Ramanagaram - Sholay

Ramanagara, 50 kms from Bengaluru on Mysore road, is famous for its rocks. Rock climbing and adventure enthusiasts come here from all over the world to indulge in hard core adventure. Ramanagara is also known for other reasons- The legendary bollywood movie, Sholay was shot here. Most of the residents of this town still recall the days when the sets of Sholay were put up and shooting was being held. It is also known as Silk City as cultivating silkworm cocoons is a main occupation here.

Hogenakkal Falls - The smoking Rocks at Niagara of India

Hogenakkal Falls

Hogenakkal Falls or Hogenakal Falls is a waterfall in South India on the Kaveri (or Cauvery) River. It is located in the Dharmapuri district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu] about 180 km from Bangalore and 46 km from Dharmapuri town. It is sometimes referred to as the "Niagara of India". With its fame for medicinal baths and hide boat rides, it is a major site of tourist attraction. Carbonatite rocks in this site are considered to be the oldest of its kind in South Asia and one of the oldest in the world.This is also the site of a proposed project to generate drinking water.

You need to take Hosur road and drive through Hosur and Krishnagiri, turn left after Krishnagiri and reach Dharmapuri. Drive into Dharmapuri and ask for directions to the fall. Another 30km drive takes you to Hogenakal. Roads are pretty good till Dharmapuri and then will slow you down a bit. Expect a two and a half hour journey. No food or accommodation available at the location and it is good to pack your lunch before you start. Starting early from Bangalore helps, as it can get really sunny as the day goes.

You get the feel of the river running nearby when you enter the sanctuary enclosing Hogenakal waterfall. Suddenly, there is plenty of vegetation and little habitation, the road keeps going down and down into the valley indicating the probability of finding a river. A 15 minute of quite drive into the forest leads you to a busy and noisy village(or call it a marketplace) or Hogenakkal.

The real action begins with the boatmen, even before you get to see the waterfall. You realize that you need a coracle to go there, and approach the boatmen expecting to pay may be a 20, 30 or 50 rupees. You would be in for a big surprised when they ask you for a 500! Heavy bargaining can bring it down considerably but they are pretty smart businessmen and they know you wont go back easily after coming this far! Boating in Hogenakkal is allowed during the dry-season as the water falls are not strong to disrupt the passage of the boats. Local coracles operate from the banks of both Tamil Nadu andKarnataka banks of the gorge.

This is the main source of income for these boat operators. The coracles are about 2.24m in diameter, but still can take a load of eight persons at a time. These coracles are made of bamboo, and with all materials available takes about a day to build. The bottom of the boats are made water proof by the use of hides, but sometimes with sheets of plastic. Use of plastics in the Hogenakkal vicinity, not just for boats, has been criticised due to problems with pollution. These boats are steered and propelled using a single paddle, making them unique. The coracles are locally called as parisal in Tamil and either teppa or harigolu in Kannada.

This is another big waterfall on the Kaveri river after Shivanasamudra. Though not as high as the earlier one, it is equally magnificent, with the river falling into a narrow gorge in several bursts of water. There is no wide open space where you can stand and watch the fall; you need to hire a coracle and get right into the gorge to be able to see it. The boatmen can take you really close to the falling water, sometimes to make the water splash into you if you wish. River here is only a little wider than Mekedatu but much mellow, flows through a narrow channel surrounded by rocks on both sides which are carved into strange shapes by the river. Boatmen say water is probably a 100 feet deep here. The channel looks lovely and the rocks look as if they were carved by an artist!

Another attraction are local kids who can show you their diving skills, for a fee. They can dive for you from a height of around 30 feet into the water and climb straight up back on the rocks in no time, all for mere Rs.5 from the spectator. There is competition within them and you may be offered a discount! A little downstream to the river is a wide plane where day trippers and picnic crowd spend most of their time, but you don’t really find a good shelter anywhere there. Men can attempt a massage offered by the local masseur but is best avoided.

When the water falls on the rocks it appears as if hoge (smoke in Kannada) is emanating from the top of the kal ( means rock )because of the force of the water, hence Hogenakkal(smoking rocks). It is also called as Marikottayam by the people of Tamil Nadu.

The Kaveri River is considered to form at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri hills in Kodagu district in Karnataka and gathers momentum as the land drops in elevation. It becomes larger as various tributaries feed into it on the way down. At Hogenakkal, the Kaveri, now a large river, drops and creates numerous waterfalls as the water cuts through the rocky terrain. In places the water falls as much as 20 m and is said to sound like continual thunder. Soon after the falls the river takes a Southerly course and enters the Mettur reservoir. The river carriessediment which makes the "down-river" land fertile.

At Hogenakkal the river spreads out over a wide area of sandy beaches, then flows through to the Mettur Dam and creates a 60 sq mi. lake called Stanley Reservoir. Built in 1934, this project improved irrigation and provided hydropower.

Freshly caught fish are sold by the gorge and also various vendors selling water and snacks up and down the gorge rowing their parisals is not uncommon. The fish caught include katla,robu, kendai, keluthi, valai, mirgal, aranjan and jilaby. After leaving the gorge, on the left shore

one can find improvised stalls set up on the sand. There, one can let the fresh fishes be prepared in one of the many kitchens. Also, many people can be found swimming or bathing around there.

Coorg - The Scotland of India

Coorg is on the Western Ghats of Karnataka, The river Cauvery originates here at Talacauvery and is worshipped by the locals. The most obvious route to Coorg is via SH17 (Bangalore - Mysore), SH88 (Mysore - Hunsur ) and SH88A (Hunsur- Madikeri) with a total distance of about 260 KMs and 1525 m above sea level lies Madikeri(Coorg). And we had big plans ... 4 of us in 3 bikes.

Coorg or Kodagu (originally called Kodaimalenadu) means 'dense forest on steep hill'. Dubbed as the Scotland of India, this town has a lot to offer to the tourist. Misty hills, lush forest, acres and acres of tea and coffee plantation, orange groves, undulating streets and breathtaking views are what make Madikeri an unforgettable holiday destination. Coorg is a refreshing at the same time challenging experience. Refreshing for the serene air and cool mountains roads in Coorg and challenging for the dangerous and careless drives and the winding and steep nature of the roads.

The plan was to leave as early as 3’ O clock in the morning but due to human nature we left our rooms sharp at 3:30 AM, on Wednesday. All of us are very exited as we have never went to Coorg before and this was our first time long drive journey, besides our usual spot Nandi hill(70Km).

We left from Kormangala and the first break was at Mandya Coffee day @ 5:00 AM and soon we continued towards Mysore. {Bangalore - Mysore road is a 4 lane road, and a total distance of 145 km). Seriously we have not tested the limits of Pulsar bike and we have done that on the same road by touching 120 km. We reached Mysore Outer ring road some were around 6.30 am and took few snaps. We continued our journey towards Madikere by taking a right turn to the Outer Ring road.
With in a span of 1 hr we have again take a small halt at Hunsur @ 7:30 where we had our b'fast. While having the Wada and Idli we have altered our straight plan to Madikere to a different direction and now the plan was to visit Golden Temple. We left the Restaurant in a 1/2hr span and proceeded as planned to our next destination Golden Temple (Bylakuppe ) and we reached here by 9:30. (From SH88A take a left diversion for 9Km to reach Golden Temple)Bylakuppe:This is a Tibetan resettlement place and the Golden Temple (a Buddhist Monastery). A must see place for the first timers and I suggest you must reach here just before 1 pm. Exactly at 9 am the monks start their daily prayers here. It is really soothing to hear their prayers and hymns. Take an empty Tea cup and they will serve you Tea for free during this time.

Coorg (Golden Temple ) - Golden Temple (Tibetan Buddhist Monestary) its 2nd largest Tibetan settlement in India, Wonderfully sculpted and gold plated crown of the Golden Temple. The main monastery, Entrance to the Golden Temple

Coorg (Golden Temple ) - Frescoes

Coorg (Golden Temple ) - Statues of the Buddha in the main monastery (40 ft high ; Gold plated)

We left the golden temple by 11 am and started moving towards our next destination Dhubare Forest and Kaveri river rafting. Its almost 30 km from the Golden Temple and it’s on the way to Madikere. This place was awesome and we halted here for almost 2 hrs Did some boating and elephant safari.

Coorg (Dhubare Elephant Training Camp ) - My first Elephant ride.

From Dhubare Elephant Camp to Madikeri is not much far approx of 20km, and we have taken a shortcut which goes from a ghat session and tea garden. The time we reached Madikeri town it was almost 3 pm and we immediately halted for a lunch break. After finishing our lunch we want to take the rest but we all have decided that we will go to Abbi Falls which was 15KM from the Madikeri town and will take rest there.

Coorg (Abbi Falls ) - The roaring Abbi Falls

As soon as we reached Abbi Falls we jumped into the Water; We wanted to spend more time at Madikeri and want to halt at night but after taking bath while under the falls something happened to us and we decided to move on and go back to Mysore and will be staying there for the night which is not much far only 120km . We left Madikeri at 5:30 pm took a halt for tea and proceeded toward Mysore and finally we reached by 9:00 pm. By the time we reached Mysore we were so tired and traveled a total distance of 450 km, we were feeling so drowsy that we have booked a room at Bataycharjee hotel and without any delay we entered our room and without wasting much time all of us took bath in hot water and left for Andra restaurant for having dinner. While returning we went to Mysore palace to take a glimpse of the palace at night. It is a sight not to be missed when it is illuminated.

Mysore ( Mysore Palace - Night view)

We came back to room around 11:30 we had a few chit chats among ourselves till 12 pm, and then finally after watching the IPL match we went to sleep.In the morning, we were so lazy to getup that we woke up at 10 am; God we were so late that after taking the bath we left for Chamundi hills (7 km from Mysore), and guess what we had our breakfast at 1 pm @Chamundi hills restaurant.

Mysore ( Chamundi Hills) - No idea why we went here....

From Chamundi hills we went to Mysore palace to find out the life style of a king. We spent few hours walking inside the palace and admiring the life style of the Mr. Wodeyar.

Mysore ( Mysore Palace)
We left the Mysore Palace at 4PM and went to have some lunch at dhaba at outskirts of the Mysore highway road.
Check the Speedometer --- > Can you go faster than this.

Roadies ---- >

Coffee day for recharging

Bangalore - Madikeri - 260 Kms

Route:
Day One (May 13th 2009)
Bangalore – Srirangapatana (take the bypass, don't go to Mysore) - (get onto Mysore - Mangalore road) Hunsur - Bylakuppe - Khushal Nagar - Dhubare - Madikeri – Mysore- 450 Kms
Day Two (May 14th 2009)
Mysore - Chamundi Hills - Mysore palace – Bangalore – 180Kms

The Man and their Machines participating in this trip were:
Samarth a.k.a Sam in Pulsar 180
Jijid a.k.a Mota in Pulsar 150
Ujjal a.k.a Monty in pulsar 180 with Umaid a.k.a Maxi

Date :: May 13/14 2009
Round Trip :: 630Kms
Author :: Ujjal Mahanti

Innovative Film City, A whole Some Entertainment Center

Innovative Film City, A whole Some Entertainment Center

At the start of this decade (i.e 2000 – 2001) there were no theme park in Bangaloreforget wholesome entertainment centers. Those were the days of Crazy Waters at Bannerghatta road, Niladri in Electronics city and Fun World at Palace Ground. Among then only Fun World has survived till now. Now in 2010 we have a lot of options like Wonder la at Mysore road, Lumbini garden near Hebbal etc. But the grand addition in terms of entertainment center happened in the form of Innovative Film City near Bidadi. It was inaugurated on 18/01/2008.

Address:

Innovative Film City

#24 & 26, Bidadi,

Bangalore- 562 109

Karnataka- INDIA

Tel: +91-080-220 999 99

How to reach Innovative Film City: It is wise to visit Innovative Film City in your own vehicle. However, you can visit there by using BMTC bus. Board a bus for Bidadi from Majestic and get at the junction mentioned below. From here you will have to hire an Auto. Bargain and settle for Rs 20 – 25.

Note: If you do not get a direct bus to Bidadi from Majestic then you may have to Kengeri and board a bus for Bidadi.

Route: If you are traveling from Bangalore look out for Innovative Film City board on the left hand side at a junction just before Bidadi. We need take left deviation here. Now follow the sign-boards to reach there.

As of today I have visited Innovative Film City once. There are still some shops to open and some tweaking going on.

Today I visited there as part of a Friends outing. We reached there around 11.30 am.

Entry fee: Rs 50 / person

Parking is free

Still Camera fee: Rs 100

Professional camera not allowed

Timings: Weekdays – 10 am – 6 pm

weekends and holidays – 10 am – 7.30 pm

They have various packages like Rs 399 featuring some rides and options. Rs 699 includes all.

After a little walk you will reach a shaded place, from here the entertainment center starts. Here, you can see a demon and a gunman made of iron. Proceed further to see Wannado ( a new section from kids), Repley’s Believe it or not, Madame Tussuad’s wax house, Hunted house, Aqua kingdom offers artificial beach and water experience at Rs 100, fossil museum, dinosaurs park, mini golf course, mini go karting ( normal car – 30 km/hr – Rs 150 for 4 laps, sports car – 80 km/hr rs 200 for 4 laps), skating, a few rides like roller coaster, revolving horse ride, a film studio which offers – Film academy, Production house and Film shooting, amphitheater etc.

I can fly

Hunted house

mini go karting

Mexican Style

Mexican cow boy's

Learning the silent music

4 D in action - first time in India

Some good news. Bangalore is soon going to have its first snow park here. It will be a followed by Guinness World Records Museum, a giant wheel, bungee jumping, bumper ball, bob spacer and a multiplex with 21 screens.

One thing that bothered me through out my stay there was the heat. It is advisable to visit there late after noon or in the evening. Also, good eateries were missing. One can spend some good time at Innovative Film City with family or friends.

Mukutmanipur - A heavenly pleasure

MUKUTMANIPUR

Mukutmanipur is a small town in Rarh in India. It is adjacent to the dam on Kangsabati River. This is considered as the second biggest earth dam of India. Mukutmanipur is famous as one of the best picnic spot in West Bengal.

Trains are available from Kolkata to the nearest railhead Bankura. Regular buses are available from Bankura to Mukutmanipur - distance 55 Km.

One can also drive down from Kolkata to mukutmanipur easily. It will take approximately 6 hours. There are two routes. The shorter one (241KM)is

Kolkata > Tarakeswar > Arambag > Bishnupur > bankura > Mukutmanipur. The second possible route(270 KM) is Kolkata > Dankuni > Burdawan > Durgapur (till here NH2) > Bankura (SH9)> Mukutmanipur.

The second route is recommended because of the excellent road condition in spite of the additional 30 KM. Regular buses are available from Kolkata, India's gateway in the east, distance 250Km.

Kangsabati Dam. The height of the dam is 38 metres with a lake of 86 Sqkm.

The island in the middle of the lake.

Ambika Nagar - a Jain prilgrimage.

No one knows what or where the heaven is. But one will surely en­joy heavenly pleasure, if he stays at Mukut manipur in a moonlit night. Staying arrange ment is there at the top of the hillocks at Mukutmanipur. After crossing the lock gate of the Kangsabati dam on the river Kang-sabati, there is the inspection bungalow, the Kangsabati Bhaban and the Youth Hostel. The barrage on the rivers Kumari and Kang sabati is 10098 m in length and 38 m in height, the area of the dam is 86 sq km. The dam is surrounded by hills.

This small hamlet in Bankura could be the perfect healing place for your weary soul. A giant lake with deep blue water, an open-air temple and a small forest with rare birds make it an ideal destination to satisfy weekend wanderlust.

Mukutmanipur is situated on the confluence of the rivers Kumari and Kangshabati at the Bengal-Bihar border. It’s a little-known fact that Asia’s biggest earthen dam is in Mukutmanipur, constructed in the early 1970s. The tourist destination grew around the dam.

The 86-sq-m lake provides an irresistible temptation to take a boat ride. One side of the lake is rocky and draws the border between Bengal and Bihar, while the other is dotted with green patches, part of the Bangopalpur reserve forest.

Sangama Trip

Sangama is the confluence of two rivers – Arkavathi and Kaveri(Cauvery). This place is around 2 hours drive from Bangalore and can be done on a two-wheeler or a four-wheeler. Arkavathi will be just a small stream for most of the year and will have some water during the monsoons. It is best to visit the place in rainy season when kaveri is running full of water.

The last 5kms of the drive to Sangama is quite interesting. The road takes a steep dip into a valley and offers a nice view of the running river. The waters here are shallow and wide, so you can walk around in the water or take a dip. When you are done, you can walk through the forest, along the banks of the river for around 3kms and reach Mekedatu. You also have the option to take a bus, but most people prefer to walk. As you move towards Mekedatu, you notice the river getting narrow, until at some point there is hardly a 20 feet distance between the banks. The river runs ferociously at this point and has formed beautiful soft structures on the rocky banks. Legend has it that the channel was so narrow that sheep would jump across, and hence the name Mekedatu(Meke = sheep, datu = cross in Kannada).

To reach Sangama, drive on Kanakapura road from Bangalore. You need to leave the highway after Kanakapura and take a left. Inquire once you reach the town. Another option is to take a circuitous route by driving on the highway till Satanur and taking a left from there. Once you are in Sangama, you can take a bus that keeps shuttling between Mekedatu and Sangama. But most people prefer to walk leisurely along the riverbank. To go to Chunchi falls, take a left turn around 5km before Sangama. There is a sign on the road which you will not miss.