Huthridurga Trek

 

This place is known for viewing sunrise and people used to trek at night to see that. Huthridurga/ Huthri Betta, as it is called is situated 3 Kms from Huthri village.

We decided to explore it in day-time first instead of taking chances at night. So my friend & I started early on a Sunday morning from Bangalore. We took the Hassan road from Nelamangala and followed Google Maps. After having hot Thatte Idli on the way, we took the Kunigal-Magadi road as navigated by Google. To our surprise, road construction work was going on & was dug up for about 5 Kms. We managed to drive through because of our SUV. We drove through some beautiful villages.

Finally we reached the arch saying “Welcome to Huthridurga Hill Station”. Further driving inside the arch, we went through some hair pin bends above a hill. Road work was going on there too. When you reach the top, you’ll be surprised to see a small village of around 20-30 houses there. Parking the car was an issue there. Either you have to park it in a ground behind one temple or at the entrance of the village. We parked it behind the temple as suggested by a local there, where few bikes & cars were already parked. The time was around 8 am.

The foot hill is just a few meters from the village. We reached there in no time and it seemed like some sort of fort with multiple levels of stone walls at different altitudes. As read in the internet about this place, we have to cross 5-6 doorways to reach the top of the hill. That almost coincided with the number of stone walls seen from the base.

Initially, the path was straight forward as we crossed a couple of doorways. Then the rocks had the old steps etched on it and work was progressing on machine-cutting of new steps and fitment of railings. Later the direction to move forward was marked by arrows on the stones, which led us to some single paths into the bushes. In some places the bushes were high enough to hide yourself.

After climbing for some 40 mins., we reached a point where we could see the temple on our right side. The left path leads to the sunrise point. We took the right path to the temple first. A small climb to reach the temple & the view was awesome from the top & dangerous too. 

Spending some time there, we proceeded towards the sunrise point, which was in the adjacent hill. On the way, there was a view point worth spending some time. We took some pics there & continued our walk.

The path took us behind a huge rock with some steps going down; this was an ultimate place to spend some time. It was cool at that stretch & looked like a jungle. After following the arrows & climbing some rocks we reached the so-called sunrise point. The spot was nice there to take some cool pictures. As we spent some time there, we imagined how sunrise will look like from there.

 

We retraced back the same path following the arrows, climbing the rocks, into the bushes & doorways and finally reached the base around 11 am. Looking at the hill from the parking, we decided to come back to see the sunrise. We then headed back to Bangalore after a break for lunch.

Overall, Huthri betta is one of the less crowded places that you can enjoy especially the greenery after the rains. Just follow the marked arrows. Also there were a bunch of monkeys near the sunrise point, snatching bags that had eatables, so beware.

 

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/uJmzcFs6Biqa73Re9

 

Distance traveled: 

Bangalore-Huthridurga-Bangalore: ~200 Kms.

 

Do visit "My WanderLust Experiences" to read my other blogs.

Haddinakallu Visit

Shri Kshetra Haddinakallu Hanumantharayaswamy Temple.

 

Haddinakallu, meaning 'Eagle Stone' is one of the least explored places around Bangalore. I read about this place through a blog & immediately marked it in my Google maps as it was interesting.

The time had come to explore this destination as well.  My wife, daughter & me left home early in the morning as usual & picked up my friend at Yeshwantpur. Our first target was to have some hot Thatte Idli in the Bangalore-Mangalore Highway.  We then followed Google maps & took a deviation at Yadiyur which led through some villages & finally reached the hill base by 8:30 am. We parked at the limited space available and we could see only locals there. Beside the arch in the foot-hill, there is a small temple where locals were sacrificing hen.

Rewind… A few metres before the foot-hill also, we saw many groups of locals who were sacrificing goat as a part of rituals & were making arrangements for cooking the same. We thought we will be having a feast for lunch after our trek. Also toilet facilities were available at that place, just in case.

Now back to LIVE. We wanted to try climbing barefoot & enquired about the path to the locals and they gave a thumbs-up. So we left our footwear in the car & started our hike through the arch. Initially there were newly laid steps followed by some stone-steps. There were some boulders on the path as we go on & some huge rocks in a variety of shapes. A small water tank on the way will quench your thirst if at all you want to try.

As we go up, we could hear peacocks screaming out of their voice but couldn’t spot them. Also we could hear the super-bikes zooming on the Mangalore highway that seemed close by. There were many viewpoints on the way to stop & enjoy.

On the way, there was a small pond and many cool shaded places where one can sit/lie down and relax. After some time, there is a flat stretch that was full of greenery. Walking further at one point you could get a glimpse of the vehicles plying on the Mangalore Highway, the bikes too with their sweet sound. 

Finally we reached the top around 10 am to see the Anjaneya temple amidst some boulders on the way. The view from the top was awesome with some fresh air. I guess we reached there before the poojari, so we sat under a tree as he arrived & started his regular duties. There were a few monkeys but didn’t disturb us.

After spending some time on top, we took the same path down which was even easier. Now we began to see some people coming in opposite direction. It was getting hot as we could see from their faces. So starting early is the key.

As my daughter & I were taking pictures frequently, my wife overtook us & continued her walk. As she was not in our sight anywhere around, we were searching for her the whole way down. Finally we found her sitting at the foothill. The whole way down I was in mixed-feelings that we lost her in the mountains & thought of announcing that a bunch of eagles have air-lifted her. Ha ha, Just Kidding.

As we finished our trek too early (around 11 am), we missed the feast that the locals were still preparing. Of course there were more than 1 group of locals preparing the feast as they invited us. So you might be lucky during your visit next time.

On the way back we took a detour to Markonahalli dam before having a break for lunch and then headed straight to Bangalore.

On the whole, it is a place worth visiting for those who need a break from the concrete jungle & other crowded spots. However it will be an easy trek & enjoyable one for kids too.

 

Travel Tip: Don’t take the initial right at Yadiyur as shown by Google maps that runs through villages, instead drive further (~6 Kms) and take the right at the Temple Arch (see pic above) on Mangalore Road. We took that while returning which is straight forward.

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/TZNLQbPeknbFYPZM8

Distance Traveled:
Bangalore-Haddinakallu: 120 Kms
Haddinakallu- Markonahalli Dam: 20 Kms    
Markonahalli Dam-Bangalore: 115 Kms

 
Do visit "My WanderLust Experiences" to read my other blogs.