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An island of tranquillity

You can watch the Cauvery in all its moods at Nisargadhama

WATCH THE WORLD GO BY At Nisargadhama

The Cauvery in all its moods. Drape yourself on the bamboo railings of the balcony, and you hear the water protesting as it falls on the stones loudly to your left, see it whirling in moody circles below and pacified, flowing gently to your right. The tall, thick teak, bamboo, ebony and keno on both sides of the river seem as surprised at this spectacle as you are. Only the birds mock. "Silly, the Cauvery's allure is its unpredictability."

True. Some 65 km from Mysore, just 2 km from Kushalnagar, the Cauvery decides to spread its two encircling arms. The river creates an incredibly beautiful area of natural islands resembling a twin-handled tea strainer. One of them, a 65-acre landmass is Nisargadhama.

Weekend getaway

Call up the forest office — Kannada is an advantage — to book a cottage. Nisargadhama is a weekend getaway. Reach Mysore early morning, rent a tourist taxi and be there in about three hours, the time stretched by bad roads. Check in at the reception. Note the warning against carrying plastic bags to the island. (People read it, and at once drop them in the parking lot.) Cross the wooden floating bridge to stand in front of a lovely brass figure of the river. You will be led to bamboo cottages (ask for Lopamudra) inside enclosures on the edge of the island. Which is why your balcony juts above the river.

A bamboo cottage on an island? Exotic, but not worrisome. There is electricity, an attached bath, washbasin, water heater, mirror and a comfortable bed. An emergency lamp if electricity fails, a matchbox to light the mosquito coil. The alignment of the floor belongs to the mystery spot (San Francisco) but that adds to the charm. Dump your backpack. (We asked for fresh pillows and sheets.) Walk outside. Check out the board announcing a deer park, a children's play area, lookouts, boating and an elephant ride. A private canteen will fry omelettes as you peep into the rabbit warren nearby. For elaborate eating, drive to Athithi at Kushalnagar. Excellent buffets!

Casual, ticketed visitors troop in till nightfall, cross the bridge, buy snacks (in plastic packets!) and ice-cream, walk around, picnic, shout, try the swing and turnaround, discard plastic wrappers, eat at the canteen and troop out. Then the local monkeys bred on kurmure and ice-cream licks take over. They come up to the cottage door, so watch out!

Tibetan settlement

Drive to the Tibetan settlement nearby. The Namdroling golden temple is a worth-see for its size and its colourful frescoes, some of them startling in detail. They show the stages in man's elevation to higher planes. Spiritually, I mean. Ask Pema Namgyal, a resident monk, to explain their significance.

Sunday morning, emerge from the forest, breakfast at Athithi and hit the bumpy but pepper/coffee lined road to Dubare, 14 km away. Be there before 10. A boat ride will take you to the elephant camp across. Help mahouts wash the elephants young and old, join the boys to feed them and take an elephant safari around the island. If you have strong arms and spare cash, hire a dinghy for calm-water rafting around the wooded waters. All this takes about three hours.

Want to pack in as much as you can? Drive down to Hirangi dam a few km away. The dam is a gigantic exercise to trap Cauvery water for irrigation and electricity. Thanks to the turbulent times, you are forbidden from climbing to the top for a darshan of the lake on the other side, so walk to watch the water gush down the sluice gates to hit the rocks below. Luck, cash and a maintenance man will take you to the wet underbelly of the dam to marvel at its engineering.

But these are not the reasons why you are in Nisargadhama. The island's true value is in the 45-minute walk along its rim. The path crosses spots where you can get down and bathe in the river (just keep to the safer side of the large rocks). Spend time watching the rapids and gazing at the river from the hang bridge. Then get back, to curl up with a book on the bamboo sofa in the balcony. And let the world go by.

A couple of hitches, though. There are no handy monuments to carve your names on. Nor are there echo points to yell undying declarations of love from. Your decibel level plummets at night, when the forest winds down. For details, call the Chief Conservator of Forests, Kodagu Circle, Madikere (Ph: 08272-2570; Nisargadhama — 08276-74454).

GEETA PADMANABHAN

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