Thumping Solo - Melukote

chethan.ram · 6th September 2010, 23:39

September 6th, 2010.

It was a three day weekend for us as it was a US holiday on Monday. Saturday and Sunday were already gone and I was about to hit the bed and it was then I decided to go for a ride on Monday morning. My companion for this ride was none other than my Electra and the destination was Melukote.

Bangalore - Melukote
Distance - 133kms (one side)

I got up early in the morning and left my place at 6:00am. Since I was riding solo, I didn't have to wait for anyone. Tanked up my vehicle in Kengeri and started maintaining a constant speed of 75-80kmph. I stopped in Shivalli Restaurant near Maddur for breakfast. As usual had Pongal with Raitha and a hot cup of coffee. Since it was a weekday the traffic was pretty less and I soon reached Mandya. I took a deviation towards Melukote which is around 33kms from Mandya. The roads was pretty decent even after Mandya and they were decorated by sugarcane fields on either side of them. Finally reached Melukote at 9:30am.

There are two temples here. One is a Yoga-Narasimha Swamy Temple and the other is a Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple. I parked my bike and started climbing the hill as the Yoga-Narasimha Swamy Temple is on top of the hill. Reached the temple after climbing 250 steps, prayed to god, spent some time watching the nature from top of the hill. Climbed down the temple and visited the Kalyani (pond). This place was pretty crowded as they were shooting a movie. I just took couple of pictures and headed towards the Chaluvanarayana Swamy Temple. I sat for few minutes to relax as my legs need some rest after climbing the hill. There was a group who had come for Temple visit saw my bike and each one of them took pictures sitting on the bike. Of course they asked for my permission before doing it. By 10:30am I was done with everything and decided to leave the place.On the way back, I came across a small lake, reached there after encountering few bad village roads. Took few pictures and left the place. I also visited an Aalemane and you find plenty of them on either side of the road. Aalemane is the place where they prepare jaggery by extracting sugarcane juice. I took pictures of process step by step, had a small piece of jaggery and left the place. My next stop was at Kamat Lokaruchi near Ramanagar, but did not eat anything as I was not so hungry. I had a cup of hot coffee, shopped few things for home and left the place. Throughout the ride the weather was really nice and was perfect for riding with few drops of rain in between. Finally reached home by 2:00pm completing my first solo ride.

I have attached few pictures including the ones I took in Aalemane.

StarVegabond · 7th September 2010, 13:14

Hi Chethan

That was a short but sweet trip you had.
Aalemane pictures are good. i wanted to show this to my daughter, now i know where to go

thanks for sharing.

chethan.ram · 7th September 2010, 13:35

@ StarVegabond : Thanks, if you go in car you can also get home some jaggery, they give it to you at a very good price.

subs · 7th September 2010, 15:53

HI Chetan

Nice little write up but am sure it gave you immense satisfaction of not having to wait for anybody to catch up. Sometimes, the best company you can have is your own self.

Do they mix anything with the sugarcane juice of is it just boiled and cooled?

Subs

chethan.ram · 7th September 2010, 16:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by subs

HI Chetan

Nice little write up but am sure it gave you immense satisfaction of not having to wait for anybody to catch up. Sometimes, the best company you can have is your own self.

Do they mix anything with the sugarcane juice of is it just boiled and cooled?

Subs

It was my first solo ride and it really gave me immense satisfaction.

About the Sugarcane, I don't think they mix anything. I actually wanted to ask, but none of them knew the local language Kannada and my Hindi is very poor. Will sure find out and let you know about this.

madhkris · 7th September 2010, 16:14

Hey Chetan!! Great ride and am sure there is no greater joy than doing a ride Solo. The route you selected is great with full of greenery and all the rustic elements of our Indian rural life. Liked the pic of your bike near the lake
"There was a group who had come for Temple visit saw my bike and each one of them took pictures sitting on the bike"
Well well nothing to pamper the soul than a bit of adulation of our iron steed!! Congrats on your first solo ride...Keep thumping

kaushik_s · 7th September 2010, 17:26

Nice little writeup. Melukote is a nice place. BTW, have you missed the RaiGopura and the twin ponds which are almost just next to the Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple?

Lukeskywalker · 7th September 2010, 17:53

Nice writeup there Chetan, I always huf and puff after climbing those final few steps at the temple and once on top, the peace and tranquilty is beautiful.
Good pictures too, really "sweet".

ampere · 7th September 2010, 18:07

Nice one Chetan. First Devrayanadurga and now Melkote!
Great. That is one place pending on my side for a long time.

chethan.ram · 7th September 2010, 18:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by madhkris

Hey Chetan!! Great ride and am sure there is no greater joy than doing a ride Solo. The route you selected is great with full of greenery and all the rustic elements of our Indian rural life. Liked the pic of your bike near the lake
"There was a group who had come for Temple visit saw my bike and each one of them took pictures sitting on the bike"
Well well nothing to pamper the soul than a bit of adulation of our iron steed!! Congrats on your first solo ride...Keep thumping

Thanks Madhu. The satisfaction you get once you complete a solo ride matches nothing. And about the greenery, it was just green, green, green everywhere.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Nice little writeup. Melukote is a nice place. BTW, have you missed the RaiGopura and the twin ponds which are almost just next to the Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple?

Thanks for your comments. I visited the Raigopura and the twin ponds, but couldn't take the pics as my camera started acting little cranky.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lukeskywalker

Nice writeup there Chetan, I always huf and puff after climbing those final few steps at the temple and once on top, the peace and tranquilty is beautiful.
Good pictures too, really "sweet".

Thank you. It was indeed very tiring for me especially after the final few steps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampere

Nice one Chetan. First Devrayanadurga and now Melkote!
Great. That is one place pending on my side for a long time.

Thanks ampere. I have done lot of other trips on my bike, will post the write ups soon along with the pictures. Since you said you have not done Melukote yet, I would suggest you do it.

Nutty Nair · 7th September 2010, 21:57

Hi Chetan, Nice to see a fellow biker here. Nice crisp log you have put together. And according to me, riding solo is the best way to cover places. Your DD Hills log was also good. Looking forward to more such rides from you in future.

chethan.ram · 7th September 2010, 22:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nutty Nair

Hi Chetan, Nice to see a fellow biker here. Nice crisp log you have put together. And according to me, riding solo is the best way to cover places. Your DD Hills log was also good. Looking forward to more such rides from you in future.

Thanks Nutty Nair. I have done lot of rides and will be posting the trip logs soon.

6th September 2010, 23:39	#1
chethan.ram BHPian Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 295 Thanked: 328 Times	Thumping Solo - Melukote September 6th, 2010. It was a three day weekend for us as it was a US holiday on Monday. Saturday and Sunday were already gone and I was about to hit the bed and it was then I decided to go for a ride on Monday morning. My companion for this ride was none other than my Electra and the destination was Melukote. Bangalore - Melukote Distance - 133kms (one side) I got up early in the morning and left my place at 6:00am. Since I was riding solo, I didn't have to wait for anyone. Tanked up my vehicle in Kengeri and started maintaining a constant speed of 75-80kmph. I stopped in Shivalli Restaurant near Maddur for breakfast. As usual had Pongal with Raitha and a hot cup of coffee. Since it was a weekday the traffic was pretty less and I soon reached Mandya. I took a deviation towards Melukote which is around 33kms from Mandya. The roads was pretty decent even after Mandya and they were decorated by sugarcane fields on either side of them. Finally reached Melukote at 9:30am. There are two temples here. One is a Yoga-Narasimha Swamy Temple and the other is a Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple. I parked my bike and started climbing the hill as the Yoga-Narasimha Swamy Temple is on top of the hill. Reached the temple after climbing 250 steps, prayed to god, spent some time watching the nature from top of the hill. Climbed down the temple and visited the Kalyani (pond). This place was pretty crowded as they were shooting a movie. I just took couple of pictures and headed towards the Chaluvanarayana Swamy Temple. I sat for few minutes to relax as my legs need some rest after climbing the hill. There was a group who had come for Temple visit saw my bike and each one of them took pictures sitting on the bike. Of course they asked for my permission before doing it. By 10:30am I was done with everything and decided to leave the place.On the way back, I came across a small lake, reached there after encountering few bad village roads. Took few pictures and left the place. I also visited an Aalemane and you find plenty of them on either side of the road. Aalemane is the place where they prepare jaggery by extracting sugarcane juice. I took pictures of process step by step, had a small piece of jaggery and left the place. My next stop was at Kamat Lokaruchi near Ramanagar, but did not eat anything as I was not so hungry. I had a cup of hot coffee, shopped few things for home and left the place. Throughout the ride the weather was really nice and was perfect for riding with few drops of rain in between. Finally reached home by 2:00pm completing my first solo ride. I have attached few pictures including the ones I took in Aalemane. Attached Thumbnails Attached Images Last edited by chethan.ram : 6th September 2010 at 23:43.
	() Thanks

7th September 2010, 13:14	#2
StarVegabond Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,891 Thanked: 42 Times	Hi Chethan That was a short but sweet trip you had. Aalemane pictures are good. i wanted to show this to my daughter, now i know where to go thanks for sharing.
	() Thanks

7th September 2010, 13:35	#3
chethan.ram BHPian Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 295 Thanked: 328 Times	@ StarVegabond : Thanks, if you go in car you can also get home some jaggery, they give it to you at a very good price.
	() Thanks

7th September 2010, 15:53	#4
subs BHPian Join Date: May 2010 Location: manchester Posts: 96 Thanked: 19 Times	HI Chetan Nice little write up but am sure it gave you immense satisfaction of not having to wait for anybody to catch up. Sometimes, the best company you can have is your own self. Do they mix anything with the sugarcane juice of is it just boiled and cooled? Subs
	() Thanks

7th September 2010, 16:14	#6
madhkris BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bengalur Posts: 292 Thanked: 83 Times View My Garage	Hey Chetan!! Great ride and am sure there is no greater joy than doing a ride Solo. The route you selected is great with full of greenery and all the rustic elements of our Indian rural life. Liked the pic of your bike near the lake "There was a group who had come for Temple visit saw my bike and each one of them took pictures sitting on the bike" Well well nothing to pamper the soul than a bit of adulation of our iron steed!! Congrats on your first solo ride...Keep thumping
	() Thanks

7th September 2010, 17:26	#7
kaushik_s Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,088 Thanked: 164 Times View My Garage	Nice little writeup. Melukote is a nice place. BTW, have you missed the RaiGopura and the twin ponds which are almost just next to the Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple?
	() Thanks

7th September 2010, 17:53	#8
Lukeskywalker Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,397 Thanked: 1,243 Times View My Garage	Nice writeup there Chetan, I always huf and puff after climbing those final few steps at the temple and once on top, the peace and tranquilty is beautiful. Good pictures too, really "sweet".
	() Thanks

7th September 2010, 18:07	#9
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,928 Thanked: 12,899 Times View My Garage	Nice one Chetan. First Devrayanadurga and now Melkote! Great. That is one place pending on my side for a long time.
	() Thanks

7th September 2010, 21:57	#11
Nutty Nair BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Trivandrum, Kerala Posts: 284 Thanked: 39 Times View My Garage	Hi Chetan, Nice to see a fellow biker here. Nice crisp log you have put together. And according to me, riding solo is the best way to cover places. Your DD Hills log was also good. Looking forward to more such rides from you in future. Last edited by Nutty Nair : 7th September 2010 at 21:58.
	() Thanks