Banawasi

January 24, 2013 Leave a comment

Banawasi in uttara kannada was the last destination to be visited before heading back to bangalore. Banawasi is of major pilgrimage centers in utara kannada and has an amazing madhukeshwara temple which is an amazing. The temple is one of the oldest in Karnataka and is dedicated to lord shiva.

Banawasi Temple

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The temple is built by the kadambas and the main attraction is the nandi statue which is carved in such as way that one eye looks at shiva and the other eye at parvati. The nandi statue shows the skill of the people who have carved it.

Nandi Statue

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Another interesting piece of architecture is the stone bed which is carved from a single piece of stone.

Stone Bed

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Roaming around the temple and clicking some snaps we spent some time there before heading back to the car. The next stop being shimoga to rest for the night as we had a long drive back to bangalore the next day.

Snaps can be found here

 

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Magod Falls

January 22, 2013 1 Comment

Magod falls is one of the popular waterfalls in yellapur, Uttara karnataka. The other popular falls in this region are sathodi and unchalli falls.

During our coastal trip after visting kadra dam we started our journey towards yellapur. We reached the checkpost to continue on our way and we were informed that a tree had fallen and the path was blocked. Just as we were discussing our options we found a bus from kaiga atomic plant going in the same route and we decided follow them hoping the path would be clear. Luckily for us we soon found another car coming from the opp direction and they confirmed the tree has been cleared.

The route from passes through a single track in the forest and the drive was simply breathtaking. Though there were a lot of potholes but driving through the zig zag curves were fun. The joy was soon shortlived as we reached the end of the track where we found the bus from kaiga standing. A short break and we headed towards yellapur.

Couple hours of driving and we reached the intersection for magod falls. The falls is 19 kms from the circle and we had to ask for directions along the way at a couple of deviations. Soon we reached the place and headed to the falls after parking the car.

The falls can be seen from a distance, however there is no direct route to the falls. There are steps built for a short distance which allows one to view the falls more clearly. There were quite a lot of people when we reached the falls, since there was enough space for everyone and we could see the falls in all its glory. Though there was not enough rains this year, there was enough water in the falls.

Magod Falls

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Clicking snaps of the falls we spent some time there. The sun was beating down hard as it was already afternoon. With our stomachs rumbling we headed back to the car. I inquired about possibility of visiting sathodi falls which is another popular in the region, however I was told there was no water there. Unchalli falls was too far to visit hence that had to be dropped. With nothing else to see, we headed to yellapur for lunch and then decided on the next course of action.

 

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Karwar

January 4, 2013 Leave a comment

The coastal city of karwar was the next stopover on our coastal tour.  Being in the city for the first time I wasnt quite sure what places of interest the city provided. Luckily there are destinations and distances given which allow people to visit their choice of destinations.

It was mid afternoon by the time we went to karwar and the hot sun forced us to look for a hotel on the highway. We happened to see hotel bhadra and since it was affordable we decided to take the rooms there. This turned to be a big mistake as the rooms had absolutely zero maintainence. The beds were creaky and the rooms were horrible.

A short nap and it was time to explore karwar. The first stop was the war museum located just a km from the city. The museum shows the indian navy‘s might and one gets to explore the inside of navy ship as the museum is housed in the huge model of a navy ship

War Museum

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Once u enter the museum you’ll first be shown a short movie about the indian navy highlighting its capabilities and its various strengths. Once the movie is done you are free to roam the ship and see the various parts of the navy cruiser. We spent sometime clicking photos and roaming the entire ship before exiting.

The next place we visited was the sadashivagad fort. The fort was built by shivaji in the late 17th century, however it is now in ruins.

Entrance to sadashivgad fort

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There is a resort and temple near the fort and one can see the kali river and the kali bridge from the top. After trying various techniques we headed back to the beach for a sunset photoshoot as there was nothing else to do at the fort. When coming back we inquired about the possibility of a boat ride to kurumgud island which is located 12 kms from karwar. We were told the cost bout 1000 per head which was too steep hence decided to put the boat ride on hold.

View of kali river and bridge

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Sunset at Karwar Beach

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A visit to the local exhibition and we heaed to the hotel.

To people who are visiting karwar do not stay in hotel bhadra which is on the highway. There are other good hotels within the city limits. There is absolutely zero maintenance and the rooms and toilets are equally horrible for which we paid the price.

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Beaches of gokarana

December 31, 2012 Leave a comment

Gokarna is a popular tourist destination in uttara karnataka. Located on the coast the place is famous for its beaches which are thronged by tourists. There are 5 beaches in gokarana out of which 3 can be accessed easily. As part of our coastal trip we had planned to halt in gokarna for a day and cover the beaches and pay a visit to the temple. The main beach is accessible from the temple however to reach the other ones one has to hire a boat. An alternative is to hike across the mountains and reach the beaches.

After refreshing ourselves we headed to Om beach which is the most popular beach. There are boat services available which take people for a tour of the paradise and half moon beach. A half hour boat ride covers the paradise and half moon beach.

Beaches of gokarana

OM Beach

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Paradise and Half Moon beach

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The sun was setting as we were heading back. A couple of photos of the sunset and it was time to go back to the main beach to spend sometime there before hitting the sack

Sunset @ Kudle beach

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Apsarkonda Falls

December 29, 2012 Leave a comment

Located 30 kms from Murudeshwara and towards honnavar asarakonda falls is a popular tourist spots around honnavar and murudeshwar.  During my coastal trip couple of years I had missed this falls and during my second visit last week, I decided to pay a visit  to the falls. As I was visiting the falls for the first time I wasnt sure where exactly it was hence the only way to reach the falls was by asking the locals. There are posters of the falls along the highway along with other tourist destinations which allows people to visit them.

We soon reached the signboard indicating the direction to the falls and after driving for half a km we encountered a blockade, upon inquiring a local showed us an alternative route to the falls. There is a ramakrishna mutt present and the falls is located just behind the mutt. The view of the sea from the top is simply breathtaking.

There was very little water in the falls and since there was nothing much to do there hence we returned back to murudeshwar.

Apsarakonda Falls

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Evening was spent enjoying the sunset at the beach and some adventure sports before retiring for the day

Sunset at Murudeshwara Beach

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Mallali Falls

December 12, 2012 Leave a comment

Mallali falls is a desolate falls located 20 kms of somvarpet. This along with abbi matta falls, make some of the less visited falls in somvarpet.

Mallali falls was on my radar for sometime now, however circumstances prevented me from visiting the falls. However with things falling into place i had a day to spare on my visit to mysore, i headed to mallali falls on saturday.

It was a early morning start and soon I was cruising towards coorg. A short stop for cuppa at kushalnagar and we were cruising along the ghats towards somwarpet. The road conditions for most part is good except for couple of odd potholes. As I was going to the falls for the first time, directions had to be asked at intersections before proceeding. We reached somwarpet after enjoying the drive in the ghats and we had to take a left couple of kms from somwarpet town to proceed to the falls.

With the scenary and roads improving the drive continued with couple of breaks and soon we reached mallali falls.

Scenary in western ghats

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Soon we reached the board indicating the direction to the falls. To reach the falls one needs to do some off roading for 3 kms on a non existent track until we reach parking place. To get to the falls we need to walk a another km or so. One can see the falls from the top from here. To get to the base of the falls, steps have been constructed which needs to be climbed down and walk on a single track for some more time.

View of mallali falls

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We walked for a while in blazing sun while clicking snaps of the falls in various angles. There was quite a long way to go to the falls and we were supposed to return to mysore by sundown, hence we decided to turn back owing to come back again.

Few snaps of the falls

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We had lunch which was packed from home and it was back to mysore thus ending a long pending visit to the falls

Snaps can be found here

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Maidenhalli (Jayamangali) Blackbuck Reserve

May 2, 2012 Leave a comment

It had been a long time since I had gone for a drive as the summer heat made it difficult to venture out. The recent rains cooled the temperature down and this prompted me to think of another long drive to beat the heat and the boredom of being at home.

Maidenhalli blackbuck reserve off madhugiri in tumkur was selected. The route takes us through the popular tourist destinations such as devarayanadurga, siddarabetta, goravanhalli, and madhugiri.

About the place: Jayamangali (formerly Maidenahalli) Blackbuck Conservation Reserve is Tumkur District’s only notified protected area. It neighbours Maidenahalli, a small village in Madhugiri Taluk, at the north-eastern tip of Tumkur district of Karnataka state, India. This area is a part of the plains of Deccan plateau and borders Anantpur District of Andhra Pradesh. It is a 798-acre (3.23 km2) patch of grassland with Eucalyptus and Acacia auriculiformis. It has the largest contiguous population of Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) in Karnataka, apart from Ranibennur Blackbuck Sanctuary.

Distance : 140 Kms

How to Reach: Bangalore->Dabbaspet->Madhugiri. Take the right at the fork and keep goin straight till you find jaymangali blackbuck reserve board. Take left and keep going straight till you reach puruvara. Take another left at the flag post and continue on the same road till you reach the mud road. The reserve is 2.5 kms from the mud road.

Permission to stay

1) Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF)
Tumkur Territorial Division,
Kunigal Road,
Tumkur City- 5721 02

2)Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF)
Madhugiri Territorial Sub-Division,
Forest Office,
Madhugiri Town
Tumkur District

It was a delayed start as we left home around 7.30 in the morning. As it was a sunday there was less traffic and we were cruising along tumkur road and soon reached kamat. A short stop for breakfast and we were zipping past devarayanadurga and siddarabetta. Bad roads near madhugiri meant we had to slow down. Another stop for cuppa at a non descript hotel in madhugiri we then proceeded towards jayamangali blackbuck conservation center following the signboards. Driving for a few kms on some bad roads we asked for directions and proceeded. We soon reached the mud road which leads to the reserve. The reserve is 2.5 kms from the mud road

Entrance to the Blackbuck Reserve

There was a high possiblity of spotting some blackbucks and we were driving slowly. We soon spotted a couple of them grazing and roaming in the grasslands. I stopped the car and took a few snaps of the animals

Blackbucks in the grasslands

We soon reached the reserve and found a parking lot near the guest house. After paying Rs 100 for entry fee we went about roaming the plains in search of blackbucks and brids. The grasslands at jayamangali mimic the shrub jungle in africa where the herds roam around freely

The grasslands

We spent some time roaming the grasslands looking for blackbucks however we were unlucky to spot any in the sanctuary. There were however plenty of birds which kept my camera happy. Some of them were sitting on far away wires and trees which made it difficult to take a clean shot

Birds @ Jayamangali

With no blackbucks present we headed back to the car. The care taker informed us there are possibilities of us spotting the creatures after 3. With the sun beating down we took a break for an hour or so. One can stay at the forest guest house by paying a noninal fee of Rs 600. The care taker informed us that 2 batches who had stayed in the guest house left in the morning.

A break for an hour and we headed out of the reserve to find the blackbucks. Parking the car we walked in the grasslands and after a couple of min we could find blackbucks at a distance. I managed to take a few shots as they used to run away as we approached towards them.

Blackbucks at distance

After spending some time watching the animals run around we headed back to the car. A short stop in madhugiri for lunch and we were headed back home after another stop for cuppa at kamat.

Snaps can be  found here

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Aralaguppe and Thurvekere Hoysala Temples

April 3, 2012 Leave a comment

With another weekend looming in the corner, I was planning for another day trip. The summer heat meant there were very few places to visit and scouring the net, I found out about hoysala temples in Aralaguppe and nearby places in tunkur. Searching around I found thurvekere and Nagalapura also contained some fine monuments. With the places decided, the journey began on sat morning.

A short stop for breakfast and I was crusing along the NH 208 towards tiptur with the first stop being aralaguppe

Name of the place: Aralaguppe

Location: Tiptur, Tumkur

How to reach : Take the Bangalore Honnavar highway and keep proceeding till u get KB cross which is 130 kms from bangalore. A couple more kms on the same road and you get a gravel road to your left. Proceed on the same road till you reach aralaguppe

What to see in Aralaguppe: Chennakeshava and Kalleshwara temples

A 3 hour journey took us to aralaguppe and we reached chennakeshava temple around 12 in the afternoon. The temple like all hoysala temples is built on the star shaped pedestal. The caretaker present at the temple told us that the temple was built in 13th century. The temple is a ekootachala or a single celled temple . The temples here are built by Nolambas and Hoysalas respectively

Front entrance of Chennakeshava Temple

As with all hoysala temples the temple is covered with intricately carvings depecting various stories from the puranas.

Temple Carvings

Some of the prominent carvings include ugra-narasimha, Narayana, Lakshimi, Ganesha among others.

Carvings

The Garbhagriha houses sculpture of Keshava of Hoysala period. The Prabhavali has miniature sculptures of Dasavataras of Vishnu. The pillars that support the navaranga and the ceilings are elaborately worked. We spent some time admiring the beauty of the temple. The caretaker present there however couldnt give me more information regarding the temple. A couple more snaps amd we left to see kalleshwara temple.

The kalleshwara temple situated next to a large lake was a big disappointment when compared to the chennakeshava temple. The temple was constructed like a simple temple without any carvings

Kalleshwara Temple

The temple was locked and there was nothing much we could do. Roaming on the outside and a photo of the huge nandi.

nandi

There is also a huge lake next to the temple, which is used by the locals for washing their clothes and for other things. With nothing much to do there we headed back to the car

Our next destination was Thuruvekere where there are few more hoysala temples present. We were in thuruvekere after a short drive from aralaguppe. There are two temples which one can  visit when in thurvekere

The Channigaraya and Moola Shankara temples are the prominent temples in thurvekere. We reached Channigaraya temple first, however we found a group of people playing cards there. We decided  to visit moola shankara temple which is just a short distance from Channigaraya temple. When we reached there we found the gates to be closed. The wall however was short enough for me to jump into the temple compound which I did to take a few shots

Moola Shankara Temple

We went back to Channigaraya temple hoping the crowd would have dispersed which wasnt the case. We left for bangalore as it was already 2 in the afternoon. A short stop at kamat for lunch and we were home by 5 thus concluding another day tip

Snaps can be found here

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Lakes and Dams around kanakapura

March 22, 2012 2 Comments

The summer heat was making it difficult to sit indoors and it had been a long time since i had ventured out. When prashant called up and suggest a day out, I immediately agreed. We decided to visit a couple of lakes around kanakapura as this would help us capture the reflections in the water the birds present around the lake. Some research showed a few lakes which could be covered and we decided to halt near a reservoir if possible to shoot the sunset.

With the plan in mind, we roped in ramachandra who joined us eagerly for the outing. With the place and the guys ready we headed out on sun morning. A short stop for breakfast and we were soon cruising along the kanakapura road.

We stopped at vaderahalli kere which is just 2 kms from kuppareddy kere. The temperatures were already soaring by the time we reached the lake.

A couple of shots of the lake and our focus turned to the kites present around the lake

Vaderahalli Kere

There were plenty of brahminy kites and black kites vying for our attention, and it was difficult to focus on every one of them. We intially focused our cameras on one kite which was perched atop a tree. Clicking enough snaps, we waited for it to fly so that we could capture the flight in all its glory.

Brahminy Kite

We spent a lot of time anticipating the kite would fly, which it did when we werent looking :( . Soon large no of kites descended and we were busy trying to take snaps of our winged friends. Focussing was proving to be difficult as there were large no of birds. There was a black kite sitting on one of the branches which could be captured well. After a lot of trial and error and few blurred and out of focus snaps, managed to capture few kites in flight

Black Kite and Kites in Flight

We spent some more time there watching the kites fly by and look for food. A couple more snaps and we left the place. We then headed to gulakmale lake which is a short distance from harohalli. The sun was beating down on us and the car’s AC provided some much needed relief from the heat.

We reached gulakmale lake after a short stop. The lake is quite big and the water around made it a spot to take some snaps. The lake though vast is clean when compared to vaderahalli kere which is filthy. There serene atmosphere made us stay there a while even though the sun was almost atop our heads

How to reach : Kagglipura->Gulakmale village->gulakmale lake

Gulakmale Lake

Suprisingly there were hardly any birds around the lake. We roamed around hoping to catch a few if we were lucky. Managed to spot one or two but by the time i could click, they had flown.  Managed to click a couple of snaps of a wagtail though it was far off. We then headed to TK falls which was a couple of kms from the lake

Wagtail perched on rock

TK Falls is located close to gualkmale lake. One needs to drive till the temple and walk for a short while to reach the falls. The falls had gone dry due to the heat. We decided to pay another visit to it during monsoon.

How to reach: Kagaglipura—>left deviation—>byalemaradadoddi—>TK falls

With gulkamale lake completed, we then headed back the same route to thattekere lake. A short break on the way and we were cruising along to thattekere lake. Some off roading on the mud road and we reached the temple. Parking the car we went to explore the area.  We reached the lake at 1 in the afternoon and the sun was directly on top of us. With only a few people present there who were washing their vehicles. We roamed the lake and returned soon as there was nothing much we could do there. With our stomachs rumbling we decided to return to kankapura road and have a lunch before planning the next course of action.

Lunch done and a short nap later, we decided to go to a dam to shoot the sunset. Prashant initially suggested vrishibhavati dam near bidadi for which I agreed, however when we reached there we came to know its not exactly a dam. Instead of wasting time there the point we decided to go was Kanva dam on the outskirts of ramanagaram. With the sun setting fast, it was  race against time to reach the dam before the sun set. A wrong detour cost us some time and after driving around for a few extra kms we were on the right track. The sun had almost set by the time we reached the dam.

There were few families present at the dam when we arrived. There was still enough light to take a few snaps which we did.

Kanva Dam

With light goin down rapidly, it was time to head back to the car and home thus concluding an amazing day

Snaps can be found here

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Arkavati Dam and Mallikarjuna Temple — Basaralu

October 24, 2011 2 Comments

When visiting sangam/mekedatu there is one dam which was always evading me. Though I had seen the signboard numerous times I never did consider visiting it. While checking for places that can be covered, in a day I chanced upon Harobele Dam, which caught my attention.

Since I had to go to mysore, I decided to cover this along with a few other places before reaching mysore.

Research on where to go apart from the dam lead me to mallikarjuna temple in basaralu which is 30 kms from Mandya.  I was in no hurry to reach mysore so decided to explore the dam and then head to mandya and visit the temple before reaching mysore

Fact File about Harobele Dam

Harobele or Arkavati Dam is built on the river arkavati. The dam supplies water to kanakapura and nearby. While popular tourist spots such as sangam, mekedatu and cunchi falls are heavily polluted, the dam is free from any of this, which is a good sign.  It would be helpful if ppl who plan on visiting the dam dont litter the place, with junk

Distance From Bangalore : 90 kms

How to reach: Take the sangam road from kanakapura and stay on the road till you see a board pointing the direction towards arkavati dam. The dam is 5 kms from the signboard

Road Conditons: Not so good after taking the left from the signboard

I reached the dam around 11 went inside, to take some snaps. The place was relatively empty except for a couple of workers. Took a few snaps of the dam and the landscape and went to have a chat with the workers. I was told that the dam was constructed to provide water for kanakapura and nearby towns. The dam was constructed in the 80′s, however as always the dam was completed after few years due to red tapeisim  and lacks of funds. Now the dam serves a very important purpose.

Few snaps of the dam and the landscape

I headed back to the main road and then to malavalli. Reached the highway and was cruising towards mandya shortly.

The mallikarjuna temple in basaralu is one of the typical hoysala temples. It was built by one harihara nayaka who was the commander in cheif under the hoysala king raja imadi narasimha.

Mallikarjuna Temple

The temple is built in a typical hosyala style with the base being star shaped. The carvings depict various stories from the mahabharata n the puranas.

Carvings

The shikara contains the hoysala emblem which adds to the grandeour of the temple.

Shikara and the Hoysala Emblem

The place is maintained well by the ASI

The temple has beautiful Dravidian Shikhara on its main garbhagriha, which houses a “Balahari Shivalinga”  and a beautiful lotus on the ceiling . The two small garbhagrihas facing each other, housed a “Naga Nagini”  sculpture in one  and the “Surya Deva” (Sun god) in the other. The vestibule has the symbol of Hoysala , Sala killing a lion .

Note: Photography is not allowed inside the sanctum scrotum

Mallikarjuna Temple Fact File

Name of the temple: Mallikarua Temple

Location: Basaralu

Built in : 13th Century AD

How to reach: Bangalore->Mysore highway->Mandya->Take right to chick mandya-> Take Left to basaralu.

Total Distance: 130 Kms

Road Conditions: Few potholes along the way, overall road conditions are OK

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Snaps can be found here

Filed under Around Bangalore, Karnataka, South India, Travels Tagged with , , , ,

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