Showing posts with label Natural Springs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Natural Springs. Show all posts

Sunday, November 04, 2012

Yana, Sirsi

Bhairaveshwar Shikara
It pays to have good friends, more so when these people are random guys you met in blogosphere. So, on Day1 of our Sirsi trip when we had given up hope on finding a room (all rooms in all hotels occupied, thanks to Dassera) in Sirsi, this blogger friend of a fellow traveler turns out to be our knight-in-shining-armor. All it took was one phone call and within minutes the six of us were given two of the best rooms in a hotel which belonged to a relative of our blogger friend. As if that magnanimity wasn’t enough, the hotel refused to take a single penny from us for our one-night-stay! A hot water bath and a good night’s sleep ensured all of us were all charged-up for the next day. A sumptuous breakfast later we were headed towards Yana.

Bhairaveshwar Shikara with Shiva temple
Yana is famous for two massive rock formations. Essentially, these rock formations are black crystalline limestone. The entire village of Yana is known for these rock formations. But there are 2 such formations that are of mythological significance, namely, Bhairaveshwar Shikara and Mohini Shikara. Yana is as much a geologist’s delight as it is for a pilgrim. The Bhairaveshwar Shikara is popular for a Swayambhu (self-manifested) linga. Add to that water drips on to this linga from the rocks thereby making the alliteration that it is holy Ganga flowing. However, the scientific reason for the formation of the swayambhu is attributed to phenomenon of stalactites and stalagmites.

Most of the pictures you find of the two shikaras on internet do no justice compared to the real deal. These are massive rock formations, standing as tall as 120 metres (Bhairaveshwar Shikara) and 90 metres (Mohini Shikara). These rocks are not without its share of mythological stories and prominence, as the names suggest. As per the mythological stories, the demon king Asura through persistent penance obtained a boon from Lord Shiva whereby on whomsoever’s head Asura places his hand, would turn to ashes (hence the name Bhasmasura). But Asura turns a Frankenstein’s monster and wants to test his strength on Lord Shiva Himself. After being chased by Asura, Shiva seeks refuge and advice from Lord Vishnu. Vishnu takes the form of damsel Mohini and entices Bhasmasura with her beauty and dance. An infatuated Bhasmasura agrees to a dance competition between the two. In one of the mudras (dance pose) Mohini places her hand on her head which an unsuspecting (and blindly in love) Asura copies, only to be turned into ashes by his own foolishness. The resulting combustion was believed to be so intense that it blackened the limestone formations of entire Yana. The Bhairaveshwar Shikara (Shiva’s Hill) and Mohini Shikara (Mohini’s Hill) thus got their respective names and temples (Mohini Shikara houses a Parvathi temple).
Mohini Shikara
Just like in Banavasi, the priest of the Shiva temple here gives all the devotees a briefing on the mythology of this temple. The pradikshina of the temple here is probably the longest and toughest of them all as it involves walking around and between these rock formations on barefoot. Once you are done with Bhairaveshwar Shikara, there are steps downhill that takes you to Mohini Shikara and the Parvathi temple.
This area once used to be a dense Sahayadri forest. And it took a trek of nearly 17kms from civilization to just reach these rocks. But crass commercialization and road-laying has done away with all this. And now visitors need to walk just half a kilometer from where they can park their vehicles. The day is not far behind where you can drive right up to the base of these hills. There’s a popular saying in these parts of the world - Sokkidhavanu Yanakke hogutaane, rokkiddhavanu Gokarna ke hoguthane, meaning, the one with tremendous guts and determination goes to Yana and the one with money bags goes to Gokarna. Unfortunately that is no longer true in these times of rapid and unbridled development.

Getting-there: Around 40kms from Sirsi town.

Must-Do: Check out the rock formations and the Swayambhu.
Must-Don’t: Littering and Vandalism. 

My Rating: 8/10

Information Courtesy: Wikipedia, OurKarnataka

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Kadri Manjunath Temple, Mangalore

In a temple town like Mangalore, there are many temples that jostle for attention. One such prominent temple is the Kadri Manjunath Temple which was built in 1068 A.D. The main deity here is Lord Manjunatha or Shiva. The Trilokeshwara statue made of bronze in a seated position with three faces and six arms is considered to be one of the best bronze statues in the country.

There is a natural spring at the temple called the Gomukha, which lets out water to the nine ponds adjacent to it. The source of these springs is left to the imagination of the devotees, some even claiming it to be from Kashi. A few steps up the hill you would find yourself dwarfed by a huge statue of Lord Hanuman. There’s also a temple in His honour next to the statue.

On climbing the hill a little further one can find a Jogimut and Pandava cave. There's no supporting literature or folklore that links the cave to the Pandavas. The cave itself is very suspect and there's no way it could hold the Pandavas (especially Bheema) during their Vanavasa. So yeah in my opinion you just have to treat it as a tourist spot - nothing less, nothing more.


Getting-there: Right in the heart of the city. The buses are a good medium of transport to get around in Mangalore.

My Rating: 5/10

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Kumara Parvatha Trek. Day II

Continued from here

Stepping on a rock on an inclined climb I lost my balance and fell backwards. The jerk I caused scared the person sleeping next to me in the tent. I thanked my stars it was just a dream, which also reminded me to pray to the sky for the day ahead of me. It was 5 in the a.m and it was time to hit the terrain again. Three quarters of an hour later we dropped our luggage at the Forest Office and headed to the mountains. The initial 2km is relatively flat grass lands compared to the remaining 5, which is if anything, steep. As soon as we started the ascent I realized why Srikanth and Sandeep were here for the third time. It’s not the ego of not scaling the peak that brought them back nor is it an attempt to prove their physical prowess. It was just the beauty of nature in its full glory that pulls them back to this place again and again.


Focusing all my energy and attention on the climb I had forgotten to admire the surroundings. The clear blue skies, the golden sun waiting to make an appearance, the heavenly white cloud beds, the carpet of greenery and the dark shades of the mountain ranges in the distance all painted their pictures on the canvas of nature. Kukke Subramanya may have a temple some 7kms “downtown”. But he surely resides somewhere right here – among his creation. I could feel His presence in everything around me. With the Sun still not out, we made full use of the pleasant weather by walking as much as we could without taking a break. About a couple of hours later we reached tiny water stream with cold freshwater. The forest officers (possibly) have cleared some area here for the campers to pitch their tent and spend the night. Another option to camp here is the Kallu Mantapa just a few meters from here.

After drinking water and refilling our bottles here we continued our ascent. Another couple of hours of slow ascent mixed with photography sessions we reach the peak of Sesha Parvatha. A quick calculation revealed we do not have enough time to summit Kumara Parvatha which stands at 1712mts. Though its about 1.5 kms from the peak of Sesha Parvatha, we did not venture to forward, since we wanted to avoid travelling in the dark from Bhattare Mane. Our ego was taking another beating that we were unable to reach the peak. But in the war between ego and KP, KP wins. We decided to take the fight to another day. We nevertheless went a little further from Sesha Parvatha to bottle some water in the stream there.

The descent is always comparatively easier and quicker. We reached Bhattare Mane by 3 in the afternoon, and I had my biggest meal in quite some time. Just as we were ready to leave by 4, the skies opened up and let through a deluge of rain. In a fix as to whether it is safe to leave now in the slippery and dark forests, we consulted Bhatta. His advice was clear, if it stops raining now, you can leave as long as you have a torch and walk back slowly and carefully. Since 3 out of 5 wanted to go back to Bangalore, the other two thankfully obliged and we were on our way back.

Never did anyone of us imagine that this return journey from Bhattare Mane to Kukke would be the biggest adventure in our lives. We had travelled half way through before the sun set and we brought out our torches. After it was a slow and painful walk back. Add to that the fatigue, the slippery rocks, heavy backpack, leaches and pitch black forests – a truly memorable experience that one of us will ever forget. By the time we touched ground, I was so tired that I was delusional. I promised myself I will never come back to KP but I knew I was lying to myself. I’m ready to go through all this pain and more to relive the moments we spent in the ranges up there. But most of all I cherish the company who made this trek less arduous by keeping me in high spirits and sharing my load when I was struggling. So, will I make another attempt to summit KP. Heck yeah!
Must-Do: Travel light – just water bottles, food and camera.
Must-Don’t: Littering. Start late from Bhattare Mane to Kukke, unless you want in on an adventure.


My Rating: 9/10

Route1: Kukke -> Bhattare Mane -> Sesha Parvatha -> Kumara Parvatha.
Route2: Somwarpet -> Kumaraparvatha -> Sesha Parvata -> Bhattara Mane -> Kukke

Kumara Parvatha Trek. Day I.


Sesha Parvatha
Ego is a very nasty thing. One cannot imagine the things it can make us do and the heights it will make us scale – literally. Barely some 7kms into the trek and I was in no mood (or should I say no shape) to continue with Mission KP. But looking at 8 year old Anoushka, a couple of 10 year olds and a few middle-aged women had me hanging my head in shame and spurred me ahead. And boy did that help… almost. We huffed, we puffed. We screamed out in pain and we drenched in our sweat. We were sacrificed to a thousand leaches and exposed to the rugged nature. But in the end it was the proverbial, so near yet so far.

But rewind a little and I find that the picture was not all that grim. At least that’s what I imagined. For someone who travels a lot, walks a lot and hits the gym oh-so-frequently, I never had a doubt that Mission KP would be any trouble at all. But in the end I’ve narrowed down the “struggle” to not having hit the gym for the last 2 months following a bout of viral fever and having lost 3 kilos in the process. That defense should hold fort in any court of law. Shouldn’t it?

Bhattara Mane

Lessons learnt from this failed attempt:

- Travel as light as possible. And when you are satisfied, empty a few more contents.

- DSLRs are as much a liability as they are an asset in such treks.

- Stay in a good shape consistently.

- Leach socks are a must.

 Though I was a frequent traveler, this was my first real Trek. It has always been a dream to go on an all-encompassing walk in nature’s lap. It took me all of half a second to say yes to our organizer and frequent travel companion, Srikanth when he put up the idea. Srikanth and Sandeep, a veteran of 2 failed attempts (for their own set of reasons) to summit KP were determined to complete the mission this time round. The first-timers in Kishor and I were renegaded to back. But another first-timer in Somashekar showed surprising agility throughout the trek.


Viewpoint

An overnight bus from Bangalore dropped us at the foot steps of Kukke Subramanya temple. After the morning ablutions and a satisfying breakfast at the highly-recommended Neo Mysore CafĂ©, we shouldered our bags and walked in the direction of the forest trail. Our first pit-stop was the renowned Bhattare Mane (House of the Bhats). The almost 7km trek from Kukke to Bhattare Mane winds through a dense leach-infested forest. Let me dedicate a few lines to leaches, since I won’t be talking about them later. The leaches are your constant companion in the 13 km trek to KP. If the land is marshy and wet with the slightest hint of shade, then you can be sure of finding them there. Do not stop (for more than 10 seconds) to take leaches out. Keep walking as much as you can. You might also want to try leach socks. Expect to be bitten at least 20-30 times by their blood craving creatures. Also watch out for the vampire leaches – the ones that fall from the trees and go for the neck.

As if the steep climb and the leaches were a deterrent by themselves, the rocky terrain adds to your woes. In retrospect, the rocky terrain serves dual purposes – to give you a good grip while traversing and stop soil-erosion during the rains. There’s absolutely no possibility to lose your way as long as you stick to the beaten track. The final 2km stretch to Bhattare Mane is, thankfully, through grass lands. Bhattare Mane is oasis in this rugged terrain. This is place where you get to eat, drink, rest and sleep – all for a nominal fee. Bhatta has a consort of transporters who make at least 3-4 trips a day to Subramanya town carrying heavy loads. It’s a highly commendable job these people do. The food is prepared at Bhattare Mane and served hot, three times a day. A satisfying meal of Rice, Sambhar, Majige, side-dish and Pickle come at a miserly Rs 60. The man of the house is a humble, witty, quirky and wise man who fluently speaks Kannada and Malayalam.


Sunset as seen from Viewpoint

After a sumptuous meal we lay in the hot Sun to soothe our aching bodies. A quick power nap later, we were raring to go again. We unloaded a few stuff at Bhattare Mane and walked in the direction of the Forest Officer’s check post. But looking at the cloud formation, the Forest Officer advised us against going to the peak. He suggested us to camp near the check post and start early in the morning. The nice man he was he offered us to stay in the guest house and also asked us to leave our excessive baggage with him and carry only water bottles the next day.

We decided to heed to the Forest Officer and since we had a tent with us that could house 3 people along with the luggage, 2 of them decided to stay in the guest house while the rest chose the tent. It could not have been a better place to set the tent than the viewpoint. The panoramic view from the viewpoint is worth all the trouble we took to get here. On all four sides we were surrounded by hill ranges as far as the eye can see and beyond. The sunset was a bit of a let-down what with all the clouds wrapping the sun in its arms. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing on the benches and monkeying around taking pictures and conversing with other trekking groups. After dark set-in we collected wood from the forest and started a campfire. We cooked MTR’s ready-to-eat rice items for dinner and retreated to our tents/guesthouses for a good nights sleep. Tomorrow we summit KP, if only the sun and the terrain cooperate. I also wish my le..g….s……


Getting-there: Overnight buses and trains available from Bangalore and Mysore. It is around 280kms from Bangalore.

Must-Do: Travel light. Carry sleeping bags, tent (if you want to sleep in natures’ lap), lots of water, ready-to-eats, leach protection socks, first aid kit, raincoat.
Must-Don’t: Littering, smoking, alcohol consumption, wear shoes inside Bhatta’s house.

Best Time to Visit: October to January.


My Rating: 7/10

Watch out for the concluding part of this trek here.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Shivagange, Bangalore

It’s a brand new year. And with a new year comes new hopes and a fresh beginning. But when it comes to traveling, every journey is a new beginning - a fresh start. The destination may or may not be new, but it’s a new beginning nevertheless. My latest weekend getaway had something new about it too, for it was the first time I was take a trip to Tumkur district of Karnataka. Shivagange or Shivaganga was my object of fascination in this latest trip.


Shivaganga is roughly about 60 kms from Bangalore, depending upon where exactly you stay. Considering the freezing climate we left home at 6:30 AM (half an hour late compared to our usual time) and by the time we reach Jallahalli I was already cursing myself for starting so late. The ride from Yeshvantpur to Nelamangala was a real nightmare, what with all the traffic, bad roads and construction work on the elevated highway. By the time we stopped over for breakfast at Hotel Agarwal (cant remember the exact name), I had decided to not come towards Tumkur until the Elevated Highway is ready. But after the super delicious breakfast I was ready to come and eat there if not anything else. Yes, the breakfast here is to die for. Do not forget to try the Khara Baath. After a much satisfying and invigorating breakfast we were back on the road. Right after you cross the toll-gate till the foot hills of Shivagange the roads are a biker’s paradise.

Shivagange is a huge hill rising up to 1368m. It is also famous for religious reasons…yes there always has to be a temple on every hill top. Gangadhareshwara is the presiding deity here. Other (religious) attractions include the Olakala Teertha, Nandi Statue(s) and Patala Gange.

After parking our bikes right outside the temple, and giving ourselves a good stretch, we gazed at the monster ahead of us - 1368m of almost vertical climb to the cloud-covered peak. Luckily, footwear is allowed for the climb except at places of worship. But unlike us, most were doing the whole trek on foot, which made us look a little sinful. But then who cares, after all I was wearing my brand new Woodlands trekking shoes and was more concerned about the safety of my new shoes than the sinful feeling of wearing footwear “near” the place of worship.

The first stop after climbing some 50 odd steps is the Gangadhareshwara Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is believed that performing an abhisheka with ghee turns the ghee into butter. There is also tunnel in this temple that is believed to lead to the Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple in Bangalore. Whether, somebody has undertaken the task of verifying this claim, I cannot be sure. But apparently the tunnel is closed from both ends for safety reasons.

Climb further for about half an hour and you reach Olakala Teertha. Here in this cave temple one would find a small hole-in-the-stone which has a natural spring water source. It is believed that only pious people would be able to touch this water. This also translates into the fact that if you are a tall person with long arms then you are pious :)

Another half hour climb and you reach a relatively new shiv-parvathi idol in glistening white. From here you would get your first good look at the highest peak in Shivagange. We were already huffing and puffing by the time we reach shiv-parvathi and to make matters worse, the next stretch ahead of us was one vertical climb. The rock-carved steps, the rusty rickety railings and in some cases absolutely no steps, makes the climb very treacherous. It is also a physically demanding and absolutely exhilarating experience. After a monkey had confiscated us of our water bottle and emptied its contents, were dependent on lassi’s available at the numerous shacks along the way. During our climb we found a couple of boys carrying water from the foothills to the peak. Curious, we asked them about their daily routine. Their answer shot our brains through our eyeballs. These guys apparently make 10-15 trips per day depending on the demand and get paid Rs. 20 per trip. That’s right 10-15 a day, and sometimes even 20! They definitely have one of the toughest jobs in the world. Had somebody asked me to do a second trip that day, they would have witnessed a Houdini’s act in front of their own eyes.

Two hours, nine lassis’, one lemonade and one bottle of water later we were standing next to the stone carved Nandi. The cool windy breeze here seemed to take away with it every last bit of exhaustion from our body. We no longer remembered to complain about the heat, the exhaustion and tingling sensation in the ankle. We were totally at peace with the gatekeeper of Shiva’s abode. Due to space constraints we could not stake our claim to enjoy a few peaceful moments and had to give way to other devotees.

A little further, there were two more temples and what looks like a runway for fight planes from a warship. A relaxed half hour here and we made our way down. Surprisingly the descent was way too quicker than expected. On the way back, we came across Patala Gange. Here we found a natural spring water source. A priest stationed here gave this spring water as teertha as well as jug-fulls to quench everyone’s thirst. The priest tells us that the spring water level in this cave never changed over the past 60 years – no matter how much you draw out of it. It is believed that the Holy Ganga of the north is the source of this water. A little hard to believe, but that’s the way it is being believed.

Another belief is that the spring water here has some connection to the spring water source of Anthargange. Submerged in this water are the 9 Jyothirlingas, one Vinayaka and one Subramaneshwara. The priest also told us that come Ugadi 2010 and these stone idols would be moved to a new abode near the newly sculpted shiv-parvathi.

With a heady dose of spirituality and trekking we rushed back to Bangalore for a sinful indulgence of Hyderabadi Biryani – our prize for conquering yet another “betta”.


Getting-there: NH4 all the way till Dobbaspet and then a left detour for 6 kms.

Must-Do: Check out Olakala Teertha and Patala Gange. Keep yourself hydrated. Carry absolutely no baggage as they will either be confiscated by the monkey or will impede your progress. No need to carry water bottles too and there are many shacks along the way.

Must-Don’t: Littering. Coming with kids as it could prove dangerous.


My Rating: 6/10.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Anthargange, Bangalore.

The name Kolar evokes in the minds of many, nothing but the images of the famed Gold Mines, which by the way is now shut. Even though the Kolar Gold Fields (a.k.a KGF) are now abandoned, this district of Karnataka is by all means still a gold mine. A gold mine for the ever-wandering tourist. A gold mine for the avid devotee. A gold mine for scholarly archeologist. My R&D into Kolar yielded a long list of places-to-visit. Ironically, most of these places are temples and temples are, as a principle something that I avoid while on trips. But, given the nature and significance of the temples, I was ready to make an exception. Foremost on the list was Anthargange, which also happens to be the closest to Bangalore. Then there are places/temples with mythological significance. There are also these ancient temples from our country’s glorious past. Temples built by the Cholas and the Chalukyas. Add to that there’s the Kotilingeshwara – the one crore shivlinga temple and the Chikka Tirupathi.

The plan was to first get to Anthargange, and IF the body permits, to move on to the other temples. I said IF, because Anthargange has a good vertical trekking trail on offer. We left for Kolar at 7 in the morning and hit the Old Madras Road. The route is very straight forward. Once you take the Old Madras Road, you get off it only at Kolar, which is roughly about 65 kms. There’s a road sign which tells where you take the left turn to Anthargange. From the highway it’s a mere 5 kms to Anthargange.

The temple at Anthargange is famous for its natural spring water source from the rocks believed to be coming from the Ganga of the north. No one really knows the actual source of the water. The source as one can see it is a small crevice from which a steady stream of water flows down into the temple pond. What happens after it flows into pond is something that’s not very delectable to the eye. There are scores of people taking bath (with soap and shampoo), kids jumping into the pool and splashing water all over creation and the like. And right before the water falls into the pond from an elevated platform that looks something like a jump board of a swimming pool, there are hordes of people (not devotees) collecting The Water in water cans and water bottles. From the looks of it, this source of water serves as the drinking water supply (not to mention the bathroom) for the whole of Kolar. I say that because, it looked like the whole of Kolar were there either collecting water in their cans or taking a bath.

Visiting the temple was not our primary motive. It was the hiking that began from the temple. The hike up the hill was challenging especially if you have Asthma. So here were two Asthma sufferers pitted against the mighty rocky terrain of Anthargange. After about an hour or more (we really lost track of time) we were, as we presumed at the top of the hill ranges. And to our surprise we found a village on top of this hill. But no, the villagers here do not have to hike this path every day to reach their home. There is a motorable road one could take to reach here. The hamlet up this hill looked a sleepy one. As we began to wonder what to do next, we found a few (6-7 year old) kids playing in the Raagi fields. So when we asked them what else this place had to offer, the kids replied there were caves further up the hill. Yeah apparently the hill still goes higher.

The kids were now our official guides to explore these mysterious caves. I say mysterious, since I’ve not encountered anything in relation to Caves in my research on Antargange. Now the only problem with this guide-business was that we had five of them. Nobody was ready to let off of an opportunity to earn some money. Though we designated only two of them as our “official guides” the other three tagged along. After a little bit of scheming among the guides, they sent back the youngest and most gullible guide back with a toy as a bribe.

Our guides for the day were an enthusiastic and energetic lot, compared to us lethargic city folks. One of them, from time to time even plucked Guava fruits for us. Pretty sweet – the guava and the guide who offered it. Just like any good guide, they showed everything that could be captured with your lenses. Finally after another hour or more of hiking we reached the so-called-caves. So-called, because these caves were never inhabited. So-called because these caves can never be inhabited, except of course by tiny midgets or seven year old kids. The kids took us deeper and deeper into the rocky formations. The gaps between the stones were so small and our bodies so huge, that many times it seemed impossible to go through. But somehow we went further and further. Most times on all-fours, sometimes contorting our bodies in unimaginable shapes and sometimes sliding down rocks like on a slide in a playground. And then finally we found a crevice between two rocks where we just could not go. It was so narrow that we got stuck after just a couple of kids. But the silly kids were so confident that we could cross, that my co-traveler tried and almost dislocated his nose when her tried to keep his face straight.

The kids then showed us a different path for the exit. And by the time we got out, I had a couple of bruises on my elbows and knees and even managed to twist my shoulder again (as a result of an accident couple of years back). But we were never more glad to be finally out. That place there, could kill a claustrophobic.

The way back was pretty uneventful except for the continuous chatter of the kids, and their stories. They told us quite a number of stories, but after knowing eagerness to talk bull, I wouldn’t put any of those guide-stories here. After tipping out little guides (all of them) at their village (Paparajanahalli), we started to make our way down to Antargange. But soon we realized that folly of our intitial misconceptions of this sleepy hamlet. The place was suddenly hip and happening - and how. There we found an agricultural well where about forty young men and kids were assembled around the well and splashing themselves into it. On the main road though there was a large gathering of young men who had some kind of drag-racing-cum-wheeling competition going on. Next to the local tea-stall hangout place was a large swing suspended from a tree where again young men were swinging away to unbelievable heights.

Unable to believe this sudden transformation of the place we walked back to Antargange. Now with most of the devotees gone, the temple was quieter on the devotional front but noisier on the recreational front. It was all fun and frolic for the kids and men who came to the temple for their afternoon swim in the swimming pool (ex-temple-pond). However there was no variation in the number of people carrying the spring water back to their homes or businesses where they sold the water. We took this opportunity to have a closer look at the Fountainhead of the water. Surprisingly the stream just kept coming from an elevated platform, between two tiny Nandi statues. We filled out bottle with this stream and to our surprise, it tasted as pure as a natural spring water can be. It was a real life saver for our parched throats. Somewhat rejuvenated by the generous amount of stream water we made our way back to so-called mineral water haven of Bangalore.

Getting-there: Old Madras Road -> Left at Kolar 65 kms later -> Left before Bus Stand.


Must-Do: Keep yourself hydrated. Taste the natural spring. Explore the Caves - if possible.

Must-Dont: Carrying excessive baggage. Even backpacks and waterbottles and coats are a liability while exploring the caves. Littering, bathing and the like. Claustrophobics should stay away from the caves.


Road Report: Good Roads after T.G.E (or a similar combination of alphabets) Extension. But too many diversions, because of the laying of the 4-lane roads.

Food: Kamat Upachar, 10 kms before Kolar - A must!!!


My Rating: 6.5/10