Once upon a time, a brave young man struck down a menacing tiger to save a jain muni. His name was sala. when king Vishnuvardhana saw this story told in stone near belur, it became the lore of hoysala kingdom.
This might be one of the better known legends of that glorious kingdom, but many more of them – little known tales that can fascinate not merely a history buff – interspersed with the real sights are what Lakshmi Sharath and Arun Bhat offer anyone who travels with them. This duo offers trips – or rather trails, as they call it, – that would take you to places beyond the tourist map, where they aim to “recreate the magic of the past”. That’s the agenda of their venture – travel wise.
“Heritage is not really considered ‘cool’, largely because of the boring history textbooks. But then, isn’t history actually story-telling?” says Sharath. It is from this line of thought that they arrived at their Hoysala Trail. A tad like the heritage walks of Bangalore, this trail takes you through Belur, Halebeedu, Doddagaddaveli, Belavadi, Hulikera and many other lesser known spots that narrate the history, evolution and the eventual decline of the empire.
Sharath and Bhat have just conducted two such trails so far, both unanimously voted “fantastic”. To find their stories and exponentially better the travel experience, the duo first did much leg-work, literally. They first visited these spots, staying on to conduct research that went beyond the books. “We dug up myths, legends, all kinds of folklore, spoke to the locals. We made sure that we first understood the heritage and culture of the place before we introduce others to it,” says Bhat.
Despite their corporate baggage – Sharath worked with the social media industry and Bhat, with the IT sector until a year ago, – it was their passion for travel that brought them to active tourism. And though almost novices in the field, the enthusiastic response the duo received for their trails have them planning many more.
“We want to make a living out of letting others have fun,” says Sharath. What could be better than that, we say.
