Gokarna

Solo to Gokarna

Click on the below photograph to watch all the pictures of the trip.

Gokarna

Photos Karnataka

1. The unfulfilled trip to HD Kote with my friends from school.

School Pals@HD Kote

2. To Himavad Gopalswamy Hills, again with my friends from school.

School Pals@Gopalswamy Hills

3. To Madikeri, with my friends from school.

School Pals@Madikeri

4. With Babu at Somanathpura.

Babu,me@somanathapura

5. To Yana, with my friends from college.

Itbatch05@Yana

6. To Chikmagalur, with Babu.

Chikamagalur

7. Chikmagalur with friends from College.

chikmagalur

8. To Gopalswamy Hills Alone on my BULL.

Gopalswamy@Enfield

9. To Chikmagalur with Rahul, Roshan, Niranjan, Sagar and Arun

Chikmagalur with Rahul, Roshan, Niranjan

Mysore - Agumbe - Chramadi - Mysore

Mysore - KR Nagar - Hassan - Belur - Aldur - BaleHonnur - Sringeri - Agumbe - Manipal - Vandse - Kunadpur - Udupi - karkala - Charmadi - Mudigere - Gonebidu - Belur - Mysore



Started of from Mysore at around 10:30 - 11 am. Reached Hassan by Noon, had our lunch and set off again to Agumbe.

We reached a place somewhere near Aldur and there was a junction. There were no sign boards indicating the route to Balehonnur. And there were 3 villagers standing there.

So we asked them, All 3 of them showed us 3 different directions!!!All perpendicular to each other. As soon as they realised that all of them were showing different directions, they finally concluded on one direction.
My Bro and me and a good hearty laugh.

Petrol from here to Aldur = 500 Rs.
Lunch in Hassan = 200 Rs.

The look on the face of the villagers, PRICELESS!!!

We reached Agumbe, about half an hour or so before sunset.
Lovely sunset. You can see green lands for miles together.

All set for the sunset, and there are a bunch of people with SLR's.
They are focusing the heck out the sun.

And here I go and pull out my bro's Sony Erickson W550i, 1.3MP camera.

My bro was embarrassed beyond doubt. If he'd been alone, he just might have thrown the phone down the cliff.

After this we set out to Manipal. Met Hemanth and enjoyed the night.

Talked a lot. I should be doing that a lot less.
Just felt that I really talked too much.

Left Manipal at noon, is my guess.

The bike had a problem at a place near Kollur, Our plan was to go to Kodachadri, which unfortunaltely didn't happen.
So somehow got hold of a mechanic, who told us that the gasket needed to be changed.

Since the day being a sunday, and the shops bein closed. Sorry No gasket.

So we left the bike in the garage and settled down in Kundapur.

On MOnday Morning, the mechanic got the bike ready and we left Kundapur at around noon,
reached Mysore at around 11:30 pm.


So much for our 3 days of holidays.


Highlights of the Trip:

The look on the face of the 3 villagers.
The look on the face of my brother in Agumbe in front of all the SLR's.
AGUMBE.
The second time that my Bull gave me trouble.
Charmadi Ghat.

Mysore - Chitradurga - Hampi

The trip to Chitradurga and Hampi was fantastic.

Route From Mysore:
Mysore - Pandavapura - Nagamangala - Turuvekere - Huliyar - Hiriyur. (SH 17) (205 kms)
Hiriyur - Chitradurga (NH 4) (40 kms)
Chitradurga - Kudligi - Hospet (NH 13) (130 kms)
Hampi is about 12 kms from Hospet.

Chitradurga and Hampi with Naga

Mysore - Chikmagalur - Mysore

Mysore - Nagamangala - Bindingnavile - Chennarayapatna - Hassan - Chikmangalur - Hassan - K R Nagar - Mysore. (500 kms)

I got my bullet on friday evening.

Saturday Morning I wanted to take the bike out for the "run-in".

We started from mysore at around 7 in the morning. Reached BIndingnavile(This place has a temple which is about a 1000 years old) at around 11 a.m.

The distance from Mysore to Bindingnavile is around 80 kms.

Babu and Myself, were waiting to meet Dwarka's Brother. Somehow he managed not to turn up till 1.pm. We had enough of Bindingnavile, and made a plan to go to Shiradi ghat and stay in Hassan for the night.

We went to Chennarayapatna, and searched for a hotel to have out lunch.
Babu ordered South Indian Meals and I ordered Vegetarion Palao. The waiter got me Fried Rice instead. And the fried rice was plain bad(I can't find any other words to descibe the extent of its badness). I somehow ate it because I was damn hungry. Then we moved on to Hassan.

Plan change we are not going to Shiradi Ghat. We are going to Chikmagalur.

On the way we saw Yagachi Dam(First time I heard about it). Beautiful Dam and got some good pics. Will upload them as soon as possible.

Reached Chimagalur at around 7.30 p.m. All this while we were driving at 40kms/hr. Since it was a new bike.

Got into a shabby hotel with a double bedroom costing us Rs.150.

Had our dinner, and went to bed at around 11.p.m.

Our room in the hotel was on the ground floor and the BULL was parked right in front of the room. Every time I heard someone moving outside, it left me wondering if somebody was stealing my bike. This kept me awake for some time and the first thing I did in the morning when I woke was to see if my BULL was still outside.

Then in the morning we went to Sitalayangiri and Mulayangiri(Excuse me if the spelling is wrong). I had been to Sitalayangiri before but not to Mulayangiri. It's a steep climb to Mulayangiri. Halfway through we had no choice but to continue, unless we wanted to roll over the hills. The BULL roared her way through the steep hills.

You have to climb a steps (not few, quite many) to reach to the top of Mulayangiri.
There s a cave trail on top of the hill. Take a torch if you are planning to go. Lot's of bats and the cave kinda gave me the creeps. Climbing back down, the helmet slipped out of Babu's hand and that was the last time we saw it.
In super slow motion, it went hurling down the hills and all that we could do was stand and stare.

Minus the helmet we reached Chikmagalur. Had some great biryani in Moghul Darbar(Try this place). They make Great Biryani. If you are in Chikmagalur, don't miss to eat their biryani.

Heading back towards mysore, at 40 km/hr, the Bull started to choke just near K R Nagar.
Need to talk to my mechanic and find out. Our interpretation was the engine might have heated up and we let it rest for quite some time.

After giving the bike a rest we tried starting it but in vain.

I am not sure as to why??!!!!

Finally we got hold of a bullet mechanic. The guy comes, gives the bike one kick and behold it starts.


And I have sun burns to add to my misery. My skin is still burning.

We spent the night in my cousin bro's place in K R nagar. My bhabhi made some lovely akki roti's for us.

And we settled down for the night. And so did the Bull.

Finally we left K R Nagar today morning and reached Mysore at around 8.a.m.

This is the story of my BULL's first 500 kms.

So the BULL is ready for the first service of 500kms.

A list of Guest Houses and Lodges in Chikmagalur can be found here.

Places to visit in Mandya District, Karnataka

I am going to make a list of all the places that can be seen in Mandya.
I'll try to give the routes and the places not be missed when you visit Mandya.

I'll start with a few places. Will keep on adding as I continue my research on Mandya.

Happy touring.

1. Mahadevpura

The river Cauvery (Kaveri) flows through a thick forest surrounding the place.
Brief Route From Mandya: Mandya – Kothathi – Kodiyala – Arakere - Mahadevapura.

a. Mandya - Kothathi (This place is around 7kms from Mandya. Take a deviation to the left towards Kothathi ) - Kodiyala (this place is 6kms from Kothathi) - Arakere and Mandya Koppalu circle - Take a right turn and head towards Mahadevapura.

b. From Mandya: Mandya - Baburayana Koppalu - Take left turn to reach Mahadevapura (13kms from Baburayana Koppalu)

Suggest you take route b.

2. Melukote

a. Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple
b. Yoga-Narasimha Swamy Temple

Route From Mysore: Mysore – Srirangapatna – Pandavapura – Melukote.
Distance around 60 kms.

From Bangalore: Bangalore – Mandya. After Mandya take a deviation to the right. From Mandya, Melkote should be around 35 kms.

3. Srirangapatna

a. SrirangapatnaFort: Within the Fort is a Mosque and the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple.
b. Daria Daulat Bagh: This is a Summer Palace . Also houses the museum.
c. Gumbaz : The mortal remains of Hyder ali, Tippu Sultan are placed here.
d. Ranganthithu Bird Sanctuary: Cross Srirangapatna, after 1-2 kms you will get a circle. Take a deviation to the right. Ranganthithu is around 5 - 6 kms from there.
e. Ghosai Ghat: Gosai Ghat, on the banks of the Cauvery, in Srirangapatna is located upstream of Sangama in Srirangapatna, where the two tributaries of the Cauvery meet

4. Shivanasamudra

Cauvery at Shivanasamudra falls has twin jumps, Gaganachukki and Bharachukki, one km away from each other. Shivasanamudram falls is the second biggest waterfall in India.

Route from Mysore :
Mysore -Bannur -Malavalli - Shivansamudra. (Around 70 kms)

Route from Bangalore :
There are two routes
Route 1 : Bangalore - Kanakpura - Malavalli - Shivansamudra. (Around 118 kms).
Route 2 : Bangalore - Maddur - Malavalli - Shivansamudra. (Around 125 kms)

Districts and Places to visit in Karnataka

List of places to visit in Karnataka.

1. Bagalakot

a. Aihole

b. Badami

c. Pattadakallu

d. Kudalsangam

e. Mahakuteshwar temple in Mahakuta

f. Shivayogmandir

g. Banashankari temple in Badami.

2. Bellary

a. Hampi

i) Virupaksha temple

ii) The Stone Chariot

iii) Elephant Stables

iv) Lotus Mahal

v) King's Balance

b. Bellary Fort

c. Ambali

d. Mallara

e. Ramanadurga or Ramgad

f. Tungabhadra Dam

3. Bidar

a. The Fort

b. Tombs of the Bahmani Rulers

c. Guru Nanak Jhira

4. Bijapur

a. Gol Gumbaz

b. Afzal Khan's Cenotaph

c. The Ibrahim Rauza

Best Time to visit: September to February.

5. Chamarajanagar

a. MM hills

b. BR hills

6. Chikballapur

a. Nandi Hills

b. Ranganatha Swamy temple

c. Pancha Giris (literally five hills)

i) Nandi Giri

ii) Chandra Giri

iii) Indra Giri

iv) Brahma Giri

v) Hema Giri

vi) Kalavaara Hill or Skanda Giri.

vii) Pandava Hill

viii) Kaurava Hill

7. Chikamangalur

a. Kemmannugundi

b. Baba-Budan Range

c. Sringeri

d. Hebbe Falls

e. Kalhatti Falls

f. Amrithapura

g. Kudremukh

h. Sitalayangiri

i. Mulayangiri

j. Yagachi Dam

8. Chitradurga

a. Chitradurga Kote

b. Ashoka Siddapura

c. Brahmagiri

d. Chandravalli

e. Jogimatti Hill Station

f. Molakalmuru fortified town of the Kadambas

g. Neerthadi is famous for its Ranganathaswamy temple built in Vijayanagar style.

h. Vani Vilas Sagar

i. Doddahottrangappa Hill

j. 'Halu' Rameshwara.

9. Coorg

a. Madikeri Fort

b. Raja's Seat

c. Nagarahole National Park

d. Talakaveri / Talacauvery

e. Iruppu Falls

f. Abbey Falls

g. Dubare

h. Valanoor

i. Nisargadhama

j. Bhagamandala

k. Harangi Dam

For details on Coorg accomodation and Routes check my earlier post on Coorg.

10. Davanagere

a. Siruvani Waterfalls and Dam

b. Uchangidurga fort

c. Pushkarni

Best time to visit: October and March.

11. Gulbarga

a. Malakheda fort – near Gulbarga

b. Sharana Basaveshwara temple - Gulbarga

12. Hassan

a. Belur

b. Halebid

c. Koramangala

d. Mosale

e. Gorur

f. Manzarabad

g. Bisle Ghat

13. Mandya

a. Mahadevpura

b. Melukote

c. Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

d. Srirangapattana

e. Basaral

f. Shivanasamudra

g. Kokkrebellur

h. Ganjam

i. Daria Daulat Bagh

j. Sriranganatha Temple

k. Brindavan Gardens

l. Ghosai Ghat

m. Sagarkatte

n. Tonnur Kere

o. Kunti Betta

For details on Mandya Check out this post.

14. Mangalore (Dakshina Kannada)

a. Charmadi (A brilliant site http://kaalaharana.blogspot.com/ gives complete details on places near Charmadi)

b. Someshwar Beach

c. Panambur Beach

d. Ullal Beach

e. Suratkal Beach

f. Kaup Beach

g. Malpe Beach

h. Maravante Beach

i. Murudeshwar Beach

j. Moodbidri

15. Shimoga

a. Jog water falls

b. agumbe

c. Sigandur chaudamma temple

d. Vanake-Abbey Falls

e. Achakanya Falls

f. Hidlamane Falls

g. Tunga Anecut

h. B.R.P Dam

i. Linganmakki Dam

16. Tumkur

a. Pavagada Fort

b. Devarayana Durga

c. Sinhadham

d. Mekedatu (Bangalore Rural)

17. Uttara Kannada

a. Attiveri bird sanctuary

b. Yana

c. Karwar

d. Apsara Konda Falls (Honnavar)

e. Magod Falls

f. Lalguli Falls

g. Sathodi Falls

h. Unchalli Falls

i. Lushington Falls

j. Shivganga Falls

I haven’t been to more than 75% of the places mentioned here.

However, the list is quite huge, and surely I will try my best to visit these places and give information on accommodation, routes in posts that follow.

Coorg, Karnataka

Had a lovely time this weekend travelling and visiting Coorg, Karnataka

We went to Madikeri and also to Irpu falls.

Irpu falls was at its magnificient best.

Routes from Mysore to Madikeri.
Mysore - Yelwala Town - Bilikere - Hunsur - Periyapatna- Kushalnagar - Madikeri.
The roads are excellent from Mysore to Periyapatna.
However from Periyapatna to Madikeri they equally worse.
The distance would be about 115 kms.

Mysore -Yelwala town - Bilikere - Hunsur - Virajendrapet - Madikeri
The distance would be around 147 kms.
Comparitively this road is better.

Places to visit in Coorg are

Abbey Falls
About 10 kms from Madikeri. The waterfall is located between private coffee plantations with stocky coffee bushes and spice estates with trees entwined with pepper vines.

Irpu Falls
48 kms from Virajpet on the way to Nagarahole. Irpu falls would be a trekker's point.

Nisargadhama
Forest Resort - 2 Kms from Kushalnagar (30 kms from Madikeri) on the State Highway.
The cluster of wooden huts, Nisargadhama is built to blend with the sandalwood forest around.
Apart from the lodging, a small canteen, a deer park, children's playing area are added attractions.

Talacauvery
Origin of river Cauvery and is about 45 Kms from Madikeri.
This is the source of the holy river cauvery, captured in a small well, less than a meter square.
In October on Sankaramana day, thousands gather to see a miracle -the sudden bubbling and frothing of the small well, symbolising the appearance of the Goddess Cauvery.

Raja's Seat
At the Western End of Madikeri perched atop a hill, overlooking a wide valley, watching the spectacular sunset and mesmerizing view of the valley around can be wonderful. An early morning visit, bracing the chilly breeze gives a glimpse of the hilltops rising above the mist-covered valley to kiss the sky.

Bhagamandala Temple
36 Kms from Madikeri. Built in the Kerala style at the confluence of three rivers the Cauvery, the Kannika and the Sujyothi, this temple houses a variety of smaller shrines dedicated to various gods.

Kakkabe.
Famous for being the largest producer of honey in south east Asia, though most come here for the Padi Igutappa temple. This is Coorg’s most important temple and the presiding deity of the Puthari Festival. Built as a hunting lodge, the Nalnad Palace is used as a kiddies’ camp, though no one will really mind you pottering around. You could also visit the honey farms.

Accomodation

Government Guest House at Nisarghadhama
landline: 08272-228305

Holiday Homes
Mr. Cassy Ayappa
Murnad Virajendrapet Main Road,
Badaga Village,
Madikeri Taluk, Coorg - 571252
Email: http://www.blogger.com/info@holidayhomes.co.in
Mobile No. : 9342147137
Landline : 08272-232137

Irpu Home stay
landline : 08274-201324

Hill Side Home stay, Near Irpu
landline: 08274-246326

Tourist hotshop. This is an agent.
Cauvery Group Building,
Near Town Hall, Main Road,
Madikeri - 571021.
Mobile No. : 9342632813
9886665459
9886221589
Coorg Trails Website

Alath-Cad Estate Holiday Homes
Alath-Cad Estate Bungalow
Ammathi, near Virajpet
Tel. No. 08274-252190
E-mail: alathcad@yahoo.com

JADE HILLS
Telephone: (Mob) 98800-76737,
Landline: 080 - 25262304
E-mail: jadehills01@yahoo.co.in


Please check out the karnataka tourism website for details on homestays , hotels and resorts.

Complete Details about Bandipur

Bandipur

1. Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary is regarded as one of the most beautiful and the better-managed national parks of India.
2. Located amidst the picturesque surroundings of the towering Western Ghat Mountains on the Mysore-Ooty highway in Karnataka, Bandipur National Park covers an area of about 874.2 sq km.
3. Together with Madumalai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, Wayanad Sanctuary in Kerala and Nagarhole National Park in the North, it creates the India's biggest biosphere reserve popularly known as the 'Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve'.
4. Bandipur is 80 km from Mysore, and a similar distance from Ooty, and takes 2 ½ hours by road.

Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta

1. Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta can be accessed by a small road through the village of Hangala north of the national park.
2. Gopalaswamy Betta (betta is hill in Kannada) located inside the forest is a popular trekking spot.
3. There is also a motorable road to the summit of the hill.
4. The area is also frequented by herds of wild elephants.
5. The hill gets its name Himavad (fog in Kannada) due to the fog during most parts of the year.
6. Atop the hill is a temple of Lord Venugopala Swamy built centuries ago and a travellers' bungalow which remains locked now and belonged to the Ruler of Mysore. Nobody is allowed to stay beyond 6:00 PM.

Accommodation

Accommodation options in Bandipur include Forest guesthouses and KSTDC (Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation) cottages. The forest resthouses here are deluxe bungalows and also have dormitory beds; both should be reserved in advance at the Forest Office in Bangalore or Mysore. Rooms at the resthouses cost between Rs 300 and 400 a night.

Further information on Bandipur can be obtained from the office of the
Field Director, Project Tiger, Aranya Bhavan, Ashokpuram, Mysore (Tel: 0821-480901) or
The Chief Wildlife Warden, Aranya Bhavan, 18th Cross, Bangalore (Tel: 3341993).

Details on private resorts can be found at

1. Jungle Lodges
2. Resorts near bandipur

Mysore, Karnataka.

Places in and around Mysore

Mysore is 140 Kms from Bangalore.

1. Bandipur National Park: Bandipur is 80 km from Mysore, and a similar distance from Ooty.
2. Talkad: 45 kms from Mysore is a strange phenomenon-an ancient town buried under centuries of sand.
3. Chamundi Hills: In Mysore city itself, best time to visit is in the evenings after sun set.
4. Brindavan Gardens: Located at a distance of 20 Kms northwest of Mysore.
5. Mysore Palace: Visit after 7 p.m. on a sunday. It'll be in all it's glory and splendour.
6. Gopalswamy Hills: About 80-90 kms from Mysore. Around 20 kms after gundulpet, you need to take a deviation from the mysore - ooty highway towards the right.

For further details on Mysore check out the following links.

1. Mysore Tourism
2. Details of Mysore
   
3. Around Mysuru
4. Hotels in Mysore
5. All Hotels in Mysore