Exploring near Theeraa…

I always thought Mudigere does not contain the thickest Jungle unlike most places in the Western Ghats. I felt that the flat lands of Belur would gradually increase in height and depth. When I got a call from ‘Theeraa’ about an adventurous trekking path nearby dotted with numerous waterfalls, I really did not expect anything spectacular as I thought that I have seen it all near Mudigere.

A 20 km (40 mins drive) stretch amongst beautiful landscape brought us to a dead halt after which our Peugeot could not take us any further. As always we had an enthusiastic local who felt honored to show us the beauty of his birth place. My instructions were very clear to him – A deep jungle trail (were the sun fights it with the leaves to touch the ground but goes down the west after losing bitterly) – after a medium trek we have to reach a peak point with the best view of the surrounding mountains and the valley below – Get down on the other side where we can find a water falls that can quench our thirst and also make us feel that every step was worth placing.

In a city if you are ready to spend then you can get things the way you want, but to ask for something like the above and to find it exactly the way it should be is a little too much in Western Ghats and guess what? It was tailor made for us! A one hour trek underneath thick evergreen forest to reach a peak to have an exhilarating view of the vast jungle was not at all tiring as we had a natural canopy on top of us. The climb down was even better has we had delicious dates all around the place which we happily devoured.


As we were nearing the bottom of the peak, we could hear the final requirement falling into place. We heard a sound that can only be formed by a river falling from a height of 25 feet. We were so thrilled to find it and the natural setting was so beautiful that we could not stop ourselves from taking a plunge. Our guide found a shorter route to get back to the waiting Peugeot.

How many more beautiful places are hidden in the womb of these mighty Ghats? Mudigere indeed as thick evergreen unexplored places and I was once again reassured that what I have seen is just the tip of an iceberg.

Shisheela Parvatha (Sakaleshpura - June, 2008)

      After 6 months from the time I visited Rottikallu I was fortunate enough to visit that beautiful place again but this was not my regular trips. Harsha, who became a friend, after we met with the context of visiting Rottikallu was going there (Rotti kallu) as a part of his weekly routine. He invited me to join him for the week end and I was glad to accept it as I just loved that place.

      On the first day Harsha had some guests to take care, I spent most of the time by the stream side or in the woods searching for any interesting objects to capture in my Camera. The next morning I and Harsha planned a visit to an ancient Shiva temple which is called as “Nannya Bairaveshwara” situated in a remote village “Bairavapura”, a 40 minute drive from Rottikallu.The temple looked really old, 400 years which I learnt later, from a local inhabitant. We visited the temple and I got ready with my camera to click a few snaps of an historical monument. All the while our attention was distracted by a nearby view, the view of a peak that stood like a ‘Bull’s back’. This peak is called as “Shisheela Parvatha” or “Hethina Buja” (Bulls’ back).

      We immediately decided that we should enter the woods and get a better view of the peak. A 20 minute walk brought us to an altitude which gave us the best view of the peak that we were searching for and the surrounding serene landscape was just unbelievable. By the time we left that place I was promising Harsha that we will come back to this place, in a much better season and touch the clouds that were lurking at the top of the peak.


      I worked out the time perfectly on June 5th, 2008, just the kind of season which is the end of summer and early days of the monsoon showers. Harsha ensured me that the hills were turning green, with the first drops of monsoon entering Karnataka. I conveyed my plan to four of my friends, who agreed to accompany me for the weekend trek. We reached Sakaleshpura in the early hours in our Qulais and it took another hour to reach the home stay at Rottikallu. I had planned to spend the first day by trekking to a near by hill called “Kallu Gudda” (Stone Hill) and that occupied our entire day’s activity. We slept early that night as we had to wake up at 4:00 am to go to Bairavapura and eventually trek to the peak of Shisheela Parvatha. We left the camp by 5:00 am and reached “Nannya Bairaveshwara” temple by 6:30am where we parked the car and asked the driver to dose off till we came back. The peak looked even better than my last visit with more green to cover its body and the mist that was providing an exhilarating touch.

      We started the trek and it took half past an hour to reach the base of the peak. We trekked through thick jungles, with the sight of the peak always in front of us. We found some dung, which we realized could only belong to an elephant, made several eye brows rise with the thought of being trapped amidst the largest mammals on land. Unfortunately we could not find any of the lovely creatures. We were already exhausted by the time we reached the base, thanks to a long trek the previous day. But the scene what we saw across the hill took our breadth away and along with it we became oblivious to our exhaustion.For the first time we saw the clouds below us, while firmly footed on the ground.

      The climb from the base to the top of the peak was a touch tough as it required both strength and cautiousness. We had Mr. Vijay Kumar, a co owner of Rottikallu Homestay, who had come to this place a few times and was providing priceless guidance in our journey. It took less than 30 minutes to reach the top and I am sure that I am not aware of the appropriate words (I doubt that if there are appropriate words) to describe the sight.


      The best thing to do was to save those sights into my lens box so that I can share it with you people. We spent almost an hour at the top and reluctantly descend as we saw a dark cloud coming towards us to splash water arrows. The trek was one of the best of my lot and the beauty of the place will be ever green in my blocks of memory. To view few of the snaps of this place click on the following link http://www.sandeskclicks.com/travel%20gallery/shisheela%20parvatha

      With the rains reducing by the days I am looking out for another splendid place in the Ghats which will be shared in the coming days.

      Will look forward for your comments and if you require more info on this trek or place I will be glad to provide it...

Finally into blogging...

Hi Guys,

A bad cold restrained me from work! But provided some ample time to sit in front of my laptop and start blogging, at last. I own a website, http://www.sandeshclicks.com/ which contains few snaps of the different places that I visited/trekked within Karnataka in the last two years.

I think that blogging will help me in spreading the knowledge of these beautiful places in Western Ghats of Karnataka and also supports me in promoting my website. Within the next couple of weeks I will come up with facts of my trek to various places along with some cool snaps…

Until next time… have a good day!