Day 1 - Pune - Belgaum - Harihar- Shimoga - Kemanagunddi - Mulyangiri - Belur - Hailbidu - Hassan - Narsipur

Dusherra weekend..long weekend,which idiot in the biking world is going to miss this opportunity....to break free and ride to some beautiful places.


At least I am not one of them ...I started on Thursday evening around 6 PM.I have to continue on NH4 till harihar which is around 560 Kms from Pune.

40 kms before Satara..when Khambatki ghat ends I stopped for Dinner at my favouraite place to have the regular food.Yes,Sev Bhaaji and Chapati.This guy makes some very tasty and yummy Sev bhaaji.

Started rolling towards Satara after the heavy Dinner break.
Somewhere before Dharwad

Did some non stop stretches and I made it to Harihar at 5:30 o clock in the morning. Had some morning tea and sutta,in between some guys started questioning from where are you coming, where are you going, are you in army..whose bike is this, what is the mileage blah ! blah !
took a power nap at a nearby dhaba at highway.

At 6:15 I woke up and started for Shimoga.Shimoga is just 90 kms from Harihar.Last time when I travelled in this route, roads were awesome. But what the heck,initial 30-40 Kms of road was full of potholes.

Witnessed some very beautiful landscapes and Sunrise in the morning.

Reached Shimoga around 8 o clock. Halted for breakfast, nothing else was available other than Idli,Wada,Dosa,Uthappa..Not even tea

Next thing was to reach Kemmanagundi..Mulyangiri and then Chikmanglur.To reach Kemmanagundi,there is an exit on Shimoga - Chikmanglur highway before Tarikere.Took that exit,Kemmangudi was still 34 kms from there.

Complete rural area,no signs of cigarette shops and tea stalls.
Inbetween stopped for short break

Out of nowhere I saw one hi-fi coffee shop, at first I thought, because of too much and continuous ride, I am hallucinating .

But then I stopped and went inside for some strong coffee,Cafe owner was very happy to see me. As he himself is a biker
He made some extra strong coffee for me and started telling that he arranges trek's and overnight camping around that area. If anybody is interested here is contact number and name of the person.

CAFE COFFEE COUNTRY - 9945504088,cafecoffeecounty@gmail.com..Web - coffecounty.in

No, I didn't get anything for the free advertising. Not even the free coffee. :P

He gave me some useful info about Kemmanagunddi and Mulyangiri.But not in that detail

Kemmanguddi,one of a very beautiful Hill Station in Tarikere Tehsil.Kemmanagundi is a combination of three Kannada words..Kempu - Mannu - Gundi..That means Red - Soil - Pit

I didnt saw any redsoil pit though..it was all green covered with variety of flowers
I went till the top of Kemmanagundi,there was an nominal 10 rs fee for two wheeler entry. Also there was a Govt rest house in between.Finally I made it to the top,there I found huge and nicely maintained gardens and some view points which offers a spectacular view of the surrounding hills.

Sat at the top for few mins to admire and cherish the beauty of those mountains,fully covered with green beds.

It was time to move ahead...Mulyangiri was just 40 kms ahead of Kemmanagundi.But these 40 kms took more than 2 hours :O.Pretty bad road which drained-ate all my energy.

The road was such bad that,didnt even found a single vehicle in that 40 Kms strech.Road conditions became bit better few kms before Mulyangiri.

But whole route is very scenic,these hills are like heaven on the earth..everything is generously god gifted.Luxuriant green grass, moss infested trees, sparkling waterfalls, rugged hills and pure air

Mullayanagiri is one of the highest peak in South India standing at 1919 m.
Some hairpin bends and I made it to the Mulyangiri top,but weather played spoil sport.

Me @ Mulyangiri top

It was all cloudy and foggy Disappointed me started for Chickmanglur which was 16-20 kms from there.

while descending down from Mulyangiri..Chickmanglur is visible ..Look closely

Stopped in Chickmanglur for lunch.
Belur was another 26 Kms from Chickmaglur,rapped up my Lunch quickly and started for Belur,the place which is famous for the exquisite Hoyasala temples.Road condition was very good with very less traffic.So i reached Belur in No time.Headed straight to the Belur Temple.

Belur Temple - Belur was the Early capital of Hyosala Empire.That is why its is gifted with the belur temple having amazing architecture and beautiful sculptures. This temple is one of the marvel of Hyosala Empire.

The main attraction in Belur is the Chennakesava temple complex which contains the Chennakesava Temple ( dedicated to Chennakeshava , meaning handsome Vishnu) as the centre piece, surrounded by the Kappe Chennigraya temple.

These temple were built by king Vishnuvardhana in commemoration of his victory over the Cholas at Talakad in 1117 CE. Legend has it that it took 103 years to complete and Vishnuvardhana's grandson Veera Ballala II completed the task.

Next stop was Hailbid,another 17 kms ride.While i was leaving belur,Locals told me that the Temple in Belur is made by father and the temple in Hailbid is made by son.Beauty of the Belur Temple can be seen-enjoyed from inside.However Haibid temples beauty is all outside.

Halebid - Halebid means ruined city,reason behind giving this name was,the city was raided-ruined twice by Bahmani Sultanate.

Some info from wiki
The temple complex comprises two Hindu temples, the Hoysaleshawara and Kedareshwara temples and two Jain basadi. In front of these temples there is a big lake.The two Nandi statues which are on the side of the Hoysaleshwara temple are monolithic. Soap stone or Chloritic Schist was used for the construction of these temples. However a number of sculptures in the temple are destructed by invaders. So the temple is incomplete. Halebid means old abode.

Profile of Hoysaleshwara Temple, HalebiduThe Hoysaleswara temple, dating back to the 1121 C.E., is astounding for its wealth of sculptural details. The walls of the temple are covered with an endless variety of depictions from Hindu mythology, animals, birds and Shilabalikas or dancing figures. Yet no two sculptures of the temple are the same. This magnificent temple guarded by a Nandi Bull was never completed, despite 86 years of labour. The Jain basadi nearby are equally rich in sculptural detail.

Some Carvings Similar to the Khajuraho ones

And the lake near by...Halebid temple

After visiting Halebid temple i started for Hassan, it started getting and i started feeling tired as i have been continuously riding from last day. I planned to stay at Hassan, which was another 50 kms from there. I reached Hassan around 6:30-7.Enquired about the route going towards Mysore and thought..Would stay at some hotel in that route. But got unlucky, no hotels for 30 Kms .I was so tired that i didn't wanted to ride even an single inch. But then i didn't wanted to go back inside the city again. So i moved ahead. After 30-40 Kms reached Narsipur and there was only lodge..For 100 rs/night. It was not that bad actually, so checked-in for the night.

Had one beer and slept tight.

Cheers
Biru