining importance more as a travel hub with a mixture of interesting sights sprinkled in. It was these spots around Honnavar that prompted me to devote a couple of days to discover what was in store. 

To begin with, the backwater cruise across the Sharavathi was taken up with priority. Similar to such cruises in the neighbouring state of Kerala, a journey to one of the islets on the blue, wide river fringed by green palms was an exhilarating experience indeed. The cruise on a simple country motor boat starts from the jetty close to town. In fact, it is the daily mode of commuting for many residents of the islands.

The next point of interest was the Ram Thirth on a hill three kilometres north of Honnavar. Ram Thirth is a holy pond in a valley surrounded by high mountains covered with green foliage. About 50 steps lead to the floor of the valley. Legend has it that Lord Rama and Laksmana had a dip in this pond on their way during their exile. As a memory a temple of Rameshwara  was built at the top of the hill. A huge peepul tree believed to be hundreds of years old is also in the courtyard. The view of the valley  and hills is panoramic. On the way back just a kilometre before the town is a historic place.

Called Colonel Hill memorial, it is a small hillock right beside the highway with a gradual muddy path to go up. At the top is a plateau with a pillar in the centre. This 30-foot column was erected on January 20, 1845 by the Bombay Presidency under East India Company in memory of Colonel Hill, a commandant who died here. The base of the pillar bears the record of the same. The few  benches around the pillar invite the tired visitor to relax while enjoying the sweeping sea views.

Kasarkod is a tiny hamlet about six kilometres south of Honnavar with the twin attractions of a waterfall and the sea. The spot is called Apsarakonda, a moderate hill with temples, ponds and a 25-foot thin waterfall. Further beyond you have one of the finest and isolated beaches.

The last destination was an excursion to Shirali town about 35 kilometres south known for the famed Shri Chitrapur Mutt.  Founded around 1757 by Saraswat Brahmins, this religious institution follows the Advaitha school of thought as propagated by Adi Shankaracharya. The presiding deity is Bhavanishankar, the form of Lord Shiva with Parvathi. There are smaller shrines for Bhuvaneshwari, Ganapathy and Shankaracharya and also samadhis of previous heads of the Mutt. The museum with old sculptures, books and palm leaf manuscripts is worth visitng.

Not to be missed is the pond in the Mutt complex called Shivalinga Sarovara. Apart from religious pursuits the Mutt is also doing excellent community service through health care, education etc.  Paying obeisance at the Mutt culminated my two days of discovering a few of the little wonders of Honnavar.