Passionate about . . .

Work of an artist . . .

Trekking with a combination of moonlight and witnessing sunrise would be so mesmerizing thing ever, you feel the weather just as a work of great artist!

One of the beautiful places near the outskirts of Bangalore, call it Kalavara Durga or Skandagiri, an awesome place with beautiful scenic view. A peak at 1350 meters altitude Skandagiri is around 3 Kms from Chikkaballapur and 60 Kms from Bangalore, two hours to ascend and an hour to step down worth time spent to witness the beauty.

Route to the destination.

You could choose to go by KSRTC bus from Bangalore to Chikkaballapur, ticket fare at 60 Rs where you get buses on a frequency of 4 to 5 buses every hour and then on you can book an auto from Chikkaballapur to Skandagiri which costs you around 100 Rs.

You can opt to go by car if you are a team of 4 to 5 where If you choose to go by car you will have to leave the vehicle near Papagni matt and walk towards the trail. Though you don't have the definite parking you will find the local villagers who assures to safegaurd your vehicle but you don't see them on your way back.

This is where you get to park your vehicle

Just before parking place and Papagni mutt

We started from Vijayanagar Bangalore, Karnataka -> Nagarabhavi Main Road -> Magadi road and was surprised to see Anand rao Circle since it is a name of my friend Gurunandan who accompanied for Skandagiri the last time and then we touched Mangalore Hwy/Outer Ring Rd/Tumkur Road -> then on all the fun is with Bellary Rd/National Highway 7 one of the best road to enjoy the ride which connects you to toll road and SH 104 and SH 74 from there you could either choose to go on Nandhi hills road or you can head towards to Chikkaballapur or take left to Skandagiri.

Be wise, take a moment to find the right trail.

Kashi Vishweshwara swamy temple Papagni mutt

You are done with the travelling and standing just in front of Paapagni mutt, all you have to do is take right and walk up to 50 Mts and take left on the mud road and head towards the trail which is around 700 Meters there is a huge stone which is around 16 ft tall that is where are supposed to take left otherwise you will have to end up doing breathe taking rock climbing instead of trekking.

This is where you need to take left to find the right trek path.

Me and Pradeep started our trek at 12.30 mid of the night as we did it the first time we relied on the trekkers and took left road which almost looked like a trekking route but it was really not, after ascending a while we saw huge rocks about 50 to 60 degrees of elevation which seems to be okay but after crossing that we realised that we have chosen a wrong way which was dangerous like a hell with the steep rocks of about 65 to 70 degrees elavation.

Pradeep wondering by looking at the route we trekked earlier in the morning.

Climbing on bare foot and hands with a baggage is not at all a joke, imagine you are stuck in between a huge rock not finding anything to hold,
both hands and feet are sweating
you could neither come down nor find a way up
and there comes the scream of monkey family . . .
which made us feel we are done,
it is the torch that helped us to escape from monkeys,
I gave a push to Pradeep and he helped me to reach up by tying the waist belt to his leg.

We finally reached the regular trekking path, after crossing 5 of such monstor rocks which are about 100 meters with 65 degrees of elevation covered with huge shrubs and thorny bushes in between. we took almost 2 hours to fight with the rocks and another half an hour crossing the rest of trekking route and that is where we enjoyed the real fun of moonlight trekking it was so beautiful view around, a bed of white clouds shining in the moon light! one should enjoy that beauty in person which i was not able to capture with my Mobiile. till we cross the resedues of fort it was all beautiful clear sky with moon light on the white clouds but as we reached the top we noticed a chill and foggy wind which covered entire weather and beauty we enjoyed the breeze for a while and went inside the temple to take some rest and wait till the sun rise.

Temple at the top of Skandagiri

No wonder you will always be associated with the dogs on your way to top, and will play a best trekking companion and guide.

Bed of snow - Looks so beautiful!

You will descend the hill with a feel of satisfaction.

Mission accomplished Trekking to Kumaraparvata:

With 13Kms distance and at 1712 Mts altitude, Call it Kumaraparvata, KP or Pushpagiri it was a dream plan for us to conquer finally we blocked the calendar on 9th and 10th of November 2013

Some do's and don'ts before starting your plans for Trekking to Kumaraparvta:

1. Ensure that you are physically fit with a minimal daily activity.
2. Reach out to Girigadde Joyisaru or Bhattru +919448647947 and +919480230191 to check the availability of food and accommodation if Bhattru mane is over crowded you will have to go with tents
3. Ensure to have A good strong backpack, Clothes - 2 pairs, Sleeping bag, Jacket/Wind-Cheater, Cap, water bottle, ID proof, Torch, packed food like dry fruits and biscuits, Camera, goggles.
4. Keep some first aid medicine like pain killers, glucose, band aid on hand.
5. Not at all suggested for the first time trekkers, unless you have strong mindset and eagerness to trek.

Route:

A (170km) : Mysore –44km–> Hunsur– 43km –> Kushalnagar — 27km –> Somwarpet — 9km –> Shanthalli — 23km –> Bisle — 24km –> Kukke Subramanya. (popularly, the Bisle ghat route)

B (206km) : Mysore –44km–> Hunsur– 43km –>Kushalnagar– 30km –>Madikeri– 51km –>Sullya — 38km –> Kukke Subramanya ( popularly called the Madikeri route)

C (217 km) : Mysore — 27 km —-> Bilikere (deviation for SH57) — 13km —> KR Nagara — 46km —> Hole Narasipura —33km —> Hassan– 38km –> Sakleshpur — 38km –> Gundya — 22km –> Kukke Subramanya (popularly, Sakleshpur or Shiradi Ghat route)

Approximate time and distance map between main points:

Day 1: Kukke to Trekking trail 1.2 KM -> Starting trail to Bheemana kallu 3 KM 2 Hrs -> Bhattra mane 3 KM 2Hrs
Day 2: Bhattru mane -> Forest office and View point are around 200 Mts -> 2 KM to reach Kallu Mantapa 1 Hour-> 2.5 KM to Shesha parvata and sidda parvata 1 Hour -> Next 2.5 KMs to Kumara parvatha 1 hour.

Here is our way bit by bit:

As planned me Sunil, Avinash and Chethan were all set to move and left Mysore at 5.30 AM and chose to travel on Mysore - Sulya road we had our breakfast (Yummy ottu Shyaavige and Kadale Masale with a cup of nice tea) at Madikeri and reached Sampaje.
We took a right direction near the plantation 3+ Kms ahead sampaje, which gives a shortcut route to Kukke Subramanya (Sunil call it as WRC route which gives you fantastic and thrilling driving experience) we reached Kukke exactly at 10.10.

All set to ascend Kumaraparvata at parking lot

Parked the vehicle and booked an auto from temple to trail entry of KP which is around 1.2 KM, we had the plan to reach Bhattra house the first day which is around 6 KM far from the trail.

Chethan Avinash and me in the starting trail

We made a mistake when we started our trek at 10.30 we went ascending without filling our bottles on the assumption that we will get the water stream on our way but we were proved wrong, we didn't find any water till Bheemanakallu 3 Km from the trail, fortunately we found one small stream with very little water which gave some energy to Chethan and Avinash.

Chethan Over and Out at the first pit stop 15 minutes into the trek

Chethan and Avinash drinking sweet stream water.

We started ascending the dense forest patch saw the sky once in a while and very rarely noticed the sun hiding behind trees. after completing 3 KM stretch we found a rock structure which is known as Bheemana kallu at around 12.30, from which we still need to cover 3 KM to reach Bhattra house.

Victory Avinash

After crossing Bheemana kallu

We have almost completed 5 Kms and are about to reach Bhattra mane in a while.

Yes! Bhattra mane heaven on earth for Kumaraparvata trekkers

And you cannot explain the taste and goodness of Mountain water

We were exhausted by the time we reach Bhattra house around 2.30 PM. we filled our stomach with rice, curry, butter milk and spicy tangy pickle. we relaxed ourselves, exchanged our identity with fellow guys who came from different places.
We went to the view point around 5.30 to witness the sunset, the next 45 minutes was awesome! we enjoyed the scenic beauty.

On our way to view point from Bhattra mane

Sunil, man behind the accomplishment of our dream

Inexplicable silver line, you will be lost watching the Sunset.

We took some snaps and came back to Bhattra house had our food by 8 and slept at 9 PM had good sleep and woke up by 7 AM and got ready and finished our breakfast upma, rice bath and a cup of coffee, we were all set and left bhattra mane at 8.20. We need to register the name and address with forest department office by paying 200 Rs per head so will have to ensure to have an ID proof to submit.

Soon after getting freshened up and having breakfast we began our trekking to the top hill Kumara parvata with two bottles of water, a pack of biscuits dates and sugar candy. initial stretch was an open land steep with no trees and shade, with a clear sky sun was shining and we started to feel thirsty and tired soon we started to lag behind all the teams who started the trek together from Bhattra mane.

Kumaraparvata mid way Kallu Mantapa

As you trek along kallu mantapa you got to see beautiful mountain ranges, landscapes of the western ghats.

there comes the magnificant view of waterfalls on Sidda parvatha a huge hill which looks a shining stone with a deep cliff which could be seen from a distance after moving ahead of Shesha parvatha.

Trekking enthusiast with beautiful mountain flowers

Shesha Parvatha

Say it scary, shining, beautiful . . . everything looks good.

As you proceed the trekking you will enjoy the mist coming from the mountain stream which is one of the fantastic experiences of trek

Hill side view . . .

After completing three amazing hills you will witness forest patch with dense plantation of trees and shrubs which makes you feel as if you are in Narnia land where you will find the trees covered with the ferns all over its trunks, which clearly describes that it will be covered with mist and clouds most of the times, you will find a stream of water which you will love to drink still more.

Narnia land before huge stone hill.

The ferns and greenery around is a proof that you will find the misty atmosphere throughout the year.

Then comes the huge stone hill which has the elevation of about 60 to 70 Degrees which is a bit difficult to climb on the straight stretch, it is better to choose the side way to cross the hill, shockingly soon after the stone hill you are just on the top of Kumara parvatha.