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Pebbles in the water
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Spend some time in the shallow waters of the Cauvery at T. Narsipur
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Get your feet wet, but be careful as it is easy to slip on the smooth pebbles that line the riverbed. — Photo: Anand Sankar
WHAT IS it that attracts people to the Cauvery? The mystic charm the river possesses draws people from far and near for everything from fishing to dispersing the ashes of the dead. But more often than not, the river is the victim of over-zealous tourists. Anyone who has been to Sangama or Talakkad can testify to that. They come in droves — curd rice, puliogre, plastic bags, screaming kids, drunken middle-aged men and all.
Such is the nature of the river that there are very few places where it flows at a pace humans can enjoy. It is either the fiery rapids of Coorg or the meandering delta in Tamil Nadu. And throw in a number of waterfalls in the middle. So, is there a place where you can just spend a few quiet moments sitting on the banks with just your feet in the cool blue water? Sure. In T. Narsipur.
Confluence
The vertex of a triangle encompassing Mysore and Malavalli, this small town is on the confluence of the Cauvery and the Kabini. Well connected with both Mysore and Bangalore, this town is for the picture postcard. (Route: Bangalore - Kanakapura - Sathnur - Malavalli - T. Narsipur). The distance is roughly 175 kilometres.
The famous bridge spanning across the Cauvery in the town has been photographed by many a photographer for its beauty at sunrise and sunset.
But the spot we are talking about is not in the town but down the road from it. Take the road going to Talakkad from T. Narsipur, which roughly follows the course of the Cauvery. The scenery here is lush green throughout the year, as the Cauvery richly irrigates it. Paddy, banana and sugarcane plantations stretch for as far the eye can see, only interrupted by the occasional coconut grove.
The spot is where the road crosses the Cauvery to proceed to Talakkad. It is a massive concrete bridge fenced on the sides only by conical concrete pillars. The bridge is quite squat and you feel like almost touching the river flowing underneath. But it is advisable to not try that. Locals say the water inundates the bridge when the river is in spate. Cross the bridge and walk down the path that leads down to the river under the bridge. From here you can see a barrage in the distance, which slows down the water considerably. Now you can relax. Sit on the stones or splash about in the shallow. But don't venture very far because you can easily slip on the stones that line the riverbed. Just sit, mull over life, and hurl pebbles into the water for as long as you want.
The only person who may interrupt your communion is the fisherman casting his net from the bank for a modest catch.
ANAND SANKAR
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Pondicherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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