In seach of bangADi falls

The film “Chigurida kansu” made a mention of the so called bangADi falls, a small look up for more information from my cousins and I came to know that it was near Dharmasthala. I decided to try out the falls.

After the summer placements and IIMB, its generally a time to cool of a bit for the junta here some of the sections going on a trip to some place some others it is a trip to the Wonder-La. I decided to do an exploratory trek and chose bangADi to be my destination.

I reached Dharmasthala at round 630 am in the morning and had my breakfast after some freshening up. Then reached beltandaDi…. There was the very old hotel to home I am a usual customer when on treks – “Hotel Samatha”. I got my lunch packed and asked them for directions. I told them I waned to go to bangADi falls; they were a bit confused but directed me towards somanDakda… I climbed the bus in the direction towards CharmaDi and got down at the place. I enquired about the falls with the local pan beeDa stall. The told me that there is nothing like bangADi Falls; if you want to see all the falls shown in the film you have to go to bandaje arbi and hAnaDka(AnaDka) fall I told him I have done that already could you tell me something more about the “bolle faLLs”. I was a bit skeptical about the information. I could not belive that such massive information could be manipulated just for a film. He told me a bus would come in another 15 min that would take me to deDupe… you can get down ant kAjur and then walk toward killor (which is around 2 km.) I decided to try my luck once again and once in the bus decided to take a ticket to deDupe. This was the last stop of the bus. Along the route, I could spot the banDaje falls, I for some time went into the recollection mode… about my trek to the falls and the night in the forest. Things have changed quite a bit… some murder of a foreigner who was doing some research on the herbs here had been done around 6 months prior and the people were still in shock. A bit later I found the way to the AnaDka falls. The simple elegant falls I had gone to more than a year ago. Finally I reached deDupe, had a couple co passengers at the last point.

I asked my co passengers for some more information in case they knew of any falls at bangADi. The answer was negative. I then asked them if there was a way to killoor for there. The asked me to enquire down the road and find direction. I reached the stream which was flowing and asked the residents of a house nearby if following the path beside the stream would take me to killor. The answer was positive. It was a nice trek experience the first of its kind for me to trek through and beside the river to a place. From the bridge is was photography time for me, all along the stream I could find some cranes some kingfishers and some other birds which would fly across fishing and posing occasionally for my camera.

The trek beside the stream is till we reach the broken/incomplete bridge downstream. Once we reached there we asked again for direction, not the trek beside the steam was over, it was time for trek beside the farm banks and plantations. Another half an hour of photography was there for me… J There was a villager who was on this way to some ones house, I decided to have his company and asked him questions like when it had rained last… all these was to ascertain that at least boLLe falls near killor would have some water to keep me happy for the effort. He then showed me a hillock and told me… look gets to be a complete falls on its own when it rains. You will find water running down allover the hill and making splendid falls worth a camera shot. I recollected that this might be the hill that was shown in the film, quite possible!!! Well let me get back sometime to see this hill during the rains and capture the falls… now I need to see the new falls I am in search of….

Ah some distance ahead I had a buffalo block my way. It seemed to be confused seeing a crazy creature like me some where down the with camera hanging down my neck, a towel to wipe off the sweat that might come, a track suite and a bag to carry my luggage… it must have thought… “Oh God!!! What do I do now…. He doesn’t seem to be one whom I like… seems to have come from some other land…” I had my own plans for him… while he turned his head away to think I took my camera out showed it and asked it to turn towards me… surprisingly it did turn and I had my snap… I told thanks you, can you please give me my way… it immediately walked off giving me the route for further journey… The villager who was accompanying me was surprised and told… “Seems as thought he understands your language…” I gave a broad grin… and continued walking. In about 5 minutes form there I was near the Kolli Durgaparameshwari temple. I had been there once in bike when I was on a search for a route to Bandage from Jamalabad fort… it was an unsuccessful attempt then. I asked the nearby tea shop how much time I had till the bus would come. He told around 20 min. I decided to go into the temple and have blessing from the deity.

I sat in the bus waiting for it to leave… another 10 min journey from there and I was in killor. I was asking for directions to boLLe falls. I could either have an auto which would take me for some distance or a jeep that would take me a bit further. I decided to go by Jeep. There I found my guide Praveen who was also on his way back home. He volunteered to take me to the falls as the shrubs had covered the path and there was no real route that you could spot. The Jeep dropped me 3 kms ahead on the route... I think I had made up for around 45 minutes of my walking time by a 20 minute jeep journey. I got down at the stop, thanked the driver and went ahead with Praveen.

The trak for the jeep was all a mud road and it was not sure if the track was ready to use after a steam on the road. So we decided to get walking. Praveen was telling me all about himself, some information about the place, his ancestry and stuff like it. His Grandma’s home was almost the last house on the way to the falls. We walked along the jeep track that was being made usable (the rains generally spoil the track and these people have to rework on them every year.) Praveen also told me that you can get to lobo house from the route, which then can take us to the Kudremukh peak.

We reached the last house after an uphill walk along he Jeep track, and from there it was a trek in the forest… Ah! Finally something worth a trek… looking at the moistness I understood there would be leeches and I was always on the look out. We walked thought the shrubs that had grown to cover the route and made our own path to the falls. We had some nice experiences climbing over some fallen trees and some thorny hanging creepers. We reached the falls after around 20 min of walk though the forest. It was now time to remove our shoes search for some leeches just in case some had climbed over without a hint.

I settled down and after a small relaxing time decided to go to the base of the falls. This falls is very reachable and we can get to the base of the falls, very easy. Praveen as telling we can go to yevala from here, he told it is a nice place and the flowers there are really famous. I told I would come back to that place some other time. I was busy picking snaps of the falls. Many of the regular reader of my blog would know that I have crush on falls I was just sooooooo happy to be there. We then got back got the place were we had kept our bags and decided to have our lunch. We cleared all the plastic… put that back in to our bags… some more photo-shoot of the scenery and it was time for us to get back to killor. It was around 3:10 pm when we set out from the falls. On the way back the leeches seem to have woken up. The last time we went should have shaken them from the sleep they were in… we moved briskly and were able to get out of the dense shrub cover in some time. Then it was time for leech removal session. Praveen’s relatives were out with their set of medicine to kill the leeches... I removed my shoes and dropped the leeches. Now it was back to the jeep track. Praveen told he has a shorter route to his home from the place, and took leave from me. I thanked him for the help and guidance he had provided. I was on my way back picking snaps which I had missed due to the jeep journey… speaking to people on the way.. given them smiles and getting those in return….

After around 1 hour and 45 minutes of leisure walk thought he forest and then the jeep track I reached killor. I decided to get something to eat and sat in the bus that was destined to leave to beltangaDi. The bus started around 5:15 and I was in beltangaDi at 5:50. There I had my evening snacks and then reached Dharmasthala. I was tired and feeling too sleepy. I had my dinner and was waiting for the bus departure… Ah! The day has just passed…. I had not even for a moment thought of IIMB or the busy life of Bangalore… it was definitely going to come the next day… well why worry about all that is routine…I was with in search of my crush for the whole day and enjoyed every moment of it. As soon as I was in the bus it was bed time when I woke up I was near Nelamangala… Just another day… I had the whole day to rest and refresh myself for the course ahead.

Trek date: Nov 17^th 2007

Pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/sachidananda.bs/DedupeBolleFalls