[captrajesh]

Very nice write up and wonderful pictures.

[airguitar]

Thanks for the stream of thoughts or in this case, thoughts of streams, Addy

Thanks CaptRajesh and others for all the comments. Howe frequent are accidents on the subrmanya / gundya / d.sthala stretch ( havent seen any in my 6-7 drives on thsi stretch )? Nearly all vehicles go rash on these stretch. Hope the Lord ensures there are no mishaps on these stretches.

[airguitar]

Day 4

The idea was to drive through Hassan-Belur-Chikkamagalur-Muthodi- Attigundi - Kemmannugundi - Lingadahalli - Birur - Tumkur - Bangalore ; the highlight of what was going to be the Mallandur/Muthodi-Attigundi-Kemmannugundi drive.

I always tend to get the air pressure checked when I start after I've done hard roads : the previous day was Bisle and the tiring Mudiger-Belur road that was hard on the car. Left back wheel showed 26 while I set it to atleast 2-3 higher than prescribed : usually at 36. That looked bad, while the petrol pump guy explained his theory of that could be because of the cold weather, but there was no way it could have been that low, filled till 38 and left. Started playing on my mind if I should really take the Muthodi/Attigundi route : the family insisted we should ( surprise, surprise ) but wasn't too keen to spend time in the middle of nowhere if it worsened on that route. The other option was to change it before I left Belur ( didn't feel like it either as it was a late start already from hassan, maybe I was a bit stupid here ). Decided to deviate to Mullayyanagiri instead ( made sense to end what could be my last trip as a bachelor, atop the state ).

Belur - Chikkamagalur road good at times but patchy at many other times. Flawless roads from Chikkamagalur to the top of Mullayyanagiri. A bunch of guys dancing away to blaring music at Seethalayyanagiri point ( not a good thing to do in my opinion ). And then a couple of bikers reveling up the hill, nearly crosscutting my car and honking ( to what looked like a movie tune , irritating me a bit). And then it started, it was the Rajyotsava weekend and there was a lot of traffic. The road up the hill is doable alright, but with traffic on the narrow road, it's always standoffs ( folks unsure of their lefts and rights simply parking in the middle and refusing or scared to move left or right ) was a common scene. An innova brushed an M800 L-Boarded vehicle as it ran out of options. Clutch burning everywhere and worse, a not so-mini bus up the hill . Despite numerous warning boards that it's a plastic-free zone, there were chocolate wrappers, empty chips packets, empty supari covers etc lying around. But it was a minor thing to overlook : the steepest part is the last 50-100 mts to the parking lot.

The final ascent of a few hundred steps to reach the Mullappaswamy temple : sit there for sometime feeling on top and then trudge back.

Get down and turn towards Lingadahalli ( you can do good speeds here ) and the downward hairpins to the plain land. Then a quick diversion towards Kemmannugundi - no serious staying there - just a quick "touch" and return to Lingadahalli and then begins the gradual change of landscapes from "malnad" to "bayaluseeme" ( Hilly region to Plain region ). Not in a mood to stop at the usual stopover at Kamat near Dabaspet. And back home.

PS : I just changed the wheel today ( my first change since I bought teh car ) and now looking to either buy a puncture kit or roll the punctured tyre to the puncture "angdi"

Here's more pictures from Mullayyanagiri..

[pramod]

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

The rivers to your left in Shiradi ghats are Yattina Hole and Kempu Hole. Yettina Hole is in the upper part of the ghats and becomes Kempu Hole (Red River) after another stream, the Bettakumri Hole joins it. Kempu Hole later joins Nethravathi near Uppinangady.

The Nethravati river flows from Dharmasthala to Uppinangady and then on towards Mangalore.

@Addy - At Uppinangadi, Nethravathi joins Kumaradhara, to flow towards Arabian.

So the bridge we cross after Gundia, towards Kukke, isnt Nethravathi??

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by pramod

@Addy - At Uppinangadi, Nethravathi joins Kumaradhara, to flow towards Arabian.

So the bridge we cross after Gundia, towards Kukke, isnt Nethravathi??

Not at all. Nethravathi flows from Charmadi ghats to Uppinangady passing by Dharmasthala. The river you cross after Gundya (towards Kukke) is Kempu Hole (also called Gundya Hole).

Kempu Hole runs parallel to NH 48 almost till Nelyadi and joins Kumaradhara somewhere before Uppinangady and this river joins Nethravati at Uppinangady and flows towards Mangalore.

[airguitar]

Have always had this question : the estates in the Malnad region/W.ghats, during my school and college days, I always thought the land was government land, leased out private parties who take care of the land under specific set of agreements.

I still kinda feel hard to believe someone could own such vast expanses of land, quite often very close to ecologically sensitive areas. Any thoughts ?

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by airguitar

Have always had this question : the estates in the Malnad region/W.ghats, during my school and college days, I always thought the land was government land, leased out private parties who take care of the land under specific set of agreements.

I still kinda feel hard to believe someone could own such vast expanses of land, quite often very close to ecologically sensitive areas. Any thoughts ?

Well, land is land irrespective of the region. If you can own land in cities, why not in the Western ghats. We cannot forget that these places have been inhabited from long back. Not all estates are huge and vast. The majority of planters are small and do not hold vast lands. It is a popular misconception that all planters are huge landowners. Maybe some are but most of them are not.

[sushrutha]

Fantastic narration & amazing pics airguitar.
Pics of Mullaingiri is fantastic.
You have a nice eye to capture the Nature

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

It is a popular misconception that all planters are huge landowners. Maybe some are but most of them are not.

I belong to the MOST part & I know where you belong... SOME part ... LOL

[pramod]

Originally Posted by sushrutha

I belong to the MOST part & I know where you belong... SOME part ... LOL

Well ! We just came across 2 Estate owners in CKM. With this news out, i need ur numbers now, for a free estate tour and stay, before u guys decide to go the homestay way.. lol.

I have a close relation 'Nagabhushan' having their "Jeenu Kallu Estate" in Seethalayyana Giri. The name of the estate is so, as there is a Bee Hive high up on a rocky face, from where, the Honey drips down most of the time. And is not easily accessible for anybody to extract it.

[airguitar]

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

Well, land is land irrespective of the region. If you can own land in cities, why not in the Western ghats. We cannot forget that these places have been inhabited from long back. Not all estates are huge and vast. The majority of planters are small and do not hold vast lands. It is a popular misconception that all planters are huge landowners. Maybe some are but most of them are not.

May be I didn't understand fully. One step ahead : if you think of forest grazing : I understand there are people whose occupation has been cattle rearing, most notably on the forest fringes : e.g. Kadu Kurubas. What's the government regulation around this - whose wealth are the forests and what is termed illegal here ? As are those estates on hills or tea gardens : I don't understand the ownership around this either : so as long as it's not a restricted area, "land is land" ?

Originally Posted by sushrutha

Fantastic narration & amazing pics airguitar.
Pics of Mullaingiri is fantastic.
You have a nice eye to capture the Nature

Thanks sushrutha

[sushrutha]

Originally Posted by pramod

Well ! We just came across 2 Estate owners in CKM. With this news out, i need ur numbers now, for a free estate tour and stay, before u guys decide to go the homestay way.. lol.

You are most welcome Pramod, gimme a call anytime.
Well for the Mobile number, pls encode it
II00ADAAFD

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by sushrutha

I belong to the MOST part & I know where you belong... SOME part ... LOL

Nice jokes you make saar!! It is actually vice versa of what you say

Originally Posted by pramod

Well ! We just came across 2 Estate owners in CKM. With this news out, i need ur numbers now, for a free estate tour and stay, before u guys decide to go the homestay way.. lol.

I have a close relation 'Nagabhushan' having their "Jeenu Kallu Estate" in Seethalayyana Giri. The name of the estate is so, as there is a Bee Hive high up on a rocky face, from where, the Honey drips down most of the time. And is not easily accessible for anybody to extract it.

Sure Pramod!! We can meet up sometime

Originally Posted by airguitar

May be I didn't understand fully. One step ahead : if you think of forest grazing : I understand there are people whose occupation has been cattle rearing, most notably on the forest fringes : e.g. Kadu Kurubas. What's the government regulation around this - whose wealth are the forests and what is termed illegal here ? As are those estates on hills or tea gardens : I don't understand the ownership around this either : so as long as it's not a restricted area, "land is land" ?

Factually speaking, it is illegal to enter forests with cattle. It is also illegal to collect any forest produce (firewood, plants, roots etc). Forests are govt property, but then the tribals in the forests have been residing in those very forests for generations. It is difficult to relocate them and teach them new means of livelihood. But, consecutive governments have been trying to avoid the issues faced and people still continue to move in and out of forests unchecked.

I believe your last statement is true. As long as it is not restricted, it is land. But, you may have to take permits on how to utilize that land (not sure about this though). The estates on the hill might border forests, but they will not come under the forest department or the government.

[MohsinRoadster]

Nice travelouge!! Really enjoyed the pics.

[airguitar]

Originally Posted by MohsinRoadster

Nice travelouge!! Really enjoyed the pics.

Thanks. And to what addy mentioned about elephants in this area :

Wild jumbos destroy crops in Sakleshpur tq - if they've done it once, they can do it many times.