THE WESTERLY DEVIATION …

After a 3 hour ride from Bangalore and a twenty minute stopover for engine direction change, our train pulled out of Mysore towards the lesser busy Hassan route, in style, curving and banking away. I was on board the Yesvantpur-Kannur/Karwar Link express to Mangalore, the only daily connection from Mangalore to its state capital, along with a couple of friends who needless to say, were equally clueless as I was on how the next day would be spent. A single day lone travel to the west coast was what I thought about and then few things happened, each progressively getting worse. A friend invited himself and wanted to tag along, IRCTC screwed me, and another friend who was visiting Mangalore booked my ticket instead, mistakenly till kabakaputtur, a village 50 kms short of Mangalore. So my solo trip was not solo anymore and I had a ticket to some place 50 kms short of where I wanted to go! Wow!

End of Ghats, exiting Subhramanya Road station

As the train left Hassan, the westerly deviation towards the Ghats was obvious. Feeling the chills in the air increase at an alarming rate, hearing the thundering sounds made by a metal bridge as the train passes over it, looking at the change in terrain, hills making an appearance faintly in the moonlight, all these signs beckon the arrival of the green route, once a famous trek between Sakleshpur and Subhramanya road stations. The train gets a pair of locomotives attached to the existing one at sakleshpur which continue till Subhramanya Road where the Ghat ends, these act as Braker’s in this stretch assisting the total rake to safely make it downhill. 

Our train waiting at Kabakaputtur for the morning passenger to arrive, 

owing to single track section

It’s always a great feeling to transit through the Western Ghats, more so if it’s by train and yes there is much more to that. There are only 5 rail routes which cross the Western Ghats along its total length and each of them have their own charm, be it the Bhor Ghat between Pune and Karjat which suddenly gives birth to some hundreds of small waterfalls along the railway P.Way or the Braganza Ghat between Londa and Goa where the otherwise dry jungles host the spectacular dudhsagar waterfall in monsoon (accessible only by a rail or trek). This particular route between Haasan-Mangalore is called the green route by occasional trekkers in this route.

A normal Morning along the Green Route

After a 3 hour ride through the coffee land, the train finally pulled in to Subhramanya road(Kukke), where nearly half the train got empty thanks to the famous temple. This marks an end to the curvy and twisty track passing through tunnels and viaducts, further ahead to Mangalore is only a single locomotive again. Munching on a Mangalore bun and washing it down with coffee, settling back into my window seat and just letting the mist cover my face is what I  love doing in this route at this time of the day and year, provided no elder man or woman yells at me for opening the window. Next was the D-Spot, Kabakaputtur where I bid farewell to my bad bookie who was heading to ullal. That’s when I realized why he had accidentally booked a ticket till that particular station, the accident was planned afterall.

Mangalore bun with coffee at Subhramanya road, perfect timing and taste!!

Looking at the old buildings in all stations and settlements in this stretch, lack of any activity, green dominating every other colour around and mist or fog presenting itself at every other corner  somehow give me a feeling of melancholy and happiness combined, a rare and weird feeling for me to really explain. Do consider travelling in this route, maybe you’ll have an exactly opposite opinion. In a short while the train reaches Mangalore Junction, here tings change, a lot. The jurisdiction of South Western railway ends here and Southern Railway Takes over and the gloominess which reserves a permanent appearance at stations till now reduces a bit, doesn’t go away though.

Mangalore Junction, Konkan railways line splits here

The morning passenger from Mangalore meets us at Kabakaputtur

And finally after the one last hop, Mangalore Central, gateway to the west coast and my base camp for travel to Malabar!

Finally, Mangalore Central, and yes dogs are an integral part of Indian Railways