Bangalore to Shivagange peak and back in 6 hours - 8th May 2010

We started of with ambitious plans for the weekend thinking of a 2 day trip to Bandipur and Himavadgopalaswami betta. With the summer heat at its best, the group enthusiasm quickly dropped.

However, I desperately wanted go to somewhere away from the city during the weekend and I started thinking about Shivagange, a small hillock on Tumkur road. I had trekked to this place many times already and so wanted to do something different. I proposed that we try and do this trek in 5-6 hours including the travel. To beat the heat, we decided to start early.

Saturday morning, I picked up Chetan and Sridhar and we hit NICE road (the segment connecting Magadi road to Tumkur road) by 6:30 AM on my Maruti 800. It was a pleasant drive on NICE and later on Tumkur road.


To reach Shivagange, you have to travel on Tumkur road till Dabaspet. At Dabaspet, you have to go under the flyover and turn left. Shivagange is 6 KM from this point. There are some shops here that serve breakfast. We had idlis here and continued.

We reached the base of the hill at 7:45 and parked our car in the temple parking area.

We started the trek enthusiastically, with Chetan literally sprinting in front. All through the trek, there are crude steps carved out on the rocks. Along the way, there are lots of small shops selling cool drinks and sugarcane juice. We were almost the first ones to get there that day and none of the shops were open.

There are some dilapidated temple structures along the way.

Having started early, we didn't have to fight a harsh sun.


As we get closer to the top, the climb gets steeper. You also have to deal with some friends near the top. I had read in some blogs that the monkeys here have developed the uncanny habit of actually checking your pockets and bags. I hadn't seen that on my earlier visits and thought it was some exaggeration. But, this time I was selected for a thorough check. This guy checked my pockets first and then moved on to my bag. He actually opened it and had a look. Luckily, the only thing that interested him was my water bottle.

We reached the peak by 9AM and spent some time taking photos and resting there.

There is a Nandi statue nicely placed on a rock near the peak. You can get a nice panoramic view and feel a pleasant breeze from this point.


There are a few places that are worth a stop along the trek. We hadn't stopped at these places on our way to the top. So, we stopped at a couple of places on our way back.

The first stop was at a place where they have newly constructed a big statue of Shiva and Parvati.


Next we stopped at Olakal Teertha. This place has a temple and there is a small underground spring. It is said that one who is pious and good can touch water here.

We then stopped at a sugar cane juice shop and prepared and had sugarcane juice. We literally prepared it ourselves.


At the base of the hill, there is a Gangadhareshwara temple. A strange phenomenon here is that the Abhisheka in ghee turns into butter.

We were back at the base by 10:30 and headed back to Bangalore. Again, thanks to Tumkur road and NICE road, we reached the city by 12, thus fulfilling our plan of doing the whole trip inside 6 hours.

Places around Shivagange that could be covered on the same day

1. Devarayanadurga
2. Namada chilume

Shimsha & Somnathpur - Nov 2009

It was Friday evening and I started talking to Chetan and Sridhar about where we could escape for the weekend. The result was a plan for a day trip spending most of the day at Shivanasamudram water falls and stop at Somnathpur temple on the way back. We hired a cab and hit Mysore road around 7AM. We had Mangalore style Idli (Moode - Idli cooked wrapped in a leaf) for breakfast at MTR Shivalli after Ramanagaram.

As we neared Maddur, our driver told us about a temple there and about a bull in that temple that people worship and its divine powers. This aroused our curiosity and we decided to take a detour and visit.


The bull was resting at the caretaker family's house when we went. Our first look at it left us awestruck. It was huge compared to any bull that I had seen till then. But, what really surprised us was the currency notes that were tied to its horns and the silver coins that jingled around its neck. It is supposed to be a custom that devotees follow here.

We had tender coconut to beat the heat and continued towards Shimsha.


We finally reached Shimsha around noon after multiple stops. There are two main water falls here. At one of them, Gaganachukki, you can see the falls from a distance standing on a view point. We took some photos there and quickly drove towards the other waterfall, Bharachukki, where you can climb down some crude steps and get to the base of the waterfall.

Since it was past the rainy season, the water was not at its powerful best, but it was ideal to get into the water. We took a coracle ride which took us so close to the waterfall that we were drenched by the water splashing from the waterfall. Again, since it was past the rainy season, there were some points where you could actually stand right below the fall and feel the pressure of the water. We stayed in water for a couple of hours here.


The walk back up the steps left us dead tired and really hungry. There were no real restaurants around. So, we had to make do with the Bel puri, watermelon and tender coconut that were available.

As we drove from Shimsha towards Somnathpur, we saw inviting green farmlands all along the way on both sides. We couldn't resist the invitation and stopped at one point and took some pictures.


The Somnathpur temple is something that I have visited several times. But, it never fails to amaze me. Its a typical exhibition of Hoysala craftsmanship.


After spending some time there, we headed home amid scenes of the setting sun...