Spirits rise at this fall

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A place with reach greenery, silence, sweet tunes of river Kapila… This could be a better introduction for Parpikal, a small village near Dharmasthala.

Very few people know that Parpikal has a small wonder called ‘Amavasye Gundi,’ a small but beautiful water fall formed by river Kapila near the bridge. According to the localites, the place got this name because of an age old tradition.

Religious touch
Speaking to the City Herald, Narayan Bhat, who stays in Parpikal for many decades said, every year people take bath in this place during Amavasya of ‘Chaithra Masa’. Hence, the name Amavasye Gundi. “Even to this day, the tradition is being followed. This place is known not only for the water fall, but also for ‘Devara Gundi’,” he explained.

History says…
Krishna Murthy Abhyankar, another localite narrates the story behind Amavasye Gundi which is quite interesting. “Ancestors say that Bhima, one among the ‘Pancha Pandavas’ laid his mace in this place. So a big hollow was formed and now it is called as Amavasye Gundi. According to them, this hollow is too deep and the efforts made to find out the depth have not returned,“he said.

Rock art
The stones carved by the water of Kapila and rain are the centre of attraction here. Many small hollows and curves of the stones define the beauty of nature here. These curves of the rock create an art in the flowing water in rainy season. During summer, the designs carved in the rocks attract the people.   

Amavasye Gundi is just beside the National Highway which connects Dharmasthala and Subramanya, very well known holy places of the State, but less number of tourists visit the place. Narayan Bhat of Parpikal says that, Amavasye Gundi will be a nice tourist spot if State tourism department takes any action to popularize the location. “Basic facilities, especially the information about the speciality of Amavasye Gundi should be provided for the people,” he opined.

How to reach?
From Mangalore, there are many buses to Dharmasthala which is nearly 60 km away from the city.  Amavasye Gundi is just 12 km away from Dharmasthala.

One can take Subramanya buses to reach the place or there are enough service jeeps from Dharmasthala to Kokkada which pass through Parpikal.