Off beat places to visit - Karnataka

I would love to know off beat places in Karnataka, more so around Bangalore which could be visited comfortably by one and all. Hence, this new thread which could include lesser known or even sometimes unknown places too! Be it temples, villages, places with beautiful landscapes, short trips which may not be exactly touristy type but could be very helpful to people who love to visit such places!!

Hoping to get a lot of contributions under this thread from all the travel enthusiasts !! Even just the name of the place and some details would make a lot of difference to people like me, who are constantly looking out to visit such places.

Here is my 1st contribution:

MANYAPURA: Revisiting the ruins of Ganga dynasty!!


When in Bangalore or should I say ‘Namma Bengalooru’, I would always want to visit some lesser known or to be precise less crowded places . Being an avid follower of the ‘WWTPT – where was this picture taken?’ thread on IM, I had the opportunity to discover some less frequented places which had something very attractive about them. Thanks to one IM member, VinaThorat and his puzzles, instead of getting the right answers , I got to learn about these places and guess what, during one of my recent visits to Bangalore (September 2011), went in search of these places ! A very small but beautiful temple photo on the net attracted me at once to this place. It’s proximity to Bangalore made it much more ‘do-able’, as I was also planning to visit the ‘Nijagal betta’ or also known as ‘Siddar betta’ by some people, just a few kilometers off the Bangalore – Tumkur highway.

Without much Ado, let me report a little about this ‘now’ cute, but ‘sometime back’ historically relevant place, called Manyapura and may be popularly known to people near Nelamangala (Karnataka) as ‘Manne’!! Me, my hubby & one of his cousins, started from Bangalore around 7.45 am from RR Nagar, Bangalore.

The route taken: RR Nagar, Bangalore – Rajkumar Samadhi road – Yeshwantpur (took the toll road towards Nelamangala) – T Begur - Tyamagondlu – Muddulinganahalli Railway crossing – immediate left after crossing the railway tracks – Arrive at the Arch of Manyapura!! Around 60 Kms from Bangalore till here.

Road conditions: As we travel on Bangalore – Tumkur Highway, which is also the NH4 which connects Bangalore to Mumbai, except for the ‘Namma Metro’ work in some parts, is very good. Even once off the highway and into the village, the road condition was good, too!

We reached T. Begur (35 Kms) around 8.30 am and halted for breakfast (15 mins). T. Begur is incidentally popular for Thatte idlis (plate idlis)!!





Had our fill and started towards Tyamagondlu which is towards the right hand side immediately next to T. Begur. Enroute Manyapura (please note, here onwards, one would be better off asking directions to ‘Manne or Minnapura’ rather than ‘Manyapura’!), we could see some beautiful gardens of Indian chrysanthemum or in Sanskrit known as Sevantı.





The village atmosphere and the peaceful surroundings with animals and birds and even bees, made for a pretty sight! These can be rarely seen in cities today!

A pretty Calf:



A Brahminy Kite (one of the IM members - RWeHavingFunYet, enlightened me about a few names of the birds ):



A black shouldered Kite:



A beehive:



After stopping everywhere possible for our photo session, finally reached this Muddulinganahalli railway crossing (around 23 Kms from T. Begur) around 9.30 am, and proceeded towards Manne.



A newly constructed temple enroute Manne!



A small Introduction to ‘Manyapura’: After surfing through the Wikipedia and other useful info on the net, could see that Manne, was once upon a time, taken in as capital by the Ganga dynasty! Now, just a small village that has one main road and all it's activities are around it. Nothing extravagant or extra-ordinary about this tiny village, except for the fact that it was once ruled by the Ganga dynasty!

The Ganga dynasty had 2 divisions, widely known as the Western Gangas & the Eastern Gangas. The Western Ganga Dynasty (350–1000 CE) was an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka in India. Their autonomy lasted from about 350 to 550 CE, initially ruling from Kolar and later moving their capital to Talakad on the banks of the Kaveri River in modern Mysore district. It is in between this period, Manyapura had claimed its fame too, for being the capital for some time. The Western Ganga contribution to polity, culture and literature of the modern south Karnataka region is considered quite important. To read more about Ganga dynasty, click here:Western Ganga Dynasty!

We drive further 2 kms and find an arch which says: ‘Manyapurada Hebbagilu’ in kannada which means “The main entrance of Manyapura”!! It was around 9.45 am by now. It seemed like a tiny hamlet bustling with activity only at the main entrance!



We make some inquiries and being guided by the villagers drive ahead less than a kilometer to find a ‘striking’ stone structure just by the roadside! Yes, this is the temple, "Temple of Kapileswara" dedicated to lord Shiva, which had caught my attention and attracted me to this place.



With this rich legacy as read about the 'Ganga dynasty', it was surprising to see the then glorious place it would have been, completely in ruins and the only testimony to such grandeur today stood one of the beautiful temples, Kapileshwara, on the roadside falling apart!!

We parked our car and headed straight in to the temple to have a look at the interiors of the temple.

Close up of the 'Dwarapalakas' or the deities guarding the entrance of the temple.





No specific idol of the deity worshiped there was found. But the thick stone pillars and the view of the ruined temple windows spoke of the opulence of the temple in its hey days!!



The side view of the temple.



The side windows of the with romantic carvings!!



Close up:





Another side of the temple had different carvings on the window! Looked like Krishna, but confused as to why carvings of Krishna in a Shiva temple!!



Found this stone buried in earth near the temple! May be some history behind it!



Completely fascinated by this small but skillfully done temple, we drove ahead to just muse on the village environment for some more time.

Just few hundred metres, we find this roadside village deities beautifully carved, lying in open!!





The features of the idols stunned us!



Another 2/3 Kms, don’t know exactly, came to a peaceful surrounding where we found this colorful Basaveshwara temple, some where close to Venkatapura. Unfortunately it was closed but that did not stop us from taking a few photos there.





The colorful Gopuram with the idols of Shiva and Parvati and the Nandi placed in front of them made it a nice picture!



We sat under the shade of this tree, just opposite to the temple and enjoyed the solitude of the surroundings. Sheer Bliss .



After about 15 minutes, we drove back in the same route which we had taken to reach Manyapura, came back towards the Railway crossing where we had to wait for the railway crossing! Not to sit quietly even for some time, got busy with the camera!!

The Train approaching the station:



Train at the Muddulinganahalli station!



10 minutes later, we were back on track, moving towards the highway to visit our next place of interest – Nijagal betta!!

Footnote: I learnt later that there are a few other temples in the surrounding area like the 'Someswara' temple which is in far more worse condition and also a recently constructed Lord Hanuman temple, close by. If one visits Manyapura, one can enquire with the local people who are very courteous and could direct you to the lesser known temples in the vicinity!!

Ideal place for a short visit & to continue towards other destinations, like we did - Nijagal betta, coming up next !!

My next place of visit from Manyapura, about which I have reported above, was ‘Nijagal Betta’ (Kannada words), when translated in to English literally means ‘Truthful Stone Mountain’, and only god knows why it is called so!! We start back around 10.30 am from Manyapura. Remember, this is truly off-beat as it’s not as popular as a few other nearby mountains. (Read as Basadi betta, Shivagange betta, etc).

Route taken back from Manyapura: Muddalingana halli railway crossing – internal road towards Dobaspet (just after crossing the railway tracks) – drive ahead for atleast 2kms – Reach NH4 at Dobaspet – drive under the flyover and take a right towards Tumkur – just about less than 500 mts approximately, again take a small village road to the left, which takes one to towards Nijagal betta.

Note: Do not hesitate to inquire with the locals about the place, once you reach NH4. The Mountain is not visible immediately from the highway and the chances of driving ahead are more likely. Hence, it’s advisable to make sure one is taking the right road. Also, one can alternately enquire for ‘Siddar betta’, if Nijagal betta doesn’t ring a bell with the localites there. I did see some people there look back at me dazed when I had asked them to guide me towards ‘Nijagal betta’!! They in turn asked me if I wanted to visit ‘Siddar Betta’ which was a kilometer interior just behind the NH4. But, please take care not to be guided towards Koratgere which is very close to Tumkur and also has a ‘Siddhara Betta’!! Insist on the one near Dobaspet only.



After verifying & cross verifying for atelast 4 times, we were finally on the right track, read as a muddy road, but definitely motor-able! I had read on some blog that the vehicle could be parked on roadside on NH4 near ‘Reliance petrol pump’or the ‘Kamat upachar’ near Dobaspet, and walk up from the base towards Nijagal! But we preferred to take the vehicle towards the actual foothills as we were informed that the vehicle could easily be taken until there. So at about 11.15 am, we were at the foothills of the Nijagal. I was ofcourse pretty much excited…I was the tour planner you see!

The Sun was pretty much bright & I could see my hubby & his cousin standing near the vehicle & sizing up the sight (please read as huge mountain) in front of them. Well, there was no turning back so it meant only ‘marching ahead’!!



A small intro, as always: Nothing very spectacular about the place, is what I would like to mention at the outset. But the fact that it is less frequented by general public, easily accessible from Bangalore, comfortably do-able for people with even little bit of fitness, makes it special. Nijagal betta is located just off the NH4, near Dobaspet in a tiny village. Though I could not find much of authenticated history about the place, I did find an interesting write up about the ‘The Battle of Nijagal’, which may interest many of the readers. Check here!

So with this introduction, we moved ahead and around 11.30 am. The Path ahead us:



The cute ‘baby’ steps carved in the mountain – Wonder why? Doesn’t help much while climbing.



I was very enthusiastic and was marching ahead and clicking photos, when I saw my hubby & his cousin coming ‘aaraam se’ (English translation – completely relaxed or casually), I asked them to pose for the camera and this is what they did!! Full ‘Drama Company’ !!



The climb up the mountain can be divided in to three levels. Reaching the ruined fort walls, could be treated as completion of 1st level. We could see our self-appointed guide here onwards, squatting comfortably and waiting for us to reach there. The first level was pretty comfortable, except for the fact that the Sun could have been little less harsh on us.



Anyway, that did not dampen our spirits, atleast it was breezy once we reached the 1st level. We could see the greenery around from a different level.



Once we cross the fort walls and get on to the plateau, one could see a Temple cum dargah of sorts to our immediate left and further ahead a temple in total ruins and a dirty pond.







The approach to that temple wasn’t very alluring, hence we decided to trek up to the next level and try to reach the peak before it could get any hotter!!

It is at this level, one realizes, they are surrounded with huge boulders on all sides and it’s a world in itself there, completely cut off from the views of the base.



We took the mud path straight ahead of us. Our Self-appointed guide was more enthusiastic about climbing than any of us! He seemed to be atleast 70 yrs old and the sprint in his gait put us to shame !! He marched ahead of us giving us directions about the path being narrow at certain places; to take care of our valuables if any as there were naughty monkeys around etc…The climb towards the 2nd level involves climbing up a few steps at some places and some walking on a single muddy lane.



It is now, in between the 1st level & the 2nd level of our climb that we could appreciate the beauty of the huge boulders everywhere around us. The rock formation looked very different and especially the one towards our right hand side while moving towards the 2nd level!! It seemed as though the huge rock had fallen apart, and that too so artistically .



A view of the temple ruins from another angle, on our way to the 2nd level.



Almost reaching the 2nd level of our climb!



Once on the 2nd level, straight ahead one can see those ‘baby steps carved towards the huge rocks. This leads one to a cave inside (between the white painted rocks) a small shrine with a few stone idols and a dargah!



The stone idols seemed like that of some sage!! It was a wee bit dark inside, but a small oil lamp glows in a corner to help one see the idols clearly!



After exiting the cave, we wondered if we had reached the peak as there was no path ahead of us. Took some photos of the surrounding views from there.





But as usual, curious to somehow reach the top of the mountain checked this path next to the cave temple! It definitely looked steep and not very easily manageable, but the thought of reaching the peak or the 3rd & final level was very tempting!



Once I climbed up the rock and turned right, the first visual was this:



And then I could see huge boulders all over. Hurrah , we were on the last level!!! The place looked very scenic and also moving around at this level I could see a few temples which have not been maintained and are in real bad conditions.



This level treats one to a lot of photo ops. I would love post this 'Panorama' shot from hubby's cousin's camera!





The natural formation of the rocks is gorgeous and most attractive here.



The paths in between the rocks lead to different sides of the mountain.







It also provides a clear view of the countryside and the plantations across the NH4.



The beautiful 'criss-cross' view of the NH4 from one edge of the mountain and the 'picturesque' fly-over on the railway tracks, at a distance, were the most attractive sights!!





Our ‘self-appointed’ guide also very comfortably came along and modeled for us!



By the time we reached the peak it was around 12.45 pm. We had taken almost 1 hour and 15 minutes to reach the peak, ofcourse en-route we had clicked at least 200 photos too!! Many of them ‘Patel shots’, a nice term introduced to us by one IM member,ks_bluechip, on the ‘Kas/Kaas near Satara’ thread!!



So after finally achieving our main aim of visiting a less explored place and that too successfully trekking upto the peak, we started our climb down towards the base. We thanked our self-appointed guide for accompanying us to the peak and paid something for his effort and bade goodbye!

While on our way back, we met a very 'Friendly' family looking curiously at us!!



We were back at the 1st level with in 15 minutes. Now was the time to check out the temple, which we had ignored and proceeded towards the next levels. We climbed up the rocky path and reached the temple which looked completely dilapidated.



The pillar looked scary with all those stone slabs on it trying to hold the roof!



The temple roof:



The temple & and its pillars.



The Dwarapalakas (Guard deities)



In one of the sanctum sanctorum found a stone piece resembling ‘Shivalinga’ & assumed that it must have been a ‘Shiva temple’!! The mound of mud at the entrance put me off, hence did not go very close. Anyway I was the only one to cautiously move inside the temple only for want of taking photographs. Hubby & his cousin thought that it was wise stay outside as they thought that the temple could come crumbling down any moment.



After my photo session, we made a beeline to our vehicle. It was around 1.30 pm and were feeling a few of those huge boulders/rocks rumbling inside our stomach and reminding us that we needed to fortify our stomach walls with something edible as it was already Lunch time. Oh my, A ‘PJ’ , I know, but these are the aftermath of climbing a mountain with a fort too probably, a few hundreds of years back !!

The water tank near the car parking helped us to cool & freshen up and we started back our journey towards Tumkur.



On the way, of course we had our lunch here, on the NH4 towards Tumkur:



And what did we have? This –



Typical South Indian thali, with Jowar (sorghum seeds) roti, 2 Vegetable curries, Rasam, Sambhar, Chutney, Curd, papad, onion AND BUTTER ! Normally, I would hesitate to eat butter, but not here, after such a good work out and what the hell, I was on a vacation !

PS: Hope RWe, has read this, would love this 'Thali' !!

All in all a place worth visiting especially. It reminds us that it’s always not just the colorful flowers and water or greenery that makes one happy, one can also enjoy being one with the 'rocky nature'!

Footnote:

• In general, while trekking or visiting such places, wear light cotton clothes.
• Try to start the climb early in the day, lest the heat bogs you down!
• One can carry a small water bottle too.
• Definitely wear comfortable shoes.

I was pleasantly surprised one day, while surfing on the net for ‘off-beat places in and around Bangalore’; I found this unusual reference to a black buck reserve close to Tumkur. After living in Bangalore for almost 20 years, I had never known about this place before. So, when I was on a trip to Bangalore, especially was staying in Tumkur after our little trip to ‘Manyapura & Njagal Betta’, it was only appropriate to cash in on the proximity of the above mentioned ‘reserve’ and visit it!! I need to mention that my initial plan was to trek up ‘Madhugiri betta’ (Madhugiri Mountain), again located very close to Tumkur. But, the idea of visiting a sanctuary & that too with ‘Blackbucks’, compelled me to postpone my ‘Madhugiri trek to our ‘Next’ trip!! I have been doing this for the past 2 years now…!

About the ‘Blackbucks’: Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) is a species of antelope native to the Indian subcontinent. Their range decreased sharply during the 20th century. Since 2003, the IUCN lists the species as near threatened. This species is the only living species of the genus Antilope, and has been introduced in Texas and Argentina. It is one of the fastest of all terrestrial animals reaching to speeds of up to 80 km/h and is one of the few antelopes where males and females have distinctive coloration, as the male bucks are a distinctive black and white and have long twisted horns, females are fawn colored with no horns. In its scientific name Antilope cervicapra, 'Antilope' from 'anthalops' (Greek) a horned animal; 'cervicapra' from 'cervus' (Latin) a deer and 'capra' (Latin) a she-goat.

The blackbuck is the provincial animal of India & is known as Krishna Mriga in Kannada. Also known as Krishna Jinka in Telugu, it has been declared as the state animal of Andhra Pradesh. Other local names for the species include Krishnasar in Bengali, Kala Hiran, Sasin, Iralai Maan, and Kalveet in Marathi. It is often simply called Indian antelope though this term might also be used for other Antilopinae from the region.
The skin of Krishna Mrigam plays an important role in Hinduism, and Brahmin boys are traditionally required to wear a strip of unleathered hide after performing Upanayanam.

Trivia:
According to the Hindu mythology Blackbuck or Krishna Jinka is considered as the vehicle (vahana) of the Moon-god Chandrama. According to the Garuda Purana of Hindu Mythology, Krishna Jinka bestows prosperity in the areas where they live. A blackbuck is featured in the 2010 film Prince of Persia!

Text courtesy: Wikipedia.

So, here is a report about my visit to Jayamangali (Maidenahalli) Blackbuck Conservation Reserve:

Route taken: We Started from Tumkur:
Tumkur – Koratgere – Madhugiri – Puravara – Maidenahalli. The distance would be around 70 Kms from Tumkur.

If one is travelling from Bangalore, add another 70 Kms from Bangalore to Tumkur (NH4). And take the road to Koratgere and follow the above mentioned route.

Road condition: The stretch from Tumkur to Koratgere and a few kilometers ahead was very bad. The condition improved only a little after Madhugiri. Though it is possible to take smaller vehicles, it would be wise to ride a bike or take a robust vehicle like jeep on such roads .

Location: Jayamangali (formerly Maidenahalli) Blackbuck Conservation Reserve is located in Tumkur District. This area is a part of the plains of Deccan plateau and borders Anantpur District of Andhra Pradesh. It is a 798-acre patch of grassland with Eucalyptus and Acacia auriculiformis and is said to have the largest contiguous population of Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) in Karnataka, apart from Ranibennur Blackbuck Sanctuary.

Karnataka .com, the Tourism website provides considerable information about this sanctuary. CLICK HERE. This link provides the entire information and the contact details too, though I have not personally used those contact info.

Points to remember before visiting the conserve:

• The black bucks are in wild.
• One is entering the domain of those animals.
• Do not make it a place to sit & booze, though it can be a place for picnics.
• Do not litter.
• Please remember this is not a very popular and densely populated ‘Black buck conservation reserve’, yet!
• Also the location being in some remote village, do not try to attract attention (please read as glares from the villagers) by weird behavior.
• Don’t expect that one can easily sight those wild black bucks & that those poor souls would come right up to you and pose for the camera.
• A pair of good binoculars would help.
• A good camera with a spare battery would do a lot of good! Camera with a zoom of 20x or more would be quite helpful. The black bucks maintain a distance of atleast 500 mtrs and never stay at one place if people approach them any closer .

So with all these things in mind, we (5 of us - Me, Hubby, his 3 cousins), set out on our expedition! Started from Tumkur around 6.30 am, though we were supposed to start around 5.30 am and reach the Sanctuary around 7.00 am. I had read on the net that it would be easy to sight those rather shy black bucks early in the morning when they move closer to a watch tower in the Sanctuary. But when one is travelling with a group then it’s like bundling up a group of frogs into one basket and then starting on a journey, each one hops out as and when it suits them. Lucky that we still managed to start at 6.30 am.

Here begins m photo report:
En-route - A person fishing at a distance.



A scenic mountain. This was taken just before Madhugiri & this is not the one I wanted to trek .



Sunflower garden



And finally a sign board showing the directions towards Jayamangali (formerly Maidenahalli) Blackbuck Conservation Reserve, somewhere near Madhugiri!! Mind you this is before one reaches Puravara.



It’s around 8.25 am. It had taken us almost 2 hours to reach this place, thanks to bad roads & ofcourse our photo breaks too included. Once we reach Puravara, we see another sign board:



Another relaxed drive of half an hour, viewing the countryside pass by us and a few colorful temples en-route, we reach the main entrance of ‘Jayamangali Black Buck Conservation reserve’ at 9.10 am.



Another 200 mts drive inside the main gate brings us to a small structure, which later turned out to be the security guard's residence. We parked our vehicles here & take a look at our surroundings.



Notice to visitors at Jayamangali Blackbuck Conservation reserve: It mentions 'Hunting animals, even attempting to hunt these animals, troubling the animals is an offence under 'wildlife Protection Law'. Violation of this law is punishable with imprisonment from 6 months to 6 years and a fine not less than Rs. 500/-' Forest Department, Madhugiri area, Tumkur division.



Wise talk at this point: Please note that there was no entry fee when we had visited (September, 2011).
Better to check if there is any entry fee introduced in recent times. If the personnel at the Reserve mention some payment, tell them that there is no such detail on the net and they have been advised not to give money specifically.

A security guard cum caretaker cum guide at this place appears on the scene. I'll post his photo later in the write up, poor chap was in his 'Lungi' when we landed there. He enquires with us about the purpose of our visit & mentions that we need to enter some details in a notebook – number of people, names of the people visiting, from where we had come & contact number. Ofcourse we were informed by him that there is some entry fee….hahahahaha, we laughed it off, why do you think I gave some ‘gyaan’ beforehand !

We were also told that it would be difficult to sight the black bucks nearby as it had become quite bright & sunny and we had to roam around in the fields to spot the herd. Oh yes, we were disappointed on hearing that. But then, we already knew that we had to put in some efforts & it would pay off or it would not!!

Anyway, after our initial enquiries, we decided to have our ‘Packed breakfast’ before we venture out into the open fields. Yes, please note, there isn’t any eatery or hotel nearby, hence it is prudent to pack something from your starting point.

We had yummy ‘Shaavigebhaat’ for our Breakfast.



While we were having our breakfast we could see that there was a group of 6/8 members already moving around in the open fields. We were informed by our good old ‘Security guard’ that they were from some ‘Wild life conservation organization’ and were there on some work.

Once we were through with our breakfast (around 9.45 am), we immediately moved towards the Watch tower, which is a highly recommended place to spot the black bucks early in the morning. We walked up some 100 mts and found this watch tower. We patiently waited for 15 minutes with each of us concentrating on a specific place decided previously.

As luck would have it, we were the only mammals around and nothing eventful happened. I started getting piercing looks from my co-visitors!! I put my hands up and gave them that familiar look of ‘I had told you all before itself, one may spot them or even may not’!! Finally we all decided to indulge in a wee bit of our favorite pastime, photo session, if not anything else. The watch tower is actually picturesque & hence spent the next 20 mins doing this:





After this, we decided if the blackbucks were not coming to us, we would go to them !! Yes, it was high time that we ventured in to the open fields and put in some efforts. But, surely it was blazing hot. We tried to move around in our 4 wheeler, but the road wasn’t very encouraging, hence thought of covering the area by foot.



The vegetation as one could see was little shrubs & grass everywhere. We moved on. A panorama shot! I tried to wander here and there in search of blackbucks !



At this point a look at the surroundings:





Yes, the first sighting!! With great difficulty and only through the eyes of the camera could I spot this – A handsome male Blackbuck.



I had goose bumps once it stared back at me. It’s totally a different experience to see these wild animals moving freely in wild:



When I started moving cautiously towards it, I saw the buck retreating into the nearby shrubs in no time.

We realized quickly that these bucks have perfect camouflage & would be extremely difficult to spot them in the background of those shrubs & dry grass. Still managed to spot this cute one in another direction.



Now that we had spotted these, there was no stopping us. We all started moving in the direction in which the blackbuck had run. After a few hundred metres of walking we decided to hide behind the bush and wait for the buck to come back. Our patience did pay off and how? Assuming us to have left the place, the black buck came back with its herd.






This was a sight to watch! Unfortunately, we could never go very close or make ourselves easily visible to these animals as we knew that they would immediately scamper away and we would lose the opportunity to observe the herd & its activities.

The males are mostly black with very attractive horns and a distinct black/dark brown back!! The females are beautiful with perfect ‘doe-eyes’and are typical fawn colored!!



We noticed that, it took us some time to acclimatize our eyes to the surroundings & the heat around us. Once we were familiar with the surroundings, we could spot Blackbucks in every direction. It seemed that there was nothing in the field, but even with little bit of walking around albeit the hot sun, we could find these black bucks grazing all around. It would have been impossible to sight these bucks from the watch tower as the groups were scattered in all directions.



The herd, I felt were particular about their territory and would move around close by, occasionally trespassing other’s territory. Oh well, our joy knew no bounds! We had enough to tell our friends & relatives about this place.



Our Patience & ability to cover the area by foot had indeed yielded us more than what we had expected. We spent around 2 hours walking in every possible direction and we were not disappointed at all. The only thing we needed to remember was that we could not get very close to those animals, in any case, it was better this way, I felt.



We definitely could have done with better cameras, i felt!! This after having 3 cameras in total with us. As we could not get close to these black bucks, I felt the need for a DSLR with high zoom, though i have never used one !!

With a sense of achievement, we all started back towards Tumkur around 12.00 pm. We all bundled up inside the vehicle and were moving towards the main gate, when the security guard, waved to us & called us towards the car parking area. We all imagined that finally we may have to pay him something to keep him happy & that was the reason why he was asking us to comeback. We could also see the other group from the Wild life organization who were there before us, in the morning, had all bunched up at the car parking. One of my hubby’s cousin got out of the vehicle to settle the issue with the guard. After about 2 minutes, he waved his hands from a distance & yelled us to hastily come back as there was something waiting for us!! Huh, now what? It’s so hot outside and we have to get out of the car again? Anyway, we thought – let’s go and check it out!!

And what do we see? I mean what was that color? One had to witness that scene to believe it! We all jumped with joy – here was our bonus sighting!! A fluorescent green/lemon yellow colored ‘Chameleon’!!



The group from the wild life conservation organization had found this on the mud road and was photographing it for their forth coming magazine or something of that sort – we were informed. It was sheer luck that we were there and they were kind enough to let us spend some time with it!!



The person handling it took such great care in handling it. He gave us an insight into its behavior and its movements.



I was totally in awe of the creature.



The cameras were already quite busy & we also also shot videos from all angles!!



The coiled Tail:



Here is the photo of our 'Security guard cum caretaker cum guide ', dressed appropriately and looking smart too , with our colorful friend!!



It was time to say 'Good-bye':



Totally impressed by that tiny creature and grinning from one ear to the other, we started back finally towards Tumkur.

Even on our way back, we spotted something to click:

A black Dronga (Thanks Rwe, for helping me with identifying the bird )



Kingfisher:



Again, the wonderful sight along the countryside only made us much more glad:





My hubby’s cousins were elated with the day’s experience. I was too excited to mention the least. This was truly an 'Off-beat' place, with off-beat things to do & see . Wonder how many would agree with me!!

Thanks Naveena, for starting this thread and sharing your experiences. The photographs have made it all the more enjoyable. Keep up the good work.

Hey biman, I should the one thanking you for your kind words. Your words of encouragement is much appreciated . I will surely update this thread as and when I visit some place of interest.

Regards
Naveena

Naveena, enjoyed your off beat places trip report especially the wild life part. You managed well with the point & shoot camera. Thanks for all your bombardments.

Ronak.

Thanks; and subscribed...

, Hi Ronak, Welcome back!! Thank you too for taking time out to go through the write up.

About the camera, well there were 3 all mostly point & shoot, but I really felt there should have been something better with us! Anyway, hopefully, photos of next trip should be slightly better .

Also, I have to request you to post info & Photos about your latest visit!! One of the places you have visited is also totally 'hatke' (Off-beat) for sure, and you know what, I have already put a bee up our vehicle's bonnet , with regard to the place you visited. Would love to visit it if time permits during my next visit.

Bombardments....will never seize! In fact I'm thinking now I have to write reports even on my 'vegetable market visit' .

Just because you were on vacation, you missed out on so much info:

• Better late than never, so, here's wishing you a very 'Happy Diwali'!
• I had been to Mahim Nature Park also tried the 'hire bicycle service' at SGNP! Loved both my trips.

Thank you too . Hopefully you won't be disappointed with your subscription. Belated Diwali wishes to you too .

Hi Naveena,

Did not see any post from you since many a days so thought that once again we are going to get bombarded and there you are!!!!

As usual thats avery good write up,and yes we will also love to read about your daily vegetable market trips too!!!!

You were really lucky to see that chamaleon.

Hi Kunal,



How come you in Karnataka forum? Not that I object, nice to know you read the write up, Thank you too! I am seriously considering joining Indian Army or start my own 'One woman Army' - now that I am bombarding expert!! If I start bombarding people with my Vegetable market report too, I am sure i'll be asked to pack my bag & baggage and quit .

Oh yes, sighting of those black bucks as well as the chameleon was totally - luck!! Black bucks never let us near them where as this chameleon never left us!

Hello Naveena,
I just accidently bumped across this thread.
No You cannot join the indian army,because the enemies have read your travel logs and know about your plan of bomabarding them with your reports and so they have fled,so may be when they return you will be called on emergency duty!!!!![just kidding] ....

Till then please continue bombarding us.

Regards
Kunal.

That's good!

Hehehe, Bhagwaan ki krupa hai, bach gaye army waale (By god's grace, the army personnel are saved)are saved !

Now, that I will be on IM, expect another final consignment of my bombardment on this thread from my last trip to Bangalore ! But it's not totally offbeat, but it was a very beautiful place.

Very Different and interesting places Naveen.

Detailed travelogue with so much useful info for any traveller who would like to visit these places.

Thanks for sharing !

@pmvelu, Thank you too ! Yes, I agree, they are different places. I had felt that rather than visiting the same old tourist spots again and again, why not visit some pristine places & provide the info to like minded people. Ofcourse, these places have been visited by many before me, but still when compared to other regularly visited places, these are 'off beat'! I had been to these places with 'Zero' expectation, but felt I had seen something wonderful. It is always better to visit such places rather than crowd the already crowded malls..don't you agree?

BTW, you too provide quite a lot of info, I have read your posts !

Fantastic and nice thought process Naveen !. I agree . It also gives us a different feel and make us encounter something which we were not prepared for (Either + or -) and with a "Zero Expectation start", anything we see will give 200% satisfaction .

I also Love your other thread on "Places Around Mumbai" (After reading this thread, I am searching for your threads and reading it and Mumbai thread again is very interesting).

Tracing your other threads now expecting "Unexpected Treasures"..

Kudos !

Velu