November 4, 2011

BR Hills- Wet and Wild...!!

What looks more attractive than a wet and wild woman...?? Any wild guesses?


My ride to BR Hills made me realise that it is the Jungle. Wet, Wild, Green, Dark and Deep. The closest that I got to wilderness was during my bike ride to Biligiri Rangana hills (BR Hills) with my cousin. We had been planning this ride for the past six months and this long cherished desire got executed recently.

The roads were good all the way and that made the ride all the more enjoyable. The early morning ride took us past the small towns of Kanakapura, Malavalli and Kollegal on NH-209 into Chamrajnagar district. A deviation from Kollegal took us off the highway onto the narrow village roads with picturesque landscape. The green paddy fields, the muddy brown waters, the fresh air and the curious villagers made the ride blissful.




As the vistas changed, the the green fields gave way to thick shrubs and further into dark deep jungles. The narrow village roads paved way for the winding roads. Though it was devoid of hairpin bends and ghat sections, the the roads with dark forests on both sides made it adventurous. With hardly any civilization in the vicinity except for the odd vehicle that passed by, the 32 km ride through the jungle became all the more wild with just the trees, shrubs, the long road ahead and a few monkeys for companionship. The only sound that we could hear was the roar of the engine. My cousin being a fond lover of elephants, so badly wanted to see a wild one. I however was quite apprehensive about the same and didn't want to face any big wild creature. I was quite happy with the monkeys, wild boars, turtles and peacocks that we spotted en route to the top and he had to be content with a few elephant dungs on the road. Though I have been through many jungle roads and sanctuaries before, this wild route seemed quite different from the rest as it was less inhabited and free of tourists/ travellers.








The winding road led us to Biligiri Ranganaswamy temple (The hill gets its name from the same). The mindblowing vistas from the temple blew me away. The panoramic view of the stunning valley, the thick jungle, the meandering roads and the dark clouds made for a mesmerising topography. A closer look made me realise that it was heavy rains over the jungles (the same route that i had to take back) at a distance. That was indeed a beautiful sight that will remain in my mind for a very long time. Nature at its best.




Other than the wildlife and the temple, BR Hills is also known for Soliga tribes, who have been living in the region for ages. We however were not lucky enough to spot any tribal. These forests were also home to the dreaded forest brigand, Veerappan during his prime.

After a quick visit to the temple we decided to explore a bit more and headed further ahead to K.Gudi which is a small settlement where Jungle Lodges and Resorts have their resort. A package with them includes a jungle safari which might be interesting for wildlife enthusiasts as that would give a better chance of spotting a wild one. K.Gudi is 20Kms further from the temple and it drizzled all the way. A wet and wild ride through the jungle was definitely memorable. After reaching K.Gudi, the drizzle became stronger and we had the option of either returning back to BR Hills or heading deeper into the woods of Chamrajnagar and Sathyamangalam. With the rain gods showing no mercy we had a wet ride back to BR Hills.




With not much options available for the grumbling stomach, we stopped at the only hotel near the temple for a late lunch. By then the the heavy rains had taken over the small hamlet and the surrounding forests. Standing under a cover, seeing the forest getting drenched and smelling the scent of wet earth was an enthralling experience.


As the heavy rains became drizzles, we started our return journey through the wet and wild BR Hills. After a couple of stops for photo shoots, we headed back from the green jungles to the concrete jungles of Bengaluru. As I meandered through the lovely wet forests, the famous phrase by Robert Frost came to my mind:

Woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep 
And miles to go before I sleep.

BR Hills is one of the beautiful wildlife destinations in Karnataka which remains unexplored. It is also supposedly the point where the Western Ghats and the Eastern ghats meet. With tourism yet to catch up on a large scale, this tiny temple hamlet is definitely a great option to spend a weekend.

Signing Note: BR Hills is definitely Lovely, Dark and Deep...!!

Route- Bengaluru- Kanakapura- Malavalli- Kollegal- BR Hills
Distance- 200Kms

30 comments:

  1. nice shots, nice picture, and nice location.

    wow great work!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Excellent shots!!! When did u visit BR Hills? Looks like u went at just the right time... Loved this post!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great post and wonderful captures .

    ReplyDelete
  4. @ Rajesh- Thank you Rajesh etta..

    @ Arun- Thank you. Went there a week back. It was indeed the right time. :)

    @ Tgs- Thanks a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nice pictures and consise write up.... Keep going Bro....

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wonderful photos. I loved the fourth one in particular, beautiful still-life. And of course, very nice to see you in the mirror!

    ReplyDelete
  7. nice pics and narration... reminded me of our visit to br hills and k gudi... its indeed a wonderful place!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wonderful nature photos..

    thanks for sharing...

    ReplyDelete
  9. the greenery, the shadows, the roads everything is beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  10. घुमक्कड व मस्ती दोनों साथ रहने से मजा ज्यादा आता है,

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mindblowing pics ! Looks like you did spot an elephant. Was it wild or tame. Reg your query on Rathotsavam at Kalpathy-the dates are 14-16 N0v'2011. The music festival has already begun.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you. Yes, we did spot an elephant, a tame one though. Thanks for the Ratholsavam details.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Good to know that you have been to BR Hills. It is a very nice place. If luck permits, one can see a lot of wildlife in the road itself including wild elephants. However, since you guys are biking, just be careful as elephants can run pretty fast.
    Sabyasachi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We loved the place. But missed out on wildlife and elephant sightings. Thanks for dropping by.

      Delete
  14. Excellent shots, Niranjan. I'd been to B.R Hills, but it wasn't, exactly a leisure trip so I didn't get to see as much as you did. I'm thankful for these pictures.

    ReplyDelete

  15. thanks for your blog post i went to bandipur national park with my parents really it was amazing in that forest we all

    enjoyed a lot and we stayed inBR Hills Resorts it was very good to stay i wish to vist again and stay there

    ReplyDelete
  16. Excellent images.
    You write very well, too.

    ReplyDelete
  17. The clicks are vivid and your journey adventurous ! envy you .. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Beautiful drive through the nature.

    ReplyDelete
  19. The first picture is extremely impressive sir. Wonderful write too!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Such green landscapes! Beautiful capture.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...