Karnataka Road Trip Day 4 Karkala, Kateel,Shringeri

 We had sumptuous breakfast at the hotel.We checked out and as we were about to bring the car, the car didnt start. We waited for some time , we had a person visit us at the hotel to check the car from Mahindra showroom which was very closeby . The mechanic checked the car and advised that the car battery had to be replaced . Some of us went to showroom to get the car fixed. Others were initially waiting in the Hotel lobby but as it was going to take few hours we requested the hotel staff if we can get 1 of the rooms back to just wait there instead . Hotel staff were very kind to give us 1 of the keys of our room to stay back for few hours . After the car battery was fixed we left the hotel around 11 am. We drove to Kateel to visit the famous Durga Parameshwari temple The temple was a bit crowded  even though we reached there after 12 pm , which is not auspicious time to visit the temple. After visiting the temple ,we drove to Karkala.On the way we  had lunch at Shri Ram Restaurant  Bhavan . The meals was very Mangalorean hence we didnt enjoy it much. But we had Paneer ghee roast , which was extra  special and tasty. Again ordering Paneer ghee roast in Mangalore was a must .

At Karkala we visited the Gomateshwara Statue. There is a route  where the vehicles are allowed to climb the hill. Parking fees is 50 INR per vehicle. Gomateshwara statue is quite  tall and it is in open arena. There are also routes for trekking nice scenic view point , a small pond . The priest also told us that there is a Panchamukha Jain Temple nearby , which could be seen from the top of the hill .There are 108 pillars in the temple and  3 Gomateshwara statues at each  side .Since it was already late and we had to reach our Homestay in Sringeri before it gets dark, we didnt visit this  temple. We drove  through Kudremukh National park, where the roads were scenic and narrow. We had to collect a pass at the entrance of the park from the Guard and return the same pass after we reach the other end of the park . We had booked Hosamane Homestay . It was amidst Coffee , Pepper, Betelnut Plantation , with small streams running . We can order breakfast, dinner , lunch  in advance here and they would get it cooked . There were different kinds of  rooms here . Few rooms are more like dormitory to host big families . The room where we stayed, had a small verandah with sitting area and then a large room. We had chapathi with deal and some rice, rasam for dinner . Since it was already dark we didnt venture out in the garden area .