Kalasa is a small town encircled by a host of interesting places to visit. Topping the list are the Panchatirtha, the five sacred ponds. Rudra Tirtha is 5 km from Silent Valley Resort, next is Vasishtha Tirtha at 6 km, Amba Tirtha is 8 km, Varaha Tirtha 30 km and finally Naga Tirtha 35 km away. Close to Amba Tirtha is a huge boulder called Bheemana Kallu that bears a Sanskrit inscription stating that Sri Madhavacharya (founder of the Dvaita School of philosophy) brought and placed it here with one hand. Duggappana Katte, a viewing point, is 5 km from the Silent Valley Resort and at a similar distance is Kallubhavi, an unusual well dug out of rock which goes quite deep. There are quite a few other temples in the vicinity too. The Kalasa trip is done easiest if you are based at Silent Valley Corporate Resort (Tel: 08263-374801-02; Tariff: Rs 2,000), a hotel set amidst natural surroundings, also a good base for visits to Kudremukh. The Bhadra River is just 4 km from here. All the rooms here are individual ethnic cottages, quite pretty and self-sufficient and the huge restaurant overlooks the pool. The food is quite nice though the meat was a bit tough when we ate there. The hotel also organises guided tours to all the nearby attractions.

The Annapoorneshwari Temple in Horanadu, 8 km from Silent Valley, is surrounded by great natural beauty. The Kaleshwara Temple dedicated to Shiva is on a hillock 4 km away. Half a kilometre from there is the Girijamba Temple. A 3-day festival celebrating the marriage between Kaleshwara and Girijamba is held here just after Diwali. Called Girija Kalyanotsav, a gold idol weighing 2.2 kg and kept in the Mudigere treasury, is taken out every year for the festival.