Last time I headed out in this direction, I was still in college. Five years seems like ages and that was when along with my batchmates of 6 semester Civil Engineering from MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology, I set out for a Survey camp at Kaivara. The survey camp was just an eyewash (as was the whole engineering course) but it did give the experience of staying away from home. Strangely enough, I felt (and still feel) a sense of belonging to the village/ farming set up that I experienced at close range.
During the 6 semester survey camp. Our team taking a break and doing a Bugs Bunny
So when we were looking up and compiling destinations for a short, one day bike ride, I added Kaivara (about 60 km one way) to the list. I was curious to find out if the tomato, carrot and grape farms still exist. Hogenekal was first on that list and we planned to head there last Saturday.The South West Monsoon had other ideas. With a week of rains (albeit small spells) and an overcast weather, the day before the ride we felt we should go elsewhere. Kaivara was in the eastern direction and was one we had not explored. At almost 9pm, over phone, we finalised plans to meet at 7:30 the next morning. I felt 7:30 was a little to late, but you cant expect better of the software/ ITES types anyway ;) And oh yes, Vikram dropped out yet again.
Next morning. I reached Kempa's place at the appointed hour. Unni turned up 15 minutes later. Robin who watched the FIFA WC match till 4 am turned up by 8. Without wasting anymore time, we were off. Three of us had not had breakfast and that was first on our itinerary. We hit Old Madras Road, from HAL Engine division and proceeded towards Hoskote. No place for eats could be spotted and we decided Hoskote would be the place where we could grab a bite. Although this road is full of flyovers under construction, most stretches were in good condition. Soon, without even realising it (thanks to Robin and Kempa speeding off), we had crossed Hoskote and were at a Y, the left arm of which was Chintamani road.
Our Rides
Chintamani road, is a narrower road (2 lanes wide without any markings) but in very good shape. Soon enough, we hit a flat straight stretch and I couldn't resist the urge to hit 100k and I sped off, much to the astonishment of my friends. I must add, I have been just a pillion on our previous rides and don't fancy bikes all that much. But a high revving bike and a road to match was just too tempting :) Soon enough, I hit the mark and slowed down for the others. Robin joined me first on his Apache 160 . Kempraj was still running in his Pulsar 220F and Unni's Bullet Classic 350 had just being through a "mileage tune-up" which slowed them down.
It was 10am, and we passed by a Karnataka tourism signboard which indicated Kaivara was 29km away. Unperturbed by our empty stomachs, we stopped to pose for some photographs. We felt the bikes should get some attention from the cameras and soon we went clicking away from all angles.
From another angle
Scenic views enroute to Kaivara
Enroute to Kaivara
Our stomachs had had enough by this time and we set off on the lookout for an eating place. A villager had adviced us of "Standard Hotels" near Kaivara and we hoped we would get there soon. Just past " Kaivara -3km to the left" signboard, we found Guru's eating joint (I cant recall the exact name which was in Kannada). They only had Chitranna (lemon/ turmeric flavoured rice) and toor dhal vadas. I was in no mood to eat a rice dish first thing in the day and opted to have a plateful (5 small ones) of vadas. The other three opted for the rice.
After polishing off our plates (Robin, with some difficulty), we hit the Kaivara Road. From here, I could recall my memories of the survey camp. First up was a village called Banahalli (which we had surveyed for a mock sanitation project). In no time we were in Kaivara proper; the Ashram (our place of stay during the camp), the streets, temples exactly as it were 5 years back. We decided to continue towards the Park/Zoo and stop here on our return. The narrow twisting roads had farmlands on either side with carrots, cauliflowers and tomatoes, mulberry and other crops being grown. We missed a right turn and continued straight only having to trace our way back after realising our folly. The turn for the road to the park/Kailashgiri is well marked although the writing is only in Kannada. We had just failed to notice it.
Road to Kaivara
The almost extinct domestic sparrow (in Bangalore), seems to be thriving here
Few more minutes on the nice twisty village road and we were at the park. This was also the location were we had carried out surveys for a mock dam/ road project. Back then, it was one of the few spots from where we could access a cell phone network. Now, there was "full signal" everywhere!
On entering the park, we were told that there were no animals anymore, just few birds. It was disappointing. But we paid the Rs 5 per head entry fee and strolled around the park. We found several families of monkeys and dogs roaming freely in the park. Further inside we spotted a peacock, couple of peahens, some geese, rabbits and pigeons in their enclosures. Not so long ago, this park was home to deers and porcupines among other creatures. During our camp there were even rumours /scares of a runaway leopard!
Peacock
Geese was it?
They look familiar!
Kailashgiri was next and was 8km uphill. The road was like those in the ghats and made the ride enjoyable. We parked our bike at the parking area and set off on foot on a moderately steep climb towards a gigantic monolith rock that that been tunneled to create the premise for a bunch of temples. At the end of the climb was a towering rock, a hillock in its own right, with openings created by tunneling. Unni and Kempraj went in leaving their footwear behind for us to guard! Actually I don't fancy entering temples and any excuse is good enough to stay away. The two of them popped out of another opening within minutes, which convinced me that I didn't miss much.
Atop Kailashgiri
Some more photographs and we climbed down. As we approached the parking area, we were invited to have lunch. It was a free meal; a simple one consisting of rice, some veggies, sambhar (gravy), butter milk and a helping of vermicelli paisam (a sweet dish). But it was delicious. Even the water had a certain crispness. After the meal, the four of us made a small contribution to the trust that was rendering this noble service. Some rest under the trees and we were ready for the return ride. The other guys seemed to be in a hurry and in my quest to keep up with them, I forgot to take pics that I planned to; especially of the locations that I once surveyed.
Rain clouds kissing a hilltop
Even the Ashram at Kaivara was given a miss on our return and in no time we were out of Kaivara. It was only 3:30 and there was still enough time to do something else. Parts of the sky was overcast and we knew the rains could be upon us soon. So we planned to watch a movie. We checked with Vikram about availability of seats for
Robinhood and his willingness to join us. Most theaters were fully booked and and and catching
Robinhood looked less likely that day. We decided to check one of the multiplexes on the way and call Vikram if we managed to get tickets. But the clouds opened up as we approached Hoskote and drenched us, ruining the movie plans. We decided to head to our respective homes and managed that by around 6pm.
If you need the historical/mythological significance of Kaivara, Wikipedia has all the info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaivara
