Bhairava Durga Night Trek - Weekend get away

Who doesn't want to relish the Bangalore's night life. Err...!! Not that pub life or party mood on weekends but to get lost below the dark skies somewhere outside the Bangalore. The ecstasy of night trek cannot be described in words, rather experience it once in a life time. We have done many night treks around Bangalore and each one of them worth a visit and adventurous as well. This time we chose to conquer Bhairava Durga hill, Kudur taluk near Nelamangala. This hill is considered one among the nava Durgas (nine forts) aground Bangalore. Not many of them choose this hill, because of its precarious trail. Hiking during night is dangerous too, as the steep rocky terrain can cause serious injuries.

We the bunch of enthusiastic trek freaks decided to venture Bhairava Durga during weekend. Packed all necessary stuffs like food, water, torch, tents etc.. and headed towards Nelamangala. Kudur is 20km from Nelamangala first toll, which is the base of the hill. Once you reach Kudur, take left and look for govt boys hostel. There is an arch beside hostel. We entered the arch and parked our vehicle at the nearby home. We did face a strong oppose from the villagers initially, not to venture into the forest in the dark. Since we were pretty sure about our goal, did not listen to them and started walking towards the hill. They also warned about forest dogs and animals. But we did not give much importance to those words and kept walking towards the base. For safety purposes we took one of the villager number and told him that we would contact in case of any emergency. There was no clear path and we lost our way somewhere in between. Keeping our hopes alive we started searching for open space on the boulders to figure out the correct path to the peak. After the initial struggle we reached one point where it was difficult to ascend the boulders. The ascent was very steep and a small mistake would have led us to misery. We lingered around the place for quite few minutes and the villagers noticed our lights and thought that we were in trouble. They started calling us back and asked to proceed next morning. But we were reluctant about villagers words and did not want to loose our hopes of making it to the top.

It was almost an hr since we started our endeavor to the peak, but there were no chance of getting the right path to the top. Luckily couple of villagers approached us and asked us to take the other route in order to reach the peak. We were in a big relief after getting the direction. All pumped up again and regained the energy to conquer the hill. We repeatedly asked them to accompany us till we get the proper path, but our effort went in vain. Soon they left us and we proceeded towards the directions that they showed. Believe me or not, again we lost in the woods. It was such a perilous trail that anybody would easily get lost within short distance. We wandered the same place twice or thrice and still not clear about the path to take. Everybody lost their energy and confused about the path. Our hopes to reach the peak started dwindling. We all gathered at once place and kept all the luggages. Couple of us decided to go ahead and search the path. At the same time we got a call from one of the fellow villager and he agreed to take us to the top. We came back to the starting point of the trail to meet the villager. He took us in the same way which we had took first time. But this time we took slight turn to surpass the big boulder. At many places it was a risky affair to ascend the boulder. Somehow we managed to negotiate and reach the Bhairava Durga hill top.

At last...!!! It was 1 am when we conquered the hill and stood on the tip of the hill. It was a moment to cherish and applaud our adventurous effort to make it to the peak. Quickly we did setup our tents and prepared food for the night. It was 4 am in the morning when we slept in the tents. We did not feel much cold since we pitched the tents in between couple of big boulders. We woke up by 6:30 am in the morning to catch the glimpse of sunrise from the top. It was an adorable morning with fresh breeze. We were mesmerized by the beauty of sunrise and a Karnataka flag which was flying high on top. 

Morning Captures :

Camp site :

Bhairava Durga peak as seen from base : 

Captured the beauty of nature and it was time to bid adieu and move down. Within 45 min we reached the village. Had plenty of water from the nearby home where we had parked our vehicles. We paid 200 rs to the guide and he accepted that wholeheartedly. Had a tea near Kudur and bid adieu to our guide. It was just an hr journey back to home from Nelamangala. Overall it was not a just night trek, but a life lesson too. No matter what, don't loose hope and keep yourself determined towards the goal. 

Post monsoon trek to Ettinabhuja Peak

One does not simply leave the insomnia condition unattended. In my case, cause for insomnia was adventure.  It was not difficult for me to find the same category  insomniacs around me. We visit the nature often, do some crazy adventure, have little chit chat with nature, come home with loads of cherishable memories. This time we decided to summit the Ettinabhuja peak,Byrapura near Mudigere. The word Ettinabhuja in Kannada means shoulder of an Ox. The peak resembles the shape of Ox shoulder, hence the name. Ettinabhuja peak is only 3 km from Byrapura bhairaveshwara temple. But Being a trailblazer we wanted some thing more adventurous. So we chose the other route to approach the summit. This route starts from Dharmasthala side(Shishila) and ends at Mudigere side(Byrapura), a total stretch of 12 km. From Shishila to Ettinabhuja it's  9 km steep ascent and from Ettinabhuja to Bhairaveshwara temple it's gradual descent of 3 km.

As I have visited Shishila couple of times before, it was not difficult for me to get the contact details of the guide. Our previous guide to Amedhikallu , Shekhar agreed to take us to Ettinabhuja and drop till bhairaveshwara temple. We hired a mini bus from our usual vendor Bluebird travels to accommodate 16 trailblazers. It was 11 pm when we started from Vijayanagar pickup point. By 12 am we crossed Nelamangala toll and it's 6 hr journey to Shishila from there. As soon as we entered Sakaleshpura, we couldn't control our feelings towards nature. I have been to Sakaleshpura many times, it never failed to give unique experience. We jumped out of the bus to catch the glimpse of early morning proceedings of the nature when the bus stopped near manjrabad fort junction tea stall. As expected, we reached Shishila within 6 hrs. It was 6 am when I gave a call to guide Shekhar. He said, he would arrive to Shishila temple within half an hr. So we went to Shishila temple and waited for his arrival. Meanwhile many started capturing the beauty of Kapila river beside the Shishileshwara temple, Some started feeding the fluffy God fishes. 

Hanging Bridge across Kapila River

 Shishileshwara Temple , Shishila

Our guide arrived at 6:30 am near the temple. We picked all our breakfast and lunch packets from the nearby hotel. We reached Holegundi, starting point of the trek which is 8 km from Shishila. And it's time to start our campaign towards Ettinabhuja peak.

We unloaded all our luggage from the bus and bid adieu to the driver saying that we would meet him on next day at Mudigere side, Byrapura. Ettinabhuja peak is clearly visible from the starting point of the trek. With great energy and the zeal to reach the peak , we started our journey by 8 am. One has to cross the Ettinahole stream to enjoy the majesty of Matti kolu water falls. During monsoon season, it's very dangerous to cross the stream as it flows above danger level. Back in August I had visited this place and crossed the stream as well. But due to sudden raise in water level, returned back to guides place without visiting the water falls. The situation was completely different this time. There was not much water in the stream. Ettinahole stream was flowing calmly and did not disappoint the trailblazers. We plunged into the stream and the joy of crossing the cold stream was ravishing. Soon we reached Matti kolu waterfalls. You need to take sharp descent path from the main ettinabhuja trail to reach the water falls. The sound of water gushing from the boulders was very prominent. As this falls is very interior from human habitation, its charm and pristine beauty is unaffected. Unlike other waterfalls, this one was free from weekend crowd. All of us took a dip in the natural pool created by the falls. After rejoicing below the water fall for almost an hr, we had our packed breakfast in front of waterfalls enjoying the serenity. It was 10 am and time to advance towards Ettinabhuja peak.

Crossing Ettinahole stream

Matti kolu Falls

From Matti kolu falls Ettinabhuja peak is another 8 km and an average trekker would take 4-5 hr to reach the destination with nominal breaks in between. So we would reach the campsite by 3 pm. From here the trail passes through the lush green shola. Peak is not visible from the thick forest. We got the glimpse of the peak when the trail opened up to green meadows. The beauty of  mighty Ettinabhuja peak from the green meadows was treat to watch. We also spotted Amedhikallu peak exactly parallel to Ettinabhuja. As we started gaining altitude, we were enthralled by the beauty of Western Ghats. All we could see is green mountains around us. Entire stretch of green valley from Shiradi to Charmadi was clearly visible. 

Green Meadow

We struggled a lot inside the thick green vegetation as there were no water sources till you reach the campsite. It was really a challenge to keep our self hydrated, especially when exposed to blazing heat on the meadows. Finally it was 3:30 pm when we reached our campsite with frequent breaks. As soon as we reach the campsite, headed towards the water source to quench our thirst. The campsite was just below the Ettinabhuja peak's last stretch. From our campsite, peak was clearly visible. Hardly it would take 15-20 mins to reach the peak from the campsite. As we had got plenty of time before the dusk, we pitched our tents first after relaxing sometime amidst the green meadows.

Camp site

We started our final ascent towards Ettinabhuja peak by 4:30 pm and within half an hour we were on the top of Ettinabhuja peak. Clearly one can spot the campsite and small tiny tents from the top. Entire Shiradi and Charmadi ranges could be identified on a clear day. We were fortunate enough to witness such an enchanting vista of Western ghat. We were spellbound by seeing the beauty of small green hills around us. Captured the delightful moments of dusk from the Ettinabhuja peak and it was time to get back to our tents before the dark.  Reached our campsite by 7 pm and spent quality time chit chatting, making fun , playing songs. We had avalakki(poha) for the night and some snacks with it. By 10 pm every one settled inside the tents and thus concluded our fun filled first day quest.

JenuKallu and DeepadaKallu peaks in the background

On top of Ettinabhuja peak
Breathtaking view of Western Ghats

Sunset Time

Amedhikallu peak in the back drop

Captured while returning

Next day morning we woke up by 6 am to capture the beautiful sunrise from the peak. It was really an amazing view of sunrise. We were very lucky to witness the sea of clouds below us. We came back to campsite and packed all our tents and luggage. We also collected all the garbage from the campsite and decided to dispose in the proper place. 

Early morning captures

The journey towards Byrapura bhairaveshwara temple was very scenic . It was completely filled with green grassland and we could spot the cattle grazing at a distance and green patch of paddy fields, giving us the hint of human habitation. Soon we entered the paddy fields and there was a small stream flowing beside it. We took a dip in the stream and all our pain vanished within minutes. Bhairaveshwara temple was just 1 km from that place. One can also camp here,  enjoying the beauty of paddy fields surrounded by green mountains, stream beside the camp. But we were very disappointed to see the plastic wastes near the stream. We picked all the plastics and plates which were lying down and kept with us to put in the dustbin near to Bhairaveshwara temple. We called up our driver from the road which connects Mudigere and Bhairaveshwara temple. Driver lost the way somewhere and went to Bettada bhairaveshwara temple instead of Byrapura Bhairaveshwara temple. There are 2 Bhairaveshwara temple near Mudigere. So be careful while giving the directions. Bettada Bhairaveshwara temple is near jenukal gudda and deepadakallu gudda. Byrapura Bhairaveshwara temple is near Ettinabhuja gudda. After waiting for half an hr below the shades of the tree, bus arrived at 10 am. We went to Bhairaveshwara temple and took darshan of Lord Bhairaveshwara. Temple was very simple and looked like very old monolithic temple. 

Returning from Ettinabhuja peak

Stream near the temple

Bhairaveshwara Temple, Byrapura

Ettinabhuja peak in background

We reached mudigere around 11:30 am and stopped bus at hotel Athithi. As we did not eat anything since morning, we decided to have brunch. We had got plenty of time before reaching Bangalore. So we decided to give a visit to Manjrabad fort near Sakaleshpura. It was just a leisure walk inside the star shaped fort. Nothing much to explore in the vicinity. We started back to Bangalore by 4 pm and reached home around 8:30-9 pm. Finally, it was time to bid adieu for all with loads of adorable memories.