Ettina Bhuja Trek

Ettina Bhuja which literally mean Ox's shoulder due to its peak that resembles the hump of an Ox. This peak is also knows as Shishila Gudda and is around 11 kms from Gowdahalli Village (The base point of our trek). 

Closer view of the Peak

We took 10:30:00 PM bus from Majestic (Bangalore Central Bus Station)  to Mudiger and by 04:00:00 o'clock in the morning we were at Mudigere. It was still dark and the bus stop was completely empty. There was only one restaurant at the bus stop which opens only at 6:00 am.

After inquiring we get to know that, there are only two buses which goes towards our trekking base which is at 07:00:00 am and 10:30:00 am and we need to get down at Gowdahalli village and start the trek from there. We decided to take the first bus which is at 07:00:00. We quickly finished our breakfast and boarded the bus which started at 7:15 am from Mudigere and by 07:45:00 am we were at Gowdahalli Village (which was our start point for the trek).

Trek Route

Gowadahalli Village

First major landmark - Gowdahalli Village

• The  first major landmark.

• The track from Gowdahalli Village is very easy, no up or down hills, one just had to follow the main tar road 

Gowdahalli Village to Sathiganahalli:

• Sathiganahallu is the second major landmark.

• In few hours we arrived at Sathiganahalli from the first major landmark. . 

Sathiganahalli  to Byrapura village:

• Byrapura village is the third major landmark. 

• Form Sathiganahalli one has to take the right and follow the single road which goes till the Byrapura village.

Byrapura Temple:

• The forth major landmark is the Byrapura Temple which is also knows as Nanya Bhairaweshwara Temple and is around 1.5 kms from the Byrapura village. 

• This is the place where we had our lunch and prepared ourselves to climb till the peak. 

From Byrapura Temple to Ettina Bhuja:

• The Etinna Bhuja peak is around 1.5 kms from the Temple.

• People usually come to the temple in vehicle and then from here walk up to the hill.

• The route from temple till peak consists of man made track inside the jungle, plain paddy fields and hill trails.

• The 360 degree view was breathtaking from the hill trail. .

From  Ettina Bhuja to Byrapura Temple:

• One just needs to follow the same route for way back. 

• The same route is a lot easier while coming back from the peak to temple,  due to down hill.

Second major landmark

Third major landmark - A house in Byrapura Village

Forth Major landmark - Sri Nanya Bhairaweshwara temple

Starting point at Byrapura Temple

View of Ettina Bhuja from 1 kms distance

Back side view while waking in trail

Left side view while walking in trail

Just before climbing the peak

Conquered Etinna Bhuja

Back side view while returning from the peak

Man made track - way back from the Peak to Temple

Trip Itinerary and Tips

Bangalore ➜ Mudigere 

View of the Etiina Bhuja peak from Temple parking area

• Had taken 10:30:00 PM from Majestic Bangalore and reached Mudigere at 04:00:00 AM in the morning. 
• Mudigere is just 260 kms aways from Bangalore and there are plenty of KSRTC buses available to go to this place. So you can take a bus which is later than 10:30 PM, as there is no point reaching there before sun rise. 

Breakfast @ Mudigere 

• Only food point in the entire route. 
• Parcel lunch for the afternoon, and load plenty of water for yourself.

Mudigere ➜  Gowdahalli village

• Had taken 07:00:00 O'clock bus from Mudigere and reach trek  base at 07:45:00 am.

Gowdahalli Village ➜ Etinabhuja

The group at Ettina Bhuja Peak

• Started at 08:00:00 AM and reached at 01:00:00 PM  

Ettina Bhuja ➜ Byrapura (Bhairapura) Village

• Started from peak at 2:00 PM and reached village at 3:30PM ( 3kms)

Byrapura Village ➜ Mudiger 

•  Had taken 04:00:00 PM bus and reached Mudigere by 04:30:00 PM

Mudiger ➜ Bangalore 

• Had taken 05:00:00 PM bus and reached Majestic (Bangalore) at 11:00:00 PM 

If you don't wish to do the longer trek like we did,  you can directly go to Sri Nanya Bhairaweshwara Temple from Mudigere and from there you can go to Etinabhuja Peak which is hardly 1.5 kms away.  This is a very easy trek and can be done over the weekend.

The Overall rating for the trip ★★★★✩ 

Silent Valley National Park

This is the continuation of my previous post. It covers Silent Valley National Park which is in Nilgiri Hills. The SVNP visit includes jungle safari, 100ft. tall watch tower and a very easy trek.

Narrow Road - clicked from moving Jeep

Visiting hours is from 08:00 am in the morning till 01:00 pm everyday. After 01:00 pm no entry tickets are issued. Its about 23 kms jungle safari which takes the narrow forest roads. Since the roads are so narrow no private vehicles are allowed inside the park.

One needs to hire forest department jeep. Only 5 people are allowed in one jeep even if it has space for more than 5 people. They also provide driver cum guide with each jeep and 5 hours time span is allotted for each jungle safari. 

Long Legged Buzzard

There is no option for food at the SVNP, one has to pack and get before starting to the park. 

This is a rain forest so don't expect to see much wildlife sighting. If you are lucky you could be able to spot few of them. We spotted three - four types of birds on the way. 

Flowers on the Way

Common Wood Pigeon

According to our guide only the tribels of this area has got permissions by forest department to do coffee & other crop plantations. Forest department has also done a fabulous work by creating jobs for triblel women. Well, we did meet few of them who were dressed in lady constable attires at the entry zone and were doing the security checks for all the visitors.

100 ft. Tall Watch Tower

At the end of the park there is a 100 ft. tall watch tower. From the tower one can see the awesome 360 view of the valley. Car parking, resting place and washrooms are also available next to the watch tower. 

One can do a trek of 2.5km from tower to the hanging bridge across the Kuntipuzha river. Its an easy trek and passes thorough the forest. Second end of the bridge is kept closed and no one is allowed to cross it. During the trek one can see beautiful butterflies too which are hard to find in cities.

On the way back from Hanging Bridge

A visit to SVNP gets concluded with Jungle Safari, Watch Tower and 5kms Trek.

Trip to Palakkad - Kerala

This is about a short (two days and one night) trip to Palakkad a city in the state of Kerala. 

Travel Options Taken

• The best option for Bangalore to Palakkad and back, would be to go by Train, as the Bus takes minimum 10 hours from Bangalore and 10 hours in train is more comfortable than 10 hours of bus journey (my personal preference)

  

  @ 4:30 AM in the morning

• Took Kanyakumari Express (16526) which runs at 8:00 PM and reaches Palakkad Junction at 4:30 AM next day.

• For roaming around in Palakkad, had hired the cab for 2 days.

• Didn't have the confirmed train ticket for return journey, so preferred to go to Salem by train which took about 5 hours and from Salem took a Tamil Nadu local bus to Bangalore which took about 4 hours from there. Once one in Salem, one need not worry about getting the buses to Bangalore as there are frequent TN local buses from Salem to Bangalore.

Places Covered

• Silent Valley National Park (★★★✩✩)

@ SVNP entrance gate

Its about 55 kms from Palakkad railway station and about 42 kms from the Alanallur village where we stayed. Public and private transports are not allowed in SVNP one has to hire forest department jeep. The jeep takes minimum 45 minutes or more depending on the breaks you take in between to see the birds and animals around. For more please read my next blog ;) 

• Malampuzha Dam (★★★✩✩)

Its about 8 kms from Palakkad railway station and around 60 km from the home stay we stayed in Mannarkad. You need a full day to visit this place. I would say this is a good place for one day outing with family. 

View from the bridge

Entry fee to garden is 25 rps per person and 100 rps for camera. Its 15 mins walk from garden entrance to the dam bridge. The view from bridge is awesome. If you have time you can go for a long walk on the bridge from one end to another and back.

Garden has spread over a wide area and has attractions like entrance garden, chess board park, maze park, garden with mountain background, sunken garden to name a few. 

Rope way, snake park and rock park are outside the garden, you need to buy tickets at the respective entrance gates to visit them. Due to lack of time I could do only the rope way. From rope way you can see the 360 view of the garden, river and roads which takes you to the Kava view point.

• Kava View Point (★✩✩✩✩)

This place is around 6 kms from Malapuzha Dam, drive to this place is nice but there is nothing much to see and do. It just has the closer view to the Dam reservoir. 

Staying Option

Like any other cities, Palakkad also has plenty of hotels to opt for, but we opted for home-stay and booked Spice home-stay for one night and below is my review on the same:

• Home-stay is located in a small village called Alanallur near Mannarkad.
• It is surrounded with lots of trees, you will feel you are staying in middle of a jungle.
• Has ample of parking space for 3-4 cars to fit in. 

  

  Spices Home Stay

• Also has a small lawn outside to sit. 
• The entrance has a dining cum living room with TV and kitchen attached. 
• Every room has attached bathroom with two cots, mattresses, pillows and towels. I think you can request for general toiletries, as I always carry my stuffs so I didn't ask for it. 
• Home stay had a dedicated cook but during our stay he was on vacation so caretaker took the charge of cooking too. Very talkative fellow but knew to cook Kerala food well.
• Most of the home stays have the fixed rates which included food charges too but this one was a bit different it had room charge plus the food charges separately. 

  

  Idli with Coconut Chatani and Avial 

  
  
• The only thing which pinched me was the home-stay had food changes bit on expensive side. One time meal costed same as the luxurious buffet charges in few of the good restaurant in Bangalore and compare to those restaurants this didn't have as many variety of foods in it's menu. 
• The owner was in town so he showed us his rubber estate in the evening. It was a good walk through rubber trees. Passed through plantation like jack-fruit, pineapple, cashew-nuts etc. 
• My Ratings: ★★★✩✩

Few Tips:

• Go to SVNP during season, there will be rush but you will be able to experience much better flora and fauna of the place.
• Before starting 5km trek in Silent Valley National park, prepared yourself such a way that you don't come in contact with leeches. Don't forget to keep salt with you, and do wear shoes don't go on sleeper thinking its just 5km trek.
• Food and water is  not available in SVNP, so pack some food while going there. 
• Malampuzha Dam & Garden is a good place for a full day picnic with kids. If time permits book the taxi which takes you from one end of the bridge to another end and back.
• Finding good hygienic food near Malampuzha Garden is a big issue, so better get your own food if you are too fussy about food like me :P 

  

  Kerala Cuisine - nom nom

• While booking Home-stay ask for each and every minute charge details, so that you don't get surprise at the end. Keep details in writings, specially while booking home stays which says charges are minimal, you can cook your own food or customize the menu and what not. They do charge extra. 

The Overall rating for the trip ★★★✩✩ 

Cellular Jail - Port Blair

Cellular Jail, also known as Kala Pani is the colonial prison from British era where many prisoners including political prisoners were kept during the struggle of India's Independence. This building has 3 wings which meets at the center, and each wing has three stories. It was said to have 7 wings before which have been demolished now for the sake of the development in the city. Now this place is the national memorial monument and available for visitor to visit with a nominal entrance fee from morning 09:00 am till 04:45 pm in the evening.

To the left side of the entrance gate there is a museum which shows -

• The struggle of India's Independence through pictures. 
• Also has several picture of known and unknown prisoners with their stories and the crime for which they had been put inside the jail. 
• Stories of political prisoners.
• The collection is so huge that many of us may not have heard of their names who are alive only in history now. 

The museum is extended to the right side of the entrance gate and has -

• The miniature version of original Cellular Jail.

  

  Miniature version of Cellular Jail

• The birth & construction story of Cellular Jail. 
• The stories of several dreaded jailers. 
• The story of prisoners life.
• Coins released on Cellular Jail.
• Coins released during birth century of Netaji.
• Uniform of convict officials.
• Neck ring & uniform of political prisoners.
• Lock & Keys used in jail.
• Helmet used by Japanese soldiers during 1942- 1945.
• And several other things which had been used by the jailers and prisoners. 

Cellular Jail premises has several things to see, below are the few of them which I could remember - 

• 

  Corridor

  Cells - Each wing had three floor, and each wing had around 70+ cells. Each cell had a small window at the top of the wall from where only a small ray of light could come in. The prisoners were kept inside the cell without providing any light, they had to rely on the ray of light which used to come from the window. Few cells had no windows or doors at all, hence there was no way a light could pass inside the cells. Prisoners had been kept in those cells for several days and being tortured until they broke-down themselves.

• Condemned Cell - The cell where prisoners sentenced to death spent last days of their life. The Gallows can seen from Condemned Cells.

• Gallows - At a time they used to execute 3 people together.

• Models depicting the rituals one had to follow before the execution.

• Models depicting prisoners life - There were models which showed the typical prisoner's life in

  

  Gallows

   prison.

• Oil Mill - Known as Kohlu (The oil girding). The most difficult and hardest work, which caused the death of some. Each prisoner was given around 15-20 coconuts to get the oil. Starting from peeling the shell to taking out the oil from coconut was an step to step process which was done manually by each prisoners. The hardest step was grinding oil as it required the physical strength and the kind of food the prisoners used to get it was nearly impossible to perform this tasks. If someone was not able to finish the assigned tasks they used to get the punishment and also the extra work.    

• Flogging Frame - Used for giving the punishments to the prisoners, where they were tied to a frame with their hands, waist and legs tied and a whip is used for beating them.

• Cross Bar Fetters - This consisted of the iron rings around the neck & ankles and a bar which kept the two legs apart. Prisoners had a horrified life inside the cells of Cellular Jail.  

Once done with museum, the path takes you to a huge grounds where chairs are arranged in several rows and columns for people to sit and see the Sound & Light Show which airs almost everyday at 06:00 pm and 07:15 pm. We attended the 06:00 pm show which was in Hindi and was very informative. We were able to connect to the jail premises which we had covered in the afternoon. 

The show used the big bo tree near the sit outs and the center of the 7 wings of the Cellular Jail to narrate the story. During the show it covered the history of Andaman and Cellular jail. Told about the few important events which took place in Cellular Jail, which were also among the few unforgettable turning points in Indian history.

Sit outs for Sound & Light show

Taking pictures and videos during the show was prohibited, so I don't have anything which revels the glimpse of the show, but I would must say that overall it was a very good experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would highly recommend people to attend this show if they happen to be in Port Blair.

Bangalore Palace

I happen to visit this palace last month during Holi (A festival of colors) weekend. There is nothing much to do here other than exploring the palace and taking a walk in the palace garden, still when you need a small break from the daily routine you can visit this palace. Its good for post lunch visit.

Bangalore Palace

In old era, this palace was being bought by one of the Maharaj from Wodeyar Dynasty of Mysore and now it belongs to the royal family of Mysore. These days it is being made available for visitors to see. 

The palace is being divided into around 20 to 22 parts for visitors sake and an audio guide is provided to each visitor. The audio guide explain each of these parts and what is being displayed there. The audio guide is quite good to listen to and talks about the old era and how the royal family spent their time here. Following are the few of the things I remember form my visit (not in particular order)

• The audio starts with the Wodeyar Dynasty 's emblem Gandaberuna (a two headed mythological bird in Hindu Mythology) which is now the emblem of Karnataka State Government.
• Then takes you to ballroom & explains how royal parties are being arranged and done there during old times.
• Tells about the architectures being used in the palace.
• It does have the durbar but access to it is prohibited. You can just view if from far end window.
• Shows how men & women of royal family lived in old ear.
• How women has been differentiated from men & how it changed as the time passed. It also gives details about how parda prath was being discontinued from royal family.
• The hunting stories thorough pictures.

  

  Elephant Feet

• The paintings from old times. Stories around them and when they have been painted.
• One place had the painting which depicted how "Dasara Festival" was being celebrated in Mysore during old times and how this old age tradition has been evolved from then to now. The royal family is Mysore still follows this tradition during "Dasara Festival" with its own evolved way.
• One of the part explain about the Silk, how it has been used in royal family's clothing and how Mysore silk came into picture. This part was getting renovate during my visit to the palace. They had royal family clothes being put up in closed glass cupboards for visitors to see (I found this quite funny).
• Display of different kinds of furniture which was being used in that era by the royal family.
• Different kinds if weighing machines and how they have been used.
• Generation of Royal family through pictures. 
• The palace is maintained well and there are few more old stuffs available to see which I don't remember now :) 

Below are few notes to take from my experience: 

• The entry fee is 230 per person for Indians. They provide the audio guide with the entry ticket, which is quite informative, but I feel the cost is in bit expensive side.
• There is no option to not to take the audio guide, if you want to enter and see the place from inside.
• Sometimes it may happen that the audio device's battery may get drained out (I had experienced this), that time better get a new pair of it from reception. You can request for a new audio device in between the tour or they let you take the tour again if you inform them at the end of the tour.
• You should have at least 2 hours or more, if you want to explore the palace.
• Visit to this palace is good for history lovers.