[laluks]

Well, by now I would have made you guys relive the Travel Chronicles of Kungfu Panda. Kungfu Panda was on one such drive to the Konkan coast for the MSH4 sprint, and on completing the drive at Revas, a dash back home in Bangalore would be just about 1000Kms. Well if you start from Revas at 19:30 after a day long outing, and the fact that hitting the Mumbai Pune express way from Revas is a torturing 60KMs of bad roads and 2 hours affair, you'd gift yourself a break for the night. After some good food at Khandala, we broke for the night at Kharad about 300Kms from Revas.

Just before going to sleep, I was wondering what would be the next day like. A sprint of 700Kms back home form Kharad? That looked plain boring! How annoying!

Immediately Gokak came to my memories. Gokak is very near to Belgaum, some 35Kms. Well that gives me also the option to have some food from Belgaum before continuing back home.

Hatched a plan, after a lazy breakfast at Kharad, drive to Gokak, visit Duphdal Bird Sanctuary, Gokak Falls, Godichanmalki falls, Hidkal Reservoir, Ghataprabha river and reach Belgaum, visit Belgaum Fort and Kamal Basadi, have a great lunch and then drive back home.

Did not tell anyone that's going to be the plan . It could be presented as a bonus for the well executed Konkan run


We were going back in history

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The Plan
16th September 2018

This was the entire drive plan. MSH4 drive, second time. That is for another day and another log. That needs time, its intense and its beautiful.


The MSH4 drive saw me taking a break at Kharad.The one circled in Green. So the plan is from Kharad to Bangalore. A direct drive would mean 700Kms and some 8 hours to home from there, but that was boring! All day on Highways! No way!

The plan looked like this. A small detour to Gokak, well, you can gift yourself that!


Take a 90Km detour instead of going 15Kms straight on the NH


The plan till Belgaum, a decent 250Kms


From Kharad, Sankeshwar is 130Kms. And our loop inside is some 90Kms.


And Belgaum is 35Kms from the place we touch NH after the loop


And Bangalore is 500Kms from Belgaum. You can do Belgaum Bangalore in 6-7 hours normally, even faster sometimes.

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Some pictures to warm up to the story.

We visited a bird sanctuary and wondered where all the birds are


We visited Gokak Falls, nick named Niagra of India


We found Chalukyan era temples


We checked out some crops too!


We went back in history


We took the Inspection Bungalow all for ourselves, a doggy joins in too


We wondered at the beauty of Niagra of India


We checked out Gokak Kardant, rich with dried fruits

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Some more pictures to warm up.

We visited Godachinmalki Falls


We found the secondary falls beautiful than the main one


Tried to drive on Hidkal Dam Tank Bund road


Beautiful Ghataprabha River on the Highway


We visited Kamal Basadi


Even the coconut trees bend away from my pictures


Gulab Jamuns for my sweet ladies


We had our share of fruit salads and ice creams



And we were reminded of our freedom

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16th September 2018

After a very good dinner from one of the dhabas at Khandala, we reached Kharad for our stay at Royal Palace hotel, which is on the service road of NH. We chose that hotel for easy access and easier to find in the night. It's always irritating to go search for a hotel after a hard days drive in some city center. We got ourselves two ac double rooms with breakfast for under 5K.

By the time we reached it was midnight and by the time I settled off with all the stuff in the car it was 01:30AM.


Trip meter read 1747Kms from our MSH4 drive. If you deduct the first 600Km run to MH and last 300Km run to Kharad, it is easily 700-800Km of coast hugging drive on Konkan! We will talk about it some other day.


We offered ourselves a well deserved sleep, the rooms were pretty good, with clean linen. By 09:00 assembled for our complimentary breakfast.

Everybody happy after a good nights sleep


Breakfast had a choice of items, which we could order. I thought the complimentary ones would have a buffet spread, but this place being one that is not always full, we had to chose form the fixed menu, which they will make and serve. Not bad.

Idlis were instant disappointment, and felt like little pieces of marble. So hard


Masala Dosas were Ok, but batter seems to have gone sour!


Bread Butter shocked us!


Saving grace was onion uthappam.


You'd be wondering where are the omlettes and stuff. This place is a strict vegetarian hotel.

By 09:30 we were done with our breakfast and was ready to roll. Disappointed over breakfast, I did not discuss the plan at all. Everybody was like we will reach home soon, and can have great home cooked food, lets be done with this.

Thus we start from Kharad our drive home.

continued...

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16th September 2018

After about 1.5 hours of driving on the Mumbai Bangalore NH, I just said let's go some 30Kms inside and see a waterfall before proceeding home. Everybody was like what's in 30Kms, let us do. Well that was the master plan anyways

From NH to Gokak Road

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2NqCD1Mq4Q

Once we went in the smaller road, I said let us do a small circuit and come out on some other leg of the NH. And that was agreed too.

Plan 1 : Visit Duphdal Dam, Inspection Bungalow and Ghataprabha Bird Sanctuary.

Gokak Road to Duphdal IB

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYQkTy1G-Nc

Duphdal IB




IB is pretty old, it seems this dam was one of the first in this area built during colonial times.




The power house here powered a textile mill of those days. Now I guess its with some big names of today.

IB garden


Some details of the reservoir








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16th September 2018

It was a sad state of affairs. There was no water to be seen, the reservoir was parched.

Empty Duphdal Reservoir Bed






Sr. PPG went down to explore the reservoir bed!


I went down, and we tried to check the reservoir gates from the other side for the first time in my life.

Duphdal Dam Gates from the reservoir side!




The dam had a plaque mentioning 1890. Probably it was built then.




1954 1979 were also mentioned


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16th September 2018


Dhupdal Dam Gates from the Canal Side


The Canal


Dhupdal Dam






Dhupdal Reservoir with whatever water that is left






Dhupdal Reservoir and Dam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x8DdEbyyME

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16th September 2018

After a scorching sun burnt visit to parched Dhupdal reservoir we just wanted some shade


Inspection Bungalow was perfect to rest


Girls took over the IB


The doggy liked the attention, look at her eyeing the camera


This fellow found even cooler place


Dhupdal Inspection Bungalow was evident


But this board made me think where are the birds! Probably we are visiting in the wrong season



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16th September 2018

Entrance to IB and Bird Sanctuary




The canal and Dhupdal Powerstation








That was about the dam and sanctuary, probably winters would be better I guess. I expected this place to have received good rain falls from the last months, but was disappointed to see the parched state.

We then decided to try our luck at the waterfalls, I was not so confident and it was already 12:30. There seemed like there were no good places for eating too, than some local snack shops!! Hot, hungry and disappointed we moved on from Dhupdal Dam to visit Gokak Falls.

From Dhupdal to Gokak Road, we stop at a Level Crossing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejRpTh0LLDU

The train

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQzp8Au7FDE

From Level Crossing to Gokak Falls Parking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoNIP8uBgho

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16th September 2018

By 13:00 we reached Gokak Falls Parking.


There is an old suspension bridge there


Tourists are not allowed on the bridge


Some pictures of the suspension bridge










Ghataprabha river flow was less






Ghataprabha River and Hanging bridge at Gokak

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I810sYEH51Y

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16th September 2018

Irrespective of less water, the falls were beautiful

Gokak Falls






There was a beautiful rainbow forming at the river




Girlies enjoying the beautiful view


Ghataprabha River after the falls was looking beautiful


Girlies wanted a click


Gokak Falls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnrhnh_iQVE

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16th September 2018

Gokak Falls in its glory days as depicted by an artist


We tried out Kardant. A sweet made from Jaggery and Dried Fruits. It was good, costed 120 for 250Grams, they have packets of 250, 500 and 1000 grams


Chalukyan style Temple near Gokak Falls

On the sides of the river are several temples dating from the period of the Later Chalukyas of Kalyana who ruled portions of the Deccan from the 10th to the 12th centuries. The Tateshwara temple is a Shiva temple on the south side of the falls. It faces north, an unusual orientation for Shiva temples. It has a sanctuary with a mandapa or hall. The outside walls of the closed hall are from recent times.

Mahalingeshwara temple is well-known and is located on the Ghataprabha Riverside near Gokak water-falls. The temple is a large and sprawling structure built in the later Chalukyan style of architecture. The temple has a garbhagriha, (sanctum), an ardhamantapa and a spacious but open mukhamantapa (frontal courtyard). The sanctum with its tall Shikara adorned with exquisite sculptures is a sight to behold. It faces north, an unusual orientation for Shiva temples.

Entrance to the temple




Gokak Mills

During the British rule in India, the Forbes Gokak Spinning Mill (now owned by Gokak Textiles Limited of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group) was set up in 1887 in Gokak Falls which is located about 6 km north-west of Gokak. It was modernised over decades and is functional till date being a major source of economy for the city.

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16th September 2018

Drive from Gokak Falls Parking to Godachinamalki Falls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkSmapMOx2o

We reached Godachinamalki Falls parking by 14:00


The path to the falls




Godachinamalki Main Falls






Godachinamalki Falls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gm1q49bTkA

Some more clicks, I was trying my best to avoid the crowds











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16th September 2018

Secondary falls at Godachinamalki


It was beautiful


It was taller


It had its own pool


The pool was calm


Sr. PPG gets herself a click


Gdoachinamalki Taller Falls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2rjcjqTlvc

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