Our first long trip after marriage, if you can call it the honeymoon trip, was this one to Mookambika with a stopover in Bekal. It was a trip that happens once in a lifetime because the mood was very good and the places quite exotic and mystical. When we boarded the train to Mangalore that night, we didn’t realize that this trip came true due to some divine intervention. First of all, this may not have happened at all. It was a day when the whole of Kerala came to a standstill thanks to some problem that required a bandh. My wife, who was working at Pathanamthitta at the time, almost made it to Thiruvananthapuram railway station, our embarkation point, thanks to the timely help of the police and a friend.

Anyway, our honeymoon trip was underway. The next morning we alighted at Bekal Railway Station with the Arabian Sea and the timeless Bekal Fortress providing a stunning backdrop to add a romantic touch. With the help of a friend who works at the Bekal Resorts Development Corporation (BRDC), we managed to get a room in his office located inside the fort. Remember, this was back in 1996, and tourism hadn’t taken off there yet. Bekal Fort, built by Sivappa Nayik, is an extremely important monument in the annals of Indian history, but it has not yet received due attention on the tourist scene. The surrounding beaches were havens for smugglers and antisocial elements. However, my obsession with Bekal was too strong to succumb to these fears. My wife was also interested in this visit. The place had a lush green look and a healthy climate, which we owed to December, the month we got married. The sea was blue and inviting. This famous fort has carved a niche for itself in the hearts of moviegoers with song sequences from many successful movies being filmed here. The place had a deserted look that contrasted with the scenes we see there now. This as mentioned was due to the notorious stories associated with the place. Our mood was exuberant and there was no room for discouragement.

The fort, which is a protected monument, is under the auspices of the Archaeological Survey of India. You couldn’t tell if there was one big attraction in this place that stood out. The atmosphere was unique. The beautiful beaches and waters of the Arabian Sea, along with the impressive Fort in front of it, make this place special. We had a great time walking and frolicking around the fort grounds. The watchtowers offer excellent views of the sea from both sides. The walls of the fort had openings through which weapons could be aimed at invaders. No wonder Bekal Fort was the first choice to shoot a memorable sequence of songs from the movie Bombay. The part of the fort that juts out into the sea offers excellent views.

A dream couldn’t last forever, which we realized to our dismay as it was time to move on. It did not and there was no accommodation available inside or outside the fort. No hotels were even in sight, giving us ample reason to board a bus to Mangalore. After a short stopover for lunch, we boarded a bus to Kollur-Mookambika, which was actually our main destination. It was 8:30 and the night was getting colder and darker when we reached Mookambika. Dinner, which was purely vegetarian, was ordinary, but the flavor of the mango pickle still lingers.

The experiences we had the next morning are unforgettable. We were inspired by the ancient belief that newlywed couples can lead a happy married life if they plunge into the Souparnika River. Souparnika originates from Kudajadri and flows for just one kilometer from the temple. The place had an ethereal beauty with a stream coming out of the water even in the cold weather. We took a dip together and came back euphoric. It was time to visit the temple. A local priest guided us in doing some rites. Shankaracharya started the Poojas and the rites that are still performed here. This is the only temple dedicated to Goddess Parvati and is over a thousand years old.

As mentioned above, divine intervention happened again. This time it was about two young people who shared a room opposite ours. We were looking for companions for the journey to Kudajadri and gladly accepted their invitation to join them on the journey to the sacred hills that surround this divine place. Since the jeep ride was expensive, we were also looking for someone who could share the cost of the ride. After some negotiation, the driver accepted five hundred rupees, which is nothing compared to the going rate. So the jeep that usually carried 6-7 people had only four passengers. As the vehicle progressed, the road changed from paved to muddy to rocky. It was an experience that, perhaps once, I thought could turn me upside down. After a harrowing journey of about 40 kilometers uphill, we reach Kudajadri.

The relatives of the priests who stay here permanently received us. They gave us tea and sandwiches. A novel written, MT Vasudevan Nair, the legendary Malayalam writer with the plot woven around this very background, was told by my wife who is an ardent admirer of his. To my surprise, the scenes that played out here and the characters here behaved exactly the same way she had narrated. In fact, she had said this many times during the trip and the delight on her face was obvious.

There is a pond fed by the water that flows from the forest to the top of the adjacent hills. We walked along the path enjoying a clear sky and a healthy climate in the middle of the forest. After a climb of about half an hour, we reached Sarvanjapeedom, where Shankaracharya mediated and Mookambika Devi appeared before him. There is an interesting story behind this episode. Shankaracharya wanted Devi to follow him to Kerala where there were no Devi temples. Devi obeyed Shankaracharya’s request and followed him on the condition that she never look back. At one point, Shankaracharya looked back as the sound of Devi’s anklets could not be heard. True to her words, Mookambika Devi told Shankaracharya that she would stay here and people could come to seek her blessings. Finally moved by Shankaracharya’s devotion, Devi told him that she would give darshan to Kerala devotees at Chottanikkaara in the morning and then return to Kollur. It is not surprising that Chottanikkara temple opens at 4 am compared to other temples as Mookambika Devi arrives at Chottanikkara during the hour since the temple is open.

Our friends tried to climb the peedam and were soon seen frantically climbing down. This was because a man with a holy appearance was hurling abuse at them for climbing the peedam which was obviously a holy monument. Some pilgrims returning from a hill told that there was a cave below that was worth seeing. It turned out that it was the Chitramoola cave where Shankaracharya mediated and obtained enlightenment from the Goddess of knowledge.

A person with all the appearance of a saint was meditating in the cave that was straight out of the pages of Amar chitra kadha. We weren’t sure if he was genuine. Anyway you could see at his feet a lot of money offered by passers-by. Here is a waterfall that added to the total effect.

It was time to go and we got back up and then started the hike to the jeep. After freshening up we got into the jeep and started the descent to Mookambika. Quite tired after a busy day, we retire to bed with loads of happy experiences floating in our dreams.