Skandagiri Night Trek

It is written in the bible that after all the beauty and magnificence of Nature that God created ..he created human as his last creation to
value the beauty of nature.Animals ,plants insect cant value or enjoy the beauty ....God gave this ability to Humans only .........but yet ........!!!!

This weekend Vineeth visited Banglaore and as always the adventurer that he is we decided to go for a night trek to Skandagiri.
And that too this time we decided to go on Activa ...our official bike.We started at around 7.30 PM as we weren't sure if we would be given the permission for the
night trek by the forest dept at Papagni Matt.

It was an amazing and fantastic journey .The NH7 roads were wide and smooth and We drove at the speed of over 80 km/hr most of the times, taking turn for driving.
We reached chikballarpur by 10.00 pm.we were told that a guide is compulsory and we haggled for a guide finally settling for Rs 400 for 1 way.
And were also told that there was an UNDERSTANDING between forest officials and the guide and that we need not take permission for the trek

We had a quick dinner and by 10.30 pm we started our trek.With our flash lights on and the guide leading the way thru the hills it was amazing and fantastic journey.



In between we came across group of howling creatures ;-)
err sorry howling drunken people who lost there way in the darkness.Avoiding them we continued out way up



We reached the top at 12.15 am.It was quiet dark and cold.There was a small shiva temple.With no priest around the temple it was quiet dark inside the temple and we decided to stay outside .We rested on the boulders near the temple occasionally going to sleep form some time.





The view of the town was amazing from the top.It looked as if the diamonds were scattered in darkness.









There were few tents on the top selling Tea,Maggie and firewood.At 2.00 am we were feeling hungry and decided to have Maggie.



Having hot hot Maggie in the cold ,we played some songs form our mobile ;-) .With not many people around we felt as if we were in a dream ....

At 3.30 am there was a huge rush of people.several group of 10-15 people started reaching the top.Gradually the silence and peace that had enveloped the place
made way fro more ruckus and chaos.The serene mountain top slowly started resembling a chaotic fish market.

It started drizzling and we decided to take shelter int eh temple.What followed sank my heart and strengthen my belief that humans dint deserve to enjoy beauty of nature.As we entered the temple , we had to make way thru all the empty bottles of beers and whiskey.Inside the temple the scene was even more chaotic.Some moron had vomited on the temple floor,while 3-4 people where sleeping beside that.In the chaos I heard a waning voice resembling a small puppy.I opened my flash light , and saw 3-4 poppies huddled among themselves but the drunken guys inadvertently managed to stamp some of the puppies,who started waning in pain.Vineeth couldn't take it and we decide to better get drenched in rain outside than be a witness to absolute nonsense of humans.

By 5.00 am the rush was so bad that I ,in particular lost patience and decided sunrise or no sun rise I am leaving the hill.I lost my patience to see the sun rise and we decided to make our way back
down the hill.


This was the toughest and the most dangerous part of the trek.


As it was drizzling and as the light was less we often skidded dangerously on the rock and narrow gullies.as we moved down we saw more group going up.




Luckily it was 5.45am and the darkness was beginning to give way.



We were amazed as to how high we had climbed in the darkness of night without realizing it.


Making our way thru the slippery rocks and mazes of shrubs we reached the bottom of the hill.Our clothes were all messed up and my white shoes now had become brown.





The track pants was all covered with mud and it was as if we had come from a swamp safari ;-) .

We were tired to our bones but both of us were more than willing to take turns to ride back as the route was awesome.We reached the base by 7.00 am and by 8.30 am we were back in Bangalore in our rooms.


Looking back except the part when the hill to[p was swarming with humans it was a gr8 journey .The next time some body wants to plan a trip to this place pickup a week day for it rather than the weekend .You could beat the rush and chaos .

Slide show of the trip
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Bagal Kot weekend getaway

Laying on the sleeper seat of the bus my body kept jumping or shall i say occasionally floating as the bus swayed over rough and scared roads
.but i was in a deep slumber.It had been a very tiring but exciting day.My mind was filled with visions of caves and prehistoric men .I wondered what
great patience people used to have to carve their feeling and deities in the cave walls .....I had been to "Badami" the first capital of Chalukyas.


The BONE wreaking journey ..
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We had plan to visit Giri (badri's brother ) at Bagalkot and from there planned to hire a cab for sight seeing.Although i had heard about the notoriety of the roads to Bagalkot ,this was the first experience I ever had and needless to say it was close to a nightmare ;-)

the Road resembled the Surface of the Moon ,with Crater marks and uneven curvature .And worst we went in a NOT SO COMFORTABLE Rajhamsa bus .... the 8hr journey turned into 12 hour journey when in middle of night ,at around 3.00 AM .

I woke form the nightmare only to find that there was a puncture in one of the buses tires and the driver and his assistants were fixing the issue with light from a mobile phone ;-)

But the pain of the journey was greatly reduced by the scenic beauty the usually surrounded us during our journey.


I felt as if all my internal body parts(kidney,liver,lungs heart etc) had exchanged their places ;-)



After a quick wash we started for Badami caves .





the Journey through the village was quiet good break form the traffic jams and smoke filled air of the city also there were several Rocky Hill formations which captured my attention.




And then we reached the caves





These caves are considered an example of Indian rock-cut architecture, especially Badami Chalukya Architecture. Badami was the first capital of the Early Chalukyas, who ruled much of Karnataka in the 6th to 8th centuries




The cave temples are carved out of the soft Badami sandstone on a hill cliff in the late 6th to 7th centuries



The temple caves represent different religious sects. Among them, two are dedicated to god Vishnu, one to god Shiva and the fourth is a Jain temple.




The cave temples also bear exquisite carvings, sculptures and beautiful murals



Pattadakal
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Our next stop was a group of 8th century CE monuments in Pattadakal which were the culmination of the earliest experiments in the vesara style of Hindu temple architecture. They were designated a World Heritage Site in 1987







Having covered more than 180 km at Bagalkot my eyes were screaming for some respite ...
but the excitement of exploring these great Architectural wonders kept me from shutting my visions ;-)

Apart from the architectural beauty what stuck me the most was the laid-back village life.One could see absolute minimal traffic on the road and people standing right in the middle of the road for a chitchat ;-) Dogs, cows goats had absolute disregard for what ever traffic was there and one had to Horn at them for some time to get their attention for blocking the road ...... while on one had it was quiet relaxing to see such calm lifestyle still I wondered how people survived in such places ....

Once I boarded the sleeper bus to Bangalore , I blacked out ;-) and don't remember much except any rocky sleep .it was as if the bus was playing football with my body , but I was too tried to respond to that ;-) and was gladly back in Bangalore..

Overall an amazing trip and the caves be a Paradise for those who appreciate the Architectural prowess of Ancient India.

Mutyala Madhuvu (Pearl Valley )

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.
-------John Muir

After a brief hiatus me and badri decided to restart our weekend getaways .After dillydallying between Madhugiri /Pearl Valley we decided to start with the nearest place , pearl valley (mutyala madhu ) , a water fall almost 30km from Bangalore.We decided to test badri's new bike Activa.

The Journey
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It was cloudy and the breeze was picking but with a running nose and cough filled chest , I had my reservations.But as we crossed Bannergatta the lush greenary provided a must welcomed respite form the smoke and dust of the city traffic.It was an enjoyable journey once we crossed the city limits.

Mutyala Madhu (Pearl Valley )
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The name of this place comes from waterfall.It is said that on a sunny day when the water falls on the rocky and rebound in air the sun light gets reflect from the water droplets and each drop lets looks like a shining pearl.

Well !! Although the climate in B'lore is cloudy there is not much rain.So I had my doubts about the water fall.
We reached the place by 11.00 Am (2hrs drive ) and I was more than glad to find that the place was not infested with people ;-) . Although there was no sign of waterfall nearby ,but the view was so spectacular we decided to explore the area first before searching for the water fall.





If u folks observe the rocks in the above pic u'll observe a peculiar thing.The surface of the rocks are very smooth (almost like marble) and there are scars and marks on them.This would only be possible when the rocks were constantly being brushed by strong water flow.So I would conclude that may be in distant past this whole area was submerged under a fast flowing river.

The structures of the rocks were simply amazing and also observe there are no sharp edges on them (this supports my theory that these rocks were submerged under river bed ).We explored this area for a good 30-45 min before we decided to go back and look for the waterfall.

We found some steps going down into a valley and decided to follow it ....as we approached the base of the valley i could hear howling and whistling sounds of people .Alas!! people just cannot enjoy nature in peace.They need to behave like this for enjoyment !! .we knew from the howlings that the waterfall was nearby.
And then we reach the source of howling.The place the waterfall was supposed to be ;-)

while this wasn't much of water fall and there was no way to experience the pearls i did find people throwing the eatables and garbage in the water.This place was also infested by monkeys although they were quiet well behaved and avoided any direct human contact...at times i felt monkey were well behaved than humans in nature.

Anyways partially disappointed, we decided to explore the place more and followed a trek path that lead to an adjoining hill.As we ascended the hill the view was so spectacular and amazing .


The ranges of mountains looked like green waves in the sea.

As we reached the top of the hill , huffing and puffing , through the shrubs we were taken aback by a sight.There were many couples seated here and they were ... well I would not go into details ;-) ....its surprising how many couples endure the strainous climb to get few hours of privacy ....We rested for few minutes then started our way back.

There is a KSTDC center at the top of one of the hills.We had our lunch there and started our ride back to the city.

Overall it was a great trip esp scenery wise and there is a hell lot to explore ( if u are an adventurer ) but i would suggest people don't go alone to this place. KSTDC sells whiskey here and there were quiet a few people who were creating a rucks after gulping few pegs.

In the end I would just advice one thing.To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon the verdant green hills is the most perfect refreshment.Let us try not to spoil it.If we can avoid litter and keep the ponds, lakes clean then discovering such idyllic places, we could find ourselves filled with a yearning to linger here, where time stands still and beauty overwhelms.

For More pics click on link below
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PeralValley

Nandi Hills exploration -2

They say "A picture speaks a thousand words ".Well ! for a change i am experimenting this time by writing minimal and letting your imagination do the reading ;-) .

A few week back i made my 3rd trip to the Nandi hills (well hills adjoining Nandi hills ).Remember the last time i went about hopping and discovering the hills nearby Nandi hills ! well this time i decided to complete that exploration.

So ...herez how the journey began....

It was a cloudy day though without much breeze. but an excellent day for trekking
It had rained the previous night


and i was not alone in my exploration ;-)
Breathing the eucalyptus scent from the trees the journey was magical with symphony of birds cripes filling the air.

Atlas I reached the place from where my ACTUAL exploration began
(could anyone translate this for me ? )


It was tail path at tiems seemed like a big snake swaying in grace making its way thru the trees
Atlast I saw my destination ....
It looked easy and the breeze was picking up
Right at the base of the mountain I decided to trek vertical than find a way around
As I started ascending the view got mesmerizing

I reached the top of the mountain and rested for some time having my chocolate bar and sipping flavored milk enjoying the vastness of nature.

Resting beneath the tree it was amazing feeling as if I was in a different world ..a world much more beautiful a world with much more grace
Later while returning back i realized i had explore this hill.

My next target

A short video of my climb
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