A village getaway- Banavasi

So another long weekend was looming round the corner and a couple of places that we considered did not have bookings. Banavasi was one place that I always wanted to visit, their website http://www.banavasitourism.com/ really looked inviting. So a couple of calls and our bookings confirmed, no advance involved,  no cancellation fee but only a simple verbal confirmation. Goes to show the simplicity of the people there.



We set out on 11 Aug at around 0730 a good 1.5hrs delay from the planned departure time. And every time we end up saying its all because of Saksham(my 3 yr old son) and poor thing is  all excited to go, that he hardly takes anytime to get ready. Anyways, it was a working day and getting out of Bangalore took us almost 2hrs, a quick breakfast at Kamat Upchar near Tumkur and we set out to Banavasi through Shimoga.

The roads are just beautiful, almost all through out with trees, lush green fields on both the sides, unlike NH 4 which is so barren all through out. The route took us through Tumkur,Gubbi, Tiptur, Kadur and Shimoga (recently named Shivamogga). Lunch at Hotel Ashok or Samrat (just next to Royal Orchid, Shimoga on the main road), it was simple vegetarian fare. One thing to bear in mind that, it is better to stick to vegetarian options in this part of the state. The food is jus yum and the non-veg options really sub standard.

After lunch, was the visit to Tyavarekoppa Tiger and Lion Safari, which,I would say this was the high point of our entire trip. TTLS (Tyavarekoppa Tiger and Lion Safari) is a smaller version of Bannerghatta National Park is what everyone says. There is a mini zoo with leopards,sloth bears,hyena, pythons and some peacocks. Its actually sad to see these wild animals in a cage, but Saksham enjoyed it. After visiting the zoo, we were taken for the safari (only tigers and sambhars), one of the lions there died, so the other lonely beast is kept out of public eye. Watching tigers from close quarters, in their natural habitat was an amazing sight. The tigers in all its majesticity, came quite close to our van and that was the moment I realised why tiger is given the status of national animal. TTLA is open on all days except tuesdays and public holidays.







So majestic!!!!!!!!



Vanvasika Guest House

After the safari, it was straight to Banavasi and there was some confusion regarding the road, back to Shimoga and then to Shikaripur, but the map showed a link in between, so decided to go as per some local bus driver's advice. So from TTLS take left on Sagara road and pass through Kumsi and then turn right at Choradi. The road passes through Kalmane (wonder if Kalmane coffee originated from this place) and a lot of picturesque villages leading to a T junction, from where you turn right to  Shikaripura and then pass through Soraba to reach Banavasi.From TTLS, Banavasi is about 120 kms/3hrs. Reaching Banavasi at night, we were the only inhabitants at the Vanvasika guest house. The rooms in the guest house are sparse, but clean and provide you with all the basic necessities and that is the only place where one can stay at Banavasi and is priced at Rs 650/- per day.

 

Nandi @Madhukeshwara temple 


The next morning, it was drizzling and the place looked so beautiful, paddy fields just out of your room window,  smell of firewood burning in village homes, bullocks being led to till the fields, it was a picture straight out of some documentary on Discovery. The place Banavasi belonged to the kingdom of Kadamba dynasty and holds historical importance too. 1800 years old Madhukeshvara temple, Pampavana (garden) with a Nandi temple, the pineapple processing factory form the local to visit list. Also not to be forgotten are the local khanavalis (small eatery/hotel), we had our food at Bellad Khanavali run by Savitramma and her son, the food with variety of chutneys was finger licking yum. Banavasi is also host to a lot of artisans like the pith coronet flower and garland makers, potters and stone carvers. The manager at the guest house was kind enough to escort us to all these local artists and give us a demonstration of their work.



Other places around Banavasi, that we visited were Gudavi bird sanctuary (famous for White Ibis), Sirsi Marikamba temple , Sahasralinga (on Sirsi-Yellapur road) and Magod falls (again on the way to Yellapur with a deviation to right of about 10-15kms). Of all the places, I liked Magod falls the best, with water gushing through in all its force.Although you cannot go close to the falls like Jog, but there lies some charm about this falls, that is not  verypopular on the tourist circuit. Another visit worth mentioning is the one to archaeologic remains of the Rani Mahal, dating back to the 6th century at Gudnapur, just 7kms from Banavasi. The sunset at Gudnapur lake is one of the most beasutiful .

Within a radius of 50kms  there are plenty of places worth visiting, but then we preferred to soak in the village atmosphere and enjoy a mobile signal, television, internet and newspaper free life for some days. You can just stroll through the village roads, sit by the river Varada, take a bullock cart ride or relax with a book atPampavana.Banavasi has an old world charm which is so enchanting and enthralling.



Magod Falls



Sahasralinga



The last leg of the journey was through Haveri on NH4. As it was our 64th Independence day, the roads wore a patriotic look with little kids walking to school to hoist the flag, the tricolour fluttering atop buildings and vehicles and patriotic songs being played everywhere. All this reminded me of our school days and the excitement of such celebrations and wondered why the modern city schools do not have any celebration on Independence Day. Has the importance of the day lost its significance and is relegated to just being a holiday? All these thoughts aside, thus ended another chapter of our travel to a beautiful place which was unlike anything we visited earlier.