[iVento]

A One Day Trip to Shivanasamudra & Talakad

It has been written numerous times about Shivanasamudra & Talakad in this forum. I don't wish to repeat the same here. But,let me quote some interesting facts here (that I have learned from various sources)

• Shivanasamudra is a small town in the Mandya District of the state of Karnataka.
• Shivanasamudra refers to the twin falls of Gaganachukki in Malavalli taluk of Mandya district and Bharachukki in Kollegal taluk of Chamarajanagar district which are separated by a few km.
• The World Waterfall Database ranked Shivanasamudra falls has world’s top 45 waterfalls among the world’s 100 waterfalls.
• Shivanasamudra is home to the first Hydro-electric Power station in Asia, which was set up in the year 1902

We have been planning for this trip since the outset of monsoon this year. But the trip was delayed because of various reasons. Finally the day came on 10th Sept 2013.

We decided about this trip only the previous evening. So we could not "prepare" fully. Anyway, we packed ourselves & readied for an early morning departure.

We left our house by around 6:30 AM. Took the NICE road to reach NH209.

NOW SOME PICTURES..

Karnataka: One State. Many Worlds!
Places of Interest around Mysore. Source: KSTDC Hoarding.



Humble SunShine (my Wagon R) standing majestically alongside National Highway 209.



NH209 is a breeze to drive upon. Beautiful road. I could keep a steady 60-80 KMH speed on this.



SunShine resting next to the KSTDC hoarding.



Many BHPians had mentioned about the Vasu Restaurant in Kanakpura & the delicious Masala Dosa being served there. We wanted to have our BF from this place , but miserably failed to locate it. Finally we had to stop at Malavalli to have a roadside breakfast. (better luck the next time)



What else can a BHPian ask for? Pleasure driving on this road!



Finally we reached Shivanasamudra at around 10:30 AM. We drove slowly, enjoying every bit of it, beautiful weather & the scenery.

At this point, the road bifurcates here. Take left to go towards the waterfalls. The road straight leads us to Talakad.



The other end of the long narrow bridge...



... so narrow that even two small cars cannot cross the bridge at the same time. This is prone to traffic jams during peak season.



Another view of the bridge across the Cauvery river.



Beautiful Cauvery as seen from the narrow bridge.



There is another old bridge alongside the new one. Still in service. Seen many locals use this



old bridge alongside the new one



On the banks of Cauvery River



On the banks of Cauvery River



As per the advice of NewPunter (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...anathpura.html) we ignored the Gananchukki Road and instead came directly to Bharachukki. The view from dargah is good. But on the other side, as NP rightly pointed out, the place around Dargah is not kept clean.

I recommend everyone to travel an additional 12KM to get a proper view of the Gaganchukki water falls. After all we have traveled 150KM to see these magnificient water falls.

Picture of the Dargah



Gaganchukki Waterfalls as seen from the Dargah view point



Valleys around. In this picture, you can also see the Gaganchukki view point.



The river has wound its way through the rocks and ravines and drops off to form waterfalls



Dangerous rocky terrains



Despite warnings being posted, people climb down the rocks and attempt to view the waterfalls too close, resulting in many fatal accidents.



We spent around 45 minutes at the Dargah view point and decided to move towards Bharachukki.

[iVento]

Bharachukki Waterfalls

Here lay the most exciting part of the trip.

From the dargah view point, Bharachukki is not more than 2 kilometers.

We paid Rs.30/- as "entry fee" to the Forest Department. Promptly issued a receipt.

At Bharachukki, there was ample of parking space. There was also Pay & Use toilet available near the parking.

Forest guards were on duty here. So there was no security issues. There were warnings everywhere to take care of the personal belongs.

From parking, we walked around 300 meters to reach the waterfalls. Here you get a magnificent view of Bharachukki falls.

You need to climb down around 100 plus steps to reach the bottom of the waterfalls where you can either go for a coracle ride or take a dip in the cool water. But a word of caution though. This place is very dangerous & several lives have been lost here.

NOW ENJOY SOME PICTURES..

Do not worry about the parking! Ample of space here! Spot SunShine in this picture



From parking, you need to walk around 300 meters to reach the waterfalls.



Bharachukki Waterfalls. Signage put up by the forest department.
Unlike to the dargah view point, this place is kept clean.



100 odd steps to the bottom of the waterfalls.
Warning: Steep descend/ascend. Not advised for heart patients. No medical help around.



Now the breathtaking view of the waterfalls. Enjoy!





Coracle ride



Tourists thronging around at the bottom of the falls



And many ventured in to the water



Beautiful & fertile lands around



And one FINAL look at the waterfalls before we bid adieu & left for Talakad

[iVento]

Talakad

Talakadu is a desert-like town on the left bank of the Kaveri river at a spot where the river makes a sharp bend. A historic site, Talakadu once had over 30 temples that today are buried in sand. Now it is a scenic and spiritual pilgrimage centre. Here the eastward flowing Cauvery river changes course and seems magnificently vast as here the sand on its banks spreads over a wide area. (Wiki-Pedia)

Except for the Vaideeswara temple built by Raja Raja I, all the other temples were buried under sand dunes. Out of these, the temples of Pataleeswara, Maraleswara, Anandeswara, Arkeswara, Gauri Shankar, Kirti Narayana and Chowdeswari have been excavated by the Central Archaeological Department.

The temples of Pataleeswara (Vasukeeswara), Maraleswara, Arakeswara, Mallikarjuna and Vaideeswara constitute the Panchalingas and are believed to represent the five faces of Siva. The Panchalinga darshana is a popular festival held once in 12 years on New Moon Day in the month of Karthika. The last such festival was held in 2006.

ENOUGH LECTURE. ENJOY SOME PICTURES NOW..

As soon as we reached Talakad, we were greeted by the Vaideeswara temple. Built in the Dravidian style, this granite structure has escaped the avalanche of sand dunes, and is still in tact.






















One has to climb over the sand dunes to see the excavated temples.





Riverside in Talakad is a picnic spot. Main attraction is the coracle ride.



A carnival like atmosphere. Kids enjoyed this place. We took a coracle ride & also enjoyed playing in the calm water.



And finally a break for lunch (at around 5PM) on our way back.

[iVento]

Some tips for Shivanasamudra & Talakad Tourists

• Follow the golden rule: Start Early. Drive Slowly & Reach Safely.
• If you start early you can add Somanathapur also in the itinerary.
• Carry Breakfast, Lunch & lots of water. Not many options available.
• Contrary to the popular belief, the Road to Talakad from Bharachukki is good except for a stretch of 500 meters in between and the last 1 mile at Talakad.
• Visit both Gananchukki & Bharachukki view points.
• Dargah view point is not so clean
• It is advised not to venture in to the water. The rocks are slippery & a fall can be fatal.
• Do not leave your medicines & First Aid kit at home. I did not see any medical shops here in case of emergency.
• End of the trip my ODO read at 357KM

[khan_sultan]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing!

[JoseVijay]

I loved the last pic of your first post. A great sight to watch the mighty waterfall in full force.

[scorpion_blore]

Nice travelogue. Even I visited SHivanasamudra and talakadu with my wife few weeks back. Did you visit all the five temples of the "Panchalinga Darshana"? The Arakeshwara temple and Mallikarjuna Temple are not exactly in Talakadu. They are in nearby villages.

[iVento]

Originally Posted by scorpion_blore

Did you visit all the five temples of the "Panchalinga Darshana"? The Arakeshwara temple and Mallikarjuna Temple are not exactly in Talakadu. They are in nearby villages.

Nope! We could not visit all the temples. I had to cut short the temples because children were cranky and they had different ideas - playing in the water. To worsen the matters, we did not have a proper lunch. So we were very tired and almost lost :(

[harishpr]

Good one. I enjoyed reading every bit, and the special notes. I'm copying this right away to my note to help while planning soon.
I visited talkad in my college days, still remember every bit of it. We packed mutton kurma, chapathis in our friends omni and spent a whole day.. It's 18yrs back. :-)
Your traveloug brought those memories back. Thanks

[Vihari]

Originally Posted by iVento

Some tips for Shivanasamudra & Talakad Tourists

• End of the trip my ODO read at 357KM

Ivento, thank you for this Travelogue. Wonderful photos and very nice narration. I like the way you have written something about each and every photo. it makes the TL interesting.

So, if I visit Bangalore the next time, this trip can be planned as a one day trip.

Once again thanks for the same.

- Sai

[NPV]

@iVento - Nice Travelogue and pictures, thanks for sharing

Originally Posted by iVento

Many BHPians had mentioned about the Vasu Restaurant in Kanakpura & the delicious Masala Dosa being served there. We wanted to have our BF from this place , but miserably failed to locate it. Finally we had to stop at Malavalli to have a roadside breakfast. (better luck the next time)

This is right in the middle of Kanakpura town on the highway itself, beside several shops (the highway has a median when it passes through Kanakpura town). The entrance/door is very small and leads in to a large hall that houses the restaurant. No English signage for this, it's in Kannada but you could have asked someone in the town and they'd have helped, it's quite popular with the locals, just ask for Vasu Hotel

[venkatt1800]

Terrific post, iVento ! This Diwali I am planning a visit to Hampi and on my return, I have a day to spare in Bangalore. Shivanasamudra and Talakkad are a tempting detour. Bharachukki pictures, the huge crowd at the edge of the roaring falls especially, are thrilling. Hopefully early November, the water flow will be much less and may be less dangerous. The Cauvery riverbank at Talakkad looks very relaxing and a dip in the water here is inevitable. The only worry as you have mentioned is decent food options. Aren't there any available at Shivasamudra from where we can pack our lunch for Talakkad? May be some Mutton Biriyanis or Chappathis?

[iVento]

Originally Posted by venkatt1800

The only worry as you have mentioned is decent food options. Aren't there any available at Shivasamudra from where we can pack our lunch for Talakkad? May be some Mutton Biriyanis or Chappathis?

Venkat, frankly I did not find any descent eateries around Shivanasamudra. You get only some cut fruits & cool drinks here. I heard about a resort located near Gaganchukki. Do not know whether they have a restaurant there. May be somebody else can throw some light in to this..

[kannan666]

Nice travelogue and beautiful pictures to go with it, thanks for sharing !

[TheARUN]

Thanks for sharing, I am going to go there soon, the best time is now I guess with the river flowing with full strength. I had asked someone where is the best place to swim in the Cauvery, he straightaway said Talakkad, because all other places are dangerous and you have stones below the river that can even cut your feet! Talakkad is complete sand it seems, like a good beach, without the salt water!