The whole idea of this trip was to ride along the River Tunga from the place it originates to the place it merges with the River Bhadra. Then on, it would be called the River Tungabhadra.
Day 1 July 6th
I started this ride on July 6th. The previous day, I learned that even Vikram was riding with a few of his friends to a nearby place. I decided to join him until the breakfast point. I met Vikram and Ravi on the way, and we rode together to the breakfast point. The weather was beautiful.
<An absolute beautiful day>
It was a pleasure to ride in that beautiful weather. We had a good breakfast at our usual breakfast spot, which is the Mayura on the Hassan highway. Then we said our goodbyes, and I headed toward my destination. I exited the Hassan highway and took the route toward Belur once I made the turn. I took the detour from the highway. The weather was quite exceptional, and the gentle breeze gave way to a light drizzle—it was a rider's delight. From Belur, I headed toward Mudigere and then to Kottigehara.
< Trails leading to windmills>
<Rainy day , green all around>
At Kottigehara, I visited the beautiful museum dedicated to the famous Kannada writer, Sri KP Poornachandra Tejaswi. It's a lovely place, and I recommend that anyone in the Kottigehara area visit this place and read any of the books written by him in the reading room in the museum. It's quite a beautiful place to sit amidst the beautiful nature and enjoy the pleasure of reading one of his books.
Coming out of the museum, I saw a beautiful, small road leading up to a village. The road looked like an inviting entrance. The heavens themselves seemed to beckon me onward, and I needed no second invitation. I took that beautiful road and reached the beautiful village atop that small hill.
Once I reached the village, it began raining heavily, and I had to return.
And then I took a thoroughfare toward Kalasa. By this time, it was raining very heavily throughout, and I knew that my initial plan of reaching as close to Kudremukha as possible might not be possible, and I might have to stay in Kalasa for the day. The road from Kottigehara to Kalasa is as beautiful as it can get. The thick forest gives way to beautiful tea gardens, and the views are magnificent. I reached Kalasa by around 3 p.m. and decided to stay in Kalasa for the day.
I booked a room in Kalasa, freshened up, and then visited the famous, more than 1,000-year-old Kalaseshwara Temple in Kalasa. By this time, I was completely drenched, even though I had my rain gear. It was a good decision not to continue riding. In the evening, I visited the famous Horanadu Annapoorneshwari Temple and had the Anna prasadam. Then, I called it a day.
Day 2 July 7th
I got up early in the morning so that I could cover more distance, which I couldn't do the previous day. It had rained the whole day. When I got up in the morning, it was still raining. I decided to wait a bit but realized that the rain wouldn't reduce. So, I decided to continue the ride. I first visited the beautiful Hallimane waterfalls and from there headed towards Kudremukka.
So, I rode from Kalasa to Kudremuka. The road was a bit rough, but the scenery was amazing. I had breakfast at Kalasa and then headed towards Kudremuka via Samse. It had been raining, and the fog was so thick, it was like I was in a dream. Then it started raining again, but the landscape was so beautiful that I kept riding. I stopped a few times to take pictures.
< Somewhere near Samse>
< Inside Kudremukh National Park>
Oh, and one thing to note, Kudremuka National Park has a time limit. You have to cover the whole park within one and a half hours from the entrance to the exit.
I arrived at Gangamoola, which is situated within the Kudremukh National Park. This is the origin of the Thunga River. The river flows for approximately 147 kilometers through some of the most stunning landscapes. I would like to refer to the Thunga River as the river of knowledge because, during its 147-kilometer journey, it passes by significant temples dedicated to the Goddess of knowledge, Sharadamba. Firstly, it reaches Sringeri Sharadamba, and from there, it flows towards Hariharapura, where it meets Hariharapura Sharadamba. Subsequently, it moves towards Kudli, where it meets Kudli Sharadamba. I also followed the same path. First, I visited the Sringeri Sharada temple
Then proceeded to the Hariharapura temple in Hariharapura. I had anna prasadam at the Hariharapura Temple which is also significant because it is the only temple which has two Narasimha Grabhagriha , one dedicated to Lakshmi Narasimha and other to Kamabada Narasimha, the temple premise also has a beautiful statue dedicated to Lord Hanuman.
I left the Hariharapura temple at 3 PM and realized I wouldn't be able to ride along the Tunga River all the way to Kudli. So, I took the quickest route back to Kudli according to Google Maps. I arrived just before sunset, so I could see the beautiful view of the Tunga River meeting the Bhadra River. Kudli has a beautiful temple dedicated to Sri Sharadamba. The old temple is being renovated, so there's construction work going on all around.
I went to the confluence of the Tunga and Bhadra Rivers, and it was amazing to see the muddy waters of the Tunga meet the clear water of the Bhadra.
By this time the time was around 5.30pm and I decided to ride till 8.30pm and see where I would reach. And then decide what to do next. I reached Hiriyur around 9pm and decided to call it a day.
Day 3 July 8th
Nothing eventful. Started the ride at 5:30 a.m. and reached the office by 8:15 a.m. A beautiful ride comes to an end.
Until next time, keep that smile big!
