Nithin Kamath’s Weblog

Travel Date:	19-July-2008
Location:	Omkar Hills, Near Rajarajeshwari Nagar
Mobile:	Full network coverage available (Tested on Airtel, except at the top of the hill).
Transportation:	Take any BMTC #225 or #222 bus from KR Market (Tipu’s fort)
Food:	Better to carry if planning to stay for long.\

Omkar Hills also known as Omkara betta is situated about 4 to 5 Kms off the Mysore Road and is one of the lesser known places for weekend hangout. Situated at an altitude of 2,800 ft it is one of the highest points in the city of Bangalore and offers an magnificent view of southern Bangalore. Another attraction of this place is the very huge clock built by HMT, more about this later.

Coming back to the complete details, I started off to Omkara hills by getting on a route 225 BMTC bus from KR Market (Next to Tipu’s fort) at 12:10 pm, I am compelled to believe all the #225 and #222 route buses go till very close to the Omkara hills, but it is always best to confirm with the conductor/driver before getting in. As most of the people may not be aware of the place, the next best identification of this place is Rajarajeshwari Nagar and JSS college.

The bus continued on the Mysore road (halting for a brief while at satellite bus stand) till the huge arch leading to Rajarajeshwari Nagar and then turned left to reach Rajarajeshwari Nagar and continued on, I am not sure which place the bus was going, but I got down at the JSS college stop and after a short walk reached the JSS college at around 12:55 pm.

I could see the hill top from the road itself, the untarred road just before the entrance of the JSS college seemed to lead to the hill top. This is where my stupid brain took over, instead of asking for the proper path to the top of the hills, I thought since this is not a very popular place the roads might not be tarred and continued. This is when I heard the big gong going off to indicate that it was 1pm. I continued walking for a good 6-10 mins in the slum like place then finally managed to get to the top of the hills from the backside jumping the fence!! This is when I saw a tarred road coming to this place. (Note to self : Don’t under take any unwanted trekking expeditions, Also a traffic cop was booking a case against a vehicle opposite to JSS College, should have asked him.) So the hill top should be a good 500-700 meters from JSS College.

Once on top hill there are a couple of things that caught my eye, the first is the very huge clock whose dial has a diameter of 24 ft. This clock was made by HMT and is assumed to be the second biggest clock (I would not bet on that…) and is told to be bigger than the Big Ben….yes the world famous clock situated in UK.

The other aspect of the clock which makes it unique is: (quoted from http://omkarhills.org/) :

At the commencement of every hour, the clock chimes the sound of couch (Shankanada) followed by “Om” five times. The Shankanada is meant to awaken the consciousness of everyone to the great truth which is revealed by five Omkara to follow. Om which is a combination of three syllables A, U and M – represents the three states of life (the waking, the dreaming and the deep sleep state), creation, existence and dissolution, etc. It is the hub of the wheel which represents all the gamut’s of our life.

Second thing that caught my eye was the beautiful view of Bangalore, though the new temple coming up in the premises blocks us getting the complete view, it is still a very good experience, the cold breeze blowing about….no one around to bother you…..this is a true untapped bliss.

May be the time I reached was the reason not many people being around, but there was sure a huge platoon of the special task force (police) ready for action. But sure had a great time spending a good hour and a half here.

Another attraction is the area surrounded by the banyan tree which is named the ‘Sarvadharma Samanvaya Peetha’ which means seat of equality for all religions. The tree is surrounded by eight mini shrines of different religions.

The hill is known for the beautiful view it offers of the sunset, but alas I could not wait for another 4-5 odd hours waiting for the sun to set. So I set off to another location near by called ‘Shidhar Gudda’, I took a bus from near the JSS college and got down two stops later, walked for a good quarter kilometer only to see the place closed. It had visiting hours 8am-1pm and 5pm-8pm. So seeing no point in waiting around there I headed back to the bus stop. On reaching the bus stop I asked a person about the bus frequency, on knowing that I wanted to go to Kengeri bus stop he told it is better to walk as it is just half a kilometer away,

So I quickly walked to the bus stop and got into #227 bus back to the city. This is when I realised, If one starts early around 9am, one can go to not only the above two places but also to other two places I had already been namely ‘Dodda Alada Mara’ (read about it at http://nithinkamath.info/archives/2008/03/dodda-aalada-mara-big-banyan-tree-trip/ and ‘Muktinaga temple’ by boarding the #227 bus from Kengeri. And if one has a vehicle one can go till the Menchibele dam also.

All in all had a great mini trip and enjoyed every moment of it.

Travel Date:	03-February-2008
Location:	Antargange (Kolar District) (70 kms from Bangalore, 4 Kms from Kolar).
Mobile:	Full network coverage available (Tested on Airtel and Reliance).
Transportation:	Take KSRTC bus heading to Kolar from Majestic at platform number 16.
Food:	Restaurants are available in Kolar town.

Antarganga also known as Dakshin Kashi (or Kashi of the South) is a popular pilgrimage place close to the city of Kolar. Kashi Vishweshwara Temple is also one of the main attractions of Antarganga. One more attraction is the Bull (Basava) carved out of stone which has water flowing out of its mouth, the water is considered to be from the Ganges, and no one knows the source or origin of this water source.

Since my friend has already posted the details of the trip in his blog with all the details I would not want to rewrite it.

Below is his writeup….copied from top to bottom from his blog:

Last weekend I visited a place called Antaragange, popularly known as Kashi of South India. This post gives a briefing of the wonderful and adventurous trip. Antergange is situated in Kolar district of Karnataka state. It is just about 4 Kilometer from Kolar Bus Stand, and 70 Kilometers from Bengaluru.

How to Reach

There are plenty of Buses which connect Kolara, district headquarter with Bengaluru. Both KSRTC and private buses will go to Kolara. Private buses, will depart from Majestic as well as from KR Market. It will take one and half or maximum of two hours to reach Kolar depending on the bus. From Kolara, the destination is near. It is approximately 4 kilometers. You can go by walking by enjoying the side scenes and nice environment (just like me) or you also have an option to opt for a auto rickshaw. The fair is Rs.30/-. But before getting into the rickshaw, please clarify about the fair with the driver. This route won’t go to the top of the hill. From the enter ace you have to climb approximately 350-500 steps. There is another way which is constructed recently, which will take you to the top of the hill.

Its Rocky

The hills of Antergange provide an ideal location for Outbound Training and Excursions. Scattered thorn scrub forests amidst volcanic rocks and boulders present an irresistible landscape, where different adventure activities can be undertaken. Activities include · Nature study, · Trekking & rock climbing, Over night camping, Night navigation, Cave exploration.

Main Attractions

Kashi Vishweshwara Temple is also one of the main attractions of Antargange. The name ‘Antaragange’ means “Ganges from deep” in Kannada language. There is Basava (bull) made out of stone, water streaming out from the mouth of a stone bull Nobody knows the source of water or the place from where it originates. Water is seen streaming out throughout the year. It is been said that the source of this stream is from the holy river Gangaa. There is small Kalyani (pond) near the temple. The main deity of the temple is Kashi Vishveshawra(Lord Shiva). The temple is made out of rock. There main Shiva Lingam in the temple. Along with the Main Lingam, there are around 4 to 5 Lingam in the side of the main mantapa.

Trekking

Behind the temple there is way to the forest. From this point you can start the trekking. You will find some stairs at the beginning of the trekking, but it will disappear as you go further. The path is full of stone, scattered cactus, thrones and Bushes. Ideal place for adventure. If you follow the pylons (power cables), it would be very easy to climb the hill. There are a lot of trees such as Nilagiri, Akeshiya, Amla. There are various spicies of cactus are available in this region. As you go to the top, you will find a nice view of Kolara city. There are volcanic rocks of various size. Some rocks are laid in such passion that it appear like natural caves.

Antergange is overpopulated by monkeys. They are wild monkeyss. They literally grab anything from the visitors. It is very dangerous to leave our belongings from our hand. Some monkeys are so clever that they grab the things from our hands. One should be very careful while transacting with the monkeys.

This has been the easiest post to write…..thanks to Harish…..keep up the good work…..

Travel Date:	27-January-2008
Location:	Dodda Aalada Mara (Big Banyan Tree) (30 kms from Bangalore).
Mobile:	Full network coverage available (Tested on Airtel and Reliance).
Bus:	BMTC bus route 227 starting from KR Market (nr Fort) go via Dodda Aalada Mara. There is good frequency. Ticket costs Rs 10/-

Located just about 30 Kms from Bangalore is a popular tourist location ‘Dodda Alada Mara’ which in English is the ‘Big Banyan Tree’ (BBT). It is spread over three acres and is over 400 years old.

This place was chosen since I was in no mood for another long travel this weekend. So since BBT is just 30 Kms away it was a short trip. Started reasonably late and reached the boarding point ‘K R Market’ bus stand (the one near the Fort). From this point there are plenty of BMTC buses on route 227 which go to BBT. The nearest village is ‘Ramohalli’ which is about 2Kms from BBT.

Reached BBT around 10AM and there was no one there. The tree is really huge and the place is being maintained quite nicely under the aegis of ‘Bank of Maharastra’. There is a small temple in the vicinity of the BBT. While we were there we were able to about 6 cute little puppies play around and have fun fighting with each other. Since there was nothing much to see here, we wanted to head towards ‘Manchanabele Dam’ which was about 8+ Kms from the BBT.

We asked the people who were in charge of the place for details like the transportation facilities available to get to the Dam. We found out that there was only a couple of KSRTC buses which while going to Magadi go via the dam. We were also told that the area is not safe when in a small group as robberies are quite common. Also it would be best to go by private vehicle like a bike rather than bus, since they are quite un-dependable. Since only two of us were there, we heeded to their advice and skipped going to the dam.

The only place nearby which we would visit was the ‘Mukti Naga Temple’ which was just 1km from ‘Ramohalli’ and about 3kms from BBT. So we took one of the 227 route buses which were heading back to Bangalore and got down at Ramohalli. From here we walked till the temple. Located in the temple is world’s largest monolithic statue of Lord Naaga, about 16 feet tall and 36 tons of weight. After offering our prayers, while coming out we could see a lake quite near by.

So off we went to it, but as we came nearer we found that there was no actual point where we would sit and enjoy, since all the properties around the lake were fenced. We were not the ones to give up so easily so we trespassed into one of the large properties and tried to get close to the lake, but alas there was no place where we could sit and take rest. After spending some time here we headed back.

When we reached back at BBT around 2:30 pm, we were quite surprised as the place that was quite in the morning was now buzzing with people. And our good old friends whom we have meet on all our trips in and around Bangalore were here too. In case you were wondering who it is……the Monkeys of course….

This time the monkeys were in some mood for adventure, they snatched a lady’s handbag and clicked up the tree. Every trip in the book like giving groundnuts, tying a plastic bag on another branch with some eatables etc by the lady and her family to convince the monkey to drop the bag failed. After much playing around, the first object to come down was a mobile phone, and much to our amazement the phone did not break and it was working…..so much for the Classic Old Nokia models. Soon the bag came down, but fully torn in all the place….the handbag was now useless, so they threw it away.

So much for the fun we had watching all this happen….but it was time to head back…..we took the BMTC bus and headed back and reached Bangalore quite soon.

Talking about the expenses….it was quite low…..a Rs30/- daily BMTC pass took me right from the nearest bus stand to my room and back.

Date: 20th and 21st January
Places: Around Mangalore

On 21st of January there was a function of a office colleague in Mangalore, hence some of the other colleagues wanted to go and visit Mangalore. So off we went.

Since Mangalore is also my hometown I had to plan some trip for them. Shown below was what I had planned (the actual trip turned out to be quite different):

20th January
Time	Head Towards	Kms from previous place
10:00 am	Thousand Pillar Temple, Moodabidri	38Kms
11:20 am	Annapoorneshwari Temple, Kodyadka	8Kms
11:50 am	Gomateshwara Temple, Karkala	15Kms
12:30 pm	Udupi Krishna Temple, Udupi	45Kms
2:30 pm	Lunch at Kudiyoor Hotel	2Kms
3:20 pm	Lighthouse at Kaup Beach	12Kms
4:30 pm	Panambur/Surathkal/Tannirbhavi Beach	39-45Kms
7:00 pm	Gokarnatheshwara Temple, Kudroli	14Kms
8:30 pm	Dinner	1Kms

21st January
Time	Head Towards	Kms from previous place
06:45 am	Ullal Beach	15Kms
08:30 am	Breakfast and Hotel	15Kms
10:45 am	Ice-cream at Pabbas	0.3Kms
12:00 pm	Mangaladevi Temple	6Kms
1:15 pm	Kadri Temple	4Kms
2:00 pm	Lunch	2Kms
2:45 pm	Hotel	1Kms
3:00 pm	Function	1.4Kms
4:45 pm	TannirBhavi Beach	12Kms
7:00 pm	Hotel	12Kms

My colleagues reached Mangalore well and early at 7:40 am, and I was conveyed that they would be having breakfast at 9:00 am at my colleagues house (the one for whose function we had arrived here), hence I was optimistic of sticking to the planned schedule. But like always things don’t happen as would like it to happen. My colleagues were finally ready for breakfast at 10:30am, then had their breakfast and we were finally on our way at 11:30 am; a full one and a half hour behind schedule.

The first place on the list was “The Thousand Pillar Temple” in Moodabidri, which is about 38Kms from Mangalore and the journey took about one hour. A bit of details is as mentioned below (taken from some site, I donot know which):

A Holy Shrine of the Jains, the thousand pillar temple is dedicated to Shri Chandranath, a Jain Saint. Jains spread all over India travel to this place to offer worship at the several Basadi’s dedicated to different Theerthankaras The temple is intricately carved and has architecture that is peculiar to Nepal. This temple is around 569 years old and was built over a century. The history of the temple is carved on the walls and pillars of the temple. No two pillars in the temple are alike. It has got an elegantly carved wooden cieling and a wooden screen with intricate carvings. The Basadi is a treasure house of art and architecture. No where in Karnataka, a Basadi of so much grandeur and so much magnificence as this could be found.

As can be seem in this description, this is a very elegant place, it almost looked like a fort, covered by all four side by high rise walls. The carvings on the pillars were really something to look and appreciate. But alas, we spent only 10 mins here before heading to Annapoorneshwari Temple in Kodyadka which was just 8Kms from here.

Though one would not find much about this temple; it is a fairly new one and apart from the temple has some pets housed (like Elephant, Horses, Peacock, Deers etc) in it environ. Since it was on our was to the next destination, we went here to. We has a qick cup of tea and by the time we left this place it was almost 1:30pm.

We reached Gomateshwara Temple, near Karkala at around 1:55pm. This is famous for the single stone 42-foot (13 m) statue Gomateshwara (Lord Bahubali). The Bahubali statue here is the second tallest in the State. This monolithic statue of Lord Bahubali was installed at Karkala on February 13, 1432 on the instructions of the pontiff of Karkala, Lalitakeerti. We could not go too near to the statue since the stones forming the floor was too hot to walk without footwear. Since the place was on a hill, the surrounding scenery was quite good and made a wonderful setting from a photo session. Since there is nothing much to see I expected to leave in around 10 mins, but contrary to that we only left at 2:40pm.

Our next target destination was Udupi Krishna Temple which was about a hours journey. We reached there quickly passing Manipal on the way. We arrived at the right time at the Temple since the crowd was less which increased quickly as the time went by. The details of the temple is as under (again a copy paste from some site):

Udupi Krishna Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Krishna. The temple area resembles a living ashram, a holy place for daily devotion and living, founded by Madhvacharya founder of the Dvaita school of Vedanta. Legend has it that once Kanakadasa a worshipper who was not allowed into the temple was so piously dedicated, that one day the Krishna statue miraculously turned around to allow the disciple to gaze upon his heavenly form through a small window at the back of the mutt (matha). There are several temples here, the most ancient as basic wood and stone of 1,500 years origin.

After praying and looking around we went to have our lunch at 4:00 pm. Though again I had expected to leave this place by 4:30pm to have enough time in our hand for the beach, this didn’t go as planned and we left Udupi only at 5:00 pm.

Since we were already behind on the schedule, we had to skip a wonderful opportunity of going up a Lighthouse and seeing the beautiful view around of the Kaup locality. We decided to go to Pannambur beach where the International kite flying competition was going on. We reached there at around 6:00 pm….well amost…since such a major event was going on, it looked like the whole of Mangalore had decided to come over here….which resulted us in having to get down 2kms before the beach and walk the rest. Hence we took another 20mins to get there and we missed the sunset. The kites were still flying around. The variety , shapes and the very design of many kites amazed us. Finally after spending some time in the water we finally headed back to the Hotel.

We had to cancel the Kudroli temple visit since some of us had got wet and would have have been ideal to go to the temple in such a avatar.

Day two, most of the plans I made was throw out of the window myself, since the previous day my colleagues had mentioned they had planned to go for a film in a multiplex near their hotel. Hence I did not go ahead with the planned schedule. They went for a movie at:11:40am. And came back and got ready for the function at 2:55pm.

The function got over by 5:10pm and since everyone wanted to change into something more suited for the beach, we went back to the hotel and were finally on our way to Tannirbhavi beach at 5:35pm. We took a auto convincing the auto driver that we would also engage him on the return journey if he waited for a hour. He agreed for this with a nominal waiting charge.

We reached TannirBhavi, had loads of fun on the near empty beach. Then finally at 7:00 pm headed back to the hotel and left Mangalore by a KSRTC bus at 9:15pm.

It was a good trip but for some miss judgment on my part. For example on the first day since we were already one and half hours late hence I should have skipped Moodabidri and Karkala and should have gone only to Udupi. As they say we make mistakes, and this was one of them. I am sorry for my colleagues who were made to hurry at every place and missed out on a lot of fun.

Hope the future journeys would be a lot of fun

Travel Date:	13-January-2008
Location:	Devarayana Durga (68 kms from Bangalore, 94Kms from Bangalore via Tumkur, 14Kms from Tumkur).
Mobile:	Network available at the certain places like the bottom of the hills and some places near the top (Airtel and Reliance).
Bus:	Direct bus available from KSRTC bus stand Bangalore Platform No: 3 at 8:00 am in the morning. Return direct buses are available at 3:30 pm and 4:00 pm.

Devarayana Durga (DD) is dotted with two main temples mainly the ‘Yoganarasimha’ Temple and the ‘Bhoganarasimha’ Temple. The hilltop gives a splendid view of the surrounding areas. About 3-4Kms from DD is another place called ‘Namada Chilume’.

From Wikipedia entry, the history of DD is as under:

The place was originally known as Anebiddasari then as Jadakana Durga after a chief named Jadaka and finally as Devarayana Durga subsequent to its capture by Mysore king Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar.

Tradition relates that a robber chief named Andhaka or Lingaka had his stronghold here, and he was subdued by sumati, a prince, whose father, Hemachandra, was the king of Karnata and ruled from Yadupattana. On accomplishing the enterprise on which he had set forth, Sumathi is said to have established the city of Bhumandana near the present Nelamangala and taken up residence there for the protection of that part of his fathers kingdom.

Under the Hoysalas, there seems to have been, on the hill, a town called Anebiddasari or the precipice where the elephant fell. A rogue elephant, which the sthala purana describes as a Gandharva suddenly appeared before the town to the great consternation of the people and after doing considerable mischief, tried to walk up the steep rock on the west, when it slipped, fell back and was killed. The hill is accordingly called as Karigiri in the Puranas.

Under the Vijayanagara Kings, the use of the same name continued, and a large tank, named Bukkasamudra, was formed after throwing an embankment across the gorge from which the river Jayamangali has its source. Remains of the embankment and of the adjacent town can still be traced.

Coming to the details of the trip, early in the morning I and my friend missed the direct bus which leaves Bangalore at 8:00 am, as we were unaware of the timing we reached there at 8:05 am and the bus had left by then. We then took one of the numerous KSRTC buses which head to Tumkur (Cost Rs 36/- per head). The journey was quite fine, infact the middle section of the journey was quite wonderful due to very good road condition.

We finally reached Tumkur at 10:10 am. When we enquired at the bus stand only to find that the next direct bus is at 12:30pm. After a bit of looking around we found out that there are private buses to a place which is about 6Kms from DD. Hence we took the risk of having to walk around 6Kms and took the private bus (Cost Rs. 5/- per head) which left at 10:30am. We reached the cross road we were supposed to start walking at around 11:00 am. We began our long walk, but within a few minutes a kind gentleman offered us a lift in his car. He was a rice mill owner and he enquired about us and gave us a lot of information about the place.

We quickly reached the ‘Bhoganarasimha’ temple situated at the foot, we went inside the temple had a quick look around. Had Idli (Cost Rs. 10/- per plate consisting of 3 Idliys) at a small shop near the temple and our gentleman again offered us a lift to the top of the hills. The vehicles can go a good 2Kms through the zig zag road towards the top. But to reach the temple one has to climb a good few hundred steps. Here again we had a quick look at the temple, the temple is good and we had a good time there.

Outside the temple is a small pond and beside that is the way to go right to the top of the hills. We ventured on the pathways, no steps here and went towards the top, we had to navigate through some rocks, narrow pathways before reaching the top. The top of the hill has some building structure which I am unable to say what. It looks like a place where the person keeping watch would rest.

This place offered splendid view of the places around and it was quite a wonderful experience to be able to stand there with the cold breeze blowing. It took me to a totally different world all together. It was an experience which cannot be put down in words. People say what do you get by going up the hills, I say you have to climb one and see the view from the top to really understand the true feeling.

At around 2:00 pm we headed down the hills towards the bottom of the hills where we had first gone. This is the place where the buses stand. We quickly had our lunch (Puliogare - Cost Rs. 15/- per plate) at the same place where we had Idli’s in the morning. We though of heading back to Bangalore by the 3:30 bus. But finally at around 2:45pm we decided to walk the 3-4Kms to ‘Namada Chilume’, how could we miss this place which is so near by and we had so much time in our hands.

Hence we walked….walked…and walked….the roads were deserted expect for the old vehicles which were passings by. We had a great time walking through the area which was fully covered by trees, hence we did not feel the sun much. We were hoping to see the Yellow throated Bulbul which can be found here, but alas we could not spot any on the way.

We reached ‘Namada Chilume’ at around 3:20pm. . Myth has it that Rama on his way to Lanka halted here. As he did not find water anywhere around to wet the “nAma” (a kind of paste Hindus apply on their forehead), he shot an arrow into the ground, and a spring sprang and thus the name ‘Namada Chilume’. The spring can be still seen as a small stream of water coming out of the ground. The actual source is completely barricaded, hence they have made another hole into which the water flows from where people can collect the water. There is also an foot impression of Lord Sri Rama near that, which I surprisingly missed out and did not notice. There is also a deer park in the same campus. The entry fees to the place is Rs.3 per head.

Just opposite to ‘Namada Chilume’ is a nursery of medicinal plants which is being maintained by the forest department. This place is also good, but we could not stay longer as we had to catch a private bus (Cost Rs. 6/- per head) going to Tumkur which arrived here sharp at 4:30pm by which we reached Tumkur by 5:00pm. We had juice to gain some energy and quieten our thirst and left Tumkur by KSRTC bus (Cost Rs. 36/- per head) at 5:20pm. We reached Bangalore by 7:30 pm.

Tips/Suggestions

• Always take the direct bus available as they do via the nearest route, unlike us who went via Tumkur.
• If you are going by a private vehicle there are other places which can be visited near by, one which I can recollect is ‘Sivagange’, please ask around and you will surely find quite a few options.
• The total expenses incurred by us for the journey was Rs. 131/- per head including the tickets and the food. Hence it is quite a cheap trip if you go by bus. Still cheaper if you can pack and take you food along. Though the small shop offering food is quite reasonably priced.
• Do not just go till the temple at the top and return, instead climb further to the top for the ultimate experience.

‘Mekedatu’ is the place where the Kaveri (Cauvery) River flows through a narrow ravine. Legend has it that the channel was so narrow that sheep would jump across, and hence the name Mekedatu (Meke = sheep/goat, datu = cross in Kannada), more on this a bit later.

Mekedatu is about 93Kms from Bangalore. The first 89Kms till Sangam can be undertaken in a vehicle, but for the last 4Kms we need to cross a river and either take a different transport bus or go walking.

I and my friends had booked a Qualis for the journey. We started on our journey at 9:10 AM. The route to reach Sangam is via Kanakapura. Since we were unsure about the availability of food at Sangam, we had our breakfast at a hotel in Kanakapura, I am unable to recall the name of the hotel, it was some sort of Upahara.

We moved on after breakfast and most of the initial part of the journey was good, but the last 20kms or so was bad, but it may be due to the fact that they were in the process of tarring the road. But anyway the journey was not too tiring; and we reached Sangam at around 11:30 am.

You may be wondering about why the place has been named ‘Sangam’, well this is because this is the place of confluence of two rivers – Arkavathi and Kaveri (Cauvery). It is a nice place to relax and enjoy. We wanted to stay here, but this ‘Goat’s Cross’ enticed us, why would a place where Goats crossed become famous?

So we crossed the river which separates the two banks. Now we could either take a Bus or walk for 4 Km to reach the spot. We decided the later and went walking. The walking part was not as much fun as we had expected as the sun was really belting down on us and the tree cover over the road was really not something to speak about. But since the road runs parallel with the river, we were offered some fantastic views, the rock formations were just majestic to say the least. We had an urge to go to the bank, which we did at one location, but since we wanted to reach the Mekedatu point early we continued on.

Finally we reached the point, what we saw left us spell bound, we were just waiting to see if someone would come and say ‘Bakra’!!! if you know what I meant. The meaning is so simple right, the place were Goats used to jump across, If you come here you would agree that the place is so precariously up the slope that at this point I suspect even the goats would fear to venture leave alone jump!!

Enough with the literal meaning, moving ahead this is the point where the Cauvery comes through the Narrow gorge. The scenery is quite pleasing and the rock formations are just breath taking. But one should be very careful not to go to near the edge as the rocks are slippery to say the least. We sat around here for quite a while before heading back. If you came expecting to just across just like the goats used to do, you will be disappointed to say the least. But it is worth a visit if you have come till Sangam.

We were extremely tired, so we hopped onto a Special Bus which would take us back to Sangam, I am mentioning Special Bus since even though the charge is Rs 20 for 4 Kms! they charged us Rs 25 each, saying that Rs 20 is for round trip people who would be charged Rs 40. You actually need to see the bus to realise how special it is and how suited it is for the journey. We finally reached back to Sangam around 3:00 pm after a 10 horrific minutes on the bus.

We crossed the river again, and headed to the ‘Hotel Tender Coconut’!!! for the lunch. If you are planning to go into the water and would like to change into something more suited then you change here. We had a heavy lunch; and around 4:00pm we headed back to the river to chill out.

Before we moved into the river, our cab driver mentioned that there were crocodiles in a particular part of the river and asked us not to venture in that part. He mentioned that on 2nd of Jan which is just a couple of days back, the croc had caught a person and dragged the person underwater and it was just today i.e. on 6th that the croc released the body and it came up. The person was going to be cremated today. To how much extent it is true we do not know, but we believe it was true sine there are quite a few warnings posted all over the place about crocs existing here. At the max the driver must have added a bit of spice to the story that’s all.

We spent nearly two hours in the waters, before we decided to call it the day and we started to head homeward. We reached back Bangalore at 8:30pm, with a travel time of about 2hr 15min.

All in all, it was a bit different kind of experience when compared to the other two places that I ventured last week. A good place to spend time with friends, although there is nothing much to explore except the rocks.

Tips/Suggestions/Observations

• Mekedatu is 4 Km away from Sangam; which in turn is about 89 Km from Bangalore.
• You can either walk or take a bus, the bus would cost you Rs 20 per head.
• Food items mainly fish items are available on the road side.
• There is a restaurant at Sungam called ‘Tender Coconut’ where you can have your lunch.
• Nothing much to see except water and beautiful rock formations at Sangam, and the gorge at Mekedatu.
• Take lots of water!!!
• Crocodiles exits in the water at one particular portion, so be careful and do not venture out to remote places.

Savanadurga (Magadi Tq) is a Tall Granite Hill (11 Km from Magadi) formed by the union of two high peaks (4,024 feet MSL) called locally as the Kari Gudda (Black hill) and Billi Gudda (White hill). This is a very popular location with walkers, hikers and climbers due to the pure natural adventure it provides. It also has a famous old temple of Narasimha Swamy. The temple is located at the bottom of the foothills. The main temple has an adjacent temple dedicated to Laxmi.

Now coming to the details of the trip, we wanted to start well and early, but got delayed a bit, and we finally reached the Kalasipalya bus stand 10 mins before 9:00 am. We immediately got into an KSRTC bus going to Magadi. The distance to Magadi is 50kms, and the ticket cost us Rs 20/- per head. Around 10:50 we got down at a place which I can recall as Hospet and took a bus to Nayakanapalya. The distance to this place is around 8 Kms and the ticket was Rs 6/- per head. We got down at a place known as the Nayakanapalya Gate and took an rickshaw to cover the last 4 Kms of the journey this cost us Rs 10/- per head. We reached the foot of the hills around 11:40 am.

The first sight of the massive hill that lay in front of me just floored all the thoughts I had in mind; that it would be an easy trip where we could climb a hill without much difficulty. The hill is just too huge, and the journey to the top is difficult but at the same time the other people around who were also climbing with us seem to have a great sense of humor and made climbing a lot more fun.

Though we wanted to go till the hill top, we aborted the climb mid way mainly due to time constraints and our ill preparedness (inappropriate foot wear for the climb/decent) for this climb. We thought it would be best to climb early in the morning and best when we are well prepared for this climb. Hence we went ahead with information gathering to have a proper climb the next time round. We found that it take 2-3 hours for the climb/decent of the hill. There is also a direct bus from Bangalore which reaches here at 8:00 am, which would be ideal for our next trip.

On the climb up always follow the arrows marked on the large stones for the know routes. And also follow the electricity line, which has the proper way to the top. And have a nice sense of humor along, helps a lot. For example, while we were just hanging around midway and considering returning down, we meet a person who was coming down. We asked him if he went to the very top, he told yes. To which we asked what is there on the top. His reply there was nothing much just the electricity poles and the Basava statue!!

Though we could not go to the very top, but still the views were absolutely superb and fantastic. The fun and excitement was much more than what we felt at Tippu’s Drop (Nandi Hills). We stayed there mid way for some time, talking to people and enjoying the view. We also had our packed lunch which we had carried and then finally descended down and visited the two temples which were at the bottom of the hills. We still had quite some time before the 3:30 direct bus, so we decided to walk the 4 Kms to Nayakanapalya from where hoped to catch some other bus or the same bus whichever came earlier. Finally at Nayakanapalya we ended up getting the direct bus. The bus went to Magadi and started from Magadi at 4:00pm and we reached Kalasipalya at 6:00pm.

All in all a very good trip, would have had been excellent if we were better prepared. But we really enjoyed every bit of it and will go again soon and complete the climb sometime soon. So if you are looking for adventure and that too in the most natural form with limited budget then this would really suit you well.

Facts/Suggestions:

• Savandurga is 60 Kms away from Bangalore.
• Kalasipalya -> Magadi (50 km) -> Nayakanapalya (8km) -> Savanadurga (4km).
• There are private as well as KSRTC buses. In these few are direct buses, but many buses are there to Magadi which run at regular intervals.
• It is best if you carry the food items/lunch from Bangalore itself, since there are no hotels as such at the foot of the hills.
• If you are not sure of how to go, then there are small boys who can be found around the Narasimha Swamy Temple who will take you till the top and back for a sum of Rs 50/-.
• The over all cost for this trip came to around Rs. 100/- including the food items which we purchased in Bangalore. Excluding the food it would come to around Rs. 65/- for the travel cost.

Nandi Hills (Nandi Betta) is situated about 60 Kms from Bangalore and was my and my friends destination for the day. Till yesterday late evening we had not decided where we would be heading; then finally we settled on Nandi Hills. Here is how the things went…

Early morning at 8:00 am we reached Majestic Bus Terminus, and then moved over to the KSRTC bus stand Platform 10 from where we took the direct bus to Nandi Hills which leaves the terminus at 8:30. The bus goes via Doddabellapur and costs us Rs. 34/- per head. The journey was pleasant and we reached the bottom of the hills also known as the Nandi Hill Cross at around 10:30 where the driver stopped the bus for tea. After 10-15 mins, we were back on road for the last 8 kms of the journey which was completely uphill and reached the top at 11:00 am.

We then purchased the entrance tickets which were minimally priced at Rs 3/- per head. The first think you see as soon as you enter is the Amrit Sarovar which is a small tank, nothing much to see here, so we moved on.

Instead of taking the motor-able road to the top, we took the walking path situated to the left of the tank. This turned out to be a very good choice as we soon found our self walking along the fort walls which gave us some really amazing views of the land below.

As we continued we came to ‘Gandhi Nilaya’, the rest house where Gandhiji had stayed long long ago, though people are not allowed inside, the view which could be had from the garden area justified the choice for Gandiji’s stay here.

The next stop was at ‘Nehru Nilaya’, this has been nicely maintained; but again no entry inside the building. But it does provide some good photographic opportunities. There is also some seating and playing arrangements on the sides where we relaxed for sometime before moving ahead.

Moving ahead we went to ‘Yoginandishwara Temple’ and then moved on to have our lunch at ‘Hotel Ranjitha’ (only other alternative was ‘Hotel Mayur’).

After lunch we went to a spot called “Tipu’s Drop” right behind the temple, apparently because Tipu Sultan used to punish people by throwing people down from this place. The spot and the views it offered was just too breath taking. The spot which I am talking is somewhat blocked. But the other side it is completely open; though we were on the safer side and did not navigate our self to the very edge there were some fanatics who took them self to the very edge. We even saw two lovers sitting on the rocks at the very edge and one false move would have been the last anyone would have seen of them. The most amazing thing was that there were parents who wanted to take snaps of the kids aged around 3-5 years, who let them alone near the edge!!! Are people really this foolish or just too ignorant of the risks and the dangers involved; or are they under the influence of “Nothing can happen to us” syndrome.

After roaming around a bit more we headed back to the bus stop, and found one just arriving, that to a direct one to Bangalore. This time around the charge was Rs.43/- per head, since the bus route for this bus was to pass through Chikkabellapura, hence the total distance was 86kms. We left Nandi Hills at 4:15pm and reached KSRTC terminus exactly at 7:15 pm.

Overall the Nandi hills is a good spot for picnic and for a day away for the city life. And it is an inexpensive way to chill out, we incurred an expense of 150/- per head for the whole trip, around half was it for the food items which are quite expensive on the hill. Have a great time.

Facts:

• Nandi Hills is located 60 Kms from Bangalore.
• Direct bus to Nandi Hills is at 8:30 am from KSRTC bus stop platform number 10.
• The top of the hills is approx 4851 Feet (1479 Mtrs) above mean sea level.
• Places to visit: Gandhi Nilaya, Nehru Nilaya, Yoginandishwara Temple, Tipu’s Drop.
• Two hotels on the top (Ranjitha and Mayura)

Suggestions:

• It is better to take any food items which you want to eat from Bangalore itself, everything sold in the hills is priced around 30% above MRP, example Lays MRP Rs. 20/- is sold for Rs. 25/-, Ice cream MRP 18/- is sold at 25/- !!!
• Walk around and explore for the best experience.

Wonder la, the amusement park on the outskirts of Bangalore was the hangout place this past Saturday. The group included Aditi, Gaurav, Mathan, Priyanka, Pooja, Vineet, Vineet (not a mistake, two of them!), Vinita, Vivek and myself. Since the place was on the outskirts we had hired a tempo for the trip, set off on it at 11:30 am and reached Wonder la at around noon.

Our first reaction was just amazing, the parking lot and the area outside the park was really beautiful and well maintained, Kudos to the management. Each of us shelled out Rs.600/- for the entrance ticket and went into the amusement park. When we entered inside the park, the whole scene inside (the souvenir shops, the food stalls, the theme areas etc) all reminded me of ‘Roller Coaster Tycoon 2‘ a game which I played some 5-6 years back, which was all about managing an whole amusement park. All the rides mentioned and which were visible clearly bought back memories of the hours I spent playing this game.

We quickly got a locker, stacked our belongings into it and headed to the dry rides (the whole park is divided into two area, dry rides and wet rides). There were lots of rides and time was less, so we hurried through almost all of them as soon as possible. Some were good, some were kiddish, and some were amazing. As per the group the best rides were ‘Mixer’, ‘Drop Zone’ and one more (I can’t recollect the name of the ride), so if you are there don’t miss these rides. Also the ‘Sky Walker’ (Giant wheel on top of a very very long tower) is worth it, but due to the height the giant wheel moves very slow.

It was almost 2:30 by the time we finished with the dry rides so we had lunch at one of the in-house restaurants. After the food, quickly changed for the water rides and the first on the target was ‘Water Splash’. The ride was so cool that we took the ride 3-4 times continuously. Then moved on to slides, waves, rain disco before winding up the day in the lazy river. Took some rest and headed back to Bangalore, had dinner and I believe most of us ended up viewing India knock out Aussie to book a place in the final of the T20-20 WC finals where they will be facing the arch rival Pakistan!

All in all, it was a great trip and a memorable experience, thanks all for the great time.