Gopalaswamy Betta – Devine Temple on a Misty Mountain

Gopalaswamy Betta (Betta is nothing but a hill, a Kannada word) is a must visit! I just couldn’t believe my eyes as I drove through the misty ghat to reach the hill top. It was a misty morning and absolutely refreshing! Just look at the photos that I clicked there! Sorry I’m no photographer :) so enjoy what you see! I tried taking some panoramic photos and the first one came out ok.

Reaching Gopalaswamy Betta is quite easy, Just drive on Mysore – Ooty road, once you cross Gundlupet, its about 10 kms. You will need to take a right turn. There is a Road Sign, so hard to miss that right turn. Once you make the right turn, its about 15 kms to the summit, Road is not that good but scenic and enjoyable.

The temperature considerably drops as you near the summit and feels dreamy once you make it to the summit. They say, it usually remains misty most of the time and hence the name Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta (Snow covered Hill). It is the highest peak in the Bandipur range. If you are lucky, you would see elephants there. Unfortunately, sue to the mist, I could not get to see them! I shall go again :)

Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure!

How to reach Shivaganga? – The Beautiful Hill with Temples and Breathtaking Views

Shivagange is a beautiful hill that is about 70 kms from Bangalore City. A short trip (or trek?) to Shivagange might be a nice way of spending your weekend.

How to reach?

Reaching Shivaganga (Actually Shivagange) is via Tumkur (NH4) Road. About 60 kms from Bangalore and an hour or so drive to reach the Shivagange hill. You can easily get Buses to Dabbasapete and from there you could catch an Auto too. But, Driving your own vehicle is recommended. You can visit Savanadurga, Manchina bele etc as they are all nearby If you have your own vehicle.

Google Map View

View Shivaganga Map in a larger map

Above map will be helpful for you to know where Shivaganga is and how to reach.

Just drive on NH4 (Tumkur Highway), cross the toll gate and drive towards Nelamagala. Dobbasapete is around 20 kms from Nelamangala. Dobbasapete is very easy to spot, there are good signboards for you to keep track of where you are going. However, the good landmark is that you will get a flyover. Do not take the flyover, but you will find a narrow service road on the left side, take that road. It will basically take you to Dobbasapete. Once you are in Dobbasapete, take a left (as shown in the map) and drive for about 6 kms. You will need to take a small right turn (Can ask localities) and you will reach Shivaganga Hill. It is huge and nearly 1400 meters tall, about 5 kms to the summit.

Words of Caution

• You need to be aware of wild monkeys at Shivagange. They are ferocious and unruly. They can just walk up to you and snatch anything that is hanging freely, hand bags, food items anything. So be careful, if you have a backpack, it should be fine. I had a small backpack, they didn’t notice it and was at peace :)

• Secondly, It is better to start early to avoid mid day sun light. Harsh sun light might bring down your energy considerably. While climbing the hill, you will go through lots of vendors who sell lots of food items and you can rejuvenate yourself. It is a long way up to the summit, about 5 kms and is not easy - at least for me :).

Beautiful Views will mesmerize you. Shiva temple is tranquilizing and Olakallu Theeertha ( a temple carved in the stone with sacred waters) are all nice. You need to see and enjoy. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

All said and Done

A nice place, a good endurance test for your body :), Wild Monkeys companionship and total fun. Make sure that you carry your own food. Hotels aren’t too good there.

Club Cabana, Bangalore – A beautiful timeout from Office and Traffic!

We had recently gone out to Club Cabana (Bangalore) for Official Team Outing. I must say that it was really fun and refreshing!

How to reach Club Cabana?

Very easy, just go towards Bangalore International Airport. Just be vigilant once you spot the big ITC Factory, you should take the second left (Unfortunately there is no sign board that says Club Cabana or something) and it is very easy to miss it. I was driving like crazy as the road was nice and relatively less traffic, I just moved ahead and crossed Airport. Then I realized man, Dang! I missed it. I had to take a U Turn and come back again. Luckily my pals helped me out to find the left turn. It’s a matter of minutes after that key left

turn :) and oh la, you will be at Club Cabana. It was a first time visit for me. All my friends had gone there a couple of time. anyway, time was to have some fun.

What have they got to offer you?

Well, plenty of stuff! Outdoor games like Tennis, Badminton, Table Tennis, Chess, Snooker, Cards, Bowling (they charge a 100 bucks for a 10 round game, pretty decent) and much more. It was really fun for a lazy bugger like me :) I hardly move my butt! After Aravind (my pal) and me played a singles game of Tennis, I was really puffing and panting for a breath of air. That’s our fitness level dudes!

What I really liked was, Water Games :) Man, Can you believe I’m no swimmer! Well yeah, Lazy Buggers aren’t swimmers, no prizes for guessing! Anywayz, Water isn’t deeper than 4 feet at any point of time and Boy, I drowned a couple of times. My another pal, Rajan was not far behind, he drowned in the 4 feet drop pool and was behaving as if he had a near death experience :) Just Kidding Rajan, no offence! There are 3 water rides and all of them are really good and exciting. There are others like Lazy River which is an artificial water loop with a mild current, that just gently pushes around :) Again, custom made for lazies like me!, Wave pool, another beauty! Jacuzzi for relaxing and so much else to enjoy!

Lazy River :)

Wave pool!

Amphitheatre, Satish trying to address a team meeting! But, where is the team?

Our beautiful cars :)

I couldn’t take pictures of Water Rides, I was paranoid to wear swimming trunks and things like that. In that commotion, I forgot my Camera and forgot to take pics. Sorry folks…next time. So watch out, they are very particular about swimming costume and no t-shirts for guys. What a pity. I didn't have a problem at Wonder-La but rules are rules here.

All Said and Done

Well, Club Cabana property is really good, for a price like 750Rs, You get Welcome Drink, Unlimited breakfast, Complete access to Outdoor games, Indoor games, Water games, Great Lunch Buffet in the afternoon, Hi Tea in the evening and of course, the enjoyment. Everything is good. There is a members only pool but that's ok, we don’t need that as everything else is ours :) and yeah, never think of becoming a member there as it costs a bomb. Club Cabana guys looked at me and appeared as if they said “Go away Jerk” it costs like over a crore, you need to buy a plot there. So, I said “Good For You and Thank You”

All Said and Done, Yeah, Club Cabana, Here I Come Again :)

So, I take a break and add something later. This blog has been idling for too long. Let me kick and move it…

Ruins of Alamparai Fort

The ruins of Alamparai Fort (also called Alampara) lie near Kadapakkam, a village 50 km from Mamallapuram.

It was built during Mughal era and had well structured dockyard from which zari, cloth, salt, ghee etc were exported to Europe and the middle east.

According to history, the fort was destroyed by the British in 1760 and again by 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake which resulted in a massive tsunami.(source: Wikipedia)

How to reach:

You can either drive from Pondicherry or Mahabalipuram via scenic East Cost Road. Here is the route on Google Map for your reference.

View Larger Map

A good place to hang around and you can have a quite day with a nice view of the sea. Local fishermen will give you a ride on their boat to the adjacent seashore. You may need to bargain and if you know Tamil then it will come in handy :-)

A short walk will give an easy access to the beach

A scenic view of Bay of Bengal from the Fort

Local fishing boats

Ruins of the Fort

All said and done:

Scenic views at Alamparai Fort will definitely mesmerize you. Here, the seashore is quite without crowd and the beach is pristine. This is because, very few people know about this place and sometimes an advantage for you. It is a short drive from Pondicherry and Mahabalipuram and can be easily reached via East Coast Road that connects Chennai with Cuddalore via Pondicherry. A must try.

Technorati Tags: Alamparai Fort, East Coast Road, Tsunami, Bay of Bengal, Pondicherry, Chennai, Mahabalipuram, Mamallapuram, Cuddalore, Alampara

Bangalore Weekend - Quick drive to Shivanasamudra and Somanathpura

We had recently visited Shivanasamudra and Somanathpura on a Saturday. It was really a good visit and here is a brief write-up on how to reach, what to see etc.

How to reach Shivanasamudra:

1. Drive on SH17 (Bangalore - Mysore highway)
2. Reach Maddur and take a left turn to get on SH33
3. Drive on SH33 which will lead to Malavalli, a small town
4. Continue further and join NH209 which will eventually take you to Shivanasamudra
   
   Except SH17, road condition is not good and be prepared for a bumpy ride! Shivanasamudra is almost 130 kms from Bangalore.
   
   Here is the route on google map to get a better idea.
   
   
   View Larger Map
   
   Alternate route is to take Kanakpura road from Bangalore, which is NH209 but the road condition is unfortunately bad again.
   
   At Shivanasamudra, Kaveri River splits into two causing western and eastern branches. The western branch is known as Gaganachukki Falls and the eastern branch is known as Bharachukki Falls. Both are spectacular.
   
   

   Gaganachukki Falls:

   
   
   Gaganachukki Falls (twins) can be viewed from two different locations, one from the Shivanasamudra Watch Tower and the other from the Darga Hazrath Mardane Gaib.
   
   View from Watch Tower
   
   
   
   A view from the Darga Hazrath Mardane Gaib
   
   
   

   Bharachukki Falls:

   
   
   
   A short drive on NH209 brings us to the eastern part of the falls - Bharachukki. It is the best as one can climb down and have a closer look at this amazing falls. The roar of the falls is just refreshing and can not be described in words but experience it.
   
   Bharachukki Falls
   
   
   
   A closer look
   
   
   
   A view from the Teppa
   
   
   
   

   Recommended try at Shivanasamudra:

   
   
   
   A teppa ride to have the closest view of Bharachukki is something great. The boat-man steers the Theppa through the rapids of rising water that really gives a thrilling experience. You can literally touch the falls and you also realize the depth of the water. Boat-man told me that it could be as high as 80 feet! At the end, he gives a nice 360 degree spin for a while, which is cool.
   
   Waiting Teppas
   
   
   
   But, the sad thing is that the visitors have really littered the place with plastics, which makes us realize that after all we are here to do damage than enjoy the serene beauty of nature.
   
   You can enjoy the pure nature and may want to stay-put till evening :-). But, If you need to visit Somanathpura, climb up to get into your vehicle. In no time, you will be on the route to Somanathpur (Please refer to the initial route map) and soon you will realize that the journey ahead will be harder than you thought. Worn out road will be a major obstacle unless you have a serious off-roader like Hummer :-)
   
   Once you reach Chennakeshava Temple at Somanathpura, you will forget all the pain. The mesmerizing temple with its extremely detailed carvings will definitely touch you.
   
   A view of Chennakeshava Temple - The tripple shrines (Shikharas or Gopuras)
   
   
   
   
   A rear view of the Shrine
   
   
   
   Depiction of various types Shrines seen in Northern and Southern India
   
   
   
   Star shaped platform has detailed 6 layers of Friezes. Lowest of all is the procession of Elephants symbolizing the strength of the base, horsemen, a band of foliage, an imaginary beast "Makara", depictions from hindu epics and Swans. Each object in these friezes is unique and shows the expertise of the sculptors.
   
   
   
   Panel Carvings
   
   
   
   An incomplete depiction of Shrine kept as a challenge for others to try out?
   
   
   
   Each lathe turned pillar looks unique mainly because of the ancient primitive tools used for turning the stone blocks.
   
   
   
   Rear view
   
   
   
   Hindu Deities
   
   
   
   You can spend a good time exploring the detailed carvings and trying understand what they tell us. You can also get government provided guides to get more details about different carvings.
   
   Once you are done appreciating the temple, you can head back to Bangalore via Shrirangapattna-Mandya->Bangalore or Bannur->Malavalli->Maddur->Bangalore routes.
   
   What to carry?
   
   Extra pairs of cloths if you want to get wet at Shivanasamudra, packed food as getting a decent hotel around these places is difficult and of-course a good Camera.
   
   Round trip distance is approximately 350 kms. Incase you don't want to drive, you may try conducted tours by KSTDC to these locations.
   
   We hope you enjoy as much we did. All photos are taken on my Olympus C8080WZ camera
   
   Technorati Tags: Shivanasamudra, Somanathpura, Somnathapur, Somnathpur, Gaganachukki, Barachukki, Bharachukki, Kaveri, Mandya, Maddur, Malavalli, Mallavalli, trip to shivanasamudra, trip to somnathpur, weekend drive