Destination: Vani Vilas Sagar Dam, Hampi, Tungabhadra Dam, Pattadakal, Aihole, Badami,
Date: Friday 28 Nov - Sunday 30 Nov, 2008
Origin: Bangalore
Mode of Travel: Hired Taxi, Toyota Innova.
Leaving Bangalore: We started from Marattahalli, Bangalore at 1120 towards Hampi. I am not listing down the route details because they are already present on Google. In short we followed:
NH - 4 from Bangalore to Tumkur to Chitradurga. Right turn to NH - 13 from there to Hospete. Local roads from there to Hampi.
Vani Vilas Sagar Dam:
## Silent water with green tint
## Huge wall to give a feel of fort
## Peace and silence every where around
## Wind mills on the hill top to add to the scene
...in short an awesome place. We were short of time and hence we were not able to spend much time there. This is place is near to Bangalore and I hope that I would be able to spend a whole weekend there.
Directions:
On NH - 4, there after crossing Hiriyur, there is a over bridge. Beyond that there is a Cemented Gate on left. Also there is a green colored metal bridge over the highway for pedestrians. There are no boards or direction so being watchful helps. Take a left from there.
To Hospete:
It was dark already and there was a huge traffic Jam. Firt we thought that it was something serious but our driver jumped to the lane from which traffic was supposed to come. We noticed some really funny things:
1. One truck got stuck because the key was lost, it was dark and the driver was not able to search that.
2. It was dinner time. So one of the trucker just stopped and was having the food. None of the other truckers complained and all of them were doing the same things. It is so silly that you stop any where on the road and start eating.
3. As this jam was really huge, cars come out of the lane and block the way for the other way. We also did that but there was no other way. If one follows the traffic rules completely, then at least 2 days are required to come out.
Finally, we left our car and started walking. After around 2 KMs we got an auto and hired it for the hotel. The auto driver was another interesting person. He was playing Kannada songs at very high volume. He stopped after some time and spent around a minute to change the music cassette. Later I came to know that they were rain songs from Rajkumar. It was already drizzling so he wanted to play the music according to the mood!!! Just like a king.
We booked at Sanbhag Hotel which is bad so better to keep this place as last resort.
Hampi:
A mesmerizing place!!! We hired a Guide for INR 500/- for whole day. They ask for more but one can negotiate.
Tungabhadra Dam:
I was under impression that this is just another Dam. But it is HUGE. There was water till horizon on one direction. Photography was not allowed here. Looking at the SLRs in our hands, the security guard there warned us. May be the authorities are not aware of the things like Google Earth or they are in habit of following the rules of 1960s blindly.
Badami:
Pattadakal :
Aihole:
We stayed overnight at a not-very-bad hotel at Badami. The town was giving a perfect sight of a typical rural India. In the morning, I borrowed bicycle of one of the Hotel staff and hit the road.
All these three places and not very far off. We covered them the same day. But if one wants to absorb the places, then more time may be needed.
I haven't written much on the places because I think these places deserve much more than the words present in my dictionary. Google is the best place to know the details.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Kumbalgarh Fort, Rajasthan
Destination: Kumbalgarh Fort, Udaipur
Date: Saturday, 1 Nov 2008.
Origin: Udaipur City
Mode of Travel: Tata Indica
There is already lots of info available on Google about this place. Thus I am not listing anything general but few points:
1. The architecture is amazing. This is another example of the expertize of the people centuries ago who made such forts and palaces which can't be constructed today even with the use of modern machines.
2. There is very less population around the fort. It would have been minimal at the time when this fort was constructed. The fort sits on the top of a very strategic hill. How such a huge amount of raw material was carried to this hill top, is a mystery for me.
3. The engineering and the strength of the fort is marvelous. People say that this fort was never conquered. No doubt in that. Even today, if there is a not-so-skilled army defends the fort, even the best army of the world can't conquer it. The walls are as wide as a two lane road.
4. From the terrace of the Palace, one side there is a beautiful view of hills. On the other side there is flat ground till horizon. Wind flows at high speed.
5. The fort has been maintained good. Many places, there are old remains which give very good feel.
Date: Saturday, 1 Nov 2008.
Origin: Udaipur City
Mode of Travel: Tata Indica
There is already lots of info available on Google about this place. Thus I am not listing anything general but few points:
1. The architecture is amazing. This is another example of the expertize of the people centuries ago who made such forts and palaces which can't be constructed today even with the use of modern machines.
2. There is very less population around the fort. It would have been minimal at the time when this fort was constructed. The fort sits on the top of a very strategic hill. How such a huge amount of raw material was carried to this hill top, is a mystery for me.
3. The engineering and the strength of the fort is marvelous. People say that this fort was never conquered. No doubt in that. Even today, if there is a not-so-skilled army defends the fort, even the best army of the world can't conquer it. The walls are as wide as a two lane road.
4. From the terrace of the Palace, one side there is a beautiful view of hills. On the other side there is flat ground till horizon. Wind flows at high speed.
5. The fort has been maintained good. Many places, there are old remains which give very good feel.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
One day travel to Sambhar Lake, Rajasthan
Destination: Sambhar Lake, Jaipur, Rajasthan
Date: Sunday, Oct 26, 2008.
Origin: Jaipur City
End: Jaipur City
Group: I traveled alone in a small car, Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo.
Location: Sambhar town and lake are in Jaipur district but far from the main Jaipur city.
From Jaipur City to Sambhar Lake:
1. Started from the Civil Lines crossing on the NH-8 (Jaipur Ajmer road) towards south-west @0415.
2. At 19.5 KMs met toll booth. The cost at the time of travel was INR 65/- for one way. Same amount was charged while returning also. I did not mind paying this amount because the road was excellent. It was a six lane smooth highway. At morning time there was no traffic so I was able to drive as a fast as I could.
3. At 62 KM turn to west of north (right). This place is called Dudu. There is an over bridge on the crossing for the traffic that want to go straight. Better to not to take this bridge otherwise one has to take a U turn. In doubt, ask anyone for the road to Sambhar.
4. At 77 KM there was a Y turn. One road was going straight while one was going to right. I got confused here but finally found a board which directed me to take a right turn. Little bit ahead there is Nariana Village. After that there is railway track. It was still dark and I was little bit confused about the way.
5. This portion of drive was great. There were no light and the sky was dark and clear. The moon was looking beautiful with the mystical stars. These many stars are hardly seen from polluted city sky.
6. At 112 KM take a left turn (west), just before the railway crossing. This turned has been marked in wikimapia (http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=26.8974441&lon=75.1869965&z=17&l=0&m=h&v=2). One has to drive 24 KM on this road to reach the Shakambari Devi temple. This road also goes to Core-seina Village but ends at the temple.
Just after this turn, there is railway track on right. This is part of the factory where salt is made. This place reminded on of some old black and white movies. There were so many abandoned railway carriages while were lying freely. The best part was there, there was no one around and I had a deep inspecting of the place.
At Sambhar Lake:
I parked my car at the temple. There was no one around. Was able to see a single chambered temple on the lake surface. Walked there and came to know that it is 'Bahiron Baba' Temple. Came back to my car, took my bag with water and eatables with me and started to climb the hill. The temple of the Shakambari Devi is at the base of this hill. Hill climb was easy and there is a resting place on top. See the pic, I do not know what it is called.
Now I was looking at the extra-extra-extra-ordinary place. I had seen such a place only in the pics of moon. I could not had believed that such a place can even exist on earth. This place seems to be the end of earth. One can easily see the demarcation line for earth. There was green land just on my back. On my front, left and right there was just flat, white, reflecting surface. I tried hard to see the end with my naked eyes, but failed. I stared for sometime and felt that I can feel the roundness of earth. After that I took out my 300mm zoom lens. On Nikon 40x, it worked as 450mm. I was able to see uncountable number of red and white colored birds on one side. On the other side, I was not able to see the end even at 450mm end. Man, this place is amaaaaazzzzziiiingggg!!!
There was whole army of ants which tried to spoil my food but I was fast enough to change the location. I spent some time on the hill top and then decided to walk on the lake surface. On the bank, there was typical desert vegetation. I got many thrones on my lower. It is better to be in an outfit which does not take these thrones. After doing the painful job of removing these thrones, I started to walk. I was not able to see the horizon. I walked, walked and walked for an hour. I was not having anything to measure but in an hour I must have covered at least 4 KMs. I was still not able to see the end. But I came to the point where I was able to see the water and the surface was moist after this point. I did not want to dirty my legs in the mud and I was also getting over with the drinking water. Hence, I decided to return. I tried to capture birds at 450mm zoom but still, I was just able to take a glimpse of them. On my left, there was no end and sky was meeting the earth.
Lunch time:
I moved back and drove to Sambhar town. On the way, there was a family which was waiting for a public vehicle. They asked me for lift and I got agreed.
At Sambhar town, I had the lunch at 'Yadav Pavitra Bhojnalaya'. Do not expect much at this place. But the taste of the food was awesome. It was still just 1300 and I had to wait till sunset. I drove to the road to Shakambari Devi temple, parked the car under a tree and took a nice nap. After two hours I got up and as soon as I moved the car, I realized that something has hit the car. Damn, it was a big stone under the engine which had lifted the left tire in the air. These are the stones used by village people to sit and wait for the vehicles. I took out the jack and removed the stone. When I got up, I had already taken a bath in sand. I drove further and saw a small lake. I washed my self there. Waited sometime under the peeple tree on the pavement and then moved ahead again toward the Temple.
Drive on the Lake:
This time, around 1 KM before temple, I saw a way to get in the lake. This way is made by trucks and tractors. I moved my car off road and followed this. Just after 100m, I was again on that never ending flat white surface. This was great experience to drive. One can drive as fast as his vehicle and heart allows. There is no one, absolutely on one, around you to even see and stop. I drove to the other side of the hill and waited there for the sun to be set. It was still 1630 and there was around 90 mins left for sunset. In sometime I realized this place is getting scary. There is just flat surface till horizon and then there is nothing on it. Not even a small insect. The wind has enough power to throw all the obstacles to the bank. Suddenly I heard a dog bark and I got more scared. But I was not able to see any dog in the directing from which the sound was coming. I again used my zoom lens and I was able to see a dog far off. The thing is, because there is no obstacle, even is there is small sound somewhere, it can be heard KMs far off.
Then it was the time for sunset. It was a great experience to see sun syncing exactly in side the earth. I had never seen sun syncing like this. The sky was not very colorful because there were no clouds around.
Sun disappeared and I drove my car back to the same way from which I came. On the drive to home, I was just thinking about this life time place. Another example that there is so much to see and there is so much of variation on the earth. The traffic was more on NH-8 on the return journey as compared to morning 4 O'clock. It took me 3 hours to return back.
Ways to reach :
1. By road - Follow the path that I took. Jaipur (NH-8) <->Dudu <-> Naraina <-> Sambhar. The Rajasthan roadways buses can also be taken from Jaipur to Sambhar. I say a bud on the way to Core-seina. However, I do not know where that bus was going.
2. By train - Train from Jaipur to Phulera takes just 45 mins. After that Sambhar is not more than 10 KMs. This is an excellent option.
Few Points:
1. Carry enough water with you because you may not find shops selling packed water.
2. One can easily see the glimpse of the rural India here. There are many villages on the road from Sambhar to Shakambari Devi Temple. I saw women carrying water vessels on their head from the same water body where the animals were taking bath on the other side. After some time children jumped inside the water to take a bath. Old men were sitting under the tree shadow and smoking 'beedi'. I wish I could become invisible and keep seeing this life style for some time. The people were little bit consious to see a guy from some city in a car.
3. This is a MUST GO place before leaving this world and I am glad that I was there.
Date: Sunday, Oct 26, 2008.
Origin: Jaipur City
End: Jaipur City
Group: I traveled alone in a small car, Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo.
Location: Sambhar town and lake are in Jaipur district but far from the main Jaipur city.
From Jaipur City to Sambhar Lake:
1. Started from the Civil Lines crossing on the NH-8 (Jaipur Ajmer road) towards south-west @0415.
2. At 19.5 KMs met toll booth. The cost at the time of travel was INR 65/- for one way. Same amount was charged while returning also. I did not mind paying this amount because the road was excellent. It was a six lane smooth highway. At morning time there was no traffic so I was able to drive as a fast as I could.
3. At 62 KM turn to west of north (right). This place is called Dudu. There is an over bridge on the crossing for the traffic that want to go straight. Better to not to take this bridge otherwise one has to take a U turn. In doubt, ask anyone for the road to Sambhar.
4. At 77 KM there was a Y turn. One road was going straight while one was going to right. I got confused here but finally found a board which directed me to take a right turn. Little bit ahead there is Nariana Village. After that there is railway track. It was still dark and I was little bit confused about the way.
5. This portion of drive was great. There were no light and the sky was dark and clear. The moon was looking beautiful with the mystical stars. These many stars are hardly seen from polluted city sky.
[Far off View of the Shakambari Devi Temple and the hill. This is a perfect example of Mirage. The reflection is not in the water!!!]
6. At 112 KM take a left turn (west), just before the railway crossing. This turned has been marked in wikimapia (http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=26.8974441&lon=75.1869965&z=17&l=0&m=h&v=2). One has to drive 24 KM on this road to reach the Shakambari Devi temple. This road also goes to Core-seina Village but ends at the temple.
Just after this turn, there is railway track on right. This is part of the factory where salt is made. This place reminded on of some old black and white movies. There were so many abandoned railway carriages while were lying freely. The best part was there, there was no one around and I had a deep inspecting of the place.
At Sambhar Lake:
I parked my car at the temple. There was no one around. Was able to see a single chambered temple on the lake surface. Walked there and came to know that it is 'Bahiron Baba' Temple. Came back to my car, took my bag with water and eatables with me and started to climb the hill. The temple of the Shakambari Devi is at the base of this hill. Hill climb was easy and there is a resting place on top. See the pic, I do not know what it is called.
[Bhairon baba temple on the lake surface and the never-ending end]
Now I was looking at the extra-extra-extra-ordinary place. I had seen such a place only in the pics of moon. I could not had believed that such a place can even exist on earth. This place seems to be the end of earth. One can easily see the demarcation line for earth. There was green land just on my back. On my front, left and right there was just flat, white, reflecting surface. I tried hard to see the end with my naked eyes, but failed. I stared for sometime and felt that I can feel the roundness of earth. After that I took out my 300mm zoom lens. On Nikon 40x, it worked as 450mm. I was able to see uncountable number of red and white colored birds on one side. On the other side, I was not able to see the end even at 450mm end. Man, this place is amaaaaazzzzziiiingggg!!!
There was whole army of ants which tried to spoil my food but I was fast enough to change the location. I spent some time on the hill top and then decided to walk on the lake surface. On the bank, there was typical desert vegetation. I got many thrones on my lower. It is better to be in an outfit which does not take these thrones. After doing the painful job of removing these thrones, I started to walk. I was not able to see the horizon. I walked, walked and walked for an hour. I was not having anything to measure but in an hour I must have covered at least 4 KMs. I was still not able to see the end. But I came to the point where I was able to see the water and the surface was moist after this point. I did not want to dirty my legs in the mud and I was also getting over with the drinking water. Hence, I decided to return. I tried to capture birds at 450mm zoom but still, I was just able to take a glimpse of them. On my left, there was no end and sky was meeting the earth.
[I walked to this point. I was sitting at the top of the hill an hour back. These two pics shows the view from my back and front]
Lunch time:
I moved back and drove to Sambhar town. On the way, there was a family which was waiting for a public vehicle. They asked me for lift and I got agreed.
At Sambhar town, I had the lunch at 'Yadav Pavitra Bhojnalaya'. Do not expect much at this place. But the taste of the food was awesome. It was still just 1300 and I had to wait till sunset. I drove to the road to Shakambari Devi temple, parked the car under a tree and took a nice nap. After two hours I got up and as soon as I moved the car, I realized that something has hit the car. Damn, it was a big stone under the engine which had lifted the left tire in the air. These are the stones used by village people to sit and wait for the vehicles. I took out the jack and removed the stone. When I got up, I had already taken a bath in sand. I drove further and saw a small lake. I washed my self there. Waited sometime under the peeple tree on the pavement and then moved ahead again toward the Temple.
Drive on the Lake:
This time, around 1 KM before temple, I saw a way to get in the lake. This way is made by trucks and tractors. I moved my car off road and followed this. Just after 100m, I was again on that never ending flat white surface. This was great experience to drive. One can drive as fast as his vehicle and heart allows. There is no one, absolutely on one, around you to even see and stop. I drove to the other side of the hill and waited there for the sun to be set. It was still 1630 and there was around 90 mins left for sunset. In sometime I realized this place is getting scary. There is just flat surface till horizon and then there is nothing on it. Not even a small insect. The wind has enough power to throw all the obstacles to the bank. Suddenly I heard a dog bark and I got more scared. But I was not able to see any dog in the directing from which the sound was coming. I again used my zoom lens and I was able to see a dog far off. The thing is, because there is no obstacle, even is there is small sound somewhere, it can be heard KMs far off.
Then it was the time for sunset. It was a great experience to see sun syncing exactly in side the earth. I had never seen sun syncing like this. The sky was not very colorful because there were no clouds around.
Sun disappeared and I drove my car back to the same way from which I came. On the drive to home, I was just thinking about this life time place. Another example that there is so much to see and there is so much of variation on the earth. The traffic was more on NH-8 on the return journey as compared to morning 4 O'clock. It took me 3 hours to return back.Ways to reach :
1. By road - Follow the path that I took. Jaipur (NH-8) <->Dudu <-> Naraina <-> Sambhar. The Rajasthan roadways buses can also be taken from Jaipur to Sambhar. I say a bud on the way to Core-seina. However, I do not know where that bus was going.
2. By train - Train from Jaipur to Phulera takes just 45 mins. After that Sambhar is not more than 10 KMs. This is an excellent option.
Few Points:
1. Carry enough water with you because you may not find shops selling packed water.
2. One can easily see the glimpse of the rural India here. There are many villages on the road from Sambhar to Shakambari Devi Temple. I saw women carrying water vessels on their head from the same water body where the animals were taking bath on the other side. After some time children jumped inside the water to take a bath. Old men were sitting under the tree shadow and smoking 'beedi'. I wish I could become invisible and keep seeing this life style for some time. The people were little bit consious to see a guy from some city in a car.
3. This is a MUST GO place before leaving this world and I am glad that I was there.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Sakleshpur Railway Line Trek
Destination : Sakleshpur Railway Line Trek
Date : Oct 2 - Oct 4, 2008
Origin : Bangalore
End : Bangalore
Group : 4
From Bangalore to Sakleshpur :
1. We boarded a bus from the Platform No. 4, Majestic Bus Stand, Bangalore at 0500 hours. Ticket cost was INR 75/- per head.
2. Reached Sakleshpur at 1000 hours. The journey till Hassan was fast. But the bus halted there for 30 mins and the route after that was from hills.
3. From the Sakleshpur KSRTC Bus stand we walked on the NH-48 towards Bangalore for 5 minutes to reach Surabhi Restaurant. This is good place to have breakfast. 4. After that we take the mud road, just next to the Surabhi Restaurant(I have marked this place on wikimapia) towards Sakleshpur railway Station. 10 minutes walk took us to the station(I have marked this place on wikimapia) but this was a big mistake. We were sent back from there by the Railway Authorities. The officer over there was egoistic and was teaching us the rules and regulations. Thus, never start the trek from the Sakleshpur Railway Station.
Sakleshpur to Donigal :
1. We walked back to the BM road(MH-48) and took a Jeep for the Donigal Railway Station. These Jeeps are normal medium to commute on these hilly areas. The cost was INR 15/- per head.
2. Pointers for Donigal Station: There will be a small bridge on the BM Road (NH-48). Just after that there is a tea stall on east. Get down here from your vehicle. Just in front of this stall there is a muddy path going up hill towards south. Walk on this path for 10 minutes to reach the Donigal Railway Station(I have marked this place on wikimapia). Note that Donigal Railway Station is not abandoned any more. There were Railway employees and operations were going on. These employees were very friendly and they encouraged us to carry on the trek. They told that a group of 15 trekkers has left the place in 0800 in the morning. They also gave us a lot of other useful info.
The Trek:
1. There are yellow colored boards on the whole of the trek every 100m. They are showing the distance in (KiloMeter/Meter) format. Donigal has the mark of 50/000.
2. We left Donigal at 1130 hours. We were slow because of lots of photography and a not-so-strong member in the team.
3. At 58/000 there is Kadagarahalli Railway Station. This is a newly inaugurated station and no where mentioned in the earlier blogs. If you have the sleeping bag/mat then it is easy to spend night here on the corner room. Obviously, carry the food for the whole trek because getting it on the way is difficult.
4. Next Morning (Oct 3) we left Kadagarahalli at 0630 hours and reached Yedakumarei which is at 67/200. This is a beautiful place and it is rewarding to spend time here.
5. After that we walked to Aryabhatta Railway Station which is at 75/100 mark. This station is also no where mentioned. This is under construction and yet to be inaugurated. We spend our second night here. The people here gave us a separate room.
6. Next morning (Oct 4) we left Aryabhatta at 0700 hours. We had to end our trek here. We asked the people at Aryabhatta for the way to reach the BM Road (NH-48). The road was visible from the station but it was not possible to fly.
7. Between 79/400 and 79/500 there is a bridge. Before that bridge there is a path on right going downhill. Take this path. From here the real fun started. Till now the trek was easy because we were just walking on the stones for the last 29 KMs. It became monotonous. This path was risky so be cautious in that.
8. Keep moving downhill. Sometimes a visible path was there. Other times one has to use his/her own skills to move ahead. We were in fact following the passage created by a water stream. Water was not flowing at that time. After some time we met a muddy path crossing this stream perpendicularly. This path is wide enough for the jeeps to pass on it and was created for the transfer of goods to the Aryabhatta Railway station back in time.
9. Take left on this path and keep walking to reach a small village. We did a big mistake of going right. We kept walking and after getting nothing we descended to the river. We thought that we will meet a bridge from where we can hit the road. But we were wrong. It was very tough and dangerous to keep jumping over the rocks. After some distance there was no way to move ahead. We also had a thought to cross the river. But that was also very dangerous. We sat for sometime and decided to move back to the muddy path from where we descended to stream. Suddenly we saw two people from the near-by village who were going for work. They noticed our shoe mark on the mud and followed us. They suspected that we have lost in that Jungle. I was amazed by the sharpness of these people. They led us to the muddy path again. So remember, after reaching to the muddy path from the Rail Line, take a left. 10. We kept walking on the path and reached a village. People at the village guided us to main road and we reached Gundya Check Post.
Back to Bangalore:
1. We ate dosa at a small restaurant at Gundya Checkpost and then took a bus directly back to Bangalore. The ticket cost this time was INR 225/-. The bus was deluxe and hence the higher cost.
2. We reached Bangalore at 2000 hours.
Some Personal notes:
1. On the blogs, people projected this trek as very good. I found it an average trek. It was monotonous all the time due to walking on the same stones along the Railway Line. Many times I felt that the places around Bangalore are over rated. People work in IT Industry in this Silicon City and they highlight the small things as 100 times more on there blogs. Many other places are simply awesome bus less mentioned on the web.
2. Safe way to cross Bridges: First let one person to cross the bridge. When he/she reaches the other end then others should cross. One person should stay back to watch any train coming from back. This technique helped us on a long bridge when a train came from back. I shouted loud to inform other who were on the middle of the bridge. They managed to run and take position on the side platform.
3. The platforms on the bridge are old without proper support. So better to not to reply on them. One has to have a strong heart to keep standing on them when the whole bridge is shaking due to train vibrations.
4. 99% of the times the bridges have a metal sheet installed on the bridges which make it easy to walk on the bridges.
5. Make sure to carry torches for the tunnels. Just after entering the tunnel one should check the sides and decide that on which side he/she is going to move if the train comes. We met train three times when we were in the tunnel. It was great experience. I can not forget the vibrations in my ears due to the sound of trains. It was as if someone is drilling on my ear drums.
6. At some of the Railway Stations people were talking as if they can arrange food for us if we pay them. We carried the food and thus were not in need of any help. However, this can be treated as a last resort.
7. Never trek with people whom you do not know well. I was not knowing anyone else in the group. There was one member who can quoting himself as a great trekker. He praised himself for every damn thing in this world. He was not listening to others in the group. Later I came to know that neither he was physically fit nor he was aware of basics of trekking. Another member, who was his friend also, told that this guy is like this during all the treks and never listen to others. I did not mind his carp behavior because he helped us also many times. But just keep this point in mind.
Date : Oct 2 - Oct 4, 2008
Origin : Bangalore
End : Bangalore
Group : 4
From Bangalore to Sakleshpur :
1. We boarded a bus from the Platform No. 4, Majestic Bus Stand, Bangalore at 0500 hours. Ticket cost was INR 75/- per head.
2. Reached Sakleshpur at 1000 hours. The journey till Hassan was fast. But the bus halted there for 30 mins and the route after that was from hills.
3. From the Sakleshpur KSRTC Bus stand we walked on the NH-48 towards Bangalore for 5 minutes to reach Surabhi Restaurant. This is good place to have breakfast. 4. After that we take the mud road, just next to the Surabhi Restaurant(I have marked this place on wikimapia) towards Sakleshpur railway Station. 10 minutes walk took us to the station(I have marked this place on wikimapia) but this was a big mistake. We were sent back from there by the Railway Authorities. The officer over there was egoistic and was teaching us the rules and regulations. Thus, never start the trek from the Sakleshpur Railway Station.
Sakleshpur to Donigal :
1. We walked back to the BM road(MH-48) and took a Jeep for the Donigal Railway Station. These Jeeps are normal medium to commute on these hilly areas. The cost was INR 15/- per head.
2. Pointers for Donigal Station: There will be a small bridge on the BM Road (NH-48). Just after that there is a tea stall on east. Get down here from your vehicle. Just in front of this stall there is a muddy path going up hill towards south. Walk on this path for 10 minutes to reach the Donigal Railway Station(I have marked this place on wikimapia). Note that Donigal Railway Station is not abandoned any more. There were Railway employees and operations were going on. These employees were very friendly and they encouraged us to carry on the trek. They told that a group of 15 trekkers has left the place in 0800 in the morning. They also gave us a lot of other useful info.
The Trek:
1. There are yellow colored boards on the whole of the trek every 100m. They are showing the distance in (KiloMeter/Meter) format. Donigal has the mark of 50/000.
2. We left Donigal at 1130 hours. We were slow because of lots of photography and a not-so-strong member in the team.
3. At 58/000 there is Kadagarahalli Railway Station. This is a newly inaugurated station and no where mentioned in the earlier blogs. If you have the sleeping bag/mat then it is easy to spend night here on the corner room. Obviously, carry the food for the whole trek because getting it on the way is difficult.
4. Next Morning (Oct 3) we left Kadagarahalli at 0630 hours and reached Yedakumarei which is at 67/200. This is a beautiful place and it is rewarding to spend time here.
5. After that we walked to Aryabhatta Railway Station which is at 75/100 mark. This station is also no where mentioned. This is under construction and yet to be inaugurated. We spend our second night here. The people here gave us a separate room.
6. Next morning (Oct 4) we left Aryabhatta at 0700 hours. We had to end our trek here. We asked the people at Aryabhatta for the way to reach the BM Road (NH-48). The road was visible from the station but it was not possible to fly.
7. Between 79/400 and 79/500 there is a bridge. Before that bridge there is a path on right going downhill. Take this path. From here the real fun started. Till now the trek was easy because we were just walking on the stones for the last 29 KMs. It became monotonous. This path was risky so be cautious in that.
8. Keep moving downhill. Sometimes a visible path was there. Other times one has to use his/her own skills to move ahead. We were in fact following the passage created by a water stream. Water was not flowing at that time. After some time we met a muddy path crossing this stream perpendicularly. This path is wide enough for the jeeps to pass on it and was created for the transfer of goods to the Aryabhatta Railway station back in time.
9. Take left on this path and keep walking to reach a small village. We did a big mistake of going right. We kept walking and after getting nothing we descended to the river. We thought that we will meet a bridge from where we can hit the road. But we were wrong. It was very tough and dangerous to keep jumping over the rocks. After some distance there was no way to move ahead. We also had a thought to cross the river. But that was also very dangerous. We sat for sometime and decided to move back to the muddy path from where we descended to stream. Suddenly we saw two people from the near-by village who were going for work. They noticed our shoe mark on the mud and followed us. They suspected that we have lost in that Jungle. I was amazed by the sharpness of these people. They led us to the muddy path again. So remember, after reaching to the muddy path from the Rail Line, take a left. 10. We kept walking on the path and reached a village. People at the village guided us to main road and we reached Gundya Check Post.
Back to Bangalore:
1. We ate dosa at a small restaurant at Gundya Checkpost and then took a bus directly back to Bangalore. The ticket cost this time was INR 225/-. The bus was deluxe and hence the higher cost.
2. We reached Bangalore at 2000 hours.
Some Personal notes:
1. On the blogs, people projected this trek as very good. I found it an average trek. It was monotonous all the time due to walking on the same stones along the Railway Line. Many times I felt that the places around Bangalore are over rated. People work in IT Industry in this Silicon City and they highlight the small things as 100 times more on there blogs. Many other places are simply awesome bus less mentioned on the web.
2. Safe way to cross Bridges: First let one person to cross the bridge. When he/she reaches the other end then others should cross. One person should stay back to watch any train coming from back. This technique helped us on a long bridge when a train came from back. I shouted loud to inform other who were on the middle of the bridge. They managed to run and take position on the side platform.
3. The platforms on the bridge are old without proper support. So better to not to reply on them. One has to have a strong heart to keep standing on them when the whole bridge is shaking due to train vibrations.
4. 99% of the times the bridges have a metal sheet installed on the bridges which make it easy to walk on the bridges.
5. Make sure to carry torches for the tunnels. Just after entering the tunnel one should check the sides and decide that on which side he/she is going to move if the train comes. We met train three times when we were in the tunnel. It was great experience. I can not forget the vibrations in my ears due to the sound of trains. It was as if someone is drilling on my ear drums.
6. At some of the Railway Stations people were talking as if they can arrange food for us if we pay them. We carried the food and thus were not in need of any help. However, this can be treated as a last resort.
7. Never trek with people whom you do not know well. I was not knowing anyone else in the group. There was one member who can quoting himself as a great trekker. He praised himself for every damn thing in this world. He was not listening to others in the group. Later I came to know that neither he was physically fit nor he was aware of basics of trekking. Another member, who was his friend also, told that this guy is like this during all the treks and never listen to others. I did not mind his carp behavior because he helped us also many times. But just keep this point in mind.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Lakhaniya Dari - One of those where water falls on you!!!
Destination - Lakhaniya Dari
Note - All the pics shown here are from my earlier trip when the water was less. I wrote this blog after a trip when the monsoon was at its heights.
Date - Saturday, August 16, 2008.
Origin - Vanarasi
End - Varanasi
Group Size - 5 (YV, Amit, Prashant, Anbalagan and myself )
Lakhaniya Dari - A breathtaking water fall near the ancient city, Varanasi. This is among those very few water falls where you are the bottom and the water falls on you. This fact increases the excitement hundred times. At the final destination, you will be surrounded by rocky walls from three directions and exactly in front of you water will be falling from a height of more than 80 m. The small drops of water carried by air will touch your face and soon you will realize that why people wish for heaven? It is not a place where you get down from your vehicle and have the view. You have to walk 2-3 KMs over stones, mud, rocks and water to reach the final destination. Do not worry! The whole path is less than long and more than short.
Lets reach there from BHU main gate, Lanka. Face the BHU gate and take left (towards east) from there. The road is not good so be prepared for the fun. After some time, you have to take a right. First right turn is the route which hits the main highway where you will meet the Toll Plaza. The guys there may ask you pay something between INR 50-100. This is not a good option because you will not be using that highway for more than 5 minutes. So do not take that first right turn and take the route from the “Samai Ghat” to reach the by-pass. You can ask the local people “the way to reach the Ram Nagar Bridge – By Pass via Samai Ghat”. See the map below which is taken from wikimapia.org. Click on the image to enlarge it.
This highway is part of the road network of Golden Quadrilateral in India but you will be using this just for crossing the river Ganges. Just after the bridge gets over, there is a road on the left going down the road. Take that road and then a right under the By Pass. This is NH - 7. See the map below. Click on the image to enlarge it.
This road is generally good except the rainy season. Drive carefully because children from villages and people on bicycles my come to your way many times.
After few KMs you will reach Narayan Pura and there will be a V turn. Take a left from there. There should be a board indicating the direction. Do not hesitate to ask from local people in case of confusion. Just after taking this way you will cross a double track electrified rail way and a water canal near by. This is the confirmation that you are on right track. See the map below. Click on the image to enlarge it.
Note: At the time of writing, wikimapia.org was not having the road beyond this point in its map. So choose the "Hybrid" and "All Places" options in it and then enlarge it atleadt up to 4th level to get some idea.
Now the road is straight. After driving for around 30 KMs you will reach hilly roads. Slow down there because you are not far off from your destination. You will see lake on you left and then some mountains beyond that. This view is gorgeous and you would love to take snaps. But take care from wild animals if you want to go far off from the road.
Little bit ahead you will see a small bridge on road. On left there will be water falling down the rocks. There is also a yellow colored board on left mentioning “Lakhaniya Dari” in Hindi. This is the place you can park your vehicle.
Start walking now with the Jungle rule – Follow the water stream. Remember that you have to go up stream. You should be able to find many local people around. They come here, cook their food and have fun. It is a nice picnic place for them.
After walking some distance you will reach mud and then the rocks. Take caution while walking on the rocks because they are very slippery. There is no hard and fast way to reach the final fall. But you should be able to find the way made by earlier travelers. During rainy season the water level is really high and then you have to use your own intelligence because all the normal ways gets covered by water.
Last time when I went there, we had to cross the stream two times and the water reached up to waist level. I suggest to get in side the water in spite of getting high on the rocks. The water is not deep and you can take support of rocks with some effort. On the other hand, if you slip down from the rocks then you can get your bones fractured. As you move ahead, the place will get covered by more and more dense trees. The light reaching the land will reduce and air flow will decrease. In some time you should be able to feel the sound of falling water and there you are!!!
Enjoy the place!!! You can reach behind the falling water also. Take extreme caution and walk over the rocks from the right and reach behind the falling water. This place gives you some movie kind of feeling. You are sitting inside a small cave sort of place and water is flowing in front of you and then beyond that there is the whole world. The below pic shows this.
Avoid to take a dip in water at this place. The water is very deep and rocks are mysterious. My senior at BHU lost his life there. Every year there are cases when people get in to water and then never come back. So if you want to get into water, walk some distance down stream and then do what ever you want.
Eat and Drink - You will not find much to eat around. At the place of parking there is a small tea stall. You call also find some packed biscuits there. However, on the road from Narayan Pura you will find many Dhaba. On an earlier trip, I enjoyed paratha over there and they were delicious. Its good to carry water bottles with you if you are not fine with the open water served at eating places. There are many beer shops available on the path way. But again, avoid to walk on the rocks until your mind is in 100% normal state.
Note - All the pics shown here are from my earlier trip when the water was less. I wrote this blog after a trip when the monsoon was at its heights.
Date - Saturday, August 16, 2008.
Origin - Vanarasi
End - Varanasi
Group Size - 5 (YV, Amit, Prashant, Anbalagan and myself )
Lakhaniya Dari - A breathtaking water fall near the ancient city, Varanasi. This is among those very few water falls where you are the bottom and the water falls on you. This fact increases the excitement hundred times. At the final destination, you will be surrounded by rocky walls from three directions and exactly in front of you water will be falling from a height of more than 80 m. The small drops of water carried by air will touch your face and soon you will realize that why people wish for heaven? It is not a place where you get down from your vehicle and have the view. You have to walk 2-3 KMs over stones, mud, rocks and water to reach the final destination. Do not worry! The whole path is less than long and more than short.
Lets reach there from BHU main gate, Lanka. Face the BHU gate and take left (towards east) from there. The road is not good so be prepared for the fun. After some time, you have to take a right. First right turn is the route which hits the main highway where you will meet the Toll Plaza. The guys there may ask you pay something between INR 50-100. This is not a good option because you will not be using that highway for more than 5 minutes. So do not take that first right turn and take the route from the “Samai Ghat” to reach the by-pass. You can ask the local people “the way to reach the Ram Nagar Bridge – By Pass via Samai Ghat”. See the map below which is taken from wikimapia.org. Click on the image to enlarge it.
This highway is part of the road network of Golden Quadrilateral in India but you will be using this just for crossing the river Ganges. Just after the bridge gets over, there is a road on the left going down the road. Take that road and then a right under the By Pass. This is NH - 7. See the map below. Click on the image to enlarge it.
This road is generally good except the rainy season. Drive carefully because children from villages and people on bicycles my come to your way many times.After few KMs you will reach Narayan Pura and there will be a V turn. Take a left from there. There should be a board indicating the direction. Do not hesitate to ask from local people in case of confusion. Just after taking this way you will cross a double track electrified rail way and a water canal near by. This is the confirmation that you are on right track. See the map below. Click on the image to enlarge it.
Note: At the time of writing, wikimapia.org was not having the road beyond this point in its map. So choose the "Hybrid" and "All Places" options in it and then enlarge it atleadt up to 4th level to get some idea.
Now the road is straight. After driving for around 30 KMs you will reach hilly roads. Slow down there because you are not far off from your destination. You will see lake on you left and then some mountains beyond that. This view is gorgeous and you would love to take snaps. But take care from wild animals if you want to go far off from the road.Little bit ahead you will see a small bridge on road. On left there will be water falling down the rocks. There is also a yellow colored board on left mentioning “Lakhaniya Dari” in Hindi. This is the place you can park your vehicle.
Start walking now with the Jungle rule – Follow the water stream. Remember that you have to go up stream. You should be able to find many local people around. They come here, cook their food and have fun. It is a nice picnic place for them.
After walking some distance you will reach mud and then the rocks. Take caution while walking on the rocks because they are very slippery. There is no hard and fast way to reach the final fall. But you should be able to find the way made by earlier travelers. During rainy season the water level is really high and then you have to use your own intelligence because all the normal ways gets covered by water.
Last time when I went there, we had to cross the stream two times and the water reached up to waist level. I suggest to get in side the water in spite of getting high on the rocks. The water is not deep and you can take support of rocks with some effort. On the other hand, if you slip down from the rocks then you can get your bones fractured. As you move ahead, the place will get covered by more and more dense trees. The light reaching the land will reduce and air flow will decrease. In some time you should be able to feel the sound of falling water and there you are!!!
Enjoy the place!!! You can reach behind the falling water also. Take extreme caution and walk over the rocks from the right and reach behind the falling water. This place gives you some movie kind of feeling. You are sitting inside a small cave sort of place and water is flowing in front of you and then beyond that there is the whole world. The below pic shows this.
Avoid to take a dip in water at this place. The water is very deep and rocks are mysterious. My senior at BHU lost his life there. Every year there are cases when people get in to water and then never come back. So if you want to get into water, walk some distance down stream and then do what ever you want.
Eat and Drink - You will not find much to eat around. At the place of parking there is a small tea stall. You call also find some packed biscuits there. However, on the road from Narayan Pura you will find many Dhaba. On an earlier trip, I enjoyed paratha over there and they were delicious. Its good to carry water bottles with you if you are not fine with the open water served at eating places. There are many beer shops available on the path way. But again, avoid to walk on the rocks until your mind is in 100% normal state.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Bicycle on Bengaluru (Bangalore) roads
While roaming on the terrace, I was looking to do something new in life (as usual). This time I aimed for a bicycle. So I did some basic googling and without much exposure to this field I went to Arcot Srinivasachar street, City Market, Bangalore.
The bicycle Market here: I feel that this is basically a selling market and dealers do not care much about servicing. They have got old shops and may not be able to give you demo because most of the cycles are packed and disassembled. But I asked them and they gave me 4 demos by taking the pain of assembling the bicycles. The roads are jammed so one cannot think of test ride. I got the demos because I was going to spend good amount. This market is definitely cheaper than the fancy and exotic showrooms which might be available in Bangalore.
I got this model, AVON Jockey. A short review of it follows.
http://www.avoncycles.com/boys-bicycle-display.asp?id=285
I paid INR 6300/- for it.
It has aluminum body which makes it very easy to carry in elevator to my flat at seventh floor. It is very handy to carry in hands during traffic jams, red lights, country side etc. Whenever I go to M. G. Road, whole of the road is blocked by the Metro Rail Project and rest by long cars. I was very comfortable to carry my bicycle in hands and then to walk on footpath. There was another model from Hero with almost same specification but with Iron Body. That was 2000 less in cost. I think I made the right decision to pay more to the seller.
It has got front and rear shockers. I feel that this makes ride very comfortable and won't hurt you at wrong places. At this time I can not say about the longevity of these shockers. May be I will add that after a year.
It has got 18 gears. I strongly suggest to get a bicycle with gears if you want to make the ride a fun and not a burden. Gears will make your ride little bit easier on ups and make you fast on downs. But, frankly speaking, I do not see a need of 18 gears(at least in city). May be 6 or 12 are enough. I got 18 because because it is not possible to customize this machine according to your need. :)
Personal Experience:
# It is good(not great) bicycle.
# The ride is smooth and the shockers are good.
# Gear transition is smooth and they never got stuck.
# It has got front and rear long metal mud-guards. These days most of the geared cycles are having either no or short mud-guards. These are made up of plastic. In city , you won't be doing the stunts as a mountain biker. So when the roads are wet, these long mud-guards save you from the road dirt that flies off with the rotating wheel. This was the unique feature in all the models that I considered.
# The pedal has very good metal grip. Due to this your feet will never slip from it when you are applying break or crossing a bumper in speed.
# The rod under the seat is not long. So, if we want to raise the seat to a higher level, you may need to change the whole section.
# Brakes are cantilever type with rubber shoes. I would prefer disc brakes. But for that, one has to put in more money.
Recently, I got a speedometer/odometer installed. It cost me 350/- bucks. I purchased this from Raja Cycle Mart. There is a good mechanic, Lalloo. I got the reference from another blogger. I went there and the experience was good.
Directions for Raja Cycle Mart: Reach to townhall and start moving to City Market. Hardly moving 20 meters, on left you can see this shop.
Check out wikimapia. I marked this there
http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=12.9633878&lon=77.5843763&z=17&l=0&m=h&v=2
Many times people ask me about my experience on Bangalore roads. They say that the traffic is terrific and how safe is it? For all of these people, I have following words:
I use Cab to commute to office and I felt that two wheeler drivers are quite unsafe on roads. After roaming around on bicycle, I realized that the condition was not that bad which I *assumed* earlier. I noticed that people are sort of good to bicycle riders. Then one day I went to Office on my bicycle. I stay at Koramangala and Office is 11 KMs from my home. The route is (Sony World-Jagsandhara-Agara-Sarjapur Junction-Marattahalli). I leave my home around 7 in morning and leave office at 4 in evening.
My view got changed when I tried it myself. I know, the safest bet is to get in side a car. But except that I think bicycles are good to move around the city.
While raining, its very tough to ride bicycle because there is no motor inside and its all your muscles. I prefer to wait at some place. This can be treated as a limitation. :)
I still use Cabs but jump over to my bicycle around 2-3 days a week depending upon weather and schedule. :) Believe me, the time difference is just of 10 minutes one way!!!
So this is how I had a view some time back and now it got changed when I tried it on my own. :)
Points for getting on bicycle:
1. Fun
2. Healthy
3. Cheap
4. No Pollution
So, believe me. Borrow a bicycle from a kid around your place for some time and give it a try. For the first few times, you will feel strong pain in your knees. If this pain disappears and the riding becomes fun for you, go and grab your own bike.
Happy Cycling!!!
The bicycle Market here: I feel that this is basically a selling market and dealers do not care much about servicing. They have got old shops and may not be able to give you demo because most of the cycles are packed and disassembled. But I asked them and they gave me 4 demos by taking the pain of assembling the bicycles. The roads are jammed so one cannot think of test ride. I got the demos because I was going to spend good amount. This market is definitely cheaper than the fancy and exotic showrooms which might be available in Bangalore.
I got this model, AVON Jockey. A short review of it follows.
http://www.avoncycles.com/boys-bicycle-display.asp?id=285
I paid INR 6300/- for it.
It has aluminum body which makes it very easy to carry in elevator to my flat at seventh floor. It is very handy to carry in hands during traffic jams, red lights, country side etc. Whenever I go to M. G. Road, whole of the road is blocked by the Metro Rail Project and rest by long cars. I was very comfortable to carry my bicycle in hands and then to walk on footpath. There was another model from Hero with almost same specification but with Iron Body. That was 2000 less in cost. I think I made the right decision to pay more to the seller.
It has got front and rear shockers. I feel that this makes ride very comfortable and won't hurt you at wrong places. At this time I can not say about the longevity of these shockers. May be I will add that after a year.
It has got 18 gears. I strongly suggest to get a bicycle with gears if you want to make the ride a fun and not a burden. Gears will make your ride little bit easier on ups and make you fast on downs. But, frankly speaking, I do not see a need of 18 gears(at least in city). May be 6 or 12 are enough. I got 18 because because it is not possible to customize this machine according to your need. :)
Personal Experience:
# It is good(not great) bicycle.
# The ride is smooth and the shockers are good.
# Gear transition is smooth and they never got stuck.
# It has got front and rear long metal mud-guards. These days most of the geared cycles are having either no or short mud-guards. These are made up of plastic. In city , you won't be doing the stunts as a mountain biker. So when the roads are wet, these long mud-guards save you from the road dirt that flies off with the rotating wheel. This was the unique feature in all the models that I considered.
# The pedal has very good metal grip. Due to this your feet will never slip from it when you are applying break or crossing a bumper in speed.
# The rod under the seat is not long. So, if we want to raise the seat to a higher level, you may need to change the whole section.
# Brakes are cantilever type with rubber shoes. I would prefer disc brakes. But for that, one has to put in more money.
Recently, I got a speedometer/odometer installed. It cost me 350/- bucks. I purchased this from Raja Cycle Mart. There is a good mechanic, Lalloo. I got the reference from another blogger. I went there and the experience was good.
Directions for Raja Cycle Mart: Reach to townhall and start moving to City Market. Hardly moving 20 meters, on left you can see this shop.
Check out wikimapia. I marked this there
http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=12.9633878&lon=77.5843763&z=17&l=0&m=h&v=2
Many times people ask me about my experience on Bangalore roads. They say that the traffic is terrific and how safe is it? For all of these people, I have following words:
I use Cab to commute to office and I felt that two wheeler drivers are quite unsafe on roads. After roaming around on bicycle, I realized that the condition was not that bad which I *assumed* earlier. I noticed that people are sort of good to bicycle riders. Then one day I went to Office on my bicycle. I stay at Koramangala and Office is 11 KMs from my home. The route is (Sony World-Jagsandhara-Agara-Sarjapur Junction-Marattahalli). I leave my home around 7 in morning and leave office at 4 in evening.
My view got changed when I tried it myself. I know, the safest bet is to get in side a car. But except that I think bicycles are good to move around the city.
While raining, its very tough to ride bicycle because there is no motor inside and its all your muscles. I prefer to wait at some place. This can be treated as a limitation. :)
I still use Cabs but jump over to my bicycle around 2-3 days a week depending upon weather and schedule. :) Believe me, the time difference is just of 10 minutes one way!!!
So this is how I had a view some time back and now it got changed when I tried it on my own. :)
Points for getting on bicycle:
1. Fun
2. Healthy
3. Cheap
4. No Pollution
So, believe me. Borrow a bicycle from a kid around your place for some time and give it a try. For the first few times, you will feel strong pain in your knees. If this pain disappears and the riding becomes fun for you, go and grab your own bike.
Happy Cycling!!!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Bangalore - Belur - Halebidu - Shravanabelagola - Bangalore
Destinations: Belur, Halebidu, Shravanabelagola (India)
Date: Saturday, July 19, 2008.
Origin: Bangalore (India)
End: Bangalore
Group Size: 5 (Chandra, Milan, Ramesh, Simon and myself)
Route:
1. Started from Marattahalli, Outer Ring Road, Bangalore.
2. Headed north towards K R Puram.
3. The road take a left on its own and then took a right from the fly over towards Channasandra.
4. Passed Nagawara Lake and Hebbal Lake.
5. Crossed a crowded railway crossing where road is narrow.
6. Joined NH-4.
7. Headed to Nelamangala. A big part of this road was under construction.
8. Took a left from there on NH-48. One can easily see the directions for Belur and Mangalore on that.
9. Passed Kunigal - Yediyur - Hirisave - Channarayapatna - Hassan
10. Just before Hassan, took the bypass. This saved us from the city traffic. There is a three way and one can take a straight rather than a right to take this by-pass.
11. Followed SH-57 to reach Belur.
12. Took SH-58 to reach Halebidu and then to hit NH-206.
13. From Arsikere, took a right to leave NH-206 and then came to NH-48 again.
14. Then took SH-8 to reach Shravanabelagola finally again NH-48 to return to Bangalore.
Vehicle used: Maruti Suzuki SX4.
Destinations:
I am not going to write about these places because huge text is already available on Internet. I am just adding some personal observations.
Neither entry nor camera fee was collected at any of these places. This was really surprising to me.
There was a 20m long bridge in between and then there was a funny toll booth after that. Chandra told that this was built 10 years back by the people of the local village and they are still collecting the toll. How long? No one knows... Do not worry, it was just INR 7/-. :)
Belur:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennakesava_Temple
When I entered the place it was not looking that great to me. Then we hired a guide and he really invoked the interest. The architecture was obviously excellent but the way that guide put up all the history in front of us was very impressive. He was a knowledgeable person and explained us that how this temple is different from others.
Halebidu:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoysaleswara_temple
We went to three temples at Halebidu. Hoysaleshwara Temple, Kedareshwara Temple and Jain Temple (this may not be the official name).
On the Hoysaleshwara Temple you can easily notice the uncompleted work due to the attack from other kings. There is a lake near to this temple and many beautiful landscapes around. This temple was not so properly maintained as the compared to the temple at Belur.
About the other two temples, we were the only people visiting those places. I liked the Jain Temple a lot. The pillars of that temple were polished so finely that you can see your image in them. If you hit them with your nail, they will generate sounds. This was really surprizing to see that a stone pillar was generating the sound just like metal pillars. Another proof of the presence of unbeatable technology at that time.
Shravanabelagola:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shravanabelagola
Date: Saturday, July 19, 2008.
Origin: Bangalore (India)
End: Bangalore
Group Size: 5 (Chandra, Milan, Ramesh, Simon and myself)
Route:
1. Started from Marattahalli, Outer Ring Road, Bangalore.
2. Headed north towards K R Puram.
3. The road take a left on its own and then took a right from the fly over towards Channasandra.
4. Passed Nagawara Lake and Hebbal Lake.
5. Crossed a crowded railway crossing where road is narrow.
6. Joined NH-4.
7. Headed to Nelamangala. A big part of this road was under construction.8. Took a left from there on NH-48. One can easily see the directions for Belur and Mangalore on that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NH-48
9. Passed Kunigal - Yediyur - Hirisave - Channarayapatna - Hassan
10. Just before Hassan, took the bypass. This saved us from the city traffic. There is a three way and one can take a straight rather than a right to take this by-pass.
11. Followed SH-57 to reach Belur.
12. Took SH-58 to reach Halebidu and then to hit NH-206.
13. From Arsikere, took a right to leave NH-206 and then came to NH-48 again.
14. Then took SH-8 to reach Shravanabelagola finally again NH-48 to return to Bangalore.
Vehicle used: Maruti Suzuki SX4.Destinations:
I am not going to write about these places because huge text is already available on Internet. I am just adding some personal observations.
Neither entry nor camera fee was collected at any of these places. This was really surprising to me.
There was a 20m long bridge in between and then there was a funny toll booth after that. Chandra told that this was built 10 years back by the people of the local village and they are still collecting the toll. How long? No one knows... Do not worry, it was just INR 7/-. :)
Belur:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennakesava_Temple
When I entered the place it was not looking that great to me. Then we hired a guide and he really invoked the interest. The architecture was obviously excellent but the way that guide put up all the history in front of us was very impressive. He was a knowledgeable person and explained us that how this temple is different from others.
Halebidu:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoysaleswara_temple
We went to three temples at Halebidu. Hoysaleshwara Temple, Kedareshwara Temple and Jain Temple (this may not be the official name).
On the Hoysaleshwara Temple you can easily notice the uncompleted work due to the attack from other kings. There is a lake near to this temple and many beautiful landscapes around. This temple was not so properly maintained as the compared to the temple at Belur.
About the other two temples, we were the only people visiting those places. I liked the Jain Temple a lot. The pillars of that temple were polished so finely that you can see your image in them. If you hit them with your nail, they will generate sounds. This was really surprizing to see that a stone pillar was generating the sound just like metal pillars. Another proof of the presence of unbeatable technology at that time.
Shravanabelagola:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shravanabelagola
Monday, July 21, 2008
Chennai - Pondicherry - Chennai
Destination: Pondicherry
Date: Sunday-Monday, 6-7 April, 2008
Origin: Chennai
End: Chennai
Group Size: 5 (Anurag, Chandan, Gaurav, Vivek and myself)
Route: There are two routes from Chennai to Pondicherry. We took the ECR (Eastern Coast Road). The road is straight and there are no major crossing to get lost.
Stay: We stayed for just one night. For that we rented an elevated hut just 100m from the coast. These huts are cheap and a different kind of experience.
Date: Sunday-Monday, 6-7 April, 2008
Origin: Chennai
End: Chennai
Group Size: 5 (Anurag, Chandan, Gaurav, Vivek and myself)
Route: There are two routes from Chennai to Pondicherry. We took the ECR (Eastern Coast Road). The road is straight and there are no major crossing to get lost.
Stay: We stayed for just one night. For that we rented an elevated hut just 100m from the coast. These huts are cheap and a different kind of experience.
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