Maharashtra Trip

Kolhapur Mahalakshmi Temple, Panhala, Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar, Pratapgad Fort, Raigad Fort, Murud-Jangira, Mumbai, Trimbakeshwar Temple, Shirdi, Ajanta Caves, Daulatabad Fort, Bibi Ka Magbara, Ellora Caves, Pune

Trip Members: Me, Surendra, Nandish, Varun, Chandru
Mode of transport: Swift Car
Date of trip: 23th Dec Friday 9 PM to 29th Dec Thursday 10 AM
Total distance covered: Around 3200 Kms

Google route map:

Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur

Place Type: Pilgrimage-Religious
Time of our visit: 24th Dec Sat 6 AM
Description: We started our trip with darshan of goddess Shakthi at Mahalakshmi Temple of Kolhapur. It is believed that Lakshmi and Vishnu reside in the temple.



Panhala
Place Type: Hill station
Time of our visit: 24th Dec Sat 8.30 AM
Description: We made a quick visit to Panhala a hill station around 25 Kms from Kolhapur. It was sunny when we visited and we never felt winter chill at one of the view points

Panchgani
Place Type: Hill station
Time of our visit: 24th Dec Sat 12.30 PM
Description: View from Harrison folly and Parsi Point was amazing. One can find lot of hotels, resorts, schools while you drive.





Mahabaleshwar
Place Type: Hill station
Time of our visit: 24th Dec Sat 2.30 PM
Description: We had gone for a boat ride at Venna Lake and two of us enjoyed horse ride which is next to lake. One can get fresh strawberries which are grown in the region.




Pratapgad Fort
Place Type: Fort
Time of our visit: 24th Dec Sat 3.30 PM
Description: Pratapgad fort is small fort and has historical significance as it is associated with maratha king Shivaji. The place was not well maintained and one can find lot of garbage.



Raigad Fort
Place Type: Fort
Time of our visit: 25th Dec Sun 6.30 AM- 9.30 Am
Description: Raigad fort was the best fort we visited and it took around 45 minutes to climb. The great Maratha king Shivaji Maharaj made the fort capital and one can find ruins of the palace. We paid our respect to the legendry king at one of statues. One can also visit Chhatrapati Shivaji's samadhi and of his dog samadhi inside the fort premises


Murud-Jangira- Alibag
Place Type: Fort - Beach
Time of our visit: 25th Dec Sun 1.30-4.30 PM
Description: Murud-Janjira is a fort situated on an island. We could not visit the fort as there were lot of tourists and there was around 2 KMs traffic jam on the road leading to the fort. We played water sports and had a swim in the beach which is on the way from Murud to Alibag.


Mumbai
Place Type: City
Time of our visit: 25th Dec Sun 9 PM – 26th Dec Mon 12PM
Description: We made a late entry to Mumbai at 9 PM and on next day morning we visited Gate of India. We also visited Siddhi Vinayak temple at around 8.30 AM and had a walk along market place of Dadar at around 11 AM


Trimbakeshwar
Place Type: Pilgrimage-Religious
Time of our visit: 26th Dec Mon 2.30 PM -6.00PM
Description: Trimbakeshwar which is near Nashik has a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and the temple has one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Godavari river orignates in this region. The temple was crowded with lot of devotees due to which I could not see the Jyotirlinga.


Shirdi
Place Type: Pilgrimage-Religious
Time of our visit: 26th Dec Mon 9.00 PM -11.30PM
Description: Shirdi is the home to popular guru Sai Baba. we visited the temple late night at around 10 PM and had darshan of Sai Baba.

Ajanta Caves
Place Type: Caves
Time of our visit: 27th Dec 9 AM to 12.30 PM
Description: Ajanta Caves is a world heritage site. The caves contain beautiful paintings and amazing sculptures which describe entire life story of Buddha. Definitely one of best places we visited.



Daulatabad Fort - Devagiri
Place Type: Fort
Time of our visit: 27th Dec 2.30 PM to 4.30 PM
Description: Daulatabad fort complex is called impregnable fort and one can see why after visiting it. The fort also has dark passage and can be climbed with the help of a torch. View from the top of the fort is breathtaking.



Bibi Ka Magbara
Place Type: Monument
Time of our visit: 27th Dec 5.30 PM
Description: Bibi Ka Maqbara is built by the Mughal Prince Azam Shah as a tribute to his mother Rabia Durrani, the first wife of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. The monument is called the Taj Mahal of south.



Ellora Caves
Place Type: Caves
Time of our visit: 28th Dec 9.30 AM to 12.30 PM
Description: The main Ellora cave 16 has the kailasha which is a great monolithic rock cut temple and was scooped from outside to inside. Ellora has the 12 Buddhist (caves 1–12), 17 Hindu (caves 13–29) and 5 Jain (caves 30–34) caves and is a World Heritage Site. I could see only caves from 16-34 due to time constraint. I wonder why place like Ellora is not a wonder of the world. We also visited Grishneshwar temple which is close to Ellora.

Food was quite good especially non veg at all places. Travel to Maharashtra was impressive and Forts and Caves were spectacular.

-Mahesh

Travel Quotes

List of Travel Quotes I like

• Desha Suttu Kosha Odu. (Travel the places and Read the books) -Kannada Proverb
• A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. -Lao Tzu
• The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. -St. Augustine
• When we get out of the glass bottle of our ego and when we escape like the squirrels in the cage of our personality and get into the forest again, we shall shiver with cold and fright. But things will happen to us so that we don’t know ourselves. Cool, unlying life will rush in. -D. H. Lawrence
• Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. –Mark Twain
• I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. -Robert Frost
• Half the fun of the travel is the esthetic of lostness. -Ray Bradbury
• I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it. -Rosalia de Castro
• Only by going alone in silence, without baggage, can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness. All other travel is mere dust and hotels and baggage and chatter. -John Muir
• Clay lies still, but blood’s a rover / Breath’s aware that will not keep. / Up, lad: when the journey’s over there’ll be time enough to sleep. –A. E. Housman
• Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken. –Frank Herbert
• We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. –Jawaharlal Nehru
• For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move. -Robert Louis Stevenson
• I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them. -Mark Twain
• We may run, walk, stumble, drive, or fly, but let us never lost sight of the reason for the journey, or miss a chance to see a rainbow on the way. -Gloria Gaither
• Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going. –Paul Theroux
• No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow. -Lin Yutang
• If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home. -James Michener
• I love to travel, but hate to arrive. –Albert Einstein
• Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore. -Andre Gide
• All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware. -Martin Buber
• I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within. -Lillian Smith
• To get away from one's working environment is, in a sense, to get away from one's self; and this is often the chief advantage of travel and change. -Charles Horton Cooley
• The journey is the reward. -Tao saying

KumaraParvatha Trek

Kumaraparvatha is at a height of around 5600 feet located in the beautiful Western Ghats in Karnataka. There are two routes to Kumaraparvatha; Tough one from Kukke Subramanya and other route from Beedhalli – Somwarpet. We climbed the KP from Kukke Subramanya.

Distance from Bangalore: Around 300Kms
Mode of transport: KSTRC Rajahamsa bus
Trek Members: Me, Nandish, Harsha, Sony, ChandraShekar, Chetan, Girish
Date of our trek: 24th Dec 2010 10PM –27th Dec 2010 6.30 AM
Total distance to be trekked: 26 kms (13 Kms one way)
Trek difficult level: Tough
Weather: Sunny with very little clouds (No Leeches)
Total Time taken for Trek: 25th Dec Sat 2010 8.30 AM to 26th Dec Sun 3.30 PM

Milestones of our Trek:

• Start of trek from Kukke: 25th Dec Sat 2010 at 8.30 AM
• Bhat’s House: 11.30 AM. Started again after Lunch at around 1 PM
• Kallu Mantapa: 3 PM
• Shesha Parvatha: 5.15 PM
• Overnight Stay: Inside tents in the Forest area after Shesha Parvatha- 5.45 PM.
• KP Summit: Started at 5.30AM on 26th Dec Sun. Reached before Sunrise at around 6 AM
• Shesha Parvatha: Started from overnight stay place at 8.00 AM and reached Shesha Parvatha at around 8.15 AM
• Kallu Mantapa: 9.30 AM
  
• Forest Office: 10.30 AM. Took break till 11.20 AM
  
• Bhat’s House: 11.30 AM. Started again from Bhat's house after lunch at 12.30 PM
• Kukke Subramanya: 3.30 PM

Trek Route Map:
Description:

• Kumaraparvatha trek is one of the toughest peaks to climb in Karnataka.
• There are 4 stages in the Trek. One can stay overnight in any of these places based on weather condition and team’s fitness
• Stage 1: Bhattara Mane: One can stop for lunch at Bhat’s house or can stay overnight if one is not carrying tents. Better to inform Bhat’s family in advance if you are staying overnight. There is a forest office which is around half km from Bhat’s house and one has to pay forest entry fee.
• Stage 2: Kallu mantapa: There is a small stream near mantapa and is good source of water for trekkers. From here, one hardly finds any shade as mountain range is covered by thick grass.
• Stage 3: Shesha Parvatha: View from Shesha Parvatha is amazing. There was a stagnate dirty water source inside the forest area after shesha Parvatha.
• Stage 4. Summit of KP: There is a small temple at the peak. Sunrise was breathtaking and ooh!!! What a view!!!!!!
• Carry sufficient water
• A stick will be very useful while climbing down
• Leave no trace behind and keep the place clean

Some snaps:





























































-Mahesh

Tour to Rocks

Tungabhadra Dam, Hampi, Badami, Mahakuta, Pattadakal, Aihole, KudalaSangama, Almatti Dam, GolGumbaz, JamiMasjid, Gokak Falls, Saundatti, Chitradurga

Trip Members: Me, Surendra, Ravi, Sony

Mode of transport: Swift Car

Date of trip: 29th Oct 2010 Friday 9 PM to 1st Nov 2010 Monday 10 PM

Total distance covered from Bangalore: Around 1500 Kms

TungaBhadra Dam- Hospet

Distance: Around 320 Kms from Bangalore

Route we took: Bangalore-Tumkur- Chitradurga-Hospet

Place Type: Dam

Time of our visit: 30th Oct Saturday around 7 AM

Description: TB dam was full when we visited the place and view from the top of the dam looked like a sea. TB dam premise also has a garden with musical fountain.

Hampi

Distance: Around 15Kms from Hospet

Route: Hospet- Hampi

Place Type: World Heritage Site

Time of our visit: 30th Oct Saturday around 9 AM

Description: Hampi is a world heritage site which has ruins of Vijayanagar empire located along TungaBhadra river. There are lots of places to see in Hampi and the places are quite far from each other. We hired a Auto for Rs 400, the Auto driver was also our guide and he took us around all of Hampi and with the help of him we saw most of the major places of Hampi in 4 Hrs. The Architecture of sculptures and different kinds of places is wonderful and one can have good imagination of vastness of the Vijaynagar empire. It requires more than a day to fully visit all the places. Some of the wonderful places of Hampi we saw are Kadalekalu Ganesha, Sasivekalu Ganesha, Krishna temple, Statue of Ugra Narasimha, Badavilinga Temple, Akka Tangi Gudda, Zenena Enclosure, Lotus Mahal, Elephant stables , Guard’s quarters, Archeological Museum, Hazara Rama temple, Mahanavami Dibba, Stone Doors, Queen's bath, Vittala temple.

Daroji Bear Sanctuary

Distance: Around 15 Kms from Hampi

Route: Hampi- Bear Sanctuary (Ask for directions from Hampi)

Place Type: Wild Life

Time of our visit: 30th Oct Saturday around 2.30 PM

Description: Forest Officer told that there around 120 bears and one can usually see around 4-8 bears if we wait for around 2 hrs from the watch tower which is built inside the sanctuary. We waited for around 20 minutes for bears and we did not see any bear but we only saw some peacocks. It was cloudy and it began to rain after waiting for 20 Mins, forest guard told that bears don’t come out during rain. Entry ticket is Rs 30 per individual and Rs 150 for our car. After visiting the Sanctuary we felt that, it was not worth the visit

Banashankari

Distance: Around 150 Kms from Hospet

Route: Hampi- Hospet- Banashankari (ask for directions)

Place Type: Religious

Time of our visit: 30th Oct Saturday around 8 PM

Description: We made a quick visit to Banashankari which has a temple dedicated to goddess Banashankari and the temple is just 5 Kms from Badami

Badami

Distance: Around 155 Kms from Hospet

Route: Hampi- Hospet- Badami (ask for directions)

Place Type: Archaeological Site

Time of our visit: 31st Oct Sunday around 7 AM

Description: Badami has amazing four cave temples in four floors dedicated to Vishnu, Shiva and Jain temple built by Chalukyas in 6-7th Centuries. Caves are beautifully carved and one can have a good view of Agasthya-Tirtha Lake, Bhoothanatha temple from the top. One can also visit Bhoothanatha temple, Archaeological Museum and climb to top of the fort which lies at the opposite side of the caves. Ask for directions; Roads are bad and narrow.

Mahakuta

Distance: Around 15 Kms from Badami

Route: Badami - Mahakuta

Place Type: Religious

Time of our visit: 31st Oct Sunday around 10 AM

Description: We visited Mahakuta temple which is on the way from Badami to Pattadakal. Mahakuta has temples constructed by the early kings of the Chalukya dynasty. I can remember seeing sculptures of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara deities inside the temple complex.

Pattadakal

Distance: Around 22Kms from Badami

Route: Badami- Pattadakal

Place Type: World Heritage Site

Time of our visit: 31th Oct Sunday around 10.30 AM

Description: Pattadakal is a world heritage site which has group of monuments built by Chalukya dynasty along Malaprabha River. The architecture and sculptures of all the temples are remarkable and is very well maintained by the concerned authorities.

Aihole

Distance: Around 20 Kms from Pattadakal

Route: Pattadakal - Aihole

Place Type: Archaeological Site

Time of our visit: 31st Oct Sunday around 12 PM

Description: Aihole has a group of temples; some of them located close to village houses. I particularly remember some enthusiastic kids showing us Inverted image of an object in a pillar and Linga where one can see reflection of Nandi; the temple was located outside the main group of temples and is first/second temple one sees when travelling from Pattadakal. Intricately carved sculptures at the main Durga Temple are incredible and there is also a museum located within the temple complex maintained by archaeological survey of India.

KudalaSangama

Distance: Around 45 Kms from Aihole

Route: Aihole - KudalaSangama

Place Type: Pilgrimage

Time of our visit: 31st Oct Sunday around 1.30 PM

Description: Kudalasangama is a pilgrimage center and has a temple dedicated to Shiva. Basavanna who is a 12th century social reformer samadhi is present in Kudalasangama. View from the bridge which is inside the temple complex is amazing and one can see Krishna river and Ghataprabha river getting merged

Almatti dam

Distance: Around 15 Kms from KudalaSangama

Route: KudalaSangama – Almatti Dam

Place Type: Dam

Time of our visit: 31st Oct Sunday around 3.00 PM

Description: Almatti dam is built across Krishna River and visitors to the dam are not allowed. There is some kind of park where one can see waters of the dam and one can also visit a park which is near the entrance to the dam.

GolGumbaz

Distance: Around 60 Kms from Almatti dam

Route: Almatti Dam- Bijapur

Place Type: Archaeological Site

Time of our visit: 31st Oct Sunday around 5.00 PM

Description: GolGumbaz has one of the world largest dome and was constructed by Mohammed Adil Shah. GolGumbaz has a whispering gallery and one can see lots of people shouting as it get echoed around 7 times. Anyone talking from one corner of the gallery can be heard clearly on the diagonally opposite side by holding your ears to the wall. GolGumbaz premises is very well maintained by archeological survey of India.

JamiMasjid – Bijapur

Distance: Around 2 Kms from GolGumbaz

Place Type: Mosque

Time of our visit: 31st Oct Sunday around 5.50 PM

Description: We visited Jami Masjid built by Ali Adil Shah to commemorate the victory of Vijayanagara. It houses golden written copy of the Holy Koran.

Gokak Falls

Distance: Around 150 kms from Bijapur

Route: Bijapur - Jamkhandi - Gokak

Place Type: Falls

Time of our visit: 1st Nov Monday around 6.15 Am

Description: Gokak falls is located at 6 Kms from Gokak and Ghataprabha river takes a leap. There is a view point across the river which can be crossed using the hanging bridge. We were bit disappointed with very less water flowing and we soon got over it by seeing stunning sun rise.

Saundatti

Distance: Around 60Kms from Gokak

Route: Gokak- Saundatti (Ask for directions)

Place Type: Reservoir, Pilgrimage

Time of our visit: 1st Nov Monday around 10 AM

Description: We saw Renuka Sagara a reservoir for the Malaprabha River from a beautifully maintained park with variety of flowers and visited ancient temple of Goddess Renuka Yellamma; a popular pilgrimage site.

ChitraDurga Fort

Distance: Around 270 Kms from Saundatti, 210 Kms from Hubli

Route: Saundatti- Dharwad- Hubli- Haveri- Ranebennur – Davangere (NH-4)

Place Type: Fort

Time of our visit: 1st Nov Monday around 4.30 PM

Description: Chitradurga fort has a huge area and perhaps requires a day to cover all the hills view points. We visited one hill view point and it was quite tiring. The attraction of the fort is Obavanna Kindi named after onake Obavva who fought against several Hyder Ali’s soldiers. Movie Nagara Havu by Puttanna Kanagal has made Chitradurga fort very popular.

The title of this blog is tour to rocks; as we saw dams, great temple architecture, caves, golgumbaz, fort; all related to rocks and even Gokak falls was full of rocks

-Mahesh

Mystery Trails

MMHills-Naagamale-Palar-Hogenakkal Falls
Mystery trails is a two day trek which starts from MMHills and you go through beautiful and mythically mentioned landscapes. The first day's stop will be at Naagamale. Second day you will start trekking towards Palar on the beautiful paths endowed with ample beauty of nature.

Route we took to MMHills: Bangalore- Maddur-Malavalli-Kollegala-MMHills
Alternate route: Bangalore-Kanakapura-Halgur-Malavalli-Kollegala-MMHills
Distance from Bangalore- Around 225 Kms
Date of our trek: 18 Sep 2010 – 20 Sep 2010
Total distance to be trekked: 24 kms
Trek difficult level: Moderate
Total Trek Members: 15
Trek was organized by Nishaad-3QN (http://www.nishaad3qn.org/) http://www.facebook.com/pages/NISHAAD-3-QUARTERS-NATURE/135025922910?ref=ts
About Mystery Trails: http://www.mysterytrails.com/

Few Points from our trek:

• Get permission from Forest department. Discuss forest department charges , otherwise you might be in for some surprises
• Male Mahadeshwara (MM) Hills has a temple dedicated to Lord Mahadeshwara who is said to be the incarnation of Lord Shiva
• MMHills to NaagaMale (14 Kms): Need to climb up down few hills and you will also find quite a few villages on the way. One can see amazing view of Shola forest from the top of the hill. There is huge Snake and Linga rock formation at Naagamale.
• Naagamale to Palar (10 Kms): The trek path is scenic with not much altitude variations and can be covered with less difficulty
• Hogenakkal Falls: Is around 30Kms from Palar. Kaveri river was flowing full and the view from both Karnataka and Tamilnadu side was spectacular.
• Animal sighting: We saw some wild boars and two foxes on the way from Palar to MMHills

Some Snaps:

-Mahesh

Monsoon trip

Horanadu - Kalasa - Kudremukha - Sringeri - Agumbe - Kuppalli - Mandagadde - Sakrebailu - Gajanur - Bhadra Reservoir

Trip Members: Me, Surendra, Ravi and Nandish
Mode of transport: Swift Car
Date of trip: 30th July 2010 Friday 9 PM to 1st August 2010 Sunday 9 PM
Total distance covered from Bangalore: Around 950 Kms

Horanadu:
Distance: 330 Kms from Bangalore
Route we took: Bangalore-Tumkur-Arsikere-Chikamagalure-Horanadu
Place Type: Religious - pilgrimage
Places to see: Sri Annapoorneshwari temple
Time of our visit: 31st Jul around 8 AM
Weather: It was raining regularly with occasional break from the rain god
Description: Sri Annapoorneshwari temple is the place to be seen in Horanadu and the temple has very beautiful sculpture of the goddess Annapoorneshwari. Facilities are quite good to get refresh and one can also buy good quality coffee, dry fruits in the shops surrounding the temple. Breakfast in one of hotels we had was bad and it is better to have free food offered by the temple.

Kalasa:
Distance: 7 Kms from Horanadu
Place type: Religious-Pilgrimage
Places to see: Kalasa temple
Time of our visit: 31st Jul around 10 AM
Description: Kalaseshwara Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is present in Kalasa. The temple is pretty good, cleanly maintained and one can have good view of kalasa town from the top

Kudremukha:
Distance: 20 Kms from Kalasa
Place Type: Nature, Scenic, Water Falls, Dam, Trekking
Places to see: Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited (Need to get permission), Lakya Dam, Hanumanagundi falls, Tunga and Bhadra river Origin
Time of our visit: 31st Jul around 11AM
Weather: Frequent rain with occasional break
Description: On the way from Kalasa to Kudremukha we saw picturesque tea gardens. One has to give vehicle and occupants details at the forest checkpost at Kudremukha forest reserve entrance. Stop near the bridge for stunning view of the river surrounded by hills. Lakya dam is the best place to be seen inside Kudremukha forest reserve and photography is not allowed inside the lakya dam premises. It was raining heavily when we visited Hanumanagundi falls and we get a different view of falls during rainy season and it was worth the experience. Driving inside the forest was amazing as we were moving inside thick mist and we saw a snake; may be a small king cobra while driving towards Sringeri.

Sringeri:
Distance: 50 Kms from Kudremukha
Route we took: Kudremukha-Kigga-Sirimane falls- Kigga- Sringeri
Place Type: Religious, Water Falls, Nature
Places to see: Sringeri Temple, Kigga(16 Kms from Sringeri), SiriMane falls (5kms from Kigga)
Time of our visit: 31st Jul around 4PM
Weather: Frequent rain with occasional break
Description: We visited SiriMane falls from Kudremukha and as usual it was raining. SiriMane falls is a smaller fall in terms of height and is quite wider especially with all the water during monsoon. Sringeri is the place where the first maţha was established by Adi Shankaracharya. In Sringeri, Sharadamba Temple and Vidyashankara Temple which is a architectural wonder is a must visit. Temple premises is cleanly maintained and one can explore the temple premises by crossing the bridge over Tunga river. We rested for the day in a room maintained by temple administration.

Agumbe:
Distance: 25 Kms from Sringeri
Place type: Nature
Places to see: Agumbe Sunset view point, Barkana falls
Time of our visit: 1st Aug around 7 AM
Weather: Drizzle
Description: Agumbe receives highest rainfall for all of south India. View from sunset view point was spectacular and we visited the sunset point during sunrise. I always wanted to visit Agumbe during monsoon and we enjoyed the weather a lot. One can also visit Barkana falls around 8 Kms from Agumbe. One has to take a road which goes towards Malandur village and walk some distance to see the falls.

Kuppalli:
Distance: Around 45 Kms from Agumbe
Route: Agumbe- Thirtahalli – Kuppali
Places to see: Kuvempu’s House and memorial
Time of our visit: 1st Aug around 10 AM
Weather: Drizzle
Description: Kuppalli is the village of Karnataka’s famous poet of 20th Century Kuvempu. Kuvempu’s house is a museum now and is worth a visit especially for children. One can also visit Kavishaila kuvempu’s memorial which is in the midst of lush green surroundings at the top of a hill. Kuvempu’s son Poornachandra Tejaswi’s memorial is also in Kuppalli.

Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary:
Distance: Around 30 kms from Thirthahalli, 30 kms from Shimoga
Time of our Visit: 1st Aug around 11.30 PM
Description: Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary is situated along Tunga river towards Shimoga when travelling from Thirthahalli. We saw some black birds and majority of white colored birds; We were not aware of type of birds present in the sanctuary.

Sakrebailu Elephant Camp:
Distance: Around 45Kms from Thirtahalli , 15 kms from Shimoga
Time of our visit: 1st Aug around 12 PM
Description: Elephants are trained and given daily bath here. Visitors can also be part of it and I think the visiting hours is 8.30 AM to 11.30 AM. We reached there by 12 PM; elephants had already left the premises and we just had walk inside the park.

Gajanur Dam:
Distance: Around 47 Kms from Thirtahalli, 12 Kms from Shimoga
Time of our visit: 1st Aug around 12.30 PM
Weather: Cloudy
Description: Gajanur dam is small dam built across Tunga river and is close to Shimoga. Dam was full and we could see water everywhere. Walking along at the top of the dam was prohibited.

Bhadra Reservoir:
Distance: Around 35 Kms from Shimoga, 20 Kms from Tarikere
Time of our Visit: 1st Aug around 2.00 PM
Weather: Cloudy
Description: Bhadra dam is close to Kuvempu university and it is the place where Malnad ends. Bhadra dam is quite big and view from top of the dam is amazing. We saw scenic small islands and it was very windy at the top. There is also Bhadra wildlife sanctuary nearby which is around 15kms from Bhadra dam and we did not visit the place due to paucity of time.

Our trip to some of the beautiful places in Malnad was spectacular, exciting and full of rain

-Mahesh