Yana, Karnataka: A Slow Day Among the Black Rocks

Yana is two towers of black rock standing out of the forest in Uttara Kannada, about an hour inland from Kumta. There is a cave shrine at the foot of the taller one, a short path through the trees, and very little else. Go early, give it half a day, and do not try to fit it between two beaches.

We almost did exactly that. The plan was Gokarna in the morning, Yana on the way, Kumta by lunch. The rocks had other ideas.

What Yana is

Two outcrops rise from the Sahyadri forest here. The taller, Bhairaveshwara Shikhara, is usually given as about 120 metres; the smaller, Mohini Shikhara, about 90. The stone is dark, rough and full of holes and ridges, the kind of rock that water has been working on for a very long time. From the road you see nothing. Then the trees open and the first tower is simply there, much closer than you expected and much bigger.

At the base of Bhairaveshwara is a cave shrine to Shiva, where water drips from the rock onto the linga. People come for the shrine as much as for the rocks, and during Maha Shivaratri the quiet path fills with pilgrims. On any other morning you may share it with a handful of families and a lot of birdsong.

Getting there

• By train: Kumta station on the Konkan Railway is the nearest. From there it is roughly 30 km by taxi, most of it on a narrow road climbing into the ghats. Agree the fare for a return trip with waiting time before you set off.
• By road from Sirsi: a little longer, and a pleasant forest drive.
• From Gokarna: add about 30 km to Kumta first. It works as a day trip, as long as it is the only plan for that day.
• The last stretch: a short walk from the parking area through the forest, on a path with some steps. Take it slowly; it is uneven in places and slippery when wet.

Mobile signal fades on the ghat road. Download a map and note your driver's number before you lose it.

When to go

October to February is the easiest time: the forest is still green, the path is dry and the mornings are cool. The monsoon months (June to September) are beautiful and wet, with slippery rock and leeches on the path; go then only if you are prepared for both. Avoid Shivaratri unless the festival is the reason you are going.

Go early in the day. The light on the rock is softer, the path is quieter, and you have time for the walk back without hurrying.

What to carry

• Water and something to eat. Facilities near the site are basic, and you should not count on a stall being open.
• Shoes with grip, and a small towel if you are going after rain.
• Modest clothing for the shrine. Some visitors take their footwear off near the temple; follow what the people around you are doing.
• A bag for your own rubbish. Carry everything back down.

Where to stay

There is nowhere to stay at Yana itself, and there should not be. Base yourself in Kumta or Gokarna on the coast, or in Sirsi up in the hills. Our Kumta notes and the Gokarna guide cover both towns.

Slowing down at the rocks

The walk in is short, and that is almost the problem: you are standing under the tower before your head has caught up with your feet. So we did the only sensible thing and sat down on a flat stone off the path and did nothing for a while.

From below, the rock is not one colour. It is black, then grey where the light catches it, then a deep green where moss has taken hold in the hollows. Swifts cut in and out of the cracks high up. Every few minutes a family walked past towards the shrine, the children running ahead and being called back. Nobody was loud. The forest seems to ask for that.

What stays with me is the scale. You come to the Konkan coast for the sea, and the sea is enormous in a flat, bright way. Yana is enormous in the other direction, upwards and inwards, dark and quiet. An hour there reset the whole trip. We did not make Kumta by lunch, and nobody minded.

If you have more time

• Vibhooti Falls is a short drive from Yana and pairs well with it; go in the months after the monsoon, when there is water.
• Mirjan Fort, near Kumta, is worth an hour on the way back to the coast.
• The Idagunji Ganesha temple, south of Kumta near Honnavar, makes a calm stop on the coastal road.

In short

• Where: Uttara Kannada, Karnataka; about 30 km inland from Kumta.
• Time needed: half a day, including the drive.
• Best months: October to February; early morning.
• Carry: water, food, shoes with grip, a bag for rubbish.
• Stay: Kumta, Gokarna or Sirsi.

Yana does not ask for much: an early start, a slower pace than you planned, and the patience to sit under a rock for longer than seems reasonable. Give it that, and it gives you back the quietest morning of the trip.