the light baggage

Overview: I knew this place called Periyapatna as a small town on the way to Madikeri. It happens to be my wife's granny's place as well. So on my recent visit to granny's house, I thought of exploring this small town. It was good to learn that there is more in Periyapatna than just serving as a pit stop point to Coorg. The Granny's place was located at a calm and clean area and was very well maintained with areca nut plantations all around. We visited the Fort which was probably built by the Kodagu rulers of Coorg and then further renovated by Tipu Sultan where he held the Kodava king Dodda Vira Rajendra as a prisoner. The fort walls cover the entire area and there are entry and exit points which lead to Periyapatna lake. I took one of the exit points of the fort and the lake was amazing. The early morning mist added to its beauty and the lotus flowers were blooming on the surface. On the way back I took a leisurely stroll along the streets where houses were built in...

Overview: We did this trip long back and I thought I would pen down my experiences with my trip to Shivanasamudra falls.  We started early in the morning and set off for Shivanasamudra. The place is located between Kanakapura road and Mysore road. It can be approached via Malavalli. The route to shivanasamudra is very scenic and passes through rural Karnataka. We reached Shivanasamudra falls at around 10:30am. Shivanasamudra falls is formed by the river Cauvery and forms two waterfalls called Gaganachukki and Barachukki. First we visited the Gaganachukki falls which had good amount of water pouring down from great height forming a spectacle. We visited this place post monsoons so there was good amount of water. We sat along the pavement in front of the falls and there was fencing all around to prevent more adventurous people venturing out close to the falls.     After this we went to Barachukki falls which can be reached by climbing down a series of steps leading...

  Overview: Soraba in Shimoga district, named after the Holy cow Surabhi which used to milk on a stone statue of Lord Ranganatha. This place was called Surabhipura in ancient times which got changed to Soraba over centuries. We visited the Ranganathaswamy temple in Soraba which has become popular because of the legend. The temple is believed to be built by a local Gowda from Halesoraba from the bay of the river Dandavathi. Several manuscripts and inscriptions have been found near the temple supporting this.       This place is easily approachable as it is near to many tourist destinations like Banavasi, Sirsi, Chandragutti. We visited Soraba during our visit to Banavasi. The main road connecting Soraba to other towns is the main shopping area of Soraba with all facilities. How to reach: Bus: KSRTC buses ply from Bangalore to Soraba and Sirsi. By Bike/Car: Take the NH4 to reach Ranebennur, from there, take a deviation towards Soraba. Food/Accommodation: ...

Overview: Skandagiri is probably the first place which I explored through trekking. Back in June 2008, on a cloudy monsoon morning, I set off to Skandagiri with my college friend. My friend, who enjoys biking, and I enjoy hiking, combined each other's passion and set off to Skandagiri. Skandagiri is situated on a village called Kalavarahalli village near Chikkaballapur which is the base of the hill. Though trekking is done in Skandagiri at midnight or past midnight so that they get a glimpse of the magical sunrise, we decided to go there a bit late to avoid the crowd. We started from Bangalore at around 5:30am and reached Skandagiri at around 7:00am. We parked our bikes at Papagni Mutt which is at the foothills. The hills looked inviting and the weather was cool. So we immediately set off to climb the hill. The path is well laid with directions pointed out on rocks at every step. We could see people climbing down after catching the sunrise. We climbed steadily and the trek is no...