Two months after my bike trip to Coorg, I was back in that beautiful district. But this time the visit was for half day & restricted to Namdroling Monastery at Bylukuppe. Being Saturday Monastery was buzzing with activity, but inside the Golden Temple it was complete silent and peaceful.

A student monk. He was more interested looking out of the class room instead of listening to the lectures.

Paintings inside the temple are huge, beautiful and very nicely done.

My visit was of very short duration. Just touch and go. This place is still there in my list of places to be visited :)

Also read:

• Bike trip to Coorg
• Kumara Parvatha
• Mallalli Falls

River Tunga. We had to cross the river. And we had three options -

1. By bus over the bridge.
2. Using a hanging bridge which was half a kilometer away.
3. By walk through knee deep water

Place: Hariharapura, 15 KMs from Sringeri in Chikkamagalur district.

People were busy washing their clothes, bathing.

He saw me. Stopped his work for a moment. Smiled at me & continued with his chores.

Crossing the river was quite an adventure. Trying not to get our clothes wet & along with carrying the camera. Though it was knee deep, currents were pretty strong.

It's been a long while since I rode out of town on a long ride. It's time to hit the road. Last time it was a two day ride to Madikeri.

Now I'm heading west, towards Mangalore. I've four days in hand and a wedding to attend on Sunday. The plan is wide open. As of now probably it's going to be riding around Udupi, Mangalore & if possible Kasaragod. And looks like I'll be taking the same route which we took while riding to Goa 15 months ago.

Also on the agenda is to meet couple of bloggers and one of them is a travel blogger.

Previous bike rides:

• Gopalaswamy betta
• Kambadahalli
• Mookana mane falls

Photos from my recent visit to Sringeri, Goddess Sharada's abode. Nothing much to say from my side, enjoy the photos :)

More details about Sringeri & it's history -

• Temples and Shrines at Sringeri
• Karnataka Tourism

How to reach there -

B'lore - Nelamangala - NH48 - Marur handpost - turn left - Kudur - Sugganahalli - turn left - Virupapura

Or B'lore - Nelamangala - NH48 - Tippasandra handpost - Sankigatta - Mayasandra (my native village :) - Virupapura.

Distnace approx 75 to 80 KMs

Update: Republished as photos were missing :)
Update 2: added route details

Last journey of year 2007 & my first visit to Nandi hills. Travel plan to Nandi was decided on the previous day at 9.30 PM. And our plan was to reach the top by 6-6.15 to catch glimpse of Sunrise. But we were late in starting reached Nandi only at 7.45. End result along with Sunrise, we missed the misty moring.

How to reach:

There are different routes to reach Nandi hills - via Doddaballapur & Devanahalli. Suggest you to go via Devanahalli as the road conditions are better.

Similar One Day Outings from Bangalore:

• Devarayana durga
• Achalu betta
• Gopalaswamy betta
• Kambadahalli
• Manchanabele

How to reach (Cumulative distance in KMs):

Bangalore - Nelamangala (28)- Dabaspet (50) - Urdigere (65) - Devarayanadurga (81)

Or Bangalore - Tumkur - Devarayanadurga

Similar One Day Outings from Bangalore:

• Achalu betta
• Gopalaswamy betta
• Kambadahalli
• Manchanabele
• Bheemeshwari

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

As the subject says, I'm in the heritage city of Karnataka - Mysore, on an official visit. As I'm going to stay here for 3 to 4 weeks, I'm looking for places to visit in and around Mysore, that is apart from well known places like KRS, Palace or Chamundi; I'm looking for less known places here in Mysore. My preference is for the places which can be visited in 3 to 4 hours time including travel.

If you are aware of any such places, please drop in a mail at - payaniga at gmail dot com

Thanks in advance :)

Related links -

• Himavat Gopalaswamy Betta
• Ranganatittu & Lingambudhi kere
• Shivanasamudra

Here is a list of travel related blogs, websites, discussion forums that I follow. The list doesn't stop here, I'm still in the process of updating it.

Travel Blogs:

• Ajeya Rao's The Hours
• Alemaariya anubhavagalu - A travel blog in Kannada by Rajesh Naik
• Anita Bora
• Aravind's Treks & Travels
• Arun's India travel blog
• Cuckoo's Eye View
• Deepsan's journal
• Fugue's Travel Stories
• Kamlesh's Rides n Vibes - fellow rider
• Lakshmi, the backpakker
• Megarajan's Travelogues
• Mridula's Travel tales
• Praveen's Escapades - fellow BNer
• Sigma's memoirs
• Thejesh's travel stories

Forums / Discussion boards / Groups:

• Bike Nomads
• Couch Surfing
• Dreamroutes
• Getoff ur ass
• GoNomad.com
• India Mike
• Y! Groups - Bike Nomads
• Y! Groups - BMC
• Y! Groups - Indian Highways

Last updated on: Jul 8th 2008

• Journey to Kerala - Bangalore to Guruvayur and back to Wayanad
• Day 1 in Wayanad - Lakkidi view point, Pookoot lake, Karapuzha dam, Edakkal caves (Ambukuthimala) and safari & night halt at Muthanga wildlife santuary
• Day 2 in Wayanad - Second round of safari at Muthanga, Sulthan Batheri, Banasura dam, Tholpetty wildlife sanctuary & back to Kalpetta
• Final Day in Wayanad - Trek to Chembra peak, Soochippara falls.

Mid June. Clear Sky, with scattered clouds. Rains were due in this part of the country. And we decided to pay a visit to Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta (Betta in KAnnada means 'Hill'). Four of us - Dwaraka (on his RD 350), Muruli (Shogun), Sreekanth (Pulsar 150) & Myself (Pulsar 150). We met at Mysore road very close to University junction at 5.15 in the morning and headed towards Mysore. Bangalore to Mysore was a non-stop run & we covered a distance of 130 KMs in just 90 minutes. From there we headed towards Nanjanagud and stopped there for breakfast. After gulping down extra salted Dosas & Idlis, we continued our journey. Crossed Gundlupet & we reached foot of hill by 9.15AM. And it's approximately 10 KMs to the peak.

Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta is located in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka and is part of Bandipur National Park. The name - Himavad meaning fog, as the hill be covered with fog almost through out the year. Yes even during peak summer. And Gopalaswamy, beacause of Krishna temple. This temple was built in early fourteenth century by Cholas. And main speciality of the place is wild elephants which can be seen in herds of 60s-70s. Unluckily we were not able to sight them :(

We reached the top by 9.45 and it was completely covered by fog. Fog was so dense that we felt it's raining. Visibility reduced to 30-40 meters; we parked our bikes, went on a walk around the temple & to a view point. Wind was blowing heavily & we sat there at the top savouring the moment.

From there we walked back through fog towards the temple. It took us almost half an hour to come out ofter the darshan as the temple was crowded. When we came out, it was completely different view & a dramatic change. Fog had cleared and we had clear view. We sat there near the emple admiring the beauty. By noon we started back home.

Reached Mysore by 1.30+ & stopped there for lunch. After a heavy lunch rest of the three headed back to Bangalore & I rode towards Kunigal. Route for all of us was same till Maddur and I took a deviation near Maddur to reach home by 4.45PM

Almost 12 hours journey including breaks. A total distance of 430 KMs.
Route taken -

Bangalore - Maddur - Mysore - Gundlupet - Gopalaswamy Betta - Gundlupet - Mysore - Maddur - Kunigal

Goa revisited, this time in a car. Till I come up with detailed log, here are links to my previous trip log.

• The Plan & preparation
• Highlights & Route details of the trip
• Day 0 & 1: Bangalore to Udupi via Kunigal, Hassan, Belur
• Day 2 & 3: Udupi to Calangute beach via Honnavar, Karvar, Panajim & in and around Calangute
• Day 4: Return journey - 650 KMs in a single day
• Photos of the Bike trip on Picasaweb
  

Another round-up of photos - theme blue. Captured during different treks & travels

A kite just out of the frame - at Manchanabele dam, near Bangalore.

Banasura dam, in Wayanad, Kerala.

Mountains, during trek to Kuduremukha peak.

PS: I'm off on a week long vacation. And plans are not yet concrete as such. But will be back with more stories to share with you, that's for sure.

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.

Saturday was gone. I didn’t want Sunday to go wasted like the previous day. Stuffed my camera to my bag, on the steeds and started towards Kambadahalli, a little known Jain pilgrimage around 140 KMs from Bangalore, 70 from Kunigal and 18 KMs from the Jain Kashi of South, Shravanabelugola. It was a pleasant climate & NH48 was almost empty. Rode non-stop and reached Kambadahalli taking an hour's time.

About Kambadahalli:

Kambadahalli in Kannada translated to English means village (halli) of the pillar (Kamba). The name is due to the manasthambha (the pillar in front of temples) with statue of Brahmadeva Yaksha atop the pillar. The place is in Nagamangala talukm Mandya district.

Kambadahgalli on Wiki

An ancient site connected with Jainism - An article in The Hindu

First one goes like; the village got the name because of the pillar and the bells tied at the top of it. The bells at the top of the pillar tell the villagers about the bad news to come. They don't make noise without a purpose, when they do that means someone in the village is going to die in a day or two. Those bells doesn't ring even during storms and sometimes they ring even there is no slight breeze. Spooky! Elder people in the village who are around 70-80 years confirm that!!

Another story goes like Kambadahalli was a prominent place & a Jain pilgrimage around 10th century. It's claimed that there were 72 Jain temples in & around Kambadahalli, and now there is just one. As time passed what once was Jain dominated place started losing their domination. And other community gained momentum. There is a water body to the north-west of village and is main source of water for irrigation for the surrounding places. One year there was heavy rain which damaged the tank bund of the water body. It was damaged to such an extent even after repairing the bund, even a small rain damaged it and resulting in loss of crops. This cyclic process - repairing the water body and getting damaged due to rain went on for years until one day the village head dreamt of a solution. In his dream, the God asked him to demolish all the Jain temples and use those pillars, stones to repair the tank-bund. And villagers followed the head's order. End result, number of Jain temples came down to one from 72 and tank-bund problem got resolved.

How to reach there from Bangalore:

Bangalore – Nelamangala – Kunigal – Bellur Cross – Kadaballi – turn left – Bindiganavile – Kambadahalli
Or
Bangalore – Nelamangala – Kunigal – Bellur Cross – Nagamangala – Kambadahalli

It's been a long time since I updated Payniga. And it's high time for me to shed the laziness and write.

Above photo was taken during my short ride to Kambadahalli in May.

It's been completely busy days for the past two months. Heavy work load at office and weekends getting occupied with other high priority tasks. I had planned for two ride plans in May, but somehow managed to miss both of them. First one was a day's lazy ride - send-off ride to Kam, a crazy fellow rider who relocated to Delhi from Bangalore. A last minute call from home made me to drop that plan. Next one was a three day solo ride to Moodabidri, covering around 800KMs. After a lot of pestering & convincing got green signal from both my parents & sister whom I was planning to visit. But rain god played spoilsport. Just two days before the ride, it started pouring in around Mangalore & Moodabidri. Resulting in a red signal from sister. :(

Those were the missed chances and still amidst busy schedule I managed to travel a bit over weekends. But, not getting time to write down the experiences. These trips are in the queue to be logged -

# Trekking in Kuduremukha National Park - weekend spent trekking in Western ghats
# A short ride to Kambadahalli - A visit to a little known Jain pilgrimage
# Bike trip to Himavad Gopalaswamy betta - whirlwind ride of 430 KMs in a day

tchau

We were tired. Trek of 25KMs in todays. Just when we were about to call it a day, Bharath (my sister-in-law's brother) asked whether we want join him to the nearby temple. We were about to say no, but changed our minds as the temple is inside the power generation plant in Jog. Access to that place is restricted and is allowed only for local people. It was half an hour's drive to the temple along almost deserted twisty roads. View along was amazing. Roamed around the temple which was getting ready for a function next day. Reached home by 8PM. Dinner and soon we surrundered to sleep.

Next day started early and we were ready for the long day. My sister-in-law's house is amidst fields and we roamed for an hour enjoying nature. And then went for a walk, eating mouthful of jamoon fruit (plums). Then a quick bath, breakfast, a visit to near by friend's house (my colleague Pradeep's house). Pradeep's brother Prashanth (a namesake :) was expecting us. A cup of tea and we started towards Jog falls on bikes. Prashanth & Srikanth on Prashanth's bike and me on Mahaveer's bike (My SIL's younger brother).

    

So that was the end of a long weekend. Let me take a break and come back with more travel stories. Till then enjoy the rains with a cup of coffee :)

Beginning of the story - Beginning & Bheemeshwara

By the time we reached Dabbe mane (Dabbe house), all of us were exhausted, completely drenched with sweat. All we wanted was to just sit under water falls. After a quick break at the Dabbe mane we started towards the falls. A short walk through paddy fields for 200-300 meters, we were standing on a cliff and there is no way to continue. It was as if we had missed the route and there was no path ahead. At that time Nayana started climbing down the cliff using tree trunks, branches & roots for grip. And I was informed that that’s the only way to reach Dabbe falls. The real adventure started for us, climbing down a cliff of almost 80 degrees steep, down 300 ft. We moved slowly one behind the other for almost half an hour without sight of the waterfalls and just roaring sound reaching us from somewhere far. En route there was a huge fallen tree almost 100 meters long. Walking on the big tree trunk was like cruising on a NH, we moved faster during that stretch. We were half way down and we sighted the majestic Dabbe falls, with water falling from a height of 300ft. It took us an hour to reach the foot of the falls from Dabbe mane.

Only route that takes us to Dabbe falls. And first sight of the falls.

By the time we reached Dabbe house, we had another bath with sweat. And from then onwards the race began, us and the time. Last bus from the main road, Hosagadde to Kargal was at 3.45PM. Missing that bus meant complete change of plans in return journey. By camera went inside my backpack as there was no time to stop & take picture. We dragged our legs as fast as possible. We walked through grass lands, paddy fields, along small canals, through sholas. With just stopping for water at a village, we reached Hosagadde in time. Within 2 minutes the bus came honking down the road.

Bus was almost empty and we could have got seats also. But we needed fresh air and chose bus top instead. Hosagadde to Kargal was a breeze. At Kargal, Srik & I got down as we had a day off next day and plans of roaming around Jog falls. Rest of the gang continued to Sagar and then to Bangalore. Both of us reached my relatives' house near Kargal by 5.30.