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 maĊ£ha 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
