Shravanabelagola Trip

We made this day trip in the first week of Nov21. It was a bright day, mostly sunny, and we started early just after 6 am from Bommanahalli in Bangalore via Bannerghatta road to NICE road, and came back close to about 6 pm via the same route. The distance is about 160 KM.

After the NICE road exit at Tumkur road, the 10 KM drive on the Tumkur road up to Nelamangala (before turn left on to Hassan Road NH75) is a busy road and quite confusing with the toll road drive way vs the normal service road looking similar. Google Maps also may not be very clear; so be watchful to keep track.

Overall the roads are good on the NH75 about 100 KM; only towards the end where we have to turn left at Mattanavile, before we get on SH47 for the last about 12 KM, in one stretch some flyover / road work causes some challenge.

But that last 12 KM drive via many villages are scenic to see nice terracotta roofed houses, cattle, farming fields, coconut groves, and so on.

Though we had been to Shravanabelagola many years ago, in the year 2008, we went up only the taller hill Vindhyagiri, at that time. This time we also went up the Chandragiri hill.

Our plan also was to have a Jain food this time for lunch, and my wife had chosen Sri Suranga Jain Oswal Marwadi Bhojanalaya, that is located right after we come down from Vindhyagiri, just a few meters from the arch.

We stopped at Kamat Upachar at Kunigal for breakfast at about 8:15 am. And reached the parking near Vindhyagiri at about 10 am, after stopping a couple of times to photograph some scenery and birds we spotted on the way, just before Shravanabelagola town.

After leaving our footwear at the paid storage available there for five rupees each, we reached the top of Vindhyagiri just after 11 am, after spending time at the mantaps, inscription displays, sculptured pillars, and areal views, on the climb up. The hill is about 440 ft. from the ground level.

After spending about 20+ minutes seeing the monumental 58 ft. monolithic Gomateshwara Bahubali statue and other wonderful Jain architecture and sculptures there we started our descent.

There is a scheduled closure of some parts (like Wodegal Basadi that is just one level below the top) from 12 noon to 4 pm; so watch out your timings suitably.

We came down and had our Jain food at about 12:15 pm. It is a small restaurant run by the family, where the mother was cooking, while the father, while helping the cooking, also took care of the serving along with their young daughter. For the limited content of that vegetarian meal, INR 180 per meal was quite expensive; it is just a very simple and tasty food, in a different setting.

We walked through the park next to the temple tank (kalyani / pond) to cross over from the Vindhyagiri side to reach the Chandragiri side.

Again, after leaving our footwear at the paid storage there, we started climbing up the steps at about 12:45 pm and reached the top in about 15 min. This hill is about 200 ft. from the ground level.

Chandragiri has a lot more mantaps and basadis spread out on the top. The 65 ft. tall pillar and other tall statue in the basadi in front are not to be missed.

We started for our way back at about 2 pm, and stopped at Paakashala Restaurant (of Vasudev Adiga) at Yediyur at 3:15 pm for a snack and fresh lime soda (to beat the heat), and reached back just before 6 pm.

See pictures from the trip here below. 

And also see Itinerary, Trip Tips and Review Ratings at the end of it.

Green Hotel Mysore, Dubare Elephant Camp Trip

We did this Road trip to Green Hotel Mysore, and to Dubare Elephant Camp - Jungle Lodges & Resorts, that is located at about 100 KM from Mysore, over ~3 days and 2 nights. It was at the end of December 2019 at Christmas time, and we had a good trip.

The Green Hotel Mysore

Green Hotel Mysore was formerly a palace called Chittaranjan Palace or Chittaranjan Mahal, built by the Maharaja of Mysore for his sister in the year 1916. It later changed ownership and became the headquarters of the iconic Premier Studio built very next to it in 1954. Later it was used as a private residence, and then subsequently restored in the 1970s by a Charity group and converted into The Green Hotel that is open to people to come and stay.

With adorable traditional interior decors and furnishing maintaining the historic Royal touch everywhere in the grand halls and corridors, added with extensive gardens, lawns, pergolas and such surroundings, they use solar water heating, no TVs and ACs in the rooms, and so on. They employ more people from the needy. In their Malgudi Coffee Shop bakery they employee especially women and widows to help them. The profits of The Green Hotel are said to be distributed to various charity programs associated with rural health and literacy.

The Premier Studio, which had 7 floors, built on 10 acres of land, was once Asia's second largest indoor studio, was closed over a period, and was actually demolished in September 2018. That was the studio where a major fire accident took place during the shooting of TV series by Sanjay Khan, The Sword of Tipu Sultan, in February 1989; an accident that claimed several lives.

Our plan to stay at The Green Hotel Mysore was only for experiencing all those historic connects in that very ambience and surroundings. We wanted to book the Princess Room, but as all the rooms in the main palace building were sold out even though it was 5 weeks in advance, we had only booked a normal Suite room in the annexe block. However, we got lucky when we reached there and got to stay in the Maharani's Suite in the main palace building itself. Do not miss a lot photos later below.

Our stay at The Green Hotel was also coincided by two other interesting events. We were there on the Christmas day and night, so it was just a week to the new year, and several streets and buildings in Mysore were decked up with lighting when we went around in the night. And the next morning, we also witnessed a full solar eclipse, the last of the decade, right before we departed from there towards our second destination of the trip, The Dubare Elephant Camp.

Dubare Elephant Camp Jungle Lodges & Resorts

Dubare Elephant Camp is part of Jungle Lodges & Resorts, located along the river Cauvery. We stayed there on a day package that included a jungle safari by their jeep, nature walk into the adjoining nature park with their guide and an elephant interaction session that the resort people arrange for the guests staying with them. The elephant interaction is also arranged for open public people who venture crossing the river waters dangerously by walking through it, taking a lot of risk unnecessarily; hopefully some authorities look into this to put in place some guidelines and do's and don'ts restrictions.

We leave the car at the parking lot (see the point below on the parking trouble) and a boat service by the JLR ferries us across the river to the resort on the banks on the other side. Each cottage had a unique name to identify; we were allotted 'Chandra'. The stay package we booked includes all the costs of the food and activities, as is common in all the JLR locations. Again the rooms here do not have a TV or telephone. We generally do not sight any wild animals during such jeep safari trips, and it is especially true during winter time like end of December. But, to go all the way and stay in a calm serene environment surrounded by wilderness for a day away from the city's busy norm is always a welcome experience.

And one of the common features we have seen with our previous JLR stay at Galibore was, a very passionate friendly guide who is very involved in his job and always trying to do the best job for the nature walk audience. Here also we experienced the same with one Mr Puttanaik who took us on the guided nature walk in the morning. They do not take any tips from anyone, but do a wonderful job of explaining about most of the flora in the route, the insects and birds around, environment, habitats and so on. A good complete experience.

The car parking mismanagement at Dubare before we take the boat to cross over the river to reach JLR is a complete chaos, and can make us into a mess. And there are no safety barriers between the edge of the road and the river cavity where the cars are parked to the brim. We were there in the Christmas to New Year vacation time and we were entangled amidst the chaotic incoming and outgoing vehicles including big buses, with just no responsible person assigned to help the vehicles at all.

Highlights - The Green Hotel, and in Mysore

• A great cozy room with traditional touch in the furniture, decors, floor tiling, and so on
• Our Maharani's Suite had a window overlooking the razed location of Premier Studio building
• Grand halls and corridors with fabulous interiors and furnishing of the palatial construction 
• Wooden staircases, easy chairs, colorful antique tinted glass decors, gramophone unit, piano, library
• The Malgudi Coffee Shop served some wonderful stuff made in the bakery
• Their Lemon Drizzle cake was a wonder, so much so that we repeated the order!
• The vast open garden restaurant with a large open seating area and some covered seating areas
• A small roof top terrace area with old time outlook and multi-layered tiers to wind around
• A look through window near the compound wall to view the remains of the razed Premier Studio
• The night drive with the Mysore Place as well as several roads illuminated up brightly
• Our mandatory dinner at the Gayathri Tiffin Room, delicious Khara Bath / Upma and Masala Dosa
• With a bit of cloudy sky, we still witnessed the decade's last full solar eclipse through camera images

Highlights - Dubare Elephant Camp Jungle Lodges & Resorts

• Cottages located in a calm and serene environment by the side of Cauvery river
• A nice Nature walk in the morning conducted very well by Mr Puttanaik
• Good range of food at the Gol Ghar, and a short camp fire near there in the evening
• A stilted view point in the premises had a set up with a tough climb step ladder
• Obviously we came across several Elephants in the camp that the jeep safari drove through
• We also spotted Peahens, Crested hawk eagle, Flame-back Woodpecker, Hoopoe, and an Egret
• During the jeep safari, Mr Puttanaik also showed us pug marks of a tiger that roams around here
• Mr Puttanak showed a lot of information during the morning Nature walk
• Spices like Marathi moggu, Stone flower, and Cinnamon, fungi and termite on trees, and ant hills
• Hanuman phal a sister fruit to Sita phal (Custard Apple), and many other flora
• We also spotted a Malabar squirrel and birds like Spotted doves during the Nature walk
• A standard at JLR stays, an animals film show at the Gol Ghar, before dinner time
• The elephant interaction session was on the next morning outside the rear exit, near the river
• The trainer mahouts put through several elephants to bath and allow the guests also to participate

Overall a very good stay experience at both the places, good cuisine, calm and serene surroundings for 3 days out of Bangalore. The drive from Bangalore to Mysore and to Dubare also enabled us to spot several local produces on transport or sale along the way. Sugarcane, Coconuts, Paddy were very common. On the sector from Mysore towards Dubare, when we pass through Bylakuppe cross and Kushalnagar we do not miss to see a lot of the Buddhist monks who come from the famous Monastery nearby, shopping in the area. Another interesting sight always driving through small towns and villages are the terracotta roofed houses with single deck and some with an upper deck. We also passed through the popular Cauvery Nisargadama, though we did not stop. There was a big crowd of vehicles owing to the vacation season. The other major sight we had was the farms of Mochai (Field Beans / Faba Beans) and the sales with heaps of those produces along the road side at several places by those farmers. On the return route we stopped in Dubare at a spices shop to buy some Coorg Coffee powder, a produce from this area, and later we also stopped near Nisargadama at a shop to buy a few nice items made out of clay pottery.

Routes

Our drive routes from Bangalore to The Green Hotel Mysore and from there to the Dubare Elephant Camp JLR:

Look for our itinerary summary and the trip review scores later below. Scroll down to see a lot of pictures - Do not miss!

Hassan, Hoysala Village Resort Trip

We did this road trip to Hoysala Village Resort Hassan that is about 215 KM from Bangalore, over 2 days and 1 night. It was towards end of the peak summer time, and we had a good trip. We drove from Bangalore on 18May morning 8 AM, and returned back from Hassan on 19May afternoon 3 PM, after a night's stay there.

Hoysala Village Eco Resort

Located in the outskirts of Hassan, a part of the Malanad region, made famous by the Hoysala Dynasty, and in the vicinity of 30-35 KM to historic places like Belur and Halebid. Also very popular is the historic Shettihalli Rosary Church located at about 23 KM from Hassan, which we had visited earlier in April 2013; see travelogue here. This was actually our third trip to Hassan, as we had stopped at Hassan twice before, once while going to Shettihalli and Sakleshpur in April 2013, and the other time while going to Belur and Halebid during August 2010.

Our stay at the eco resort was very good. Of the wide variety of rooms and cottages they have, we stayed in a Palace Suite type room on the first floor of their Malanad Palace style building located at the far rear end perimeter of the property.

Lot of greenery, trees, fruits, walkways around that we enjoyed. We could spot a lot of birds around. Food was very good. We had booked our lunch and the next day's breakfast there. So we drove to Hassan town for dinner at Suvarna Sagar, where we had stayed for a night during one of our earlier trips.

Overall a very good Malanad experience, good cuisine, calm and serene surroundings for a day out of Bangalore. See the pictures and analysis below.

Routes

Route map from NICE road toll to Hoysala Village Resort is here.

Look for our itinerary outline and the reviews later below. Scroll down to see the travel pictures.

Mysore, Bandipur Trip

We did this 2 nights and ~3 days trip to Mysore and Bandipur by road from 22nd Oct '15 morning to 24th Oct '15 evening.

It was the last 3 days of Dussehra
time, we wanted to, for the first time ever, see the festive look of Mysore at Dussehra time, from an evening to next morning, though, we did not intend to stay there for the Jumbo Savari that was scheduled for the following afternoon. And then we wanted to do a one-night stay closer to the woods at Bandipur National Tiger Reserve area, where we did an open jeep wildlife safari, again for the first time ever.

We stayed at the Hotel Mayura Hoysala Mysore booked via Karnataka state tourism development corporation website www.KarnatakaHolidays.net, and at Windflower Tusker Trails at Bandipur, Mangala village.

Trip Summary

22/Oct/15 (Thu) 
     09:30 Started from Bangalore, entered NICE road via Gottigere to touch Mysore road.
     11:30 McDonald's after Channapatna before Maddur, drive-through to pick up something.
     12:00 Lunch stop at Adyar Ananda Bhavan A2B, Bestin's  Break, after Maddur (Opp. side).
     14:00 Reached Mayura Hoysala, Mysore.
     17:45 Drove through lit up city, Karanji lake (late, closed), Chamundi hills, Cauvery handicrafts.
     19:30 Palace lighting view (no entry due to Pooja Holiday) from gate.
     20:15 Dinner at Mayura Hoysala restaurant.

23/Oct/15 (Fri) 
     08:45 Breakfast at Mayura Hoysala restaurant.
     10:10 Departure from Mayura Hoysala, towards Bandipur.
     12:30 Reached Windflower Tusker Trails, Mangala village, Bandipur.
     13:45 Lunch at Windflower.
     15:30 Open jeep wildlife safari into Bandipur National Tiger Reserve, ~3 hours.
     18:30 Snacks and tea at Windflower.
     21:00 Dinner at Windflower.
     21:45 Night walk around Windflower.

24/Oct/15 (Sat) 
     07:45 Morning walk outside Windflower, Mangala village.
     09:15 Breakfast at Windflower.
     11:00 Check-out and departure from Windflower, towards Mysore/Bangalore.
     13:15 Lunch stop at Hotel Dasaprakash, Gandhi Square, Mysore, Akshaya restaurant.
     17:00 Reached Bangalore.

To see a Google route map view of the end to end trip, click here.

Trip Overview

Overall it was a good trip, though a short one that went off in a jiffy. Mayura Hoysala, a Karnataka government hotel stay was nice, with breakfast included in the package was very good. Going around Mysore, clad in a festive fervor, gave a great feel to the Pooja holiday vacation. Mysore Palace was nice fully lit, though could not go inside to see it closely.

At Bandipur, the stay at Windflower was different. With trees all around, the rustic plan and layout of the cottages, no cellphone signals, no TV, no newspaper, etc. and the tasty three meals and evening snacks in the package, it was overall a nice time. The near 3-hours open-jeep safari in the wild was good, though we could not spot any tiger or leopard.

Review: Highlights of Hotel Mayura Hoysala and Mysore trip
     * The room in the rear annex block where we stayed was good.
     * Nice view of a small house behind, with cattle, sheep, dogs, poultry, etc. and afar Chamundi hill.
     * We could see the city roads glitter in festive lighting all over, including the palace.
     * The buffet breakfast with south Indian menu spread was great.

Review: Lowlights of Hotel Mayura Hoysala and Mysore trip
     * The rooms in the front block were olden style that appeared crammed.
     * The a la carte menu north Indian food we had for dinner was too spicy and did not taste good.
     * We went near the gate of Karanji Lake at about 6 PM and it was too late, so closed.
     * Crowded Chamundi hills atop, so we could not get to a good view point to see the lit up city.
     * Cauvery Handicrafts was huge, still we could not find some economic crafts stuff to buy.

Review: Highlights of Windflower Tusker Trails and Bandipur trip
     * Overall the entire resort was very well maintained, excellent rooms, restaurant, swimming pool, etc.
     * The rustic design and layout of the cottage we stayed was the highlight overall.
     * No TV, no newspaper, no cellphone signal, etc. so it was very peaceful and calm.
     * At the reception, there was one specific lounge spot for some phone signal and wi-fi internet.
     * Three buffet meals and the evening snacks at the restaurant was great.
     * Open jeep safari, optional, extra cost, choose evening or morning, by a converted Tata 407 vehicle.
     * We saw peacock, langur, jungle fowl, bison, elephant, sambhar, deer, mongoose, wild boar, etc.
     * Major highlight of the safari was the elephant family we saw very close, including a tiny calf.
     * The night became very cold, it was pretty nice.
     * A morning walk outside the resort, on the village road towards deeper connects, was very good.

Review: Lowlights of Windflower Tusker Trails and Bandipur trip
     * The first about 10 KM road when we left Mysore was bad; but some work was ongoing to fix it.
     * The safari trip was expensive but still we could not spot something good like a tiger or leopard.
     * The last 2 KM road before Windflower was bad; but some work was ongoing to fix it.

Thanks for your time to read this travelogue. Do remember to leave your comments here.

Read on further... for some pictures and more details on trip tips, our verdict ratings, etc.

Around Bangalore: 13 - Antara Gange

WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2015! 

Destination: Antara Gange

Direction: East / North-East of Bangalore; Old Madras Road, NH4, via Hoskote, turn left before Kolar.

Type of place: Hillock, Hindu temple.

We visited last on: 01/Nov/09, Sun.

Suitable for: A day trip.

Best seasons to visit: Most seasons should be good; a rainy day can be difficult to climb the steps.

Distances
      * 72 KM from City Railway Station.
      * 72 KM from Central Silk Board.
      * Turn left after ~11 KM after crossing Kendatti (Cafe Coffee Day) on NH4, and then go 2 KM.

Route maps on Google
      * From City Railway Station: Click Here.
      * From Central Silk Board, Hosur Road: Click Here.

Timings: Open only during daylight timings.

Weekly off: Typically none.

Food
      * There are no restaurants for a few KM before or even at the base of the hillock.
      * Carry food along and eat at a convenient location; or go up to Kolar and look for eateries.
      * There are no food options at the top of the hillock; just the temple there.

Specialties
      * Drive after KR Puram, on Old Madras Road NH4 was ok; at that time road work was going on.
      * The last few KM after the left turn from NH4 was single track but nice.
      * Climb over the hillock feels great with nice steps and trees around.
      * Main specialty is the water spring coming through the mouth of a small Nandi statue (a pipe?).
      * You can also climb up beyond the temple for some calm surroundings and nice views.

Travel Tips
      * There were a lot of monkeys, so always watch-out.
      * When you climb up beyond the temple, be careful as the place is secluded and can be risky.
      * Carry your stock of food, juices and drinking water.

Photos 

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You can click on the picture(s) to see a bigger version.  

Click here to view all 'Around Bangalore' postings under this series.

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Note: This is a series where I post details and tips about some day-trip locations around Bangalore. You would note that, the date of our visit to some of these places was quite some time back, so some of the detail need not be currently valid. However, I think the major part of the information will still be useful to readers. Do check around by phone or other means about these places to know the latest details and then make your plan. Enjoy your travel. Have fun.

____________________________________________________________________________

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Around Bangalore: 12 - Shravanabelagola

Destination: Shravanabelagola

Direction: West of Bangalore; go on Bangalore-Mangalore road NH48 towards Hassan, turn left after Hirisave (before Channarayapattana).

Type of place: Hillock, Jain temple.

We visited last on: 10/Oct/08, Fri.

Suitable for: A day trip.

Best seasons to visit: Most seasons should be good; summer can be too hot to climb the steps.

Distances
      * 140 KM from City Railway Station.
      * 150 KM from Central Silk Board.
      * Turn left after about 8 KM after crossing Hirisave, and then travel 11 KM.

Route maps on Google
      * From City Railway Station: Click Here.
      * From Central Silk Board, Hosur Road: Click Here.

Timings: Open only during daylight timings.

Weekly off: Typically none.

Food
      * There are some small restaurants at the base of the hillock.
      * It will be good to carry food along and eat at a convenient location.
      * There are no food options at the top of the hillock; just the temple there.

Specialties
      * The drive after Nelamangala, on the Mangalore highway NH48 was very good.
      * The last 11 KM after the left turn from NH48 was single track but nice.
      * The 57 feet monolithic Gommateshvara Bahubali statue atop visible from far as you near the town.
      * Climb over the hillock feels great with nice views down.
      * There are a few ancient structures and small temple mantaps at the top.
      * There is also a temple with a big pond in the town new the hillock.

Travel Tips
      * Climbing the steps carefully; some parts can be a bit skidding; it can be windy at times as well.
      * During summer, mid-day could be hot, so carry your caps / hats.
      * Carry your stock of juices and drinking water.

Photos 

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You can click on the picture(s) to see a bigger version.  

Click here to view all 'Around Bangalore' postings under this series.

____________________________________________________________________________

Note: This is a series where I post details and tips about some day-trip locations around Bangalore. You would note that, the date of our visit to some of these places was quite some time back, so some of the detail need not be currently valid. However, I think the major part of the information will still be useful to readers. Do check around by phone or other means about these places to know the latest details and then make your plan. Enjoy your travel. Have fun.

____________________________________________________________________________

* * * You can write your COMMENTS about this Post BY CLICKING HERE - Thanks * * * 
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Around Bangalore: 11 - Dodda Ala Mara, Machanabele Dam

Destination: Dodda Ala Mara, and Machanabele a.k.a. Manchanabele Dam

Direction: South West of Bangalore; on Mysore Road, turn right about 2.5 KM after Kengeri.

Type of place: Dodda Ala Mara: Botanical. Machanabele Dam: Reservoir, Water body.

We visited last on: 17/Jun/07, Sun.

Suitable for: A short day trip.

Best seasons to visit: Right after the rainy season, it will be nice to see the greenery around.

Distances
      * 25 KM to Dodda Ala Mara + 10 KM to Machanabele Dam, from City Railway Station.
      * 35 KM to Dodda Ala Mara + 10 KM to Machanabele Dam, from Central Silk Board.
      * Turn right after about 2.5 KM after crossing Kengeri town and drive about 7.5 KM to Ala Mara.

Route maps on Google
      * From City Railway Station: Click Here.
      * From Central Silk Board, Hosur Road: Click Here.

Timings: Open only during daylight timings.

Weekly off: Typically none.

Food
      * There are no good restaurants around.
      * It will be good to carry food along and eat at a convenient location.
      * There are lots of monkeys, very bold, grabbing away things from our hands; so watch-out.

Specialties
      * The drive is on the Mysore highway for the initial part till you cross Kengeri.
      * 7.5 KM + 10 KM after right turn (2.5 KM after Kengeri) is all single track; can see some farms.
      * Dodda means Big, Aala Maraa is Banyan Tree.
      * At Dodda Ala Mara, you can sit around the tree and enjoy seeing the aerial prop roots grown into thick woody trunks.
      * At Machanebele Dam, you can sit along the several narrow shoulder-like mounds / bunds close to the water and look around the hillocks far on the other side of the reservoir.

Travel Tips
      * Take care of protecting yourselves and your food / snacks from monkeys.
      * Do not venture getting into the water body at Machanabele; it is not allowed and is risky.
      * After rainy season the water level can be very high and going near water might even be banned.
      * During summer, mid-day could be hot, so carry your caps, hats and umbrellas.
      * Better to carry your stock of juices and drinking water.
      * We did Dodda Ala Mara first and then went to Machanabele Dam. You can do the other way also. 

Photos 

Dodda Ala Mara

Machanabele Dam a.k.a. Manchanabele Dam

 ____________________________________________________________________________

You can click on the picture(s) to see a bigger version.  

Click here to view all 'Around Bangalore' postings under this series.

____________________________________________________________________________

Note: This is a series where I post details and tips about some day-trip locations around Bangalore. You would note that, the date of our visit to some of these places was quite some time back, so some of the detail need not be currently valid. However, I think the major part of the information will still be useful to readers. Do check around by phone or other means about these places to know the latest details and then make your plan. Enjoy your travel. Have fun.

____________________________________________________________________________

* * * You can write your COMMENTS about this Post BY CLICKING HERE - Thanks * * * 
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[  You can SUBSCRIBE to my Blog here ]

[ Do share my Blog link with your friends and relatives ]