RAMNAGAR

Located around 50 km southwest of Bengaluru is the famous Ramnagar town. The town is one of the favorite places for the trekkers in the State. Many visit the place regularly for trekking expeditions.

TREKKING

Ramnagar hills have been the earliest rock climbing locations in South India. Climbers have been undertaking technical climbing since the 1960s. Among the popular rock climbing destinations are Ramadevarabetta, SRS Betta and Thenginkalbetta. The region has several tall granitic hills which are famous for many short rock climbs, typically 1 to 2 pitches in length. Grades vary from 5.8 American to 5.11 American.

RAMNAGAR TREKKING 

There are multiple bolted routes here, put up by various local climbers. Some of the older bolts are in precarious condition. There is very little free climbing possibilities are the rock is compact. Additionally, the Forest Department insists on a permit system to climb here and getting permits is typically a painstaking process. There have to be obtained during weekdays from a Forest Office (Aranya Bhawan) close to Ramnagar, thus precluding the place for Bengalore based climbers in recent times.

LONG BILLED VULTURE 

It is also home of many endangered bird species like long billed vulture, Egyptian vulture and Yello-throated Bulbul. Most of the vultures’ habitat can be also seen around the mountain. The State Government has declared 346.14 hectares in Ramnagar as Ramadevarabetta Vuture Sanctuary (RVS), to protect long-billed vultures, which are on the verge of extinction.

EGYPTIAN VULTURE

Ramnagar is also famous for some of the world’s oldest granite outcrops. The hill Ramadevarabetta, along with Savandurga was one of the shooting locations for David Lean’s movie, “A Passage of India”. Small door like grottoes were made in the rock resemble caves. It was also in this region that the famous Hindi movie “Sholay” was shot. Other well known hill in the region include the Ravanasideshwara Hill and Handigundi.

SHOLAY 

Getting There

There are several buses and trains available from Bengaluru and Mysuru. Best would be to travel in your means of transport.

MULLAYANAGIRI

Mullayangiri is the highest peak of Karnataka located in Bababudangiri range of Chikkamangaluru. Mullayangiri is just 12 km from Chikkamangaluru. Mullayangiri is a part of the Baba Budan Giri Hill Ranges. The height of Mullayangiri is 6330 ft (1,930 meters) and it is regarded as the highest peak between Himalaya and Nilagiris.

MULLAYANAGIRI

                There is a small temple dedicated to Lord Shiva on top of the hill. The small hillock in the temple premises is the highest point in Karnataka.

                Mullayanagiri is the trekker’s paradise. Trekking at this place is a memorable experience. Visitors can enjoy the speed of cold wind that is hitting you. It will be a good experience if you reach this place by 7 am. For a memorable trekking experience its advisable to trek after the monsoon and before summer. September to February is the best season. An overnight journey from Bangalore brings the trekker to Chikmagalur in the early hours of the morning. Buses ply after 8.00 am from Chikmagalur to Sarpadhari. The road runs amidst coffee estates and dense forests for about half an hour. The trek begins from Sarpadaari, which connects to Chikkamangaluru. The mountain is the highest peak between the Himalayas and Nilagiris after Chembra, Banaura, Vellari Mala located in Kerala.

MULLAYANGIRI TREKKER’S PARADISE

Reaching There

Nearest Airport is Mangalore International Airport. Chikmagalur town does not have a railway station. The nearest railway station are located at Birur, Kadur and Tarikere.

Chikmagalur is well connected by road network. Mullayanagiri is about 265km from Bangalore and 107 km from Mangalore. There are plenty of buses operated by KSRTC running between Chickamagalur and Bangalore. It is only 15 km away from Chickamagalur city and there are private buses going through the base of the mountain. Buses going towards the Bababudangiri will take you to the foothill of the Mullayanagiri. If you are driving you can take your vehicle about 0.5 km close to the summit. The trekking starts from a bus stop called Sarpadhari and its a 4 km trek with no forks on the way. The major landmarks on the trek path are a small stream, a Nandi statue and a cave with a small water source inside.

TREKKING IN MULLAYANAGIRI

Route 1 : 

(Via Hassa) : Bengaluru – Kanigal – Hassan _ Beluru – Chikkamangaluru – Mullayanagiri.

Route 2 : 

(Via Tumkur) : Bengaluru -  Tumkur _ Arsikere – Kadur – Chikkamangaluru – Mullayanagiri.

Reaching Mullayangiri from Mysore :

Mysore – Hassan – Belur – Chikkamangaluru – Mallayanagiri.

Located at around 45 km from Tumkur is a small town Madhugiri. The town has a hill which is 3930 ft above sea level and it is the second largest monolith in Asia.

MADHUGIRI

                Madhugiri, or also known as Maddagiri, is located around 45 km north or Tumakuru town and 107 km North-West of Bengaluru city. The monolith and the surrounding greenery of Madhuragiri are the main attractions. The place has old temples of Venkataramanawami and Malleswara built in the Dravidian style.

MADHUGIRI FORT

                The highlight is the rock dome, atop which stands a fort. There are a series of doorways leading to the top and the climb is steep and exposed in some places. Antaralada Bagilu, Diddigagilu, and Mysore Gate are the three gateways of the fort. On the top is the ruined Gopalakrishna Temple.

TEMPLE AT MADHUGIRI

                Jayamangali Black Buck Reserve also known as Maidana Halli Black Buck Sanctuary is 25 km from Madhugiri. Prior permission for overnight camping inside the reserve is needed. Madhugiri Fort was built by the Vijaynagar dynasty. Jain Temples are also found at this place. Madhugiri State Forest, also known as Timmalapura Forest is close to Madhugiri. The forest is malapura Forest is close to Madhugiri. The forest is known for its population of pea fowls and sloth bears.

MADHUGIRI PEAK

Getting There

                 From Tumkur, there are two ways to reach Madhugiri. On leaving Tumkur, there is a deviation that goes via Siddara Betta and Chennarayana Durga to Madhugiri, the other deviation goes directly to Madhugiri via Koratagere.

BRAHMAGIRI

Brahmagiri, is a mountain range in the Western Ghats. It is situated on the border between Kodagu districts in Karnataka State in the North Waynad district of Kerala State in the South. Brahmagiri Hill, at 1608 mts height, is a scenic tourist attraction. The top of Brahmagiri Hills is well forested and has lot of wildlife. Thirunelli Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, lies on the Kerala side of Brahmagiri. This temple is known as Dakshina Kasi. The temple is constructed in an ancient style and includes 30 granite pillars. Legends say that the temple was constructed by Lord Brahma himself.   

 

Thirunelli Temple

                Pakshipathalam at an altitude of 1740 mts is another attraction on Kerala side. Pakshipathalam has a cave that is said to have been used by saints in ancient times. On the Karnataka side it is also known by the name of Munikal Cave.

                Irupu Falls of the Lakshmana Tirtha Rivrer lies on the Karnatak side of Brahmagiri. The trek along the Brahamagiri hills is situated at an altitude of 1608 meters above sea level. The range of mountain is located the Werstern Ghats which act as the border between Karnataka and Kerala.

THE FAMOUS IRUPU WATER FALLS

                The hill is located at nearly 270 km away from the city of Bengaluru but one can easily again access to the treak through Kodagu, which is just located at a distance of 60 km.

                The treak taken individuals deep inside the Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, which is home for a number of elephants. It passes through a dense forest. Many small streams and rivers, beautiful verdant green grasslands and the famous Iruppu falls, thus giving the trekker an all aound view of the scenic splendor that nature offers.

                Another aspect about the trail of this trek which makes it unique its permanenet shelter which makes it one of the monsoon friendly trek in the vicinity of Kodagu. The trekking area is pleasant with the presence of forest which have semi-evergreen or evergreen trees. There are also a large number of animals and mammals which can be spotted close to the top of Brahmagiri Hills. The best time to go on a treak to Brahmagiri is from the month of December till the end of February.

BRAHMAGIRI PEAK

Reaching There

                Brhamagiri is about 60 kms from Madikheri and ab out 270 km from Bengaluru. From Mysuru, there are lot of buses available to Gonikoppa in Kodagu district. From there, one should reach Srimangala by a local bus. From Srimangala, Irupu Falls is around 10 km, from the where trekking starts.

                The nearest place with good hotels on Karnataka side is Gonikoppa. While trekking from Karnataka, it is advisable to book accommodation at Narimale Guest House in advance.

                Don’t forget to carry salt and lime which against leaches.

ANTHARAGANGE

Antharagange hill range is situated at about 1226 Meters (4021ft.) above the sea level. Antharagange is a mountain situate in the Shathashrunga mountain range in Kolar District. Antara Gange literally means “Ganges from deep” in Kannada. It is around 3.5 kms from Kolar and 70 kilometers from Bengaluru. Antharagange is famous for the temple situate on the mountain. In the temple is a pond which gets a continuous flow of underground water from the mouth of a Basava (stone bull).

These grotto's attract a number of adventure enthusiasts from all over the country as well as different parts of the globe.

There is a steep, narrow path to the top of the mountain. There are seven villages on this mountain, including Therhalli. The mountain consists of granite rocks and lot of caves around.

                Behind the temple there is route leading to the forest, the hikks of Antharagange are a perfect spot for trekking rock climbing, night navigation and other adventure activities.

Kashi Vishveshwara Temple at Antharagange

 Kashi Vishveshwara Main Shiva Lingam

                The presiding deity of this temple is Kashi Vishveshwara. The temple has a main Shiva Lingam and around four to five other lingams on the side of the main mantapa. The devotees believe that the water is the sacred Ganga falling from the head of Lord Shiva. Usually devotees drink this water and bathe in it because this holy water from Antharagange is believed to cleanse them from diseases.

Ganga falling from the head of Lord Shiva

Getting There

                From Bengaluru you can take any KSRTC bus to Kolar. On reaching the town you can either head to Antharagange by foot or in an auto rickshaw. Through the main entrance you may have to climb around 450 steps while another route has also been built recently which can help you reach the top easily. The best time to visit this spot would be between September and November.

SKANDAGIRI

Skandagiri, also known as Kalavara Durga, is an ancient mountain located around 70 km from Bengaluru city, and 3 km from Chikkaballapur. It is located Ballari Road (NH7 Hyderabad-Bengaluru Highway) and overloolks Nandi Hills, Muddenahalli and Kanivenarayanapura. The peak is at an altitude of about 1350 meters above sea level.

Skandagiri is considered to be one of the difficult places to trek. There are to trails: one is considered to be easy compared to another which is more dangerous. It all depends on which way one chooses to take up the trekking expedition.

SKANDAGIRI

It is common to teak in the dark and it is a lot of fun on a beautiful full moon night. Trekkers usually start climbing at around 2 am and aim to reach the top by around 5 am to catch the glimpse of beautiful sunrise. You must carry one torch per person if planning a night trek. Mid of December to second week of January is the best time to visit Skandagiri and witness the beautiful scene of Sun rising over the white bed of clouds.

This is a moderately difficult trek, as the hill is precipitous and high. The trek starts from the Papoagni Temple at the foot of the hill. The fortress is in full sight throughout the trek uphill. This steep and fantastic trek through a maze of dense shrub is highly fascinating.

Just as you reach the fort wall content that you have topped the hill, you see another ring of fort. There are six such series of stonewalls protecting an abandoned ancient temples on the hilltop. The trek is approximately 8 km and takes around 1.5 – 3 hours to climb.

It gets quite hot at the top as the day passes on. Local villagers camp on the peak and sell food, cold drinks, tea and other refreshments. Chikkaballpur authorities had banned trekking completely during the year 2011. However, the decision was revoked in August 2014 and only day trekking is allowed. Most of the trail has been marked with guiding arrows which, if followed, leads to a safe route to the hill top.

SKANDAGIRI HILL TOP

About Skandagiri Hills

Skandagiri is home to a hill fort by Tipu Sultan, weathered badly by nature and banyan trees. History tells that this small hill fort was surrendered to the British troops on 19 October 1791 and remained in. The British hands until the peace treaty of 1792, which concluded the third Anglo-Mysore war. There are two caves, through the hill as told by locals - one starts from the base and another one  somewhere midway, about 30 feet below , both leading to the temple at the top. Both remains unexplored yet and local people claim pythons in the caves swallowing their goats. It is said that there are 6 Samadhi’s in the cave.

Reaching There

SKANDAGIRI  MAP BY GOOGLE 

From NH 7, turn towards Nandi Hill, after reaching the base of Nandi Hill turn right and proceed to Kalwara village via Muddenahalli to reach Papagni Mutt, which is the base of the Skandagiri.

By Bus

From Bangalore Majestic KSRTC Bus stand get a bus  to ChikBelapur from Platform No 11. There are buses frequently, and it takes 1 hour. (Rs 36). The route is along NH 7 the route to Hyderabad crossing the Yelanka, and  Devanahalli  (Where the  new airport is Located).

From Chik balapur, You goto to a place called Pappagni matt, which is the foot of the Skandagiri Hill. The distance is about 5 Kms which can be covered by foot: autorikshwa  is also available 80 to 180 Rs . Walk takes around 1 hour admist plantations of papaya, guava, roses and many.

By Car.

You can follow the NH 7 to reach Chik Bellapur and from there you can move to Pappagni Matt where  you can park your vehicles there and start the Trek.