[vigsom]

Introduction

This is going to be a sundae type thread - for the variety of experiences and flavours I savoured in some little explored areas of Karnataka. The attempt here is to showcase some places of stay, some modes of transport, the authentic taste of rural Karnataka, and some lush green farms

Disclaimer : I am in no way affiliated to any of the places mentioned in this thread. The intent here is just to highlight their offerings for the benefit of those who want to try them out.

How did I get to explore rural Karnataka?

I was scheduled to visit a few places in Karnataka for some work. The first leg of my visit was in Chennai, post which I had to travel to Karnataka. I had the option to fly to Bengaluru or Hubbali, but unless hard pressed for time, I prefer surface transport any day over a flight. What was going to unfold for me was a truly memorable experience, with so many flavors thrown in.

[vigsom]

Chapter-1 : Chitradurga

I used the iconic Brindavan Express from Chennai to Bengaluru for the first time on my life. The train now sports Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches, and AC Chair car coaches are finally back. I remember how AC Chair car coaches on this train were unceremoniously removed sometime in 2013 to improve occupancy in the fast yet supremely uncomfortable Double Decker Express which would leave Chennai around the same morning time. Although Brindavan Express had a stop too many, it was a comfortable six hour ride, with the pantry car staff bringing something or the other to feed the gluttons.

Riding a Mahindra Marazzo to Chitradurga

There was a Mahindra Marazzo M2 at KSR Bengaluru to take the three of us to Chitradurga. This was my first ride in a Marazzo, and barring the average under-thigh support in the front co-driver seat, I'd rate the car 10 on 10 for the silent plush ride, excellent aircon, and usable interiors. I really don't know why this car didn't succeed. The few kms off the Chitradurga bypass onto the highway into Chitradurga were a treat to ride on. This stretch is better than the main highway that I rode from Bengaluru to Chitradurga bypass.

Entry to Chitradurga




At Chitradurga

Decent stay options at Chitradurga are limited, and based on local recommendations, I checked into Hotel Durgada Siri. The tariff for a single occupancy AC room is a mere INR1700 + taxes a night, which is very reasonable. This hotel is located close to the Chitradurga RTO, and has a restaurant attached, which I never used. Why? Chitradurga has many food options which only the locals know. There was this small coffee bar just outside the hotel where I sampled some coffee - Man, it was outstanding! Coffee done, I looked at what the hotel "liked" and what the hotel lacked.

Likes

* Parking for upto 20 cars
* Comfortable spacious rooms
* Each room has a balcony - not very private as one could see the other balconies. In any case, it was rather chilly and sitting there wouldn't have been the best idea
* Usable washroom - not the best in business, but squeaky clean
* A 1 liter bottle of Kinley water provided every day

What I missed

* Kettle with the tea, coffee and milk sachets - one would have to go down and have tea/coffee in the coffee bar outside or in the restaurant inside
* Breakfast not included in the room tariff
* Carpet/wood flooring in the room
* The receptionist isn't the kind one would see at better hotels; no uniform, would ask for one's Aadhar number(not sure if it is mandatory), and might also ask for the card being used for payment at check out. However, the receptionist's demeanour was good
* A steel bucket in the bath area - might be a put off for someone looking for style, but there was a traditional touch to it

Parking Area




Old type key


Passage leading to the rooms


Lobby at upper floors




The room (kettle was brought in by a friend just for my use)


The washroom


View from the balcony - not really private


Clean towel - never seen a towel in this colour at a hotel


Massive hall on the first floor

[vigsom]

Chapter1: Chitradurga (Contd.)

Day1 evening

My first encounter with local cuisine was the famous thatte Idli at JCR Thatte Idli Canteen - not a very impressive looking place but the food was impressive, and chutney was fresh.

Day2

I just had a half coffee (without sugar is called less coffee here) in that coffee bar outside my hotel, and we were on our way to this village called Yelagodu which is off the Hospet highway. The day got over, and on our way back, we tried out Bonda Soup (Urad dal bondas in a thin dal) and coffee at Upadhyay Veg on the outskirts of Chitradurga. Back in the hotel, the next round of food was to be tried on JCR Road, first Thatte Idli at a wayside Thatte Idli Center (not sure if this was Mailaralingeshwara canteen) which was supposed to be very sought after in Chitradurga. Next was paddu at another popular small paddu joint - 25 bucks for a thatte idli and 5 bucks a paddu was kind of a steal. These places might be unimpressive but were clean; me and my tummy were both in good shape post the meal

Enroute to Yelagodu in a Mahindra Marazzo via the Chitadurga - Hospet highway


Day3

Breakfast was a combo of benne dosei (writing it like how it is pronounced), kali dosei and open dosei at Hotel Chalukya opposite the DC's office. This place serves only these day long, and they don't even have tea or coffee on their menu.

Hotel Chalukya


Benne Dosei


Open Dosei



Surprise package!

Around lunch, we were actually headed elsewhere. However, when we were passing through a small town Jagaluru, a surprise diversion made me savour one of the finest meals of my life - Holige Oota at Mayura Ootada Mane. I'm told that such home-based eateries are very commonly called Khanavalis in Karnataka. Mayura was set up in a very old house. Guests would need to remove their footwear before entering. The dining set up was in the living room inside, and could typically seat 8-12 people. I was in mood to just have a couple of rotis with some vegetable, but my hosts egged me to try the holige (also called poli or pooranpoli). I wasn't too comfortable loading myself with calories, but eventually decided to go with my hosts' recommendation; and it turned out to be a meal of a lifetime.

The holige came with some banana milk - and what a heavenly combination that was! When I thought that heaven was just done with, something more heavenly came up - roti with a knol-khol sabzi. The icing on the cake was the mirchi sambar with rice, with a spicy chutney that actually wasn't too assaulting on the tongue. I'd rate this meal 10/10 and for INR70, this is one meal that I would recommend with my eyes closed.

Mayura Oootada Mane Jagaluru




The heavenly Holige - commencement of a lovely meal


A beautiful rainbow to end my stay at Chitradurga

[vigsom]

Chapter2 : Chitradurga to Bengaluru

Time to take a long weekend break, and I booked myself on the time tested KSRTC Airavat Club Class from Chitradurga to Bengaluru. These Davanagere - Bengaluru Volvos via Chitradurga ply typically every hour, and I was expecting a beaten up bus, given that this was a short route. However, I was amazed at the condition of the bus that came in ON TIME - this was a 2017 B11R I-Shift with the only defect being a cracked windscreen. I'm not sure why, but most Volvos I've travelled in sport a crack or two on the windscreens. Body flex or something else? A short stop at Hiriyur for tea, and we were at Nagasandra Metro station at approx 1930hrs, 3 hrs and 10 minutes out of Chitradurga.

Club Class




At Bengaluru, I had the privilege to ride an Ola S1 Pro; some nice points and some shocks, all summarised here.

[vigsom]

Chapter3 : Getting into my train to Gadag with just three minutes to spare

It was Independence day. My train from Yeshwantpur was at 1245hrs and I had estimated my travel from Chikkalasandra Bank Colony to Yeshwantpur Jn. via Banashankari metro to be approx 1 hour, so decided that a 1100hrs departure from home should suffice. Here's what happened.

1120hrs - Departure from my building (the driver reported a little late)
1130hrs - Arrival Banashankari Metro Station

and this is what I saw - unprecedented rush on a holiday, with everybody dressed best!



I wasn't sure if I should ditch the metro and ask the car to take me to Yeshwantpur, but decided to take a chance with the metro. Here is a timeline of what happened after that:

1130-1158hrs : waited in the queue to get my ticket
1158-1200hrs : finished my security check
1200-1202hrs : ran up to platform1, laptop bag on shoulder with another 14 kg bag in hand, to get the 1203hrs train to Nagasandra. There was another train slated for 1206hrs, but I decided to try getting the first one
1203 - 1236hrs : rode in a jam packed Metro train. I managed to find myself a slot to stand just next to the vestibule, and was thus spared the trouble of being jostled around. Arrived Yeshwantpur Metro Station
1236-1241hrs : from Yeshwantpur Metro Station to platform6 (first platform) at Yeshwantpur Jn.
1242hrs : in my seat in the train
1245hrs : train to Gadag Jn. departs

This ranks as the third closest shave with a missed departure in my life - the other two being 2 minutes each with Golden Temple Mail and Flying Ranee Express at Mumbai Central.

Yeshwantpur to Gadag

This journey was laced with some interesting observations and encounters:

1. Three supposedly popular old cinemas Pushpanjali, Padmanjali and Geethanjali in Davanagere shut; not sure if they're permanently down
2. Some nice guavas at Davanagere
3. The western Indian flavour (Bhel Puri) creeping in at Davanagere
4. A superfast express train (12649) taking two hours to cover 75km between Haveri and Hubbali
5. A train standing at Hubbali for one hour for the loco reversal and departure clearance. The loco reversal took 35 minutes

I was eventually in Gadag approx 60 minutes behind schedule.

Huge goods yard at Tumakuru


Arsikere Jn.


Guavas with a pataka taste at Davanagere


Ranebennur vs Ranibennur - both boards on the same platform at different locations. Which is correct?


Poor fan blades at Kodagannur station couldn't take the brunt of strong winds


Colourful snack basket in the train


Waiting for one hour at Hubbali Jn.


Gadag Jn. all lit up on Independence Day

[vigsom]

Chapter 4: Experiences at Gadag

Although my stay at Gadag was longer, I couldn't capture much of the local flavour here except that I saw a shift towards tea in this side of Karnataka. I sampled coffee at several places but found none of them close to what I had in Chitradurga. I did explore the following places:

1. Bakale Tiffins on the road from Mulugund Naka towards the Hubbali highway. This place dishes out excellent breakfast. Evenings is a paddu and dosei affair. Their food is all home made and hygienic.
2. Hotel Durga Vihar - very close to the Mulugund Naka and an old place. Their idlis are very good, coffee moderate.
3. Hotel Shivani - near the Gadag New bus stand, this is one of the best restaurants in town. I sampled Lemon Tea here and found it very well done.
4. Basaveshwara Lingayat Khanavali at Naregal - a much smaller place than Mayura in Jagaluru, and here I tried the Jolada Oota. Not very impressed though

Basaveshwara statue in Gadag


Bakale Tiffins on Gadag - Hubbali Road - this place is approx. 200m after Hotel Clarks Inn


Dosei at Bakale Tiffins - excellent for a mere 25 bucks


Paddu at Bakale Tiffins - twenty bucks for a plate


Basaveshwara Khanavali at Naregal - homely Jolada Oota but no match for what I had at Jagaluru's Mayura


Vitara is everywhere - Maple Ceramics factory near Naregal town


Level crossing at Hombal




Watching a school assembly near Hombal village


While in the countryside near HS Venkatapur village, I got to see farmers drying their green moong produce and putting it up for sale. I guess that is life for them - patiently waiting for the right deal.





I had the privilege of walking 30 minutes into the farmland, and saw an onion farm, bordered by grass for the invaders (aka goats and cattle).

In a farm near Kotumachagi village




Onions being grown on the inside, with grass bordering the farm to feed goats and cattle

[vigsom]

Concluding the trip

This trip helped me appreciate a variety of offerings:

1. ride Marazzos, Bolero Neos, conventional Boleros, a Volvo B11R, two metro trains in Bengaluru and an Ola S1 Pro
2. some great eating places in villages and small towns
3. hospitality in Karnataka and the lush countryside
3. see a farmer and his wife returning on their tractor after a long day at their farm and, last but not the least,
4. see a massive National flag fluttering in the wind over Gadag Jn.

Could I have asked for more?

Thank You for reading!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[shancz]

Originally Posted by vigsom

but unless hard pressed for time, I prefer surface transport any day over a flight.

Ditto, being on the road, whether driving or as a passenger keeps the connection to the journey, IMO.

While I have enjoyed the KSRTC Volvos and BMTC city bus rides the one thing that I had intended to do but missed was KSRTC trips across the KA countryside.
Someday if I find myself in KA again.

Excellent thread as always
Always a pleasure to read your train journeys, another thing that's in my pending list

[PVS]

A very nice thread about the Karnataka experiences. Durgada Siri in Chitradurga is a nice VFM hotel. I stayed there in 2017 for a night, with family, while returning back from the KA trip. The simple Khanavalis offer tasty meals at a pocket friendly price. I once had food at the Sri Basaveshwara Khanavali at Hubballi, in 2019.

[Raghu M]

Couldn't have a better start to my Monday. I just loved the appreciation of small but invaluable things in life. We just skip these wonderful moments sometimes. A visit to a farm, a small chat with a local farmer, a meal at a local hotel - these make up for great memories. Thank you for taking me back in time. Very well written, you kept it crisp and just brought out the right flavour (just like that holige!)

[discoverwild]

Awesome write-up of your journey and time spent in Karnataka, Vigsom! Almost like I did the tour personally. I left Bangalore 27 years ago and have always had a craving for Masala Dose (KA style) and I had my first one last night after so many years. 27 years of not having the jaggery-laced sambhar made it taste different! TN guys love to hate on it.

Look forward to more from you!

[travelling owl]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Chapter 4: Experiences at Gadag

In a farm near Kotumachagi village
Attachment 2348885

Nice pics @Vigsom. You should have tried brinjal bajji and girmit in gadag, thats the most famous thing in that region. BTW, my mom is from Kotumachagi

[Sandy Damodaran]

Opened this thread only to see if my hunch about a train journey thread would be yours . Want disappointed at all.. If you had included the Volvo part in the header, I'd have bet a princely sum on the author without opening the thread.

I have been on this route a million times now from Pune to Kerala, have stopped over a few times at Chitradurga, but have never thought of sampling various items you have pictured .

Did you manage to visit the Chitradurga fort? It's pretty neat.. has a great story as well:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onake_Obavva

A few peacocks can be spotted prancing around the fort this time of the year as well. For Coffee.. Typically Coffee starts getting better from South of Davangere...North of Davangere, stick to Tea!

[subbaramu]

Originally Posted by PVS

I once had food at the Sri Basaveshwara Khanavali at Hubballi, in 2019.

Basaveshware Khanavali in Hubballi is a different place. Simple and tasty meal at an affordable price, a very small and popular place.

Originally Posted by discoverwild

27 years of not having the jaggery-laced sambhar made it taste different! TN guys love to hate on it.

It is just a tinge of jaggery, not laced neither loaded. It is just the way, food habits differ every few 100 kms in the Sub-Continent. Of course, TN guys love to hate it