An office colleague and a very good friend of mine always complained that they visit Sigandooru (Near Sagar) at least twice a year. But, never had a chance to visit another beautiful place "SIRSI" although he was eagerly wanting to. After knowing the fact that Sirsi is my hometown, he started pestering me to take him along. So this quick getaway was dedicated to my buddy.
Sirsi is a tourist location in Uttara Kannada of Karnataka. Sirsi was also known as Kalyanapattana during the Sonda Dynasty. It is the largest city and main commercial center and business hub in Uttara Kannada district. The city is surrounded by forest and the region is popular for a large number of waterfalls. River "Aghanashini" begins at a place near Sirsi called "Donihalla" and flows towards the Arabian Sea in the West. The river also creates many waterfalls along its path. The climate is strongly influenced by the monsoons, and the climate is tropical, moderated by proximity to the sea. During the monsoons, the region receives one of the heaviest rainfall in the world. As a result, the region also has a large variety of wildlife. The vegetation in the region is mainly moist deciduous, and valuable timber wood is commonly found in the forests of the region.
Getting back to the travel experience, we decided to leave from Bangalore after work and decided to drive at night. We left office at 9:30 PM and reached my place in Bangalore to pick up my bag and have dinner. Started our journey at 11:30 PM and we hit Bangalore Poona highway in 10 minutes. Listening to melodious old Kannada songs, we were driving at a normal pace till Tumkur because of the traffic as it was a weekend. We had our first stop at Chitradurga for bio break and a cup of tea. I took over the wheel from Chitradurga and we decided not to make any more pit stops untill we make a detour from the highway at Haveri. Soon as we passed Ranibennuru, we were welcomed by the wet roads and cool breeze as it was drizzling. Soon after we took a detour off the highway, we had our second pit stop just to enjoy the cool breeze, enjoy the drizzle, enjoy the fragrance of wet soil, and to give some happiness to our lungs by inhaling pure and fresh air ;).
Started driving again after deciding that our next stop will be Sirsi. It was a wonderful drive through the forest and wet road. We rolled down the windows so that we can enjoy the fresh air throughout the drive. Finally reached home at 5:20 AM and my dad was wide awake to welcome us. We had already decided that we won't spend much time at home as we wanted to cover as many places as we can within 2 days because we had to drive back to Bangalore on Sunday night.
Day 1:
Manjugini
Yana
Vibhooti Falls
Cousin's Farm
After a delicious mom made breakfast (Buns & Chatni) and with a happy tummy we left our home and headed towards "Manjuguni" [A small village near Yana with a beautiful ancient temple]. My younger brother accompanied us as he was enjoying his college vacation. We reached Manjuguni in no time as it is approximately 35-40 kms from Sirsi and the beautiful roads helped us rev through the lush green forest as I am familiar with those roads and curves. We reached Manjuguni and offered our prayers to "Lord Venkatesh". Sat inside the temple for a while as it was very pleasant and calm. Then we moved towards a huge lake which is opposite to the temple. As we were enjoying the water and waiting for the fishes to show up (People feed puffed rice to the fishes in this lake as a part of offering), we suddenly heard a gushing sound. When we turned around, we could see heavy rain covering the whole region. We ran towards the car but could not escape from getting drenched. Well, that's the fun of Western Ghats ;).
We then headed to Yana [A small village located in the Sahyadri forest between Sirsi and Kumta] through a short cut road which connects us to Devanahalli (Small village on the way to Yana) via Hegdekatta. Yana is famous for two massive rock outcrops known as the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara and the Mohini Shikhara ("Shikhara" means "hill"). The huge rocks are composed of solid black, crystalline karst limestone. Bhairaveshwara Shikhara is 120 metres (390 ft) in height, while the Mohini Shikhara, which is smaller, is 90 metres (300 ft) in height. Yana is also well known as a pilgrimage centre because of the cave temple below the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara where a Swayambhu ("self manifested", or "that which is created by its own accord") linga has been formed. Water drips from the roof over the linga, adding to the sanctity of the place. The roads are good till certain distance. But then the tricky drive starts as you start nearing Yana. The roads get narrower with pot holes making the drive slower and it starts appearing to be dark outside as the thick forest stops the light from reaching the road. Nobody to be blamed for the bad roads. The roads cannot withstand the rainfall in that region. My buddy was surprised by looking at the Algae formed on the tar road. Well, that explains the intensity of rainfall in the region ;). We then reached Yana and parked our car to start a 0.5 KM walk on the gravel. Accompanied by the heavy rain and all sort of weird noise by the insects in the forest, was like a welcome song for us till we reached the cave temple. After offering our prayers and wandering through the cave, we spent some time enjoying the beauty of the forest covered in the mist. We were literally drenched but we didn't care about it as we just wanted to be close mother nature. We headed back to the car and sat there for a while checking for any leeches that would have been feasting on our blood ;P.
We then headed towards another wonderful place "Vibhooti Falls". We drove back from Yana and took a deviation which leads to Vibhooti Falls. After driving through the lush green forest and curvy narrow roads we reached at a Police Check Post where we had to register our vehicle details and contact information along with emergency contact. We then drove for about 1.5 Kms and parked our car. From there, we had to start an uphill trek to reach the falls. There are few steps at the beginning of the trek which makes it little easier. After that is when the gravel road starts through the forest which was making it little difficult as it was raining and the land was wet and slippery. We were fully exhausted and drenched. But the sound of the waterfall kept motivating us to continue or trek. Finally we reached the point and we could see the waterfall welcoming us with open arms. That moment made us forget all the tiredness and we felt the trek was worth it. We spent some time enjoying the waterfall. With an unwillingness to leave that place, we started walking down. Reached at the place where we had parked our car. Had chilled water which was flowing from the mountain. Enjoyed the scenic beauty for a while and started driving back home. It was 4 PM when we reached home and we were starving. Took a hot shower and had our lunch. Once again with a happy tummy, we were charged up to visit my cousin's farm which is around 10 kms from Sirsi. Reached my cousins farm and had a peaceful walk around the betelnut (main crop of Sirsi) plantation watching the birds and man made lake. We generally do fishing in that lake. But at that moment, we were so exhausted from the previous night journey and the tiresome day we spent, our body was pleading for some rest. We returned home from the farm, spent some time sitting at home talking to my mom and dad as my friend had visited our place for the first time. It was dinner time, so we finished our dinner and crashed. [End Of Day 1].
Day 2:
Sahasralinga
Sonda Mutt
Swarnawalli Mutt
Pandavara Hole
Bangalore
After a good sleep, we were charged up for exploring places on Day 2. After a delicious mom made breakfast (Neeru Dose & Coconut Chutney) with a happy tummy we First Visited few temples in Sirsi. The one that cannot be missed ant any cost "Gramadevate Shri Marikamba Temple" (Main Temple of Sirsi). Then we visited Subrahmanya Temple and Raghavendra Mutt before we headed towards Sahasralinga which is a pilgrimage place, located around 14 km from Sirsi. It is in the river Shalmala and is famous for being the location where around a thousand lingas are carved on rocks in the river and on its banks. History says all these Shiva Lingas were built under the patronage of Sadashivarayavarma, king of the Sirsi kingdom (1678-1718). We can also see many Basava/bulls which are carved in front of the Shiva Lingas. It continued to drizzle continuously as usual. But we reached there in no time as the roads are beautiful with forests and betelnut plantations covered on both sides. We played for a while in the flowing water and then headed to Sonda Mutt.
There are 2 ways to reach Sonda Mutt. As we were already at Sahasralinga, we decided to take a short route from there rather driving back to Sirsi and taking a different route. Sonda or Swadi flourished during the Vijayanagara Empire and is a considered to be a sacred place by both Hindus and Jains. Sonda is famous for Shri Vadiraja Matha, Shri Swarnavalli Matha and is about 15 km from Sirsi. After offering our prayers we visited Swarnawalli Mutt which is nearby Sonda.
We headed back to Sirsi via Hulekal road as we wanted to visit Pandavara Hole. “Pandavara Hole” is a beautiful picnic spot located nearly 11 km from Sirsi town. In Kannada "Hole" (ಹೊಳೆ) means small stream or small river. There is a beautiful river and a place to swim. My younger brother had a swim while my buddy and myself were sitting on the bank with our legs dangling in water enjoying the scenic beauty. After spending some time at Pandavara Hole we headed back to Sirsi and reached home for lunch. By the time we reached home, mom had prepared steaming hot Chicken Curry and Akki Rotti (Malenadu Cuisine). We had lunch and decided to rest for a while as we had to drive back to Bangalore that night to resume office next day. We took a nap and spent some time at home. My buddy wanted to taste Kashaya (Hot Ayurvedic drink) which tastes sweet. Kashaya is a common drink which is offered as an option in Malenadu region instead of coffee. If you visit any houses, you are asked if you would prefer to have Tea or Kashaya. My buddy liked it a lot and asked my mom for some Kashaya powder so that he can take it home. My mom prepared the powder within no time and parceled it for me and my buddy. While all this was happening, the time had arrived for us to start our drive back to Bangalore. My younger brother decided to accompany us to Bangalore as it was his college vacation. After dinner, with a heavy heart and unwillingness to leave such an amazing place, we started from Sirsi at 8:45 PM.
I took the wheels and drove till Haveri bypass and took a pit stop before we joined the Poona Bangalore Highway. Continued to drive after our pit stop. There was absolutely no talks in the car and songs played in the music system from my brother's playlist as he was the only happy face in the car. Both me and my buddy we having a frown face thinking about the routine life which was starting from next day. We did not feel taking any more pit stops so I drove in one stretch till we were nearing Nelamangala. As usual, traffic had piled up and the vehicles were honking non stop which made us realize that we have entered Bangalore. Reached my place around 2:30 AM. Me and my brother got down and my buddy drove back to his home. But before he left, I could see the happiness on his face for a wonderful time he spent during these 2 days. He said, "WE SHALL PLAN AGAIN" :).
Although it was a very short trip and due to time constraints, there were many places which we could not visit. But, my buddy definitely took away some beautiful memories along with him that would cherish forever. The beauty of Malenadu (Western Ghats) is such that anyone who once visits will definitely love to visit again and again again...
While I wrote about our journey, I once again visited all these places in my imagination and it brought a smile on my face. With that being said, I end my first ever blog. Hope to catch you all soon with another one. Please excuse if there were any spelling errors in this blog and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Ciao...
Please do watch the pictures below.
Sirsi is a tourist location in Uttara Kannada of Karnataka. Sirsi was also known as Kalyanapattana during the Sonda Dynasty. It is the largest city and main commercial center and business hub in Uttara Kannada district. The city is surrounded by forest and the region is popular for a large number of waterfalls. River "Aghanashini" begins at a place near Sirsi called "Donihalla" and flows towards the Arabian Sea in the West. The river also creates many waterfalls along its path. The climate is strongly influenced by the monsoons, and the climate is tropical, moderated by proximity to the sea. During the monsoons, the region receives one of the heaviest rainfall in the world. As a result, the region also has a large variety of wildlife. The vegetation in the region is mainly moist deciduous, and valuable timber wood is commonly found in the forests of the region.
Getting back to the travel experience, we decided to leave from Bangalore after work and decided to drive at night. We left office at 9:30 PM and reached my place in Bangalore to pick up my bag and have dinner. Started our journey at 11:30 PM and we hit Bangalore Poona highway in 10 minutes. Listening to melodious old Kannada songs, we were driving at a normal pace till Tumkur because of the traffic as it was a weekend. We had our first stop at Chitradurga for bio break and a cup of tea. I took over the wheel from Chitradurga and we decided not to make any more pit stops untill we make a detour from the highway at Haveri. Soon as we passed Ranibennuru, we were welcomed by the wet roads and cool breeze as it was drizzling. Soon after we took a detour off the highway, we had our second pit stop just to enjoy the cool breeze, enjoy the drizzle, enjoy the fragrance of wet soil, and to give some happiness to our lungs by inhaling pure and fresh air ;).
Started driving again after deciding that our next stop will be Sirsi. It was a wonderful drive through the forest and wet road. We rolled down the windows so that we can enjoy the fresh air throughout the drive. Finally reached home at 5:20 AM and my dad was wide awake to welcome us. We had already decided that we won't spend much time at home as we wanted to cover as many places as we can within 2 days because we had to drive back to Bangalore on Sunday night.
Day 1:
Manjugini
Yana
Vibhooti Falls
Cousin's Farm
After a delicious mom made breakfast (Buns & Chatni) and with a happy tummy we left our home and headed towards "Manjuguni" [A small village near Yana with a beautiful ancient temple]. My younger brother accompanied us as he was enjoying his college vacation. We reached Manjuguni in no time as it is approximately 35-40 kms from Sirsi and the beautiful roads helped us rev through the lush green forest as I am familiar with those roads and curves. We reached Manjuguni and offered our prayers to "Lord Venkatesh". Sat inside the temple for a while as it was very pleasant and calm. Then we moved towards a huge lake which is opposite to the temple. As we were enjoying the water and waiting for the fishes to show up (People feed puffed rice to the fishes in this lake as a part of offering), we suddenly heard a gushing sound. When we turned around, we could see heavy rain covering the whole region. We ran towards the car but could not escape from getting drenched. Well, that's the fun of Western Ghats ;).
We then headed to Yana [A small village located in the Sahyadri forest between Sirsi and Kumta] through a short cut road which connects us to Devanahalli (Small village on the way to Yana) via Hegdekatta. Yana is famous for two massive rock outcrops known as the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara and the Mohini Shikhara ("Shikhara" means "hill"). The huge rocks are composed of solid black, crystalline karst limestone. Bhairaveshwara Shikhara is 120 metres (390 ft) in height, while the Mohini Shikhara, which is smaller, is 90 metres (300 ft) in height. Yana is also well known as a pilgrimage centre because of the cave temple below the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara where a Swayambhu ("self manifested", or "that which is created by its own accord") linga has been formed. Water drips from the roof over the linga, adding to the sanctity of the place. The roads are good till certain distance. But then the tricky drive starts as you start nearing Yana. The roads get narrower with pot holes making the drive slower and it starts appearing to be dark outside as the thick forest stops the light from reaching the road. Nobody to be blamed for the bad roads. The roads cannot withstand the rainfall in that region. My buddy was surprised by looking at the Algae formed on the tar road. Well, that explains the intensity of rainfall in the region ;). We then reached Yana and parked our car to start a 0.5 KM walk on the gravel. Accompanied by the heavy rain and all sort of weird noise by the insects in the forest, was like a welcome song for us till we reached the cave temple. After offering our prayers and wandering through the cave, we spent some time enjoying the beauty of the forest covered in the mist. We were literally drenched but we didn't care about it as we just wanted to be close mother nature. We headed back to the car and sat there for a while checking for any leeches that would have been feasting on our blood ;P.
We then headed towards another wonderful place "Vibhooti Falls". We drove back from Yana and took a deviation which leads to Vibhooti Falls. After driving through the lush green forest and curvy narrow roads we reached at a Police Check Post where we had to register our vehicle details and contact information along with emergency contact. We then drove for about 1.5 Kms and parked our car. From there, we had to start an uphill trek to reach the falls. There are few steps at the beginning of the trek which makes it little easier. After that is when the gravel road starts through the forest which was making it little difficult as it was raining and the land was wet and slippery. We were fully exhausted and drenched. But the sound of the waterfall kept motivating us to continue or trek. Finally we reached the point and we could see the waterfall welcoming us with open arms. That moment made us forget all the tiredness and we felt the trek was worth it. We spent some time enjoying the waterfall. With an unwillingness to leave that place, we started walking down. Reached at the place where we had parked our car. Had chilled water which was flowing from the mountain. Enjoyed the scenic beauty for a while and started driving back home. It was 4 PM when we reached home and we were starving. Took a hot shower and had our lunch. Once again with a happy tummy, we were charged up to visit my cousin's farm which is around 10 kms from Sirsi. Reached my cousins farm and had a peaceful walk around the betelnut (main crop of Sirsi) plantation watching the birds and man made lake. We generally do fishing in that lake. But at that moment, we were so exhausted from the previous night journey and the tiresome day we spent, our body was pleading for some rest. We returned home from the farm, spent some time sitting at home talking to my mom and dad as my friend had visited our place for the first time. It was dinner time, so we finished our dinner and crashed. [End Of Day 1].
Day 2:
Sahasralinga
Sonda Mutt
Swarnawalli Mutt
Pandavara Hole
Bangalore
After a good sleep, we were charged up for exploring places on Day 2. After a delicious mom made breakfast (Neeru Dose & Coconut Chutney) with a happy tummy we First Visited few temples in Sirsi. The one that cannot be missed ant any cost "Gramadevate Shri Marikamba Temple" (Main Temple of Sirsi). Then we visited Subrahmanya Temple and Raghavendra Mutt before we headed towards Sahasralinga which is a pilgrimage place, located around 14 km from Sirsi. It is in the river Shalmala and is famous for being the location where around a thousand lingas are carved on rocks in the river and on its banks. History says all these Shiva Lingas were built under the patronage of Sadashivarayavarma, king of the Sirsi kingdom (1678-1718). We can also see many Basava/bulls which are carved in front of the Shiva Lingas. It continued to drizzle continuously as usual. But we reached there in no time as the roads are beautiful with forests and betelnut plantations covered on both sides. We played for a while in the flowing water and then headed to Sonda Mutt.
There are 2 ways to reach Sonda Mutt. As we were already at Sahasralinga, we decided to take a short route from there rather driving back to Sirsi and taking a different route. Sonda or Swadi flourished during the Vijayanagara Empire and is a considered to be a sacred place by both Hindus and Jains. Sonda is famous for Shri Vadiraja Matha, Shri Swarnavalli Matha and is about 15 km from Sirsi. After offering our prayers we visited Swarnawalli Mutt which is nearby Sonda.
We headed back to Sirsi via Hulekal road as we wanted to visit Pandavara Hole. “Pandavara Hole” is a beautiful picnic spot located nearly 11 km from Sirsi town. In Kannada "Hole" (ಹೊಳೆ) means small stream or small river. There is a beautiful river and a place to swim. My younger brother had a swim while my buddy and myself were sitting on the bank with our legs dangling in water enjoying the scenic beauty. After spending some time at Pandavara Hole we headed back to Sirsi and reached home for lunch. By the time we reached home, mom had prepared steaming hot Chicken Curry and Akki Rotti (Malenadu Cuisine). We had lunch and decided to rest for a while as we had to drive back to Bangalore that night to resume office next day. We took a nap and spent some time at home. My buddy wanted to taste Kashaya (Hot Ayurvedic drink) which tastes sweet. Kashaya is a common drink which is offered as an option in Malenadu region instead of coffee. If you visit any houses, you are asked if you would prefer to have Tea or Kashaya. My buddy liked it a lot and asked my mom for some Kashaya powder so that he can take it home. My mom prepared the powder within no time and parceled it for me and my buddy. While all this was happening, the time had arrived for us to start our drive back to Bangalore. My younger brother decided to accompany us to Bangalore as it was his college vacation. After dinner, with a heavy heart and unwillingness to leave such an amazing place, we started from Sirsi at 8:45 PM.
I took the wheels and drove till Haveri bypass and took a pit stop before we joined the Poona Bangalore Highway. Continued to drive after our pit stop. There was absolutely no talks in the car and songs played in the music system from my brother's playlist as he was the only happy face in the car. Both me and my buddy we having a frown face thinking about the routine life which was starting from next day. We did not feel taking any more pit stops so I drove in one stretch till we were nearing Nelamangala. As usual, traffic had piled up and the vehicles were honking non stop which made us realize that we have entered Bangalore. Reached my place around 2:30 AM. Me and my brother got down and my buddy drove back to his home. But before he left, I could see the happiness on his face for a wonderful time he spent during these 2 days. He said, "WE SHALL PLAN AGAIN" :).
Although it was a very short trip and due to time constraints, there were many places which we could not visit. But, my buddy definitely took away some beautiful memories along with him that would cherish forever. The beauty of Malenadu (Western Ghats) is such that anyone who once visits will definitely love to visit again and again again...
While I wrote about our journey, I once again visited all these places in my imagination and it brought a smile on my face. With that being said, I end my first ever blog. Hope to catch you all soon with another one. Please excuse if there were any spelling errors in this blog and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Ciao...
Please do watch the pictures below.
