Team-BHP - BR Hills – Gopalaswamy Betta

Date: 2nd August 2009

Scenario: What best reason to ride when you have not ridden (touring) for 350 days. Yes you read it right, after Three Hundred and Fifty days, previous ride on 17th August 2008. Wanted to do this solo as well with a target of 500 kms, to see how fingers and my right hand can handle the stress.

Location: BR Hills – Gopalaswamy Betta

Started at 6 am (instead of 5 am) as advised by my mom, left home at 5:55 am. Tanked up at Mysore Road Shell Petrol bunk, and rode till Maddur to stop for breakfast at new Kamat Restaurant. Had tasty idly vada and chow-chow bath. Continued towards Shivanasamudram, spent about 15 mins and continued riding toward BR Hills via Kollegal. Reached by 9 am, visited the temple and left by 9:40, rode via KG Gudi to reach Chamarajanagar. Had tender coconut and rode on, reached Gopalaswamy Betta at 11:15 am.

Was disappointed when I reached there, reason being no mist/cloud cover and too many people flogging the place. The place has gone dirty as well. Spend about an hour and headed to Pugmark Restaurant. a Had

Had decent food, rest for about 30 odd minutes and started the ride back to Bangalore. Reached home before sunset.

After almost a year, finally a ride for about 554 kms in about 10 hours with 13 litres of liquid gold.

Good report, good trip! May I have some more information please.

1. Which temple you visited after Kollegala in BR hills. Is it Biligiri Rangaswamy temple. and please post pictures If any.

2. How is road condition around Malavalli while going to Shivanasamudram? also how is road condition between Shivanasamudram - Kollegala - Chamarajanagara - BR Hills - Gundlupet ?

3. I heard Kabini bridge near Najanagudu has damages. Is it opened for heavy traffic now ?

Thanks in advance.

Ravi.

Answers in Bold

Quote:

Originally Posted by ravibhat (Post 1413909)

Good report, good trip! May I have some more information please.

1. Which temple you visited after Kollegala in BR hills. Is it Biligiri Rangaswamy temple. and please post pictures If any.

Yes, it is indeed Biligiri Ranganatha Swamy Temple. I did not take the pics of the temple please: Excuse

2. How is road condition around Malavalli while going to Shivanasamudram? also how is road condition between Shivanasamudram - Kollegala - Chamarajanagara - BR Hills - Gundlupet ?

The route I took is Bangalore - Maddur - Kollegal - BR Hills - Charmarajanagar - Gundlupet - GP Betta - Bandipur - Nanjangud - Mysore - Bangalore

Maddur to KM Doddi the road is pretty ok. Then below average till Malavalli. Then from Malavalli to Gaganachukki/Shivanasamudram Deviation is good, but with quite a few humps. Then from there to Kollegal, there are loads of bad patches. From Kollegal you need to go towards Yelandur, but about 2 kms after Kollegal you will get a small village road with a direction board towards BR Hills. The first 2-3 kms is good and then it is mud road. It would be asphalted, may be in the next 2 years. From the checkpost to BR Hills the road is good. From BR Hills to KG Gudi the road is good. From KG Gudi to Chamarajanagar the roads are below average and at some places its poor. From Chamarajanagar to Gundlupet the road is good.

3. I heard Kabini bridge near Najanagudu has damages. Is it opened for heavy traffic now ?

Not sure about the damages, what I heard is water had started flowing on the bridge. The water level has receded by about 50%. Buses and lorries were plying on the bridge. Did not see any traffic divertions for the same.

Thanks in advance.

Ravi.

Do let me know if you need further info. :thumbs up