PAYANIGA

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Irpu falls (also known as Iruppu falls)
Irpu falls (or Iruppu falls) is situated at outskirts of Brahmagiri mountain range of Kodagu district. The falls is formed by Lakshmana theertha river when it jumps down in two tiers from a height of 52 mtrs (approximately 170 ft).

By the time we reached there it was close to noon & raining had stopped. And the place was filled with tourists. Sandeep & Ganesh decided to take a dip while Nithin guarded luggage. I roamed around for sometime taking few photos & then sat silently enjoying the beauty of the nature.

Legend says that, this falls was formed when Lakshamana shot an arrow to fetch some drinking water for his elder brother Rama, during their visit while searching for Seeta. Lakshamana theertha flows westwards & later joins river Kaveri. There is also a temple of Lord Rama.

Temple of Lord Rama
We spent a good 2 hours at the falls. And then a nice lunch at the only hotel near the temple at Irpu. As we started our journey back towards Gonikoppa, within five minutes it started raining again. Our initial plan was to reach Madikeri before dusk & watch sunset at Raja seat. But rain played spoilsport which hampered our progress & we halted at Virajpet for the day instead.

How to reach:

Gonikoppa – 25KMs – Srimangala – continue towards Kutta – 7KMs – turn right – 3KMs – Irpu.

Continued – Bhagamandala and Talakaveri

Previous: Kumara Parvatha

We woke up to witness a beautiful & peaceful morning. Rain God was in a good mood & we were spared from getting drenched. We repacked our backpacks, thanked our hosts & started back towards Beedalli. We were bit late to reach the place & we missed the bus again. Luckily a jeep was available and owner of the jeep agreed to take us to Mallalli falls & then drop us at Somavarpet.

To reach Mallalli falls, one has to take a deviation at Hanchinalli. Hanchinalli comes 2 KMs before Beedalli when travelling from Somavarpet towards Beedalli. From Hanchinalli it’s a bumpy jeep track for 2 to 3 KMs. And then a walk for almost a kilometer. It was completely misty even at 11 in the morning. End of wonderful walk brought us to the view point which gives us a majestic view of the falls. Though we had lots of time, we decided not to go down to the foot of the falls as it was very slippery on the rocks.

We spent a quality time over there enjoying the roaring waterfalls. And then headed back home. A jeep journey till Somavarpet, a quick lunch & then back to Bangalore by bus. End of another wonderful weekend & still Kumara Parvatha peak unconquered.

Waterfalls of Karnataka:

• Dabbe falls
• Somavathi falls
• Soochippara falls
• Jog

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Somavathi falls is a very small but dangerous waterfall near Mullodi village. The falls is not more than 8 or 10ft height but very slippery. Each one of us who got under the water slipped at least once. Though it was fun, one fell down and gave back a piece of his teeth to the nature. We sat down under the water slipping & sliding, waiting for turns while others were slipping & sliding.

A late lunch of chappathis & teplas after a refreshing bath. And then we spent a quality time listening to gurgling water, bird songs (especially the long whistle of Malabar Whistling-thrush. We came back refreshed & recharged to Sathish’s house (home-stay) where we stayed for the night. We played disk throwing & cricket till dark. And then it was round of leg-pulling & general chit-chat. After a nice dinner, we slipped into our sleeping bags & a sound sleep.

In case you are not interested in trekking & just want to have a dip in Somavathi falls, you can hire a jeep from Samse village to Mullodi. Have fun and come back same day. Or else, you can stay at Sathish’s place which is a non-commercial homestay. Sathish’s family are very hospitable & friendly. If you plan to stay there, you can call Sathisha & make arrangements in advance – 08263 249595.

Continued – trek to peak

Related links:

• Waterfalls of Karnataka visited in 2007
• Trekking in Western Ghats – Sharavathi valley
• Mallalli falls near Somawarapet

There now -

And gone next moment, hidden by the mist -

Place:

Mallalli falls, Kumaradhara river, around 30 KMs from Somawarapet and approximately 275 KMs from Bangalore.