Talakadu & thereabouts...

Places: Shivanasamudra (Gaganchukki, Bharachukki), Talakadu, Tiramkoodlu Narasipura

Company: Wife & Daughter

Time: June 8th, 2019.

Highlights: Just a weekend getaway. Hadn't done this in a very long time, so thought of going on a long drive and visiting nearby waterbodies - considering it was raining, so we thought water falls would be a sight to see. But alas, it wasn't so. Rain was as yet insufficient for grand sights. The falls (at G & B chukki) was a mere trickle. I had been here about 12 years ago and I had even forgotten how it looked. But the way it is structured is that you can only view the falls from vantage points (which are very far) but cannot get near to it. 

Anyways, to start from beginning, we left only at about 11 am, taking it easy. Had breakfast at A2B on the way, and our initial plan was to go to Talakadu and return via G & B chukki falls. But we missed a turn somewhere and we found ourselves very close to G Chukki falls. So be it, we thought, and ventured ahead. Quick stop, some snaps here and there, some bites and we were off to next stop - B chukki falls. It happened to be some Muslim outing day, apparently, for there were too many muslims - many of whom had even camped on the road and cooking! My guess was that it was the first weekend after Ramzan and hence the celebrations. So, it was crowded everywhere we went. 

Another quick view of the falls at B chukki and we were off to Talakadu. In a way, it was good we lost our way and ended up in the falls area because of the timing and weather. It was way too sunny and hot, so in a way it was good that we finished the falls and we could now relax inside the river bed, which is what Talakadu is famous for. 

The last time I was in Talakadu was about 3 decades ago and my memories of this place is still very fond for I had a great time splashing in the water which always is about 1-2 ft deep and pristine sand dunes. Also I remembered the car parking being about 1 km away and we had to walk in the sand but now I was surprised to see that car parking is right beside the river bank! And it wasn't desolate as I remembered. Instead there was a huge crowd - both inside the river and outside. And there were all kinds of stalls - from eateries to shopping. The place was bustling like Times Square! We had to make our way inside the river somehow - and the river bed is somewhat polluted with slimy stuff that my wife gets goosebumps whenever she thinks about it! Alas, it wasn't like this in the past...

But once we were inside the river, it was wonderful - just the way I felt 3 decades ago! And this time I had a daughter with me who is about the same age when I first visited this natural beauty! Just sitting on the river bed with water coming just up to the chin, and a slight current trying to drag us makes us feel as if we are in the middle of a huge ocean except it is not. Wifey is never keen on entering water bodies and just like other times, took some time for me to coax her into the lap of Mother Nature. And once the threes of us were inside....just relaxed in the slowly moving water and soaked ourselves! Finally, it was 5:30 pm when we left Talakadu and decided to also visit Tiramkoodlu Narasipura which was about 20 kms away. I quickly drove so as to ensure we could take in the sights of the Sangama (of the rivers Kabini and Kaveri) in the setting sun. I reached about 6 pm and we visited the famous Lakshmi Narasimha temple of T Narasipura. We sat on the river banks and enjoyed the sight of merging of the two rivers.

From there, we drove further to the Vyasaraja Mutt right on the tip of the Sangama. I remembered coming here 12 years ago and I wanted my wife and daughter to experience the beauty! And hence we were here. Spent a nice time relaxing and enjoying the mesmerizing wonder of two rivers merging into one. We refused to go in a boat to an apparently spot further down in the river where a third river merges (from underneath - like in Allahabad). Soon, the sun set, and we quickly visited the Mutt for a quick darshan & we were off. 

Stopped for a tea on highway and I was off. I realized I was going towards Mysore, and took a U-turn. Missed one more left turn, and I was heading back to Talakadu. Once more U-turn and then the right turn towards Bangalore! The road all through - thankfully - was great. Road to Malavalli from T Narasipura was tricky for me since it was single lane and it was already dark (something that I  dont prefer when driving). Also, Google Maps didn't seem to be suggesting the right direction, and that added to confusion. Somehow, made our way to Malavalli by about 9 pm. Had dinner at a reasonably clean restaurant.

Had two options to choose from here - one way was via Kanakapura Road and another was via Mysore Road. Former had some constructions underway for road widening whereas latter is a pretty famous road with 4-lanes and divider in between all through. So, chose the Mysore Road although it was 10 kms farther (but timing seemed same for both). 

Rest of the journey was uneventful. But I was surprised at the traffic on Mysore Road. It was almost bumper-to-bumper. It had been a long time (about 2 years) since I had driven on this road & traffic on this road is choking already - what a change from how this road used to be 3 decades ago (a single lane with two-way traffic!) Anyways, we reached home by about 11:30 pm and it was a 12-hour day out of which drove 350 odd kms for about 7.5 hrs. Surprisingly wasn't feeling too tired nor sleepy despite having been inside a river for almost an hour. Overall, a decent weekend getaway - with water falls, river bath, natural scenery and serenity combined with some wonderful driving amongst lush greenery! A much needed nature break! Totally recommended!