Malnad Musings - A sojourn in Western ghats

“Where are you going next week?” Praveen asked as we sipped Coffee in the break out area. “Is it a long weekend?” I questioned. “Yeah, 24 Aug is a holiday. I am going to Pondy….Haven't you planned anything?”

Streams galore in Western ghats

This question set in motion for our next “long weekend” trip. The planning part of any trip is exciting as well as tiring. We had done most places around. “Where next” I asked my wife. As we started googling, an idea stuck. Why not “Malnad in monsoons”? she said. We hit upon going to Tirthahalli in Malnad region of Karnataka. Malenadu or Malnad in Kannada means “Hilly region” of Western Ghats comprising of Shivamogga, Chikkamagalur and Coorg districts.

There were some challenges before we could embark on this plan. First was the road condition to Shivamogga and then on to Tirthahalli. We had a harrowing experience driving on this road two years back from Goa. We became adventurous and drove via Karwar, visiting Jog falls on the way. But the road from Shivamogga to Kadur (a distance of 50 KMs) was sheer misery. My fiesta had a torrid time negotiating craters and it took us two hours to cover this stretch. We wanted to be doubly sure about road. Once confirmed good, heaved a sigh of relief and moved to next challenge. Where do we stay?

Shivamogga district has fabulous flora, fauna, hills, water falls, heritage…….you name it and it has. But it does not have many good places to stay. Tourism has not picked up in the region and road conditions discouraged visitors. Googling and talking to some friends helped us decide to stay in Tirthahalli to explore Malnad. This led us to BANANKI HOMESTAY ( http://www.banankihomestay.com/ ). Having confirmed accommodation, we were raring to go.

The green canopy!

The road till Tumkur is excellent. After Tumkur we branched out on NH 206. The road was surprisingly good with hardly any traffic. The recent rains had turned the parched lands in Tumkur district green. We spotted a cute little church – looked like built by British – in Gubbi town. Lo and behold! We were in Shivamogga at 12.30 Noon having covered a distance of 280 KMs in 4.30 Hours with a break of fifteen minutes for eating idlis! The drive from Shivamogga to Tirthahalli was fabulous as we entered the “Male nadu”. Driving through green expanse on the winding road through picturesque "Shetty Halli Wild Life Sanctuary" with small ponds with lilies on the sides made it a pleasure. 

Mandagadde Bird sanctuary

The next fifty KMs drive to Bananki was smooth. We stopped to look at the egrets at Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary on the way. When we reached Bananki, it was 2 PM. Rachan and Arpita – the young couple whose home it is – were there to receive us. This is a sprawling bungalow amidst a plantation with well kept garden around. The old bungalow has been renovated by the couple. They provide three rooms inside the bungalow and have built two small cottages as well. The lunch – traditional Malnad vegetarian cuisine as we are veg – was god sent. It was just the beginning of our wonderful gastronomical journey in Bananki. Arpita is very good at preparing the food and we had our fill. After resting for a while we were on the road again.

The country Home of KUVEMPU - The Great Kannada Litterateur

Our first stop was “Kavi Shyla” – the memorial for Kuvempu, the great poet and litterateur in Kannada. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuvempu )The memorial is built by a team of his disciples and family with lot of love and affection. It shows in the way the ancestral home of Kuvempu has been renovated and converted into a nice museum. The museum has display of rare photographs, items used by the poet, awards and medals won. I have never seen a better memorial to any Indian litterateur (I have not seen Tagore memorial in Shanti Niketan.) The “Kavi Shyla” close to the memorial is a hillock where the poet used to go to draw inspiration from. The setting of the hill is just stunning. It has panoramic views of Sahyadri Mountains with lush green paddy fields in the valley. The team has created “Stonehenge” kind of structure around the place where the poet was cremated. The place has been developed with lot of aesthetic sense. Sringeri – the famed temple town – was the next stop. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shringeri) After visiting temples of Sharada Devi and Vidya Shankara, we spent some time on the serene environs of tunga river before heading back.

The day dawned with chirping of birds and cries of peacock! After an excellent cuppa, we stepped outside into the garden to see some beautiful birds. Not being a birder, I could only identify a woodpeckerL. The binocularss came in handy as we were able to see at least six types of birds. “Why don’t we go far a small walk” asked Brinda. I was game for it and Rachan recommended us to take a path going down the bungalow leading to a small stream below. Not minding a slight drizzle, we stepped out. The light drizzle, young sun and greenery made the walk a pleasure. On the way, we could see a cute little pond with fringed with bent trees. We came back and Brinda opened her shoe to see in horror a swollen leach between her toe fingers! She was seeing it for the first time and was naturally scared. I told her not to worry, went to kitchen and removed it after smearing it with lime (Sunna/chuna). The lime is supposed to help in clotting blood quickly.

Picturesque Nagara Fort

Breakfast done, we hit the road. We wanted to go off beaten track and just drive in the forests. Our first stop enroute to Nagara was Ambu Thirtha - birth place of Sharavathi River. On the way we passed by Kavale Durga – a small fort atop a hill – with fabulous views of hills. As we entered the Nagara town, we stood bowled over by the fort. The setting – on a small hillock with a lake in the foreground - is romantic and reminded me of Mandu in Madhya Pradesh which I visited 20 years ago. The fort can be covered in 45 minutes. We were keen to see the backwaters of Linganamakki Dam. An hour’s drive from Nagara through woods and streams landed us at the boarding site for ferry.

Surreal picture of backwaters!

This place was just breathtaking. It was huge expanse of water. The clouds, clear water, small islands, submerged tree trunks give this place a tranquil and serene feel. I had thought Thekkady to be picturesque, but this place beats it by miles. The shores are ideal spots for camping.  We put our car in ferry and crossed over in ten minutes. Enroute to Sagara, we saw the famous temple at Ikkeri. As we reached Sagara, we were in dilemma. To go to Jog Falls or not. We had seen Jog in full glory couple of years back. It was already 4.30 in the evening and the clouds were giving an early warning. Jog is unpredictable in the evening as envelope of mist blocks the view of falls. We decided against and instead moved towards HEGGODU, the cultural centre with NINASAM repertory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninasam) established by KV Subbanna, Magsaysay Award winner. It is a small village known for many cultural and sustainable livelihood activities. Every October, Heggodu comes alive for a week during “Cultural Festival” where literary, development seminars, cultural shows are held. The day was well spent. Leisurely drives in the woods are a good kick indeed. The dinner was fabulous as ever, specially the soup.

The Sandy beach @ Bheemanakatte

Packing up, we planned to leave after an early breakfast. Rachan suggested visiting Bheemana Katte, a small unspoiled place on the banks of Tunga River. River Tunga creates numerous sandy beaches during its course and Bheemana Katte happens to have one of the longest. There was a plan to mine the sand but local opposition drove away the contractors. Thus the place was saved! On the way, we wanted to visit Bhadra reservoir in Lakkavalli near Tarikere. But it started raining and we decided against.

As we drove back, we promised ourselves to come back to “Malnad” and savour the other sights we had not explored – Agumbe, Kundadri, Kodachadri, Kavale Durga, Gudavi bird sanctuary, Belligave, Gerusoppa, Hidlamane Falls, Koodli, Chandragutti, Kanoor fort, Bhadra reservoir……………and many other places.

So folks, here is an excellent alternate destination to Pondy, Coorg, Ooty, Wayanad, Chikkamagalur and Yercaud for your long weekends. One can comfortably spend three days exploring the places. If you are a trekker add couple of more days.

An underrated, unexplored Tirthahalli and Malnad beckon you! So, what are you waiting for? Not packing your bags?

Some useful websites

http://www.shimoga.nic.in/tourism.htm

http://wikitravel.org/en/Shimoga

http://www.travelmalnad.com/thirthahalli/index.php

http://www.malnadu.com/home.html

Reaching there


Tirthahalli is 330 KMs from Bangalore.

By Car
The route is Bangalore - Tumkur - Tiptur - Arsikere - Kadur - Tarikere - Bhadravati (bye pass) - Shivamogga - Tirthahalli
Road till Tumkur is four lane and excellent. Road beyond is two lane and is quite good. There is hardly any traffic on this stretch beyond Tumkur which helps build up speed. Travel time 6 Hours with half hour break in my fiesta.

By Bus
There are many buses to Shivamogga from Bangalore and from there it is 1.15 hour journey to Tirthahalli.

By Train
The inter city night train to Shivamogga is a good option to those who do not want to drive.

Stay Options

Bananki as mentioned is good. The USP is excellent food. The accommodation is decent. There are other good home stays as well and a resort named Vihangama. Get more details from http://www.travelmalnad.com/

Travel Tips

a) Make Tirthahalli as base to explore Malnad region of Shivamogga district and also neighbouring Chikkamaglur (for Sringeri, Agumbe and Horanadu). Being centrally located it has good access to many places in the region. The place can be visited through out the year. Though monsoons are heavy, but you can enjoy the rain.

b) An excellent alternative to Wayanad and Pondicherry for long weekends from Bangalore. The driving time is same.

c) A pristine and unexplored territory.

d) Good place for religious minded too - Sringeri, Kollur, Ikkeri etc....

e) Good and leisurely drives in western ghats. Do not hurry up!!

f) An excellent area for trekking buffs.

g) Great place for wild life enthusiasts - specially for birders

h) Carry good binoculars and good shoe. Be willing to rough it out if needed.

i) Heggodu comes alive every October during cultural festival which has seminars, dramas, folk performances, rural market etc.

You may also like the following posts on Malnad

An itinerary to explore Malnad

Monsoon drive in Malnad

Driving Holidays from Bangalore - Magical Malnad!




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