NARASIMAHA GHADA Forthill –(Gadaikallu)

This was my second visit to this place & this time also this trip was led by one of my trekking partner Ramesh Kamath.

We reached the base of the hill where we have to pay a minimum amount of Rs 30/- to the forest dept who are maintaining the fort. The trek is more of climbing steps than a serious climb.The total number of steps is around 1800, but you won’t realize all the steps you just think its ruins or its just rock and then we slowly start climbing steeper and steeper domains.

We see a rock face after some time; we get a nice view of the Kudremukh mountain range from this open rock face. We took some rest there & moved ahead.

These steps are not difficult to climb,but once you reach the top it's a top of the world feeling offering an excellent view of the beautiful landscape. This may be the reason why Tippu must have built his fort at such a beautiful location where on one side you see the Western Ghats and on the other you see the vast plains of South Canara . It’s a very panoramic view.

The fort is more than 500 meter height, and its circumference at the bottom is about 4 to 5 kilometers. It is one of the most challenging trek in Rainy & Summer season.

Inside the citadel, at the top there are two unclean sweet water tanks (not well maintained). One of the bastions has a dismantled iron canon. Ruins of walls and parapets can be seen. A small construction of Tippu's time is the only shelter. The wall of this construction is about one meter in width that to it is of solid rock. The most surprising thing is that the fort has a plateau of about 4 to 5 acres right at the top.

Kudremukha

After spending some time looking around sinking into the breath taking beauty of the surroundings we had our lunch, being peak of summer and the sun beating down mericlessly we started our way back the unhindering enthusiasm of a trek takes us to places being it any season ...though completely exhausted and not a word from the whole team every one trying to face the heat in their own way we finally climbed down and reached our places,it was a a summer experience by itself a nice outing adding to all other ventures of mine.

Fort History :

Narasimaha Ghad fort, located near Beltangady town is 1788 ft above sea level & it is also referred to locally as ‘Jamalagadda’. The fort was built by Tippu Sultan in 1794 and named after his mother, Jamalbee.

The nearly 1876 steps to the fort are cut out of this granite hill (probably with the help of French Engineers) and lead all the way to the top through the fort to the summit.

The fort was captured by the British in 1799 during the 4th Mysore war. Legend has it that those out of favor with Tippu were hurled down this fort to their death.

Memorable 'Yana' Trip

After a lot of thinking as to which place to go to finally I planned to go to Yana , so I started from Udupi on my bike. One of my friend also joined me in Kumata. After a long bike ride, first we reached Vibhooti waterfalls, it was a wonderful place it's calm pristine beauty was mesmerizing after the long tiring bike ride bath under the waterfall was very refreshing, after relaxing lazying on the rocks munching on snacks and fruits we moved to Yana .
Yana is situated in the lush evergreen forests of the Sahyadri range of mountains. Yana is popular amongst the adventure lovers with a passion to trek. Yana ’s major attraction is a pair of tall, pointed rock formations. The Bhairaveshwara Shikhara (120Mts) & Mohini Shikhara (90Mts) are two mighty limestone peaks. Mohini Shikhara definitely looks more pretty compared to the more rugged Bhairava Shikhara. Yana is religiously known as the place where Lord Shiva killed Bhasmasura the monster who tormented the world during his time.

I parked my bike near Bhairaveshwara Shikhara. The surrounding of the temple can used to refresh your self with snacks & liquids. After having coffee we started to walk to Bhairaveshwara main Cave. There was also a route surrounding the giant rock, amidst a cave like structure infested with bats a very strong stench greets the visitors it's a dingy damp place but again the rock formation diverts your attention from the stinking smell of bats.
We had a walk around Bhairava Shikhara and came back. It was an enjoyable walk. After that we got a grace of Lord Shiva (Bhairaveswar) inside the Bhairava Shikhara.This is a small historic cave temple &Water from the limestone caves constantly fall on the idol of Shiva forming a stream & later it joins the river Aganashini.

After watching this we reached the Goddess Parvati Temple in Mohini Shikhara. There are many caves here and are inhabited by bats. The limestone formations in side the caves are as unique as they are ancient. Some of these formations are believed to be millions of years old. Yana’s these two gigantic limestone rock formations and numerous smaller ones stand like silent sentinels amidst the dense forest. The sight is truly stunning. More than hundreds of different types of hidden rock mountains are situated in these surrounded stretchy forests. A lot of commercialization has taken place here slowly robbing the natural beauty of this place. But again if you are a real nature lover you can see so many untouched places which can be explored with short treks.

After a wonderful stay in Yana for the night in the wild listening to the cry of wild animals hoot of the owls and other nocturnal animals with a pleasant memories we started our journey back ,on the way hidden again in the wild a beautiful fall Bennaehollae tempted us to its beauty we again took a deviation after a rough ride reached the place though there was little water the rocks made us go back to Yana once again after having lunch on those smooth giant rocks spending some time in the water we proceeded back to the tumultuous noise of the city looking forward for a weekend again to be in the lap of nature.

Bijapur - The Heritage City

Bijapur has many places of historical, cultural and architectural interest mainly related to Islamic architecture. It was the center of the Bahmani sultanate. Gol-Gumbaz

Gol Gumbaz boasts of the second largest dome in the world. 44 meters in diameter, this dome forms a highly sensitive echo-chamber. The slightest whisper echoes seven times over and the tick of a clock held at one end can be distinctly heard at the opposite end - 125 feet away !

Ibrahim Roza

Built on a single rock bed, it is noted for the symmetry of its features. Ibrahim Roza is rated as one of the most beautifully proportionated Islamic monuments in Indian and an inspiration for the Taj Mahal. The fine structure was built by Ibrahim II for his wife. In fact, he predeceased her and was also buried here. The complex consists of a tomb and a mosque in the middle of a huge garden. A huge tank nearby has been named after his wife, Taj Sultana. The walls of the tomb are decorated with superb calligraphic and geometric designs.

Embracing 1,16,300 square feet is the Jumma Masjid - "one of the finest mosques in India". Here, in a beautiful mihrab -covered by a heavy curtain - are verses of the Quran, beautifully inscribed in letters of gold.

Malik-e-Maidan - the largest medieval cannon in the world - is fourteen feet long, weighing about 55 tons. Legend has it that if you touch the gun and make a wish, it will come true ! Bijapur is full of such legends. Beautiful Museum

Great Buruz

Jumma Masjid

Bara Kaman

(Twelve arches) are important spots near the citadel

You could spend days exploring Bijapur. Wandering around the Arakilla, the Anand Mahal, the Mehtar Mahal, the Gagan Mahal, the Amin Durgah, the Assar Mahal,The Sat Manzil (seven-storied palace), Jala Manzil (water pavilion), the Chota Asar, the Faroukh Mahal, the Jahz Mahal, the Jod Gumbaz… Listening to the quaint Deccan dialect.

Some Beautiful Waterfalls in this summer

Kudremukha National park is a treasure trove unending hunt for treasures in nature one of them are the many waterfalls safely embedded and becoking to be discovered by the curious trekker, like one of the many highly enthusiastic trekker in the wild time and again when ever i travel in this route i tend to find a new treasure,though i have seen some of them it pulls me back again and again with it's sheer beauty.The wet climate and tremendous capacity to retain water the Shola grassland and forests have led to the formation of many perennial streams and waterfalls in this region.
In my last visit i once again visited these places. After an easy ride i reached Yelaneeru village,and Mavinasasi water fall welcomes you at the very entrance to the village,i parked my bike near this fall,first i planned to go to Yelaneeru waterfalls,so i started trekking in the opposite direction of Mavinasasi, after a short trek i reached the bottom of Elaneeru falls,it's one of the undisturbed fall situated in between this forests.I took bath relaxed for some time, water was very refreshing and the force of the water was a natural massage for my aching body,that's one of the best part in any waterfall a fantastic feeling. After refreshing I returned back & started to climb the rocks to reach main step of the Mavinasasi waterfalls.After a 5 minute climb, I reached the bed of the waterfalls. There is a pond just where the fall ends is a suitable place to swim, it was not much deep. This is a small 2 steps beautiful waterfall. This waterfall was lately disturbed by local villagers. After watching these two magnificent falls I planned to go to Hanumana Gundi. It is a familiar & very famous waterfalls in this region, because of it is heavily polluted by tourists. If you have time to spare, you can see so many hidden waterfalls in this region. The beauty of these falls is that each of these falls is hidden from one another. Silvery color Ant,First ever I saw in my life. I like this pick..ha ha..

It's tempting to visit this places again &again where you can take a break from the fast tempo of modern life.