Thimappana Betta - picturesque location for photoshoot

Thimappana Betta, situated off Mysore Road, is a popular place for photoshoot. There are many hills around Ramanagara to explore. At approximately 70 kilometres from Electronic City, it is an ideal place for a half-day outing. A diversion after Ramanagara Bus Stand leads towards Kootagal Village. There is a board in Kannada indicating the deviation to go towards Thimappana Betta. At the entrance arch, a fee of Rs.20/- (two-wheelers) and Rs.50/- (four-wheelers) needs to be paid.

This place falls under Ramanagara Regional Forest. Whether you are paying for the forest department or the Temple is open to question. Tarmac is good all the way to the Temple. Watch out for the narrow stretch as you near the destination.

 

 You can no longer take the motorcycle atop the hill, as barricades are blocking it. A small pond next to the Thimappana Swamy Temple is serene, and opposite to the Temple, is one of the viewpoints, with a stone bench. A short hike on the hill from the parking lot is where you see the famous Twin Rocks. This forms the terrific backdrop for whatever the genre of the photoshoot. A 360-degree view of the surrounding scenery is captivating.

The twin rocks look very inviting for an adventurous person, though there is no obvious route to reach there. It is an ideal place to bask in the tranquillity of nature if there is no photoshoot in progress. 

There are no restaurants or shops nearby, though the Mysore Road highway has no dearth of options. Savour a Thatte Idli from one of the many restaurants near Bidadi en route.

Mydala Kere - a serene lake on Tumkur Road

 

 

No longer an unexplored place near Bangalore, Mydala Kere appears to be one of the favourites for motorcyclists, looking for a short ride from Bangalore or Tumkur. Situated at an approximate 90 kilometre from Electronic City, the route goes through the Pune-Bangalore road (NH48) deviating right after Hirehalli. A payment of Rs.10 per motorcycle is obligatory, and can ride until the lake.

An ideal place to while away the hours, the lake is broad surrounded by hills. The road to reach the lake is pretty rough, not asphalted. To get a sweeping look from various vantage points, continue on the route meandering around the water body. 

Before heading to the lake, one could stop at Mandaragiri Basadi also known as Basadi Betta (betta meaning hill). The ancient Jain basadi from 12^th and 14^th centuries on hilltop is under renovation, but the view of the lake and the vicinity is spectacular. The climb is not very demanding.

Credit: Praful

At the foothill is another edifice, which resembles a pinchi (a soft broom made of shed peacock feathers), which is widely known as Peacock temple. A statue of Chandranatha Thirthankara (8^th of the 24 Thirtankaras) stands next to this structure with a vast area covered by green grass.

Beaches, Jungle and more

The most popular and commercial tourist place in Goa has to be Calangute. Bustling with tourists the beach was a disappointment with trash all over the place. The Airbnb guest house was a boon, being in a quiet neighbourhood. Beach was a short 15 min stroll and the main road lined with restaurants a quick 5 min walk. Expect authentic Goan hospitality, with nutritious breakfast and friendly chit-chat. Every alternate shop will have a board announcing rental scooters and cars. Scooters are possibly the easiest way to get around to the dozens of beaches and some picturesque forts. If in the mood for a longer ride follow the NH748 until Mollem from where two roads lead to Tambdi Surla and Doodhsagar Waterfalls, both inside Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary. The commercial set-up at Doodhsagar was dispiriting.

Turning towards the other option, we lunched at a nondescript restaurant serving authentic Goan Fish Curry meals. Mahadev Temple at Tambdi Surla is a Kadamba style temple built using weather-resistant grey-black basalt around 12^th Century. It is the only of its kind in Goa, which is well preserved. Thanks to its location, deep in the forest, it was saved from invasions. Surrounded by forests and a stream, this small but picturesque temple is not on the touristy circuit, but expect many Hindu devotees. There is a 4km trail from the temple to Tamdi Surla Waterfall, keep at least 3 hrs for the round trip for this exciting footslog amidst the lush green forest. The trek to waterfalls starts just before the bridge towards the left, hire a guide if you don’t want to get lost in the jungle.

The next destination was Arvalem waterfalls and caves, located in a tiny village, Sanquelim. A short distance from Bicholim, along the road from Mayem Lake, you will reach this beautiful waterfall cascading through the surrounding trees into an inviting lake. A stop at Mayem Lake on the way is a good option. Dr, Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary at Chorao is a tranquil park, visit in the early morning to spot the feathered friends. 

 

 

Northernmost beach of Goa, Arambol (Harmal) is a mix of rocky and sandy stretches. A wide array of shops in the vicinity offer clothes to handicrafts, jewellery, souvenirs and so on. Moving southward you are invited to visit the Ashvem and Morjim beaches.

Chapora Fort has a long history but made famous by the Bollywood flick –Dil Chahta Hai. Though in a dilapidated state, the views of beaches and the creek formed by Chapora river are mesmerising. Walk along the fort wall to enjoy the seascape from all directions, best visited after 4pm. Following the roads snaking along the beaches, we visited Vagator beach and Anjuna beach. The rock formations at Anjuna beach near the Flea Market area was an interesting sight with the seawater gushing through the laterite stone crevices while you are enjoying the sunset.

Returning via Honnavar – Jog Falls – Sagara through the magical twisty roads of Western Ghats is an excellent option, if you have the luxury of time. This route continues to Shimoga - Tarikere - Hosadurga - Hiriyur and joins PB road (NH48).

Tranquil South Goa

 

 

South Goa is as calm as North Goa can get cacophonous.

The serene beaches in and around Agonda offered undoubtedly the best beach experience of the trip. Tucked away from the mainland and hidden behind forest is the Butterfly beach. It requires half an hour walk through wooded hills. The hike is such that, you wouldn’t fancy seeing a beach at the end of the trail. Alternately you could take a local fishing boat from Palolem or Agonda beach to reach here. Unfortunately, the litter around this serene beach ruins the tranquillity of the place. Hope someday people will be more sensitive and carry their own litter back with them.

Renting bodyboards from Samudra Surf School at Agonda beach, mornings were spent riding the waves. The consistent waves and a long shallow shoreline is a perfect combination for a beginner to bodyboard. Less crowd is a blessing in times like these. Don’t get stuck at the beach, hike the hills around to be bowled over by the vista. Trudging along a few ridges, a secluded place was a perfect vantage point to watch the locals angling and fishermen waiting patiently on their boats to acquire the day’s catch.

Our place of residence in Agonda was through Airbnb. Run by a family, this is an ideal place for an extended stay. Experiment with your cooking skills at the shared kitchen provided for guests. Beach is a 5 min walk away, a few restaurants at the shacks dish up the usual fancy, expensive continental fare in addition to some local seafood options. Many restaurants haven’t opened up yet, owing to the pandemic, the cooks and workers haven’t returned. Hunting for a budget, local taste we ended up at Annapoorna restaurant, 2km away from Palolem beach. During our stay, we met a writer-director, who makes off-beat movies, launching them on OTT (over the top media) platforms and Youtube. It was a pleasure chit-chatting about diverse topics under the sun. He had done a recce of magnificent hidden places around the beach and was kind enough to show us these locations.

Cabo de Rama is a dilapidated fort, which is not well preserved. The ride to this place on undulating roads through greenery is rewarding. A quick stroll around the fort and we continued on the welcoming course towards Colva beach. Seeing the sun go down the horizon at Betul, it was time to turn back towards Agonda. Next day, an early start took us to Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary via Canacona town. A blissful sanctuary with zero tourists, riding through the jungle to our heart's content was a good way to bid adieu to South Goa.

Abandoning the work in progress NH66, glide inland on the well laid out roads to Dona Paula, crossing Goa university. This place was made a famed tourist spot by local guides, who invented fictitious love stories to attract visitors. A busy jetty, it offers views of the ocean, with some stalls selling clothes ranging from hats to bikini. Strolling around the Cabo Raj Bhavan we rode towards Miramar beach and finally connecting to the NH66 at the bridge to cross the wide Mandovi River. Three bridges across this river, with one of them – Atal Setu, opened recently – not allowing two-wheelers atop it, will disorient even someone with a good sense of direction.

Spend a day at Velha Goa (Old Goa) musing on the years gone by and the effect of them on the Goan culture and history. The standard places covered by the tourists in old Goa are a group of heritage preservation, mostly churches built by Portuguese. The Se Cathedral, Basilica of Bom Jesus (under renovation), Archeological Museum of Goa (accept payment for tickets only through mobile payment apps), the dilapidated chapel of St. Catherine, Church of St. Francis of Assisi. A little away from this bustle sits the remains of a church tower, St. Augustine Tower, quiet and tranquil place to spend time in silence. Down the road Convent of Santa Monica houses a museum by name Museum of Christian Art, temporarily closed for renovation. In the same institution is the Chapel of the Weeping Cross, whose legend says blood oozed out from carving of the Christ on the cross and the Portuguese Viceroy registered a miracle with Rome. A short walk from here will take you to Church of Our lady of the Rosary, with very few visitors, it still has the air of serenity and placidness. One can see the Divar Island and watch the boats ferrying people and vehicles across. The road to the jetty holds another renowned monument – Viceroy’s Arch.

Along the West Coast

 

A trip to Goa accomplished a lingering task on the bucket list. The aim was to ditch the usual tourist circuit, and venture out to discover the woodland, waterfalls and ancient temples in Goa. It is a fact that beaches personify Goa, but get off the frequently visited trail, and you are in for a lot of surprises. The eastern part of the state consists of the Western Ghat belt, which is recognised as one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world.

Kalasa was the top choice as the first pit stop. Spending a day in the dreamy, laid-back small-town brought back a great many memories. The ride from Bangalore to Kalasa is usually smooth, but the impulsive decision of going via Sakleshpur proved to be mortifying. To enjoy the 40kms of winding, blissful roads from Sakleshpur to Mudigere, it is a misery to go through the treacherous 40km of Hassan-Saklespur road. The road is a tad bad due to rain and road widening project from Mudigere. Tackling the twists and turns towards the destination, rain welcomed us as we neared the town of Kalasa.

Tourists have started arriving in this town, which acts as a base to cover many destinations around – Sringeri, Horanadu, Kudremukha National Park. Ride from Kalasa to Mangalore takes you through the serene and rustic Kudremukha National Park. The meandering roads are not in the best condition until the SK border – this is where the road deviates towards Sringeri. Here on, the road is wide, butter-smooth with alluring twists. The route we took had good tarmac with many petrol stations. Kalasa-Bajagoly-Karkala-Nitte-Padubidri-Mangalore.

Port city of Mangalore was the second and a brief stop. The cordial host at the Airbnb place made sure of a pleasant stay. Despite being in a central location, the home is in a calm residential layout, making it a perfect place to relax and rejuvenate for the next quest.

 

The tantalising coastal highway from Mangalore to Goa is part of NH66 (old NH17) is a treat for the eyes with umpteen bridges, rivers in full glory and views of the sea like a teaser for what’s ahead! The good tarmac and winding roads are a delight for the ride and rider alike. Majority of the road is four-lane, while some stretches are still work-in-progress. It is a route that traverses through a multitude of popular destinations like Udupi, Murudeshwara, Gokarana, along with some recently discovered staycation places like Kundapura, Kumta. Karwar is the last town on Karnataka border, which is also a port town with heavy navy presence.

 

 

 

Ancient cities - Ajanta and Ellora

 

 Ajanta Caves

Road to Ajanta from Aurangabad is through Maharastra State Highway 8 via Phulambri-Aland-Sillod-Ajinta-Ajanta Caves. Unruly motorcyclists, swamps created on the national highway thanks to the work in progress of road widening -by chipping off the existing road – and the rains altogether makes it an unpleasant journey. Be prepared for a bumpy ride!

The ride from the visitor centre to the entrance of caves acclimatises you for what’s ahead. Getting away from civilisation, towards calm and quietude. Ignore the uncivilised group of people creating chaos and spoiling the calmness of the place and you are in for a treat to eyes and soul. It is a marvel, how they managed to do it, many centuries ago, with minimal tools. Seems like they were highly dedicated to whatever they did. The main feature of these caves are the paintings, which range from floral to mythological interpretations. 

  

Rain changes the whole landscape, it was metamorphosed into a time when the Buddhist monks lived there. Waterfalls come alive from most of the cave tops gorging down with a  roar, feeding the river flowing under these caves. It’s worth the trip to understand how skilful and gifted our ancestors were. Not all the caves are accessible, so including your walk to the gorgeous viewpoints, you need to spend 4-5 hours here.

 

Ellora Caves

Road to Ellora from Aurangabad is butter smooth. The fascinating fort at Daulatabad is worth making a stop. The effort in planning and executing the construction is amazing. Those living inside the fort would  have felt secure and had a worry-free life. Towards the top, a dark tunnel leading up the way to citadel reminded me of the description from the book “The Buried Giant” where Kazuo Ishiguro talks about a tunnel that is set in 5^th Century Britain. There is a new way to bypass some part of the dark tunnel. The short hike is worth for the sweeping views of the surrounding hills. You can also see the remaining of the fort walls and wonder at how large the place is.

Ellora is the more popular tourist attraction amongst Ajanta and Ellora. The two places are usually thought to be together or close to one another, but they are not. The terrain of Ellora is more of flat land, hence the caves are spacious and spread over. The focus is on sculptures and architecture. The carvings are intricate at places, with a few multi-storied caves, while many caves are uncomplicated with a few carved pillars in a big hall with simple Buddha statues. There is a lot of walking, to cover all the caves. For those who can’t walk much, there is bus service to some of the caves, which otherwise requires a lot of walk on the tarred road or the short hike along the hill. 

More tourists mean noise and nuisance. Off-season, weekday crowd was not forgiving, as there were noisy youngsters who came there to merely have fun and enjoy their echoes inside the caves. Cave number 16 at the main entrance is the most popular of all the caves. Some of the caves have very good, mesmerising sculptures of Buddha and those related to Buddhism. Hindu caves are more ornate, while the Jain ones are very minimalist. While returning to Aurangabad stop by the tomb of Aurangazeb at Khuldabad. For tea maniacs, a stop at Lukman ka Dhaba, is a must. The rich tea is full of flavour and the place is so popular, that people drive from Aurangabad to have a cup of tea here.

City of Gates - Aurangabad

The diligence with which IRCTC manages to delay the trains is just mind-boggling. Chit-chatting and munching on junk we sat through the eventful thirty-odd hour journey. In recent times, travel meant a road trip on the bike. Instead of the speed and frantic nature of riding, it was a welcome change to unwind and enjoy the slow pace of backpacking. 

Alighting at Ahmednagar, we were welcomed by pleasant weather with drizzle.  Ahmednagar is a small town, with a heavy military presence. At the train station, it is no trouble to get a shared auto to transport bus stand – most buses stop at both Maliwada and Tarakpur bus stand. Boarding an ordinary state transport bus (Rs.145, 2.5 hours) to Aurangabad, we soared on the smooth four-lane highway. State-run buses have Fastag installed - that is the only luxury bus has seen in the recent past. Misleading milestones will put your arithmetic skills to test.   

The city of Aurangabad is very lenient and tolerant with flies, you’ll see them everywhere in bunches. The main and best way to get around the city is the ubiquitous auto-rickshaw. To get a feel of down-town and experience the local culture, head to  Aurangapura, Gul-mandi or Nirala bazaar markets. Nirala bazaar is the uptown market area and has some good vegetarian restaurants. Nearby is the Tilak road, housing one of the historical landmark - Paithan gate – the best place to shop footwear and clothing. A couple of shops offer Handloom Sarees. Bear in mind that not all sarees are locally woven, many come from other states. The speciality of Aurangabad is silk, so if you want something local, look for Himroo or Paithani. These are handwoven with intricate designs and best quality material used. Respect the effort and time spent for weaving, before whining about the price. 

Himroo fabrics give you a chance to watch live weaving – if you are lucky – and a decent selection of sarees, shawls and bedsheets. The store is opposite to another landmark “Jafar gate”. Out of fifty-plus gates, sadly a mere fifteen or so are remaining in the city. Many factories line the road towards Ellora offering to watch the weavers at work and many options to buy from. Within the city, choices might be scanty. 

A mausoleum built for his first wife - Bibi ka Maqbara- is the largest structure Aurangazeb had to his credit. Interestingly the architect is the son of the principal designer of Taj Mahal. It is then no wonder that Bibi ka Maqbara bears a striking resemblance to the Taj. The garden around the structure is a  nice place to stroll, however, it will be busy with the selfie-capturing populace.  Aurangabad is a good option to keep as a base to visit the remarkable Ajanta and Ellora caves.