We were eagerly awaiting our school trip. Planned to commence at the dawn of 8th December, the children and teachers were brimming with excitement. When the bus moved they all yelled with joy. All the children settled in their seats and engaged themselves in Antyakshari – a song based game. Teachers also accompanied them. We reached Shimoga around 9 o' clock. We had our breakfast and resumed our journey towards the temple town of Sringeri.
We enjoyed the natural beauty of the Western Ghats on either sides of the road along the way. We saw tall trees, coffee plantations, deep gorges and curved roads. We reached Sringeri at 12 noon. We paid our obeisance to 'Sharadamba' the goddess of learning and the presiding deity. We came to know about the miracles that happened in that place and about Shankaracharya. Shankaracharya established the temple at Sringeri and propounded the 'Advaitha Siddhanta' (Advaita Philosophy). We also saw the river Tunga nearby and the bulky fish that have made the banks near the temple their home.. We had our lunch and moved to Sirimane waterfalls. A wonderful waterfall whose fullness brought joy to our hearts. We had a fun bath there, freshened up and continued our journey to Koppa.
Our excursion then took us to 'Ambuthirtha'. It is a place where the holy river Sharavathi springs to life. We also visited a Shiva temple in Shimoga on our way back. Children played there for some time. We finally drove back to Harihar with a heavy heart but wonderful memories of the trip.
Rajeshwari