This was way back in 2015 during my MBA graduation in Nitte, a place near Udupi, Karnataka. Nitte is a village located in the remote corner of coastal belt known for its educational institutions. It is so isolated that the place is surrounded by thick forest with only a limited connection to urban amenities. The very college premise, hostel area and the finger countable shops, that’s it. Nitte is blessed with the serene beauty of nature with Udupi at a distance of 36 km via Padubidri road and Mangalore at a distance of 52 km via Karkala. I being a travel enthusiast left no chance to explore the nearby places and in the run, I found this angelic yet sublime beauty of nature named Maravanthe.
Mesmerizing Maravanthe
Maravanthe is a village and a beach we spotted near Kundapura (Located at a distance of 55 km from Udupi). Words really fall short to spell out the beauty of this place which is a natural medley of the beach and a river cut in two by NH-66. Yes, the river named Suparnika flowing on one side of the road with beach running next to it makes Maravanthe special and unique. We reached the place by evening and simply stood still looking at the never-ending sea on our left and the scintillating Suparnika on our right. After trying to embrace them deep into our hearts, we headed to Maraswamy temple.
Maraswamy – A Three Diety Beach Temple
A temple located on the banks of Supranika river looks amazing with three Garbha Griha (Inner Sanctum) and the Dwara which looks sun-kissed during evenings. This is a temple dedicated to Varaha incarnation of Lord Vishnu worshipped as Varaha Swamy. You can also find the rock drawings of Lord Vishnu in his Tortoise, Crocodile, and Fish avatars depicted in front of the inner sanctum.
Maravanthe Island
Souparnika makes a U-turn on the east side of the temple forming an island of Palm trees, and Greenfield called Kuru / Kudru. We were accompanied by a native friend who took us to this island. The coracle ride left the temple far away on the banks of Suparnika and in no time, we were in this lonely island of Maravanthe.
By the time we reached the island, sun in the sky was about to disappear with darkness sweeping the space. It was only we, empty sky and the river – words unspoken. Later on, we went to an island house with the help of our native friend and spent our night there. The next morning, we came back, spent some time on the beach and made our way to Nitte. Wait, did I say that Kodachadri peak visible at the eastern end makes its reflection in the river? Ahh, it was a soul-treating experience.
Make time for Maravanthe because it is the only place of this kind in India.
