[kiki_13]

Roads without Borders: Hunusanahalli-Urigam-Anchetty-Palayamkotta-Thally

Work brought us to Electronic City, though it is the passion that is keeping us here. Electronic City is an ideal location for ardent travellers like us. Though we have been working from home for over five years now. Just 4 kilometres and we are on Hosur Road, and 500 metres further is the NICE road. When in the mood to ramble around in the countryside, Jigani is approximately 20 speed-breakers away. The back roads leading to Jigani and Anekal from Electronic City Phase 1 is ideal for cycling. Many lakes being renovated allure you to explore them.



Kanakapura exit on the NICE road was smooth, after which started the bumpy ride. The route until Harohalli doesn’t show any sign of betterment rather getting shoddier. An alternate route (picturesque though long) via Jigani passing through the Anekal Reserve Forest area is a good option. Breakfasting at the famed Vasu’s hotel in Kanakapura satiated our desire for the masala dosa.

After a few hundred metres is the deviation towards Mekedatu-Sangama. Always a busy and chaotic stretch, you are welcomed by sereneness when you deviate away from the Sangama Road. T.Bekuppe is the point where we turned towards Hogenakkal. Continuing further would have taken us to Sangama, Mekedatu and Chunchi Falls – all incredible places to explore – but those will have to wait for another ride.



This road takes you to Kodi Halli – a bustling village with a bus station to boast. Most of the agricultural activities surrounding these villages can be understood by observing the shops here –hardware shops, shops selling/renting farming tools etc. You will ride through many hamlets where silkworm breeding is in progress, kept in the sun with mulberry leaves. There are many alternate routes to explore in this area. Take a left turn from Kanakapura road without following Google maps, and you are in for a pleasant surprise.



Significant economic activity in this area happens at Hunusanahalli. A good place to fill up petrol and have food. Ragi mudde served at a small non-descript restaurant - next to Ramu Hardware and Electrical shop - is our favourite. A road from here leads to Dabbaguli, on the banks of the Cauvery river - if you are in the mood for off-roading, an ideal destination. Another road towards the left - a few kilometres before Hunusnahalli - will take you to Thally., alas the only landmark is a banyan tree.



There is a small hill with a temple on top. A concrete path leads you all the way to the top if you are in the mood of getting a bird’s-eye-view of these villages. Once you cross Hunsunahalli, you will be reaching the border village of Thakkatty. TN local buses ply on these roads, looping through the small townlets, and heading back to Hosur via Thally. We stopped at Thakkatty to talk to the locals about an intriguing road leading to the top of the hills.



The kids were excited to see a KTM motorcycle starting conversing cheerfully, addressing me as “anna” (brother) and were awestruck when they realised it was “akka”(sister). Nonetheless, they chatted merrily with the conventional questions like the cost of the bike and so on. Then moved on to stories about elephants roaming around the village in the nights.



Bidding adieu to the street-smart kids, it was time for a detour to the quaint hamlet of Urigam - another hidden gem in interior Tamil Nadu. The village sits in a valley close to the border of Karnataka, encircled by Urigam and Bilikkal Reserve Forest. The smooth asphalt snakes through the mountainous road surrounded by tranquility. The view only gets better as you move further.



The roads through Thaggatti Reserve Forest is recently done, leading to Anchetty. One can head to Hogenakkal from Anchetty or turn left to continue to Denkanikottai. Satiating our taste buds at the famous Murugan biriyani hotel at Anchetty, we decided to visit a friend’s farm at Palayamkotta. The twisty from Anchetty is a treat for corner-carving riders, but be extremely careful at these corners. Many vehicles underestimate these curves and end up opposite you.

A barefoot walk around our friend’s farm flooded me with countless childhood memories. My ancestral home is in the heart of the Western Ghats, 20 min away from Kodachadri. I would run around the house, the paddy fields, backyard, and the cattle shed barefoot, sipping on the juicy mangoes from the tree in the courtyard. My uncle’s custom-made swing in the front yard was my abode when not jaunting around.



The road to reach the farm was an off-road path. It realised my desire for a water crossing. A diversion at the little hamlet of Gandhinagara took us through the non-existent road. The stones on the side of the road hinted at a possible road construction in the near future. Plodding through the dirt road and the water crossing, we were warmly welcomed to a cosy house in the otherwise vast farmland.



The ride through Denkanikotai-Thalli road is an all-time favourite. It has different moods depending on the season and time of the day. Fortunate to have experienced all these temperaments, the warm golden sunlight of the early mornings, the cool breeze to beat the heat at the peak of the sunny season and the twilight playing hide and seek through the trees. Taking the backroads towards Jigani instead and heading straight to the Hosur highway, we turned at Nagasandram.



Devarabetta is located on this route and is an excellent option for a short ride. A temple at the peak overlooking the Thalli Reserve Forest makes for a good picnic spot. Preparing for the gruesome work-in-progress road between Gumlapuram and Anekal proved futile. With the completion of roadwork, be cautious of reckless motorists.

Riders who crave forest and twisty roads need not ride hundreds of kilometres looking for it. These places don’t take much of your time or fuel.

Google maps route - https://goo.gl/maps/xzG4yzDCp6gnBQPJA

[GTO]

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

Going to our homepage tomorrow

[Umash]

Excellent route to explore and adventure. Thanks for sharing.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by kiki_13

Riders who crave forest and twisty roads need not ride hundreds of kilometres looking for it. These places don’t take much of your time or fuel.

Very true and Thanks for such a simple and beautiful write up and the info

Ditto on ECity, ideally located, had spent a few memorable months there when phase 2 was a WIP and phase 1 actually had empty land filled with knee high grass.

But yes it's an ideal location this side of Bangalore. A friend used to say that in the city you have to first get out of the city and then go somewhere but in ECity you just have to go somewhere since you're already out of the city

In my experience too those non-descript nearby places are much more rewarding if the journey is more important than the destination.
Plus the benefits of short day rides are highly underrated, IMHO.

[ampere]

Kanakpura-Hunasanahalli-Anchetty-Denkanikottai-Hosur is all time favourite among bikers. There are some alternatives to the route. Given the nice black tar these regions are awesome to ride.

One should also try the Anchetty road to Hogenakkal.

Here is a 12 year old travelogue on this topic to show how we love this section even in this forum!

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...-anchetti.html (Around Anchetti)

[@og_adi]

Originally Posted by kiki_13

Devarabetta is located on this route and is an excellent option for a short ride. A temple at the peak overlooking the Thalli Reserve Forest makes for a good picnic spot.

Riders who crave forest and twisty roads need not ride hundreds of kilometres looking for it. These places don’t take much of your time or fuel.

Absolutely agree with you. The border area has many beautiful picnic spots and one such place is Deverabetta as mentioned in your post.

The only time I've been there, the weather was amazing and there were almost no people. Some amateur pictures clicked on my phone-



Ample parking place which can fit about 15 cars at least.
Though it's been a year now, I never fail to miss an opportunity to click the Safari wherever we go. This is one vehicle an owner never fails to look back once he gets out.




The stairs leading up to the hillock. The amazing weather kept our energies high throughout.




The view on the right while going up the stairs.




On reaching the top of the hillock, you are greeted by a pond like waterbody on the left which may be a result of rainfall.




The view on the left of the hillock. The green landscape is a sight to behold.




Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
On the other end of the hillock.




Zoom in and you'll find the city line. Pictures do no justice to the first hand experience. Apologies for the digitally zoomed picture.




The way down. Look closely to observe a small settlement. Couldn't help but wonder how lucky they were to live right next to such a beautiful, secluded place.

The two hours we spent there felt worth it. The chilly, windy climate added to the pleasant experience up there. Easily a place I would recommend if anyone wants to while away half a day in peace with nature.

[TheHelix0202]

We (another BHPian and I) completed the Kanakapura-Anchetty-Denkanikottai-Hosur Road-B’lore loop just last week. Glad to see a thread containing more such places in the vicinity! Urigam sounds interesting, will definitely check it out.

[CArspeed]

Although I stay in Chennai, I have travelled in these routes many a times as my family would like to stay in one of the many resorts around this place. Whenever I go to Hogenakal the return to Bangalore has always been through this winding ghat roads. You can also test the limits of the handling prowess of your car since the route won’t see much of oncoming traffic.

[Goandiaries]

Originally Posted by kiki_13

Roads without Borders: Hunusanahalli-Urigam-Anchetty-Palayamkotta-Thally

A good place to fill up petrol and have food. Ragi mudde served at a small non-descript restaurant - next to Ramu Hardware and Electrical shop - is our favourite. A road from here leads to Dabbaguli, on the banks of the Cauvery river - if you are in the mood for off-roading, an ideal destination. Another road towards the left - a few kilometres before Hunusnahalli - will take you to Thally., alas the only landmark is a banyan tree.

Had been through the road a couple of weeks ago! Another significant thing along this stretch is the majority of these entry / exit points of the villages doesn't have speed breakers even if these roads are smooth. Reminded me of roads in Indonesia where there were zero speed breakers and potholes chalk marked white which is visible from a distance. A picture from under the same tree.

[Dry Ice]

Thanks for sharing! Such a refreshing log - we often tend to overlook the treasures in our backyard.

While our highways have significantly improved over the years, the real India has been relegated to these "back roads". But, rightly pointed out, these are usually just a small detour away

[Sarath_]

The pictures are beautiful and show us the beauty in our backyard.

Maybe, we can make a similar trip to a different part from whitefield going eastwards. I will have to check and hopefully have something to contribute to a travelogue.

[kovilkalai]

Thank you very much for this post! I had been looking for day trips around Bangalore. However, I was focused on the North and West. I didn't realise that the South and East offered such options.

Pre-independence, the stretch from Jowlagiri to Hogenakkal were forests that had a population of tigers. There were cases of human-tiger conflict in the few years before our independence. These man-eaters were tracked and killed by Kenneth Anderson (the south Indian version of Jim Corbett).

[sandeepmohan]

Brings back fond memories of riding on this road back in 2010! FM tharian and I rode from Omallur to Attibele like this. Its a beautiful road. In those years (I can't believe its 12), the stretch between Hogenakkal and Denkanikotta was horrendous. There was a section where there was no road. It was just deep mud ditches. No tar and they called it a highway. Vehicles traveled on this road.

Here is a picture from that journey. Its also a rare capture of two cast iron Royal Enfield 500's. On the left is fm tharians 500R aka Rebuilt (Was called Greyhound. Now sold) and the right is mine (in storage with fm tharian)
My memory isn't very clear. I think we did a loop ride. Direct to Salem via Krishnagiri and returned via Pennagram, Mecheri.


On the not so nice part. Hogenakkal used to be a hot spot at the time and sadly littered with human faeces along the river banks. It was a terrible sight. People used to visit and trash the place. I hope this has improved.

[OffRoadFun]

Very nice write-up. Beautiful pictures and yet not so far from Bangalore! Will keep this in mind for my next weekend drive over.

[kiki_13]

Originally Posted by shancz

But yes it's an ideal location this side of Bangalore. A friend used to say that in the city you have to first get out of the city and then go somewhere but in ECity you just have to go somewhere since you're already out of the city

This is so true.. Very well put!

Originally Posted by ampere

Here is a 12 year old travelogue on this topic to show how we love this section even in this forum!

Thanks a lot for pointing in the right direction.Looks like not much has changes in this region apart from wider roads.

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Thanks for sharing! Such a refreshing log - we often tend to overlook the treasures in our backyard.

Thank you! I am making a conscious effort to explore our beautiful backyard.

Originally Posted by Sarath_

Maybe, we can make a similar trip to a different part from whitefield going eastwards.

I am sure there are many nice places around that region as well. Half the ride will be through the city and imagining coming back in the city traffic puts me off from venturing to that part.

Originally Posted by kovilkalai

Pre-independence, the stretch from Jowlagiri to Hogenakkal were forests that had a population of tigers. There were cases of human-tiger conflict in the few years before our independence. These man-eaters were tracked and killed by Kenneth Anderson (the south Indian version of Jim Corbett).

This is something I was not aware of. Thanks for the insight.

Originally Posted by OffRoadFun

Very nice write-up. Beautiful pictures and yet not so far from Bangalore! Will keep this in mind for my next weekend drive over.

Thank you.. Have a nice drive.

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

On the not so nice part. Hogenakkal used to be a hot spot at the time and sadly littered with human faeces along the river banks. It was a terrible sight. People used to visit and trash the place. I hope this has improved.

Guess that is one thing to be prepared for while travelling in interior roads/places of our country. Littering is a big problem everywhere. Even in the very interior roads where we least expect tourists, it is surprising to find lot of plastic littered along the road.

Originally Posted by Goandiaries

Had been through the road a couple of weeks ago! A picture from under the same tree.

How interesting! It is a small world indeed.