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
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.
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.
