It was indeed that most awaited time of our college times..our class tour! After long hours of discussions for and against, we came to a common consensus of having a three day trip to Mysore and Coorg. We chose CDS Tours & Travels as our tour planner and decided to have our trip from 5th to 9th of February. We were all set to start by 5th noon but unfortunately the ban of all educational tours by the Ministry of Health due the outbreak of novel Corona virus urged our college authorities to call it off for the time being. As the ban was lifted by the 12th of February, we began pushing our college management to let us for our tour. Finally we were granted the permission to go for our tour from 17th to 20th of February.
We visited the following locations at Mysore and Coorg and had a wonderful time.
MYSORE
Mysore Maharaja
Palace
Mysore Maharaja
Palace is located in the
heart of the city.It is one of the most visited monuments in India.
And its one of the largest palaces in the country, also known as Amba
Vilas Palace, was the residence of the Wodeyar Maharaja's of
the Mysore state. It is a three-storied stone structure, with marble domes and a 145 ft
five-storied tower. The palace is surrounded by a large garden. Designed by the
well-known British architect, Henry Irwin, the palace is a treasure house of
exquisite carvings and works of art from all over the world.
Chamundi Hills
Chamundi Hills can
be viewed from a distance of about 8 to 10 kms and from all the corners of
Mysore City. Chamundeshwari temple is situated on the top of
Chamundi hill which is about 3,489 ft. above sea level and located at a
distance of 13 kms. from Mysore. The temple is dedicated to Sri Chamundeshwari,
the titular deity of the Mysore Royal Family. The temple has a very beautiful
idol of the goddess wearing a garland of skulls.
Brindavan Gardens
Brindavan Gardens lies adjoining the Krishnarajasagara
dam (KRS Dam) which is built across the river Kaveri. The Brindavan
Gardens is a show garden that has a botanical park, with fountains, as
well as boat rides beneath the dam. The
garden is laid out in 3 terraces which contain water fountains and plants.The main attraction of the Brindavan Garden is the Musical
Fountain (Dancing Fountains) in which bursts of water are synchronized
to the music of songs. The musical fountains have a harmonic blend of water,
colors and music. The Brindavan Gardens here is the best illuminated terrace
garden in India.
St.Philomena's Church
St.Philomena's Church was built in 1956 and is one of the largest churches in the
country. St. Philomena's Cathedral is among the most majestic churches in
India. Drawing inspiration from Germany's Cologne Cathedral, this colossal
church built in the neo-Gothic style. The St. Philomena's Church in Mysore is
one of the oldest churches in India. It is over 200 years old. The entire
church is built in the Gothic style is one of the largest Cathedrals in South
Asia. The Church has the relic of the 3rd century Saint Philomena that is in a
beautiful catacomb that is below the main altar.
COORG
Namdroling Monastery
Located in Bylakuppe (30 km from Coorg), this is one of the largest
Tibetan settlements in South India. Also referred to as the Golden Temple due
to its appearance, it was set up in 1963 by Tibetan monk Pema Norbu Rinpoche.
It is the largest teaching institute in the world for Nyingmapa—a lineage of Tibetan
Buddhism. Huge golden statues of Buddha in the prayer hall, unique Tibetan
thangka paintings across the temple walls and a beautiful garden adorn the
monastery complex. Close to 5000 monks and nuns reside here.
There is a market complex outside the monastery, mostly
run by the Tibetans selling locally-made handicrafts, thangka paintings and
variety of other souvenirs.
We went for river rafting in river Kaveri. It was a very hard but wonderful experience. Rowing the boat to and fro made us exhausted. In fact we even had a race amongst ourselves which was the best part of all.
Bamboo Forest
An island
surrounded by the Cauvery River, Nisargadhama is a picturesque picnic spot near
Kushalnagar in the district of Kodagu in Karnataka. This beautiful ecological
part is strategically situated between 25 kms from Madikeri and 3 kms from
Kushalngar. Cauvery Nisargadhama as the name suggests is an eco-tourism project
undertaken by the Forest Department in 1988.
At
the entrance one can see, a huge hanging wooden bridge tied to trees at both
the ends that connects the islet to the mainland. The island is
predominantly covered by lush green bamboo groves, teak, sandalwood and many streams
flow through it as well.
A treat from CDS Tours & Travels before we parted!
Thanking our beloved teacher Fr. Sony Sebastian for his love!
We are out of words to express our love and gratitude to our dear teachers Ms Sreekutty and Ms Prabitha for letting us be and not restricting us, but caring beyond compare!
Undoubtedly those 3 days gifted us with the best of memories to be cherished for life!
