The pond at Manmane is a thing of transient beauty as the flowers are waiting to open their eyes in daylight.

The simplest of the wayside weeds will turn into an object of beauty when the Sun wields his magic wand.

This lotus leaf has drifted away from the flower. It’s floating on water and there is water on the leaf too. The leaf remains distinctly unattached though, and sunlight lends a 3-D effect to this ensemble.

Lone lotus waiting to bloom.

No doubt, Manmane is not on the banks of Sharavathi and can only be regarded as a representative of the larger Malenadu ecosystem. However, it must be admitted that I would have given it a miss if not for my preoccupation with the river leading to regular visits to these places. On a winter morning, I took a walk from Matthuga and chanced upon the Sun casting his light over these flowers.

Here is an old bird sitting on the banks of the pond. It didn’t seem to be interested in getting into the cold water; rather, it chose to bask in the sunlight and keep a lookout for some easy prey.

There are many small hamlets beside the highway with unique names and charms of their own. All you need to do is leave the highway and explore. Manmane is one such village, about 5 km from Talaguppa towards Jog. It belongs to Siddapura Taluk of Uttara Kannada district which spreads out to its north. It is surrounded by the talukas of Sagara on the southern side, Honnavara on the west and Soraba to the south. This lake is adjacent to the highway and a smaller road diverts into the village here. The adjacent Talavata village is home to Matthuga Homestay which is popular among travellers.