<p>That’s not all. There’s more to Gosai Ghat’s beauty, but it is to be seen to be believed. <br /><br />The famous picnic spot is in Srirangapatna taluk of Mandya district, but is closer to Mysore. <br /><br />Not just its serenity, the place has some tales from history to tell too, given its association with the Wadiyars of Mysore and the Tiger of Mysore, Tipu Sultan. <br /><br />But what pains a nature lover visiting the place is the utter contempt on the part of tourists towards cleanliness, with plastic waste and other garbage being thrown around by them, thereby polluting the river water. <br /><br />What is spoiling the place more, though, is the practice by people to immerse the ashes of their loved ones in the river, right in front of the Ghats. The instructions against the practice, on the boards put up by the authorities all over the place, are followed more in the breach. The instructions say that people can take boats to the middle of the river and immerse the ashes there. But few follow them. <br /><br />Just two kilometres from Gosai Ghat is another scenic spot, ‘Paschima Vahini,’ which is home to a few heritage buildings and bathing ghats of the Wadiyars. The heritage buildings and the bathing ghats are in a dilapidated condition and cry for attention from the authorities, to repair them and restore their past glory. <br /><br />Locals say that politicians promise works to give the place a facelift, when they come to seek votes during the elections and forget all about it once the polls are over. <br /><br />One wonders whether places of such calm and which are far from the maddening city crowd should be allowed to die a slow death. The answer is not far to seek. All it takes is a bit of commitment and resolution on the part of the people who visit these places often, not to discard items like polythene bags, beer bottles and leftovers of food brought by them in the river. Or is it asking too much in the effort to protect the environment?</p>
<p>That’s not all. There’s more to Gosai Ghat’s beauty, but it is to be seen to be believed. <br /><br />The famous picnic spot is in Srirangapatna taluk of Mandya district, but is closer to Mysore. <br /><br />Not just its serenity, the place has some tales from history to tell too, given its association with the Wadiyars of Mysore and the Tiger of Mysore, Tipu Sultan. <br /><br />But what pains a nature lover visiting the place is the utter contempt on the part of tourists towards cleanliness, with plastic waste and other garbage being thrown around by them, thereby polluting the river water. <br /><br />What is spoiling the place more, though, is the practice by people to immerse the ashes of their loved ones in the river, right in front of the Ghats. The instructions against the practice, on the boards put up by the authorities all over the place, are followed more in the breach. The instructions say that people can take boats to the middle of the river and immerse the ashes there. But few follow them. <br /><br />Just two kilometres from Gosai Ghat is another scenic spot, ‘Paschima Vahini,’ which is home to a few heritage buildings and bathing ghats of the Wadiyars. The heritage buildings and the bathing ghats are in a dilapidated condition and cry for attention from the authorities, to repair them and restore their past glory. <br /><br />Locals say that politicians promise works to give the place a facelift, when they come to seek votes during the elections and forget all about it once the polls are over. <br /><br />One wonders whether places of such calm and which are far from the maddening city crowd should be allowed to die a slow death. The answer is not far to seek. All it takes is a bit of commitment and resolution on the part of the people who visit these places often, not to discard items like polythene bags, beer bottles and leftovers of food brought by them in the river. Or is it asking too much in the effort to protect the environment?</p>
