Masthikatte - a place of beauty

Waterfalls at Hulikal Ghat

When we think of a village, we picture greenery, lakes and rivers, red-roof houses with spacious courtyards or verandas, and prominently, peace of mind. Masthikatte is one such village, located in the Western Ghats region of Shimoga district.

The name Masthikatte became popular with the coming of the Karnataka Power Corporation (KPC) which was attracted by the immense supply of water due to heavy rainfall in this area which helps the river Varahi flow perennially.  As a result, the townsfolk do not have to face dearth of water or power and the farmland below the town looks lush green.

Mani dam

The main area is the junction of roads leading to Udupi, Nagara and Thirthahalli. There are a few grocery and other small-business shops and a couple of mini hotels. Then we have a stretch of houses on one side of the road, surrounded by hills and on the other, a petrol bunk, an anganwadi or balwadi and a church with a clinic in its compound. It is difficult to watch the sun rise as the view is blocked by the hills, but sunset is beautiful and picturesque in its pink and orange hue - of course, when it is not cloudy.

At 10am IST in the month of September

In the absence of noise and air pollution, one can experience serenity, even in the afternoons when the entire village sleeps. At the juncture of monsoon and winter, one can watch the village covered in mist, even in broad daylight, though it may appear to be twilight :) The backwaters of the Mani dam are scenic enough for a visit. The Chandikamba temple, also called as the ghati devi temple, situated at one side of the road that weaves its way through the Hulikal Ghats attracts a lot of devotees due to a legend of its own. During the rains, if we are driving through the ghats, we can get lucky and get glimpses of the many mini-waterfalls. Another famous temple is of Lord Narasimha and Goddess Lakshmi  at the top of the ghat. The idols were shifted here as their original place was drowned in the floods caused by overflowing of a dam and incessant rainfall.

Backwaters of Mani dam

Few other places of interest are 

• Kuntukallabbi falls near Hosangadi, 10-12km from Masthikatte. You need to take permission from KPC office to enter. Best time to visit is from September to November.
• Chakra dam, 20kms away.
• Kavaledurga, also known as the fort of seven closures, 20 km away.
• Ambuthirtha, the birthplace of river Sharavathi, 20 kms from Kavaledurga. It has a mythological reference to the Ramayana, thus considered sacred.
• Kavimane at Kuppalli, the birth place of the notable poet Rashtrakavi Kuvempu, which has been turned into a museum in his memory, 50kms from Masthikatte.

Ganesha Temple at Hulikal Ghat

Sadly today, as the power project is complete and the KPC colony is almost derelict, not as bustling as it once used to be creating some business for the village, the growth of the village is now stagnant. The people are almost self-sustainable for food, growing vegetables and fruits in their backyards. It's only during the community programmes conducted during festivals that we witness a crowd as large as those that we see in our daily lives in a city like Bengaluru. Though a few families have uprooted themselves from the village in search of better life, others have braced themselves with what they have got and enjoy what they should - a stress-free life in the midst of nature's beauty.