(Narayana Bhat after a shave and haircut before he came up to Girigadde from Kukke Subramanya. The house 'Bhattara Mane at Girigadde is seen in the background)
Anyone who ventures to gather information on Kumara Parvata trek from Kukke Subramanya by Googling on the internet will find a reference to ‘Bhattara Mane’ at Girigadde. It is a very convenient and warmly hospitable abode exactly midway (about 5 to 5.5 km from Kukke Subramanya). The house is a rustic mud-brick construction on a foundation of roughly rounded boulders gathered from the vicinity. It has a tiled roof and mud-floor splashed with viscous cow-dung fluid and dried. The frontal verandah has an asbestos roofed ceiling and is about 20-23 feet long and about 6 feet wide. This is the portion where most visitors are made to find their accommodation and rest. Foam mattresses are laid on the ground and pillows and bedsheets for covering oneself at night are available for guests who arrive in small groups of six to eight or ten. Lunch and dinner provided here consists of rice and sambar and buttermilk or curds. I was given unlimited access to buttermilk when I was there. More about this household later!
So upon my seeking for a guide at a restaurant I visited, the Manager of the Restaurant pointed to the ‘Bhattaru from Girigadde’, I felt elated. I approached the man and told him my name, and reminded how I had contacted him about a week ago enquiring after the possibility of camping at his place. He was with two others. When I asked him of the possibility of finding a guide, one of the men sitting opposite us told Narayana Bhatta (of Girigadde fame!) that even he was willing to guide me up to the Parvata. He gave me his name as S. R. Nagaraj and We negotiated the rate at Rs.1000/- for three days and he offered that he would make his own arrangements for his food.
To be Continued …
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