Bangalore to Mangalore a road trip | Agumbe Ghats | Varanga Kere Basadi | St. Lawrence Basilica

3rd April 2021, after Sringeri temple darshan, we continued our journey to the destination, Varanga. Varanga village is situated 54 km from Sringeri. We need to drive through 14 hairpin bends through the Agumbe Ghats session. When we pass the Agumbe Ghats after 3 km, we will reach Balebbi, a small beautiful village where Seethanadi is flowing through. There is an old iron bridge parallel to the newly constructed bridge across Seethanadhi. I walked through the old bridge and captured few visuals of Seethanadi and the bridge. We continued our journey from here, it is another 14 km to reach Varanga.
Varanga is a village in Hebri Taluk in the Udupi district. Varanga is a small village located at a distance of 373 km from Bengaluru, 54 km from Sringeri, and 39 Km Udupi. This village is found on the way from Agumbe to Karkala. This beautiful village houses the most ancient and wonderful Basadis (Jain Temples). The main attractions of Varanga are Kere Basadi and Neminatha Basadi.
The Kere Basadi means lake temple a 12th-century temple, situated in the middle of a lake, and the only way to reach this marvelous house of tranquility is by a small boat. The mulnayak of the temple is Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara. The temple is built in chaturmukha style, having four entrances and a chaturmukha idol with images of Parshvanatha, Neminatha, Shantinatha, and Anantanatha representing the four cardinal directions. Hence this temple is also called Chaturmuka basadi.
The temple also houses an idol of Padmavati. According to beliefs, performing puja (praying) here brings prosperity. There is also a ritual for people to visit the shrine before marriage. As per popular belief, the falling of a flower from the right side of the idol is a blessing. Anekere village of Hassan district has a replica of this shrine erected in the 15th century.
The Kere Basadi has a history dating back over 850 years. A ticket for the 100m boat ride costs only 20 Rupees.
The images of the 4 Jain deities installed in the temple face the north, east, west, and south. All of these deities, the Parshwanatha, Ananthanatha, Shanthinatha, and Neminatha are sculpted in the Kayotsarga posture.
Set against a lush green backdrop, the lake surrounding the temple is a picture of attractive beauty. Water lilies cover the surface while freshwater fish, turtles, and other forms of aquatic life live underwater. While you’re taking a boat ride across the lake, don’t forget to feed the fish.
St. Lawrence Shrine Basilica or Attur Basilica is a Roman Catholic church in Karkala, India. It was built in 1759 and is purported to be the site of many miracles. It is by characterized its Attur Jatre or Attur Festival.
Attur Church is situated on the outskirts of Karkala in the Karnataka state of India. It is situated 58 km from Mangalore.
Placed amidst placid greenery, the Attur-Karkala parish has a rich history. The church oversees a school and an orphanage.
We spend some good time here, now we are heading to our next destination.
After driving 26 km we stopped in Nandikur for a lunch break. Hotel MY Home, a small restaurant where we had the traditional Mangalore fish meals.
Now we are going to Padubidri beach. I will add the visuals of Padubiri beach and other beaches in Mangalore in the upcoming episodes.