Day 3

Monday, June 7, 2010 : A long day

5 AM

As per our deal, we were supposed to vacate his store room by 5 in the morning. But we had hardly slept for 3 hours. And that bloody bastard took 150Rs for giving us a place to sleep for just 3 hours. Gross injustice !!!

We found that the town attraction, the 1000 year old Chennakesava temple opens only by 7 am. So in order to spend the next 2 hours we went to the bus stand and slept on the benches. After getting fresh at the Sulabh Complex we had a light breakfast. I feel uneasy or rather incomplete if I don’t have a glass of milk in the morning. So after brushing my teeth, I enjoyed my glass of milk. 
Meanwhile, the temple gates opened.

7 AM

The temple complex was huge and maginificient and was built upon a huge rectangular platform. The entrance was through a massive Gopuram.  


 








Inside the complex were several big and small temples with intricate carvings, dedicated mostly to various forms of Vishnu.

After spending quality time there and appreciating the 1000 year old architecture, rather an engineering marvel of the time, we went back to the bus stand and waited for the bus to Halebid.

 

8:15 AM

The Giant Nandi at Halebid's temple

We finally boarded the bus to Halebid, yet another small town, 25 KMs from Belur, famous for its beautiful Hoysala built temples. The temples at this place were similar in architecture to those at Belur.

 9:30 AM

As soon as we came out of the temple complex, wondering what to do next, we spotted a bus going to Hassan. As per my calculations, we had to go to Hassan to catch the bus for Shravanbelagola.

11 AM

From Hassan, we boarded the bus for Shravanbelagola via Channarayapatna.

Trivia : Direct buses from Hassan to Shravanbelagola are very few. An easier way is to take bus from Hassan to Channarayapatna, a bigger town and change from there for Shravanbelagola.

1 PM

We could already see the gigantic statue of Jain monk Bahubali several KMs even before reaching Shravanbelagola. Perched on a hilltop, it looked beautiful.

Trivia :

Shravanbelagola is a small but an attractive town built around the twin hills of Udaygiri and Chandragiri. While Udaygiri is where Lord Bahubali’s temple complex is situated, Chandragiri is the place having monasteries where Mauryan emperor Chandragupta Maurya spent the rest of his life as a Jain monk after renouncing his empire.

The place was magical, and I was amazed to see the 2500 years old rock structures on the twin hills.

Delicious Marwari food

Since the place is mostly visited by Jain piligrims from Gujrat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, there were plenty of homely eateries, serving home-like Marwari-Gujrati food and that too without onion garlic. I finally got what I liked most. After enjoying the “Gehu ki roti, toor ki daal and variety of vegetables with pickles and rice”, we felt like sleeping. But then we didn’t have time to lose. The place has plenty of good staying options (managed by Jain trusts) and locker rooms, so that the piligrims can deposit their luggage before ascending the hills.

The temples 

The uphill climb is definitely not an easy task, particularly for the elders and the kids. Though, there are railings all along the way, but the slope is too steep. The temple complex on the hilltop was mesmerizing and the view of the town from top is just amazing. It was built like a fort with several layers of walls and temples enclosing Lord Bahubali’s statue in the centre.

 


After descending the hill, next we went to Chandragiri and saw the beautiful monasteries. Unfortunately, our camera ran out of battery and we couldn’t take the pictures. But, architecturally, Chandragiri is even more beautiful and well built then the neighbouring Udaygiri.

5 PM

Thus we had finished our temple circuit in Hassan district. We were amazed at our own pace. Satisfied, we decided to get back to Bhadravati. We went to Channarayapatna, just in time to catch the evening bus from Channarayapatna to Bhadravati. The return journey was no less entertaining. We managed to get the back seats and just when we were settling down, a drunken woman came and sat near us. Shabbily clothed, she was doing all crazy stuff and became the centre of attraction of all the bus passengers. Ayush and Apurv were closest to her and were shitting in their pants because she was higly unpredictable. We somehow managed to sit there for an hour and got away from her as soon as there were vacant seats in the front.

Back to Bhadravati

By 9:30 PM we were in Bhadravati. After, savoring the delicious 10 Rs plate Idly sambhar and Mirchi-bada at our favorite stall near the bus stand, we went back to our hostel and slept peacefully planning about our next trip – Wild West Karnataka.

Other Posts

•   Fell in love with Kerala
•  Nilgiris & Wayanad
•  Go Goa

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Day 2

Sunday, June 6, 2010

We had planned to explore the place early in the morning but understandably, all of us got late in getting up. After quickly getting fresh, we had our breakfast. It was already 10’O clock in the morning and I didn’t want to lose any more time. So I quickly rounded up everybody and asked them to reach the bus/taxi stand. My intention was to go to Hebbe falls which was around 15 KMs from Kemmangundi, deep inside Bhadra Wildlife sanctuary.

Issue resolved

The ‘Jeep walas’ were very adamant and refused to take more than 7 per jeep. We were 17 and didn’t want to hire more than 2 jeeps. It was a deadlock. Suddenly I spotted 4 backpackers. I asked them if they wanted to join us for the Hebbe falls trip and they happily agreed. 

Frm L to R : Amaan, Thakela, Singhal, myself, Jaggu, Bisen
sitting in one of the cabs

 Now we were 21, so 3 jeeps and 7 per jeep. Thus, it was an optimized situation for us.

Hebbe Falls

The trip down to hebbe falls was amazing. It wasn’t a metalled road and went through forests and along the mountain slopes. Finally, the jeeps dropped us at a point from where we were supposed to walk on foot for another 1-2 KMs. This trek through forest was amazing and we had to cross a small river on the way. 

Santosh crossing the stream, the rocks were quite slippery 

the forest trek along the stream

hebbe falls at a distance

We finally spotted the falls at a distance.

The waterfall was amazing and had a tiny pool at its base. We sat beneath the falls for a long time, feeling the cold water jets on our back. 

At the base of the fall

It was hard to sit on the slippery surface against the force of strong water currents falling from a great height. But all of us enjoyed it immensely. Had it not been our jeep walas warning to hurry, we would have sat there for several hours.

The lowest tier of hebbe falls

Bhadravati champs having fun

We finally came out and dried ourselves and retraced our path back to the jeeps. Soon we reached back to Kemmangundi.

Farewell Kemmangundi

So far the trip had been splendid and we enjoyed nature at its best. The common consensus was to return back to Bhadravati and attend PS on Monday. So, I informed everybody that we’ll have to catch the 4’O clock bus to Tarikere at any cost(as that’s the only public mode of transport) and another bus from there to Bhadravati. So I asked everyone to finish up with their lunch and meet up at the bus stand positively by 3’O clock.

Deception

But, I still had many places left to visit- Chikmaglur, Belur, halebid, Shravanbelagola were all south of Kemmangundi roughly within a 100 KM radius. And I definitely didn’t want to get back to that shitty PS on Monday. And so I, Ayush and Apurv decided to leave the group and move ahead to Chikmaglur.

While everybody was busy taking their lunch, we started moving downhill in hope of getting lift on some vehicle moving to Tarikere (from where we could catch the Chikmaglur bus). We had already covered 5 KMs downhill on foot and still couldn’t manage to get lift from any vehicle. Just when we had left all hope and were terribly tired, a mini Volvo stopped near us. It had several young people from Bangalore and they happily agreed to give us lift. We quickly jumped on the bus and praised the almighty for coming to our rescue.

The Volvo dropped us at a small town called Lingdahalli from where we took another bus to Chikmaglur. This bus followed the road which went through forest, hills and beautifully laid coffee estates.  Karnataka was indeed stunning. By evening we were in Chikmaglur.

On the way to Chikmaglur, this one's perhaps Mulyangiri

Chikmaglur : The land of Coffee

We hadn’t eaten anything post breakfast and so we were immensely hungry. After consulting several locals we reached a restaurant called Mayura. To our mild surprise, we got there North Indian food and we devoured it like hungry beasts. The town is popular as heart of Coffee growing region in India and so we decided to sample its coffee. We also ordered coffee. And believe me, it was one of the best coffees, I ever had.

My verdict : Coffee at Mayura should definitely be on one’s checklist if you’re visiting Chikmaglur

Kites

We had the whole evening before us and so we decided to watch a movie. Fortunately, Hritik Roshan’s Kites was being played at a local cinema and the balcony tickets were priced at just Rs 35. I definitely liked the presentation and the style of the movie along with the acting but on the whole it was just mediocre one-time watchable fare.

After the movie, we went to bus stand and took the Belur bound bus.  Belur is 35 KMs from Chikmaglur and is famous for its 1000 yr old Chennakesava temple. We reached Belur at 1’O clock and began looking for night stay option. And as it so happens, it’s really difficult to get accommodation at the dead of night. But we got lucky and a lodge manager agreed to give us a place to sleep in his store room  until morning(for just Rs 50 per head). We didn’t mind because we were too tired and could have slept even without any bedding.

And so our day ended. Only this morning while savoring nature’s beauty, did I know, that tonight I’ll be sleeping in the attic of a rusty old lodge in Belur. Indeed, life of a traveler is full of suspense.

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Prologue (Trekking in Karnataka)

Gloomy Morning

Saturday, Jun 5, 2010

It was raining in the morning. While all the others at PS(the Mech and Chemical guys) were sleeping peacefully under their quilt (on their not so cosy beds), the EEE group guys dragged their feet through SAIL’s gates and to the Electrical department head’s office at VISL. After what seemed like eternity(useless discussions, divisions into groups), we were finally allotted projects and by noon we returned to our hostel. We had lost Friday evening and half of Saturday and so there wasn’t any hope of trip that weekend. People started making alternate plans. But then I didn’t want to give up.

Freedom

At noon, I asked everybody if they were willing to go to a hill station then they better get ready with their bags and raincoat in half an hour.  Everybody jumped with excitement. I explained them the plan about Kemmangundi and after packing our bags we left for a nearby restaurant for lunch.

After a quick south Indian meal, all of us boarded on the bus to Tarikere. There were 17 of us this time. 14 from VISL and 3(Bisen, Aayush and Singhal) from MPM.

TriviaKemmangundi is a small hill station developed by the Kings of Mysore as their summer retreat. Nestled on the forested slopes of Western Ghats (to be precise Baba Budan Giri range) in the Coffee growing Chikmaglur district of Karnataka, it’s far away from the touristy glare. Infact, so far this has worked for it, as it has helped in preserving its natural beauty. It’s a  lovely place with decent and limited staying options & with beautifully developed parks and gardens all around. The Royal society of horticulture has its centre here.

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Day 1

The Journey Begins

We reached Tarikere at around 2:30 PM, just in time to catch the 3 PM afternoon bus to Kemmangundi, which happens to be the only bus going to Kemmangundi throughout the day. The landscape changed dramatically. Fields and farm lands started giving way to forested land and soon the bus started ascending the hills. The temperature dropped and we started getting the FEEL of being on a hill station.

The bus dropped us 2 Kms away as no vehicles are allowed there. Weather was just perfect and it was awesome walking through lush green forested paths. 

Street in Kemmangundi

Unlike any other hill station, Kemmangundi didn’t have any central bazaar or marketplace. It just had 7-8 hotels or lodges and beautiful parks developed by the Horticulture society all around. 





We were on our own and after visiting a park  decided to explore the hills and mountains around the hill station.

Enjoying in a park

The trek

A teeny tiny waterfall behind us

We were privileged to have esteemed personalities amongst us like Aayush Saxena, Apurv Gujar, Jagdish Ghughe, etc who single handedly spearheaded the trekking revolution and led us onto the mightiest slopes of Kemmangundi. And we began hiking.

The hiking begins, (but until then we hadn't realised the steepness)

The climb seemed to have no end. It went on and on. 

Though ascending wasn’t that difficult but we had simply no idea as to how we were going to descent because the slopes were steep.

  

The hiking was tiring and we were running out of water. 

Taking rest intermittently

After taking rest intermittently, we finally reached the top and were stunned by the beautiful views. It was worth all the efforts.

Amazing scenery

But the million dollar question remained. How were we going down. And so the brainy people decided to move along the gentle slopes of the hill and onto the next peak. And so we went on and on, each time getting treated with even better views.

We continued hopping from one peak to another, desperately searching for a way down, and suddenly we were surrounded by rain laden clouds. 

The scene was breathtaking. It was getting dark and slippery and we were on top of the world with the concern of getting back safely at the top of our minds. Finally we saw a group of people. We took directions from them and began descending.

In retrospect

I was amazed at how things work out. There I was in the morning, slogging at VISL and here I was at Kemmangundi in the evening, enjoying nature’s beauty.

The whole exercise was immensely exhausting and we were extremely hungry. After quickly having our dinner and several mugs of hot coffee, we reached the hotel which was booked by our friends Amaan, Sapan, etc

Party all night

Unfortunately, we got late in booking for the rooms and so we had to go to the outskirts of the hill station at a small lodge. 

Even there, we managed to get just one big hall for the 17 of us. And guess what it was just Rs 55 per head. We didn’t mind because that’s exactly what we wanted. It had been one of the best nights of our lives. There was no electricity and it was raining heavily outside. With a small candle in the centre of the room, we laughed and chatted and played mafia until 4 ‘O clock in the morning. Finally after much MASTI all of us dozed off.

It had indeed been a long day with project work at VISL in the morning, bus journey in the afternoon, hiking over the hills in the evening, and late night masti and we BITSians efficiently utilized and enjoyed every minute of it.

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Trekking in Karnataka & the 1000yr old temples

Draconian Instructor

The 2^nd week of our stay at Bhadravati wasn’t so pleasant. On one hand the shitty rice served during the meals at the PS station was getting on our nerves. And on the other hand our PS instructor was tormenting us.

Probably he came to know about our SECRET Goa trip which we did the previous week. And so he tortured us & made us to sit for hours together in that rickety conference hall at the PS station without any work. He finally took his revenge by scheduling the Project assignment towards the weekend so that we couldn’t plan anything preposterous under his nose for that weekend.

But perhaps he wasn’t aware about my resolution to travel across the length and breadth of South India during the 2 monsoon months.

• Prologue

• Day 1 (Trekking in Kemmangundi)

• Day 2 (Hebbe Falls & Chikmaglur)

• Day 3 (Belur, Halebid and Shravanbelagola)

Other Posts

•  Fell in love with Kerala
•  Nilgiris & Wayanad
•  Go Goa
•  Coffee @ Coorg 

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