BLR - Mudigere - Dharmasthala

Rajesh K R · 20th March 2010, 17:14

Hello All,

This is my first post after my entering T-Bhp. If there are any mistakes / deviations, please excuse me.

Last week, my wife, kid and my in-laws ( they r from Hassan) planned for a trip to Dharmasthala in my Wagon-R. I was in a dilemma as my in-laws told me that since Shiradi ghats are in a bad shape, taking the car there would be not on.

But, i knew about the Charmadi ghat option, but was not sure of the road condition, as i was travelling with family. I had read / was informed about the bad stretch of road between Belur & Mudigere ( via Gonibeedu).

Anyways, i decided that we will go on and make the trip with my car only.

We ( Wife, daughter & myself) started from BLR on 12th Mar ( Friday) late afternoon and reached Hassan around 8 PM.

The route we took was like :

Bangalore-Hassan-Belur-Mudigere-Kottigehara-Charmadi-Ujire-Dharmasthala.

On Saturday morning, we left Hassan around 7 AM and reached Belur. Upon making enquiries in Belur, we found out that there are two routes from Belur to Mudigere. One, the regular route thro' Gonibeedu and the other, via Gendehalli. We were told to take the Gendehalli route as the Gonibeedu route was riddled with potholes.

I must say, that we did the right thing in taking the Gendehalli route for this road although a single laned one, is in good condition right upto Mudigere and also it passes thro' some coffee plantations with good scenery.

After Mudigere, as it is already known, the route is thro' Kottigehara & Charmadi. We had breakfast at Kottigehara ( Neer Dosa) and reached Dharmasthala at 11.30 AM.

Had darshan and meals at the temple and came out at 1.45 PM. Went to the Car Museum and spent an hour there.

While returning we visited a Rama temple at Kanyadi and came back to Hassan via the same route which we took in the morning.

Please have a look at the photos of the road condition of Charmadi Ghats for anyone who intends driving in this section in the near future.

BLR - Mudigere - Dharmasthala-dsc02302.jpg

One more photograph of the road surface of charmadi :

BLR - Mudigere - Dharmasthala-dsc02343.jpg

We could not go to Kukke Subramanya due to paucity of time and we intend going there after the rains.

Trust the above info would prove to be useful.

Cheers..

Rajesh

SmartCat · 20th March 2010, 23:55

Road condition looks good. Is this the way it was allthrough?

Rajesh K R · 21st March 2010, 13:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by smartcat

Road condition looks good. Is this the way it was allthrough?

yes, the road condition is good from Hassan right upto Dharmasthala. Its the same as you see in the attached photos.

ampere · 21st March 2010, 17:11

Is this the state after they have fixed the patches?

Rajesh K R · 21st March 2010, 19:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampere

Is this the state after they have fixed the patches?

which segment are you referring to ? i drove on this road on 13th March (last week) and i found it good for Wagon-R, so must be great & comfortable for other cars better than Wagon-R.

mooza · 22nd March 2010, 09:27

Hi Rajesh, great trip you had there! Please upload some more snaps, if possible.

The Charmadi ghat road looks promising and enticing.

I heard that heavy trucks are not being allowed on the Charmadi ghat road. From your experience, is this correct?

I have never driven on this ghat. How are the hairpin bends?

Cheers!

ampere · 22nd March 2010, 10:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by mooza

Hi Rajesh, great trip you had there! Please upload some more snaps, if possible.

The Charmadi ghat road looks promising and enticing.

I heard that heavy trucks are not being allowed on the Charmadi ghat road. From your experience, is this correct?

I have never driven on this ghat. How are the hairpin bends?

Cheers!

Rajesh,

This is what I was also referring to. I had heard that heavy vehicles are not allowed. So how was your experience as there was some patch work done on that stretch.

(Others correct me if I am wrong. I though both Shiradi and Charmadi ghat sections were patched-up after monsoons).

sushrutha · 22nd March 2010, 11:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rajesh K R

I must say, that we did the right thing in taking the Gendehalli route for this road although a single laned one, is in good condition right upto Mudigere and also it passes thro' some coffee plantations with good scenery.

Yep Nice winding route all the way till Mudigere. You went thru my village :-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampere

Is this the state after they have fixed the patches?

Most of the potholes have been fixed. Fresh tar has been laid on Charmadi ghats.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mooza

I have never driven on this ghat. How are the hairpin bends?

Cheers!

19 hairpin bends, amazing driving experience. They are in good shape

Rajesh K R · 22nd March 2010, 11:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by sushrutha

Yep Nice winding route all the way till Mudigere. You went thru my village :-)

Most of the potholes have been fixed. Fresh tar has been laid on Charmadi ghats.

19 hairpin bends, amazing driving experience. They are in good shape

I do agree with you, this was the first time i drove on this road, and i am yearning already for another drive. Amazing road with great scenery & greenery !!!

Which is your village ? I know that you belong to that belt. Lucky man, i envy you..

SmartCat · 22nd March 2010, 11:49

This was one of my "secret" routes to Mangalore. But now almost everybody knows this route. The distance is same - 350 km - but one rarely used to see heavy traffic. I used to avoid the Nelamangala mess by driving to Kunigal via Magadi. Since I stay in Nagarbhavi, this is the quickest way to get to Kunigal/Hassan.

I have driven to Mangalore & back atleast 25 times - so I keep trying out different routes.

Rajesh K R · 22nd March 2010, 12:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by smartcat

This was one of my "secret" routes to Mangalore. But now almost everybody knows this route. The distance is same - 350 km - but one rarely used to see heavy traffic. I used to avoid the Nelamangala mess by driving to Kunigal via Magadi. Since I stay in Nagarbhavi, this is the quickest way to get to Kunigal/Hassan.

I have driven to Mangalore & back atleast 25 times - so I keep trying out different routes.

How is the road condition from Ujire to BC Road at present ? I think some kind of construction activity is going on from BC Road to Pumpwell ??

I am keeping my fingers crossed, that the Magadi road stays in good driveable condition in the days to come. I started using this section from last 4 months, and i have already noticed a sizeable increase in percentage of traffic. Obviously more people have discovered this road now.

SmartCat · 22nd March 2010, 12:26

No idea about Ujire BC road conditions - it has been sometime since I have taken that route.

Yes, Bangalore - Magadi -Kunigal route is now being used by some private buses too - unfortunately. I need to discover another route to Mangalore!

Rajesh K R · 22nd March 2010, 12:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by mooza

Hi Rajesh, great trip you had there! Please upload some more snaps, if possible.

The Charmadi ghat road looks promising and enticing.

I heard that heavy trucks are not being allowed on the Charmadi ghat road. From your experience, is this correct?

I have never driven on this ghat. How are the hairpin bends?

Cheers!

Yes, it was a good trip. We didn't feel tired at the end because of the good roads.

I will try to upload some more snaps later.

sushrutha · 22nd March 2010, 13:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rajesh K R

I do agree with you, this was the first time i drove on this road, and i am yearning already for another drive. Amazing road with great scenery & greenery !!!

Which is your village ? I know that you belong to that belt. Lucky man, i envy you..

Hahahaha....
Nandipura , Just before Makonahally towards Mudigere....
How abt rest of the pics ?

Rajesh K R · 22nd March 2010, 14:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by sushrutha

Hahahaha....
Nandipura , Just before Makonahally towards Mudigere....
How abt rest of the pics ?

Don't remember seeing the village. Not many pics taken. will post them soon..

20th March 2010, 17:14	#1
Rajesh K R BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 393 Thanked: 95 Times	BLR - Mudigere - Dharmasthala Hello All, This is my first post after my entering T-Bhp. If there are any mistakes / deviations, please excuse me. Last week, my wife, kid and my in-laws ( they r from Hassan) planned for a trip to Dharmasthala in my Wagon-R. I was in a dilemma as my in-laws told me that since Shiradi ghats are in a bad shape, taking the car there would be not on. But, i knew about the Charmadi ghat option, but was not sure of the road condition, as i was travelling with family. I had read / was informed about the bad stretch of road between Belur & Mudigere ( via Gonibeedu). Anyways, i decided that we will go on and make the trip with my car only. We ( Wife, daughter & myself) started from BLR on 12th Mar ( Friday) late afternoon and reached Hassan around 8 PM. The route we took was like : Bangalore-Hassan-Belur-Mudigere-Kottigehara-Charmadi-Ujire-Dharmasthala. On Saturday morning, we left Hassan around 7 AM and reached Belur. Upon making enquiries in Belur, we found out that there are two routes from Belur to Mudigere. One, the regular route thro' Gonibeedu and the other, via Gendehalli. We were told to take the Gendehalli route as the Gonibeedu route was riddled with potholes. I must say, that we did the right thing in taking the Gendehalli route for this road although a single laned one, is in good condition right upto Mudigere and also it passes thro' some coffee plantations with good scenery. After Mudigere, as it is already known, the route is thro' Kottigehara & Charmadi. We had breakfast at Kottigehara ( Neer Dosa) and reached Dharmasthala at 11.30 AM. Had darshan and meals at the temple and came out at 1.45 PM. Went to the Car Museum and spent an hour there. While returning we visited a Rama temple at Kanyadi and came back to Hassan via the same route which we took in the morning. Please have a look at the photos of the road condition of Charmadi Ghats for anyone who intends driving in this section in the near future. One more photograph of the road surface of charmadi : We could not go to Kukke Subramanya due to paucity of time and we intend going there after the rains. Trust the above info would prove to be useful. Cheers.. Rajesh
	(1) Thanks

20th March 2010, 23:55	#2
SmartCat Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 6,427 Thanked: 42,941 Times View My Garage	Road condition looks good. Is this the way it was allthrough?
	() Thanks

21st March 2010, 17:11	#4
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,951 Thanked: 12,939 Times View My Garage	Is this the state after they have fixed the patches?
	() Thanks

22nd March 2010, 09:27	#6
mooza Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,096 Thanked: 368 Times	Hi Rajesh, great trip you had there! Please upload some more snaps, if possible. The Charmadi ghat road looks promising and enticing. I heard that heavy trucks are not being allowed on the Charmadi ghat road. From your experience, is this correct? I have never driven on this ghat. How are the hairpin bends? Cheers!
	() Thanks

22nd March 2010, 11:49	#10
SmartCat Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 6,427 Thanked: 42,941 Times View My Garage	This was one of my "secret" routes to Mangalore. But now almost everybody knows this route. The distance is same - 350 km - but one rarely used to see heavy traffic. I used to avoid the Nelamangala mess by driving to Kunigal via Magadi. Since I stay in Nagarbhavi, this is the quickest way to get to Kunigal/Hassan. I have driven to Mangalore & back atleast 25 times - so I keep trying out different routes.
	() Thanks

22nd March 2010, 12:26	#12
SmartCat Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 6,427 Thanked: 42,941 Times View My Garage	No idea about Ujire BC road conditions - it has been sometime since I have taken that route. Yes, Bangalore - Magadi -Kunigal route is now being used by some private buses too - unfortunately. I need to discover another route to Mangalore!
	() Thanks