Without a cue, Kalkere Lake nonchalantly shows up with a hill in the background, that has a bevy of windmills perched on top if it. Nestled between Hassan and Belur, this lake is commonly referred to as Windmills Viewpoint, and many travellers are lured into taking a break here to enjoy the picturesque vistas.
October 2025
“My roots are from Sri Lanka and I was there until the age of 10”, our guide chuckled as he rowed our boat. That turned all our attention towards him from the pretty surroundings that we were enjoying until then. He delved further into the history of Gavi, which has a large percentage of residents with Sri Lankan lineage. His forefathers were Sri Lankan Tamilians who were repatriated to the forests of Gavi in the 1970s as part of the agreement between the two countries. While some left for other places in Tamil Nadu, many stayed back, and they have since then been a part of Gavi and worked in the forest departments and cardamom plantations of this land.
Despite the summer being at it’s peak, once we crossed the
forest entry check post at Vallakadavu, it was gentle breeze and lush greenery
with gorgeous views of distant hills along the windy narrow road that led us to
Gavi. Very few vehicles crossed our paths, and that was probably because of the
restriction in the number of entries allowed to Gavi in a day. The tall trees
gave way to open landscape views intermittently only to show up again with
clear blue skies in the background.
As we drove through the lush greenery, mobile networks slowly gave away, and without a cue, Gavi Reservoir showed up, signalling our arrival at this tucked away hill station in Pathanamthitta district, which has been attracting numerous visitors over the last few years. Green Mansion run by the Kerala Forest department is a nice stay option located opposite the Gaviyar Dam, and Arun was the designated guide during our 2-day stay at this pretty hill station.
After a delicious lunch at the restaurant with expansive views of the reservoir for company, we kicked off our exploration with a boat ride across the Gaviyar reservoir. Dark clouds loomed overhead as Arun rowed his way on the placid waters with stories from his childhood flowing in a heavy Tamil accented Malayalam. The talks slowly drifted to Gavi (which loosely translates to escarpment), its dams, the hydro electric projects run here, and the very popular pilgrimage, Sabarimala, which is not too far away. There are five dams in this vicinity- Kullar, Anathode, Kakki, Kochu Pamba and Meenar, which provide water for the hydroelectric project. Gavi constitutes of 3 villages- Gavi, Meenar and Pamba, and 90% of the residents are Tamilians.
With frames of beautiful landscapes, nature’s play with
mist and rain, and the Sri Lankan stories, which was a revelation, we drove
back from Gavi with a bucketful of lovely memories.
How to reach Gavi:
Pathanamthitta is the nearest
major town, 100 kms away, while Kochi is about 170 kms away from Gavi. The
closest major rail head is at Pathanamthitta, and Cochin airport is 170 kms
away. There are buses available from Pathanamthitta and other towns to Gavi,
but they aren’t frequent. It is recommended to visit Gavi in a private vehicle.
Food and Accommodation:
Green Mansion run by Kerala Forest
department has nice rooms and the food is good. Details of the same can be
found here- https://kfdcecotourism.com/home
Past the small dusty towns of Chamarajanagar, and under the blazing sun I stopped by a few waterbodies, before speeding my way into the lush greens of Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. A couple of forest check points later I was in Gopinatham, a tiny hamlet near Hoganekkal Waterfalls, and within the fringes of the sanctuary.
The secluded village of Gopinatham along the borders of
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has been away from the limelight for almost 20 years
after the death of Koose Munusamy Veerappan. Now, that name might strike a chord, as
Veerappan was one of the most notorious bandits who ruled these forests of
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and was born in the village of Gopinatham. Though his
notoriety and name linger over the village and the surroundings, life has moved
on for the people here.
My intent of visiting Gopinatham wasn’t to delve into the stories of this place, but instead explore Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. Jungle Lodges and Resorts owns a wonderful property here, Gopinatham Mystery Trails, which gives you the access to explore the wildlife and nature trails bordering Gopinatham. Nestled next to a sprawling waterbody, the property has rooms which are large tents built in the shape of domes, giving it a feel of camping in the wild.
After a yummy lunch I strolled through the premises of the
property and along the fringes of the waterbody. It was all calm until one of
the workers hollered that there are elephants on the other bank of the
waterbody, and all guests ran to catch a glimpse of the same. A mother and a
baby elephant were happily enjoying their afternoon drink. With zoomed in lenses and
binoculars, we gazed at the pachyderms while they peacefully quenched their
thirst. As they trudged their way back into the woods, I changed the angle of
my camera to capture some cormorants, storks and egrets. Peacefully perched on
protruding wooden stumps, they darted off directionless and randomly came back
to the same stump. As most of the birds wandered off, I noticed the beautiful
frame of lush green hills juxtaposed in the backdrop. It slowly dawned upon me
that I was indeed in the middle of a forest.
A hot cup of coffee later, went on jeep safari with other
guests into the wilderness of Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. Muddy red pathway
meandered its way through the greenery, and the jeep left a puff of dust as we
rolled deeper into the forest. We waded past a couple of streams and then
paused at the memorial of the IFS officer P. Srinivas, who was assassinated by the
dacoits of this region in early 1990s. Further ahead, we slowed down multiple times to spot many
species of birds such as Indian Roller, Serpent Eagle, Lapwings, peacocks and
many others. As we kept gazing at the branches of the trees in search of more
birds, the vehicle suddenly halted, as ahead of us lay an exhausted and weak wild boar making its
way across the road. A little later, the jeep braked again as there was a
tusker behind the trees. With bated breath we waited for that moment for the
pachyderm to turn up from the woods, but unluckily despite the long wait it didn't, and instead disappeared further into the thicket. We rumbled on
the muddy pathway as the sun set, and along the way we also startled a family of gaurs, including a
calf that kept staring at us for long.
Next day the naturalist knocked on my door at 6 AM, and we
were out in the woods shortly going past the fringes of the lake, and into the
wilderness of Gopinatham. The unclear path led us up the adjacent hill, which
was scattered with boulders, and where trails abruptly ended in the middle of nowhere.
As we neared the top of the hill, the naturalist was quick to point out the
call of a few monkeys, which conveyed there could be a possibility of sighting
some wildlife. Since it also didn’t feel too safe loitering around with those
alarm calls, we trudged down another trail. Further ahead, the beautiful frames of the panoramic
views of the village of Gopinatham and the lake showed up
on our way back to the breakfast table.
As I headed out of Gopinatham, stopped by at a small shrine, and the traditions and their culture was quite evident with quintessential customs followed at any Hindu temple. The village has moved on from what it was notoriously famous for until a few decades ago, with schools, houses, temples and the modernity slowly wrapping it and taking it forward to help it merge with the outside world.
How to reach Gopinatham:
The nearest major town is Kollegala, 105 kms away. The nearest airprot is at Mysore, 168 kms away, and the closest major railway station is at Salem, 95 kms away. It is recommended to visit Gopinatham in a private vehicle as the public services are not frequent.
Food and Accommodation:
Gopinatham Mystery Trails owned by Jungle Lodges and Resorts (a Govt. of Karnataka promoted enterprise) is the only accommodation option in Gopinatham. The package includes stay, meals and activities such as jeep safari and nature walk.
Clear blue skies, undulating green hills, floating white mist, unruly brown tracks, loitering cows and fresh air are what greets you at this stunning viewpoint near Kalasa in Chikkamagaluru. The off-road drive here is absolutely an exhilarating experience, and the views are worth every bit of the adventure.
December 2023.
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