To Hampi and Coastal Karnataka

Hampi – the name entails India’s past glory and the grandeur with which our own land once bloomed. This was the sole reason for me to take up the ride to this city of yore, to witness the splendid architecture and its magnanimity with my own eyes.

Day 1:

I set off a bit early on my Machismo, so that I would reach Hospet by early afternoon. But Murphy’s basic law had its way quite early in the ride. I left home at 6:30PM. I was barely 10kms from home, the accelerator cable snapped. Though I had a spare cable, I did not have the appropriate paraphernalia to fix it. My search for a mechanic bore fruit quite early, as I found a guy just opening his shop. But as he was not a Bullet mech, he was not even able to fix an accel cable. I somehow conjured it up to a position where I could just pull along until I found a Bullet mech. I found one on Dr.Rajkumar road but had to wait, as his shop was not yet open. About an hour later the guy turned up and fixed the cable in matter of seconds.

Had my breakfast close to the mech’s place. The earliest time I could leave B’lore was about 9am. I hit the NH4 by 9:30 in the morning. NH4 is the best road a rider could ask for. There was no stopping once you hit the highway. Though the incomplete portions of the highway slows you down, your tempo to ride on remains at high gear.

It was about 12PM when I was on the outskirts of Chitradurga, where I planned for a stop for lunch. But I decided against the stop, as I wanted to reach Hospet as early as possible. Though I took a few rest-stops on the way, I did not stop for lunch. I then decided that I would feed myself only after reaching Hospet.

I was on the outskirts of Hospet when I viewed the sea-like expanse of the Tungabhadra reservoir. I really confounded it to a sea at the first sight. What a vista that was!!! I reached the Hospet town at around 3.30PM. I checked into a hotel next the city bus stand. The Hotel was pretty cozy and quite cheap too.

Next on the itinerary was a visit to the Tungabhadra dam. The musical fountain was a good entertainment and with kids dancing around, it was more than amusing. The dam also has a well-maintained aquarium and a green park. The view of the park at night when all the lights are lit is simply awesome. I returned to Hospet and had my dinner and decided to retire for the day a bit early, so that I could start my Hampi sojourn early in the morning.

Day 2:

My best efforts to get up at 5AM were futile as I could only get up only at 6. My ablutions were completed in a hurry. It was time to hit the road to Hampi.


HAMPI, the seat of the famous VIJAYANAGARA Empire was the capital of the empire under Krishnadevaraya, the Emperor.

Saint Vidyaranya established the Vijayanagara Empire in 1336 A.D, with the help of his disciples Hakka and Bukka. The empire later became renowned for re-establishment of Indian culture, its support for music, art and literature. With the prime purpose of caring for the people and their welfare, this empire stretched across Karnataka, Andhra and Maharashtra and became a by-word for golden rule.

Hampi is just about 15 Kms from Hospet. I reached Hampi by 7.30AM. I decided to hire a guide, without whom I thought I would not be able to interpret Hampi’s history and architecture. After some negotiation on the rates, I hired a guide for a complete day. The plan was to start at the Virupaksha temple and end it at the Matunga hill.

Virupaksha temple to start with was no less a wonder than Hampi itself and so is each and every place in Hampi. The pinhole camera contraption at the temple is a wonder in the true sense. As planned we visited the following places in order – Bazaar street, Sasuvekaalu Ganapathi, Kadalekalu Ganapathi, Jain temples on the Hemakoota hill, Ugranarasimha statue, Hazaara Rama temple, underground Shiva temple, Lotus Mahal, Gaja Shaale and Horse stables. Next it was time for lunch. We resumed our ride around Hampi after a sumptuous lunch at a Hotel in a nearby village called Kamalapura. Then it was Malyavanta Raghunathaswamy temple, Bhimana dwara, Vijaya vittala temple, Stone chariot, King’s balance, Panduranga mantapa, Vishnu temple and sole bazaar via the main bazaar street.

The last stop for the day as planned was the Matunga hill. I decided to spend some time on the hill by myself. I paid the guide and traced my path to the top of the hill. On the top I had the company of tourists from different countries. The view of the sunset from the top of the Matunga hill in itself makes the ride to Hampi fruitful. With a heavy heart I decided to leave Hampi for Hospet. It was around 9pm when I reached Hospet.

My next day’s ride was to ride to Hubli and reach Sirsi and visit places along the way. So I had to start early in the morning.

Day 3:

I checked out of the Hotel and hit the road by 6.30. Quite early by my standards. The road to Hubli from Hospet was good but to my surprise the traffic on this road, NH 63, was quite heavy. Numerous small and big truckers fill up the traffic on the highway. It is the vast expanse of sunflower fields that catch your attention and reduces monotony. I did take a few stops to photograph the sunflower fields.

Hubli, the cultural capital of Karnataka, was one city I was always in wonder of. After breakfast at the Kamat hotel, I spent some time around the city. The Kittur Chenamma circle at the centre of the city is a superb monument, which makes your visit to Hubli worthwhile.

It was time to hit the highway to Sirsi through Yellapura. I reached Yellapura at around 1 in the afternoon. As there was sufficient time to reach Sirsi, I decided to visit few places around Yellapura. My first stop was at the Kavude Kere. Next on the list were Magod falls and Jenukallu Gudda. The roads here are in itself an experience. But at times it really cracks your nerves. There are places where you are alone for kilometers together. But with nature around you always, you never seem to tire.

I reached Sirsi by 4PM. But I was in no mood to rest. After lunch, my enquiries ended in me deciding to visit Banavasi about 25kms from Sirsi. And what an experience it turned out to be. On the way I picked a good samaritan who was resident of Banavasi. From then on he was my guide to Banavasi and the famous Madhukeshwara Temple of the Kadambas. I was treated to coffee at his home. After the visit to the awe-inspiring temple, I was taken to an art gallery next to the temple. The art gallery is owned and maintained by a person who makes the wax sculptures on his own. Some of the sculptures were of his own servant and his grandfather. One of his creations was a wax model of a dog, which I really mistook it to be a real one at the first sight. Hope we will have a wax museum as famous as the Tussaud’s one day, provided we encourage and nurture such local talents. This experience really made me think of such numerous unknown talents across India, who can really make it big on the national and International stage provided they get proper aid from our governments.

I returned to Sirsi with a sense of accomplishment. It was the right time to visit the famous Durga temple in the city.

The day ended on a wrong note, as I had to pay a fine to the local police for entering a one way from the wrong end. Well it was like feeding two stomachs that night, as I too was quite hungry.


Day 4:

My destination for the day was Mangalore. It is a ride of about 300Kms. I was lucky to find a petrol bunk open early in the morning at Sirsi. The ride down the Sirsi ghats to Kumta was a chilly one. It was freezing cold and even the jacket and gloves didn’t help much.

After a good breakfast at Kamat yatrinivas at Kumta, it was time to cover some distance on the NH 17. As planned I reached Murudeshwar in the late morning. I spent some time at the temple and the huge Lord Shiva statue. The rough shores of Murudeshwar is a fine sight for a nature lover. The ride along the Marvante beach is an experience of a lifetime. As usual such fine nature makes a perfect background for my Bullet. It was time to shoot her is all possible angles with the Arabian Sea as the backdrop.

Udupi was the next stop on the way. My idea to visit the temple took a hit when I witnessed the never-ending queue waiting to get into the temple. I gave my salutations to the Lord Krishna from outside and decided to fill by belly. The Kediyoor hotel in the city is my automatic choice for cuisine in Udupi. After a sumptuous lunch I hit the highway to Mangalore. On the way was the lighthouse at Kaapu. A place for many film shootings, this place is worth a visit.

Udupi Krishna Bhavan on K S Rao road was a good option to lodge for the day in Mangalore. As I had decided earlier, after checking into the hotel I freshened up and rode to the Someshwar Uchchil beach on the way to Kerala. The Someshwara temple was under construction and so I decided to spend the evening on the shores of the Uchchil beach. After witnessing the ever-beautiful sunset, I decided to return to Mangalore and try some special icecreams at the Ideals. I dinner for the night were a variety of icecreams which the steward at Ideals was more than happy to serve.

After returning to the Hotel it was time to decide on the destination for the next day. As my leaves were over, I had to decide whether to return to Bangalore or continue my ride. After a lot of deliberations, I decided to extend my leave by a day and care for any consequences only after I return to duty. I finally decided to ride to Coorg the next day.

Day 5:

I left Mangalore early, as my route to Coorg was not decided. The map showed a shorter route via Kerala to Talakaveri. But the local police told me that the route was not feasible and was infact longer than the normal route and with worse roads. But as I made out later the normal route was no better in regards to the condition of the road. As I neared Sulya, the crash-guard literally got cut at one point. But I had to ride on until I found a suitable place to get the piece soldered.

The ride from Mangalore to Madikeri, is a filled with views of some of the best scenic spots on the Western Ghats. But due to the bad condition of the roads, the distance of around 150Kms takes almost close to 5hrs. About 3kms from Madikeri is the deviation to the birthplace of river Kaveri, Talakaveri. On the way to Talakaveri is Bagamandala. This is the place of confluence of three rivers, the Cauvery, the Kanika and the Sujyothi. The temple here is revered highly by the devotees. The distance of 30kms from here to Talakaveri is worthy ride as you get to witness the mighty mountains of the Brahmagiri Sanctuary and the roads are also quite good. Talakaveri has lot to offer to a tourtist. The temple is situated in a place, which surrounded by beautiful green mountains of the Western Ghats. One can witness the beautiful sceneries all-around from the top of the peak here. 360 degrees of pure greenery.

I reached Madikeri by 4pm and checked into the Woodlands hotel near the KSRTC bus stand. After some rest, it was time for lunch. Raja seat is just about 2kms from the main market area in Madikeri. One can witness one of the best sunset views from here. Time spent in solitude here is not only worthwhile but also makes you one with nature. I ended my day after visiting the Omkareshwara Temple in Madikeri.

Day 6:

This was my last day of the ride. But more than just returning to Bangalore, I wanted to make the best use of this last day’s ride. I had chalked out to visit a number of places on the way to Bangalore. I checked out at 7AM from the Hotel and took the road to Mysore.

I reached Ilavala on the way to Mysore. Here I had to take a deviation towards Balamuri. Balamuri is famous for the waterfalls and the Ganesha temple. The coracle ride here was a good experience. As the name suggests, the river Kaveri turns towards the right direction here. Yedamuri is at a distance of just 2Kms from Balamuri. Water spots are anybody’s favorite to spend time. Hoards of college students from nearby Mysore were having a gala time here.

I continued my journey back to Bangalore via Srirangapatna. I had lunch on one of the numerous roadside dhabas. Coconut water on the way was a welcome refresh drink.

Reached my home at around 3.30 in the afternoon. Reminiscences of my ride was running on in my mind. 1500 Kms in 6 days seemed like a vague idea now. What was more important was what I gained from the ride.

I had experienced the glory of the past and the present nature’s beauty. We will surely witness the same for many more years to come, only if we take enough care to maintain this lands past glory and nature with equal vigor. Hope the false developmental strides today will not vanquish our history and present nature.

Killing somnolence with Bullet

The intent was to wander about aimlessly during the weekend. As none of my friends had planned anything for the weekend I decided to kill the early morning’s somnolence by a long ride. I decided to start my ride at daybreak without any particular destination in mind.

It was 6.30 in the morning. I packed my knapsack with a pair of clothing and the book that actually inspired me for this ride, “Motorcycle Diaries” by Che Guevara. Che’s riding memorabilia not only inspired me for this ride but also gave me a purpose for all my rides since. A must read for all long distance riders.

Riding Solo for a long distance and that too without a definite destination in mind was something I had never done before. When I was finally out of Bangalore’s maddening traffic and on to the highway, I felt like an insect coming out of a cocoon successfully after a long wait. The countryside was amazingly calm or probably I felt so, when compared to the busy Bangalore suburbs.

I passed the tollgate on the highway towards Tumkur. NH4 was now almost complete after years of construction. It was a pleasure to ride on these roads. I stopped at a roadside hotel in Tumkur for breakfast. It was then I started to take out my map and plan out the day’s destination. There were two places that I short-listed, Sagar and Jog. Sagar was a town I had visited earlier and was pretty familiar with the township. But I had never stayed at Jog. I thought I would reach Sagar and then decide whether to continue to Jog or not.

With this in mind, I continued my ride towards Gubbi and Tiptur. I had been on this road during my earlier ride to Hosdurga and Kemmangundi. The locales are rusty and scenic. Roads here are good I must say compared to village roads elsewhere in Karnataka. I reached Sagar via Shimoga by 5.30 in the evening. My stomach was growling. I settled at a local restaurant and fed myself with dosas and vadas. A cup of coffee rejuvenated me. I decided to ride on to Jog as it was only about 30kms from Sagar but the catch was accommodation. I had to either return to Sagar or go to Kargal in case of non-availability of accommodation at Jog. It was dark by the time I covered half the distance to Jog and to add to the misery the battery was almost dead due to which the light was hardly sufficient. I had to execute the steep turns in the ghats very carefully. By the time I reached Jog it was 7PM. Then I started my hunt for accommodation. The care taker of Mayura Guest House was immediately ready to allot a booked room for me as the guys had not turned up for the day, but I was told that I to check out before noon the next day. A night’s walk by the Jog Falls was a ‘breezy’ experience. The falls at night looked like a strip of cloud at a distance. After spending some time by the falls, it was time for dinner.

The next day I was up quite early as I had planned to go down to the falls. It took me about 1 hour to go down the Jog. There was hardly any “Water Falls” at the time. But it was nice to trek down and up the huge trench. I was back in the room by 10 in the morning. I decided to check out and continue my ride.

It was time for some map work. There were several routes for me to take from Jog. I decided to ride to Agumbe Ghats and witness the famous sunset. The ride from Jog to Agumbe took me through the interiors of the rusty villages of Shimoga. The road from Hosnagara to Agumbe is an awesome experience. Forests accompany you for the better part of the distance. Thirtahalli is a town on the way to Agumbe. I was lucky to be there on the last day of Dashami as I was a spectator to an impressive Dussehra procession of Thirtahalli. It was a perfect showcase of the folklore of Karnataka. Tableaus, folk dances, street plays, local music, etc were all showcased.

Agumbe is equally famous for sunset and rainfall. Agumbe receives one of the highest rainfalls in a year in India. It was the right time when I reached Agumbe sunset point. There were scores of tourists already lined up to witness the sunset. I had to find a place to park my bike! It was like a huge congregation of people witnessing the coronation of a King. I could hear “oohs” and “ahs” from the crowd below. My exclamation at the sunset was no different though! It was dark by the time I decided to leave. The nearest place for accommodation was Shringeri.

Shringeri is a temple town and learning center for the Vedas. Shringeri is one of the four Maths in India consecrated by Sri Shankaracharya. The town is situated on the banks of river Tunga. I reached Shringeri by 7PM and checked into a hotel near the temple. It was time to go around the temple and the town. The Adi Shankar temple here is an ASI monument. The temple was embellished like a bride on the occasion of Navaratri. I was really lucky to be here on this day. A local fair near the temple was Malgudi’s fair personified. Crackling Giant Wheels, Girl with two heads, a donkey that’s a Soothsayer, variety of balloons, hawkers selling bangles, peppermints, etc, all these were as if the characters from Malgudi had taken refuge at this fair.

Amused by the day’s events I returned to my lodge to log my experiences of the day. I had to return to Bangalore the next day, but had no concrete plans on the route I had to take.

It was a Sunday, and Shringeri bustled with early morning activities owing to the influx of the devotees to the temple. My last day started with paying obeisance to Goddess Sharadambe and a photo at the temple premises.

There are two routes towards Bangalore from Shringeri. The shorter one is through Balehonnur and Chickmagalur. The longer one takes us through the Kudremukh, Kalasa, Mudigere, Sakleshpur and then Bangalore through NH48. I decided to take the longer route and I realised it wasn’t a wrong decision as the road was simply superb. The road winds through the Kudremukh reserve forest and you get to see really breathtaking views of the Kudremukh Range. A token with my vehicle number is given at the point of entry to the Kudremukh Range near Shringeri. One is supposed to present the same at the point of exit at the other end of the Range. Green mountains accompanied me throughout the ride inside the Kudremukh Range. But it was when I reached the Kudremukh iron ore extraction area that my heart sank. It was saddening and disgusting to see Mother Nature being ravaged to the extreme for the sake of satisfying man’s greed. Mountains were stripped and bludgeoned to extract Iron. The harm done to nature is irreparable. The view of Kudremukh iron extraction areas had a lasting effect on me. I decided to be proactive in trying to save the Kudremukh Range from being completely wiped out.

With a heavy heart I exited the Kudremukh Range and reached Kalasa. The Shiva temple here attracts devotees from all over the country. I met a family from Bangalore who had difficulty in believing that I had come all the way from Bangalore on a bike! I left them gaping at me when I kick-started my Bullet and started on my way to Sakleshpur.

When I reached the Highway at Sakleshpur I was in two minds to take the highway to Bangalore. As I had enough time to ride to other places I decided to cut across the Highway and ride to Arkalgud in Hassan district. I had memories of visiting this place when I was in school. But when I reached Arkalgud I was in for a surprise. Locals informed me that the Hemavathi Dam was just about 5kms from there. A teacher in a local high school accompanied me till Gorur where the dam is situated. Gorur is also the hometown of the famous Kannada writer Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar. Incidentally, I had recently completed reading a collection of short stories written by him. Hemavathi Reservoir is one of the major dams in Karnataka. After my visit to the dam it was time to return to Bangalore.

It was around 4 in the evening when I quenched my hunger at a dhaba near Channarayapatna. Bangalore was 135Kms away. I reached home at around 7 in the evening.

My journey for three days that started as an aimless ride had taken me to numerous places around Karnataka, Something that I decided will be repeated. Nature is such an intoxicant that the more you experience it the more you want. A lifetime wouldn’t be sufficient to even glimpse the treasure called “India”. But I hope that some day I will be satisfied with whatever I have witnessed on this great land.