Chikmagalur - Coffee estates, superb weather and awesome hills

Chikmagalur which literally means Younger Daughter’s town, is close to Bangalore and is on most people’s travel list as it provides a wide range of travel and trek possibilities. The place is known for its coffee estates, lush green hills of Baba Budan Giri, Mullayanagiri and the Kudhremukh National Park. It is also very close to the world heritage center “Belur and Halebid” that celebrate the intricate detailed sculpted work of the Hoysala Empire.

Chikmagalur makes for a great weekend or long weekend trip for people living in and around Bangalore or even visiting it. 

How to Reach:

By Road – You can drive down , it is about 240 kilometers from Bangalore and can be scaled in about 5 to 5 ½ hours, the roads are mostly good.

You can also take a bus to Chikmagalur from Bangalore or whichever place you want to start from.

By Train : The nearest Rail head is at Kadur

By Air: Nearest Airport is at Bangalore

Driving down is the best option as the journey to and also in and around the place is beautiful laden with green on all sides, if it’s a monsoon drive even the better.

Things to Do :

There are plenty of places to see and things to do in this region. If trekking is what you love then Baba Budangiri, Mullayangiri and Kudhremukh have many trails to scale. If a short climb and watch sunset on the ridge is your thing then just stop pick a hill and climb it, Mullayangiri is just spectacular and you don’t need to reach the very top to get a great view, where ever your legs start to ache stop there and take in the view, it’s absolutely gorgeous.

Sunset at Mullayanagiri

You can visit the Kudhremukh national park and Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, drive down to Hebbe Falls, Ayyanakere lake, and Kalahatti falls. Do not forget to visit Belur and Halebid Temples on your way back to Bangalore it is exquisite and an Indian Architecural/ artistic marvel. 

Beautiful Temple Architecture and Relief Sculptures at Belur

You can walk around in some coffee estates, the possibilities are limitless, all depends on what you love the most, in chikmagalur you can afford to pick and choose that.

Things to Remember :

1. If you are traveling during monsoon, the monsoon here is heavy rain with fog filled roads and valleys. So carry a poncho or an umbrella always. If you are driving down , fog lights may be a good idea, especially if you have plans of off roading.

2. If you plan to trek in any of the hills, carry water and wear floaters or good shoes as the terrain is full of grass growth and rubble.

3. The hill tops are always windy and a little chill so carry warm wear.

4. If you are an ardent photographer carry a telephoto lens, and keep your camera at the ready always, you could spot something while trekking, walking or even driving which you wouldn’t want to miss.

5. Book your accommodation in advance in one of the many home stays and resorts, weekends most of them get filled quite easily.

Parinitha Konanur

Shravanabelagola – The Magnificent Monolith

 Karnataka is a place to visit, for people coming from all walks of life. Those of you who want to see the beaches, the mountains, the rain cladden roads, villages, heritage sites, cultural hot spots, food specific people, all kinds of travelers will find something to match their taste in the this vast and wonderful state.

Shravanabelagola is the place any traveler would want to visit. It is one of the most important heritage sites of Karnataka and has been well known for centuries for its magnificent Monolith of Bahubalai also Known as Gomateshwara. This place has the spiritual aura, magnificent architectural memoirs signifying the rich history of the place. Bahubali was a jain “Arihantha”[ someone who has reached the stage just before the state of “Siddha” ]

The Monolith was built in 981 AD in the Vindyagiri Hill, it is a gigantic 57 feet tall, it was built by “Chavundaraya” who was a military commander and minister in the court of the western Ganga Dynasty of Talakad. He was also known to be a poet. 

Shravanabelagola has two hills, Chandragiri and Vindhyagiri. Chandragiri is known to have been the place where Chandragupta Maurya did penance, and the great king Asoka built Chandragupta Basadi to commemorate it, on this hill. Chandragiri is also known for its other memorials of several Sravakas [ Disciples]  who meditated there from the 5^th century AD.  It is considered as one of the most important Jain pilgrimages.

The “Mahamastakabhisheka” is held every 12 years , where hundreds of liters of milk, honey, saffron, KumKum and turmeric is used to wash this gigantic sculpture, it’s a spectacle and definitely should be experienced once in a life time. 

Many inscriptions can be found here, dating back to the 600 AD, most of these inscriptions are in Haleganada – or Old Kannada, describing the rise of the Western Ganga Dynasty, the Hoysala empire, and the Wodeyar Dynasty.

This place is filled with such historical relics and would please an historian, traveler or a person with interest in art and history.

Sharavanabelagola is about 158 kms from Bangalore, and can be reached by Bus, or own transport easily. The bus you will have to take in case you decide on a bus is the Hassan City bus , Shravanabelagola will be the next stop after Chennarayanapattina. The place can be visited in all seasons but best season is between October and February. 

Parinitha Konanur