Route taken: Day-1: Hyderabad->Raichur-> Manvi(Collapsed Bridge)->So, Maski->Sindhanur->Hospet-->Harihara->Honalli->Ripponpet->Hombja.
DAY-2 Hosnagara->Nagara->kodachari->
DAY-3 Kollur->Nagara->Thirthahalli->Shimoga->Bangalore->Hyderabad
Monday was PTO for our Hyderabad office(Nov 2009), so I taught to attend Yamaha IBR audition at Bangalore. But at the last moment I cancelled the plan and decided to ride to Kollur. Left Hyderbad on Saturday morning around 8am headed towards Raichur-> hospet route, but after Manvi, the connecting bridge was collapsed due to heavy rains a week before. So i reached Sindhanur via Maski and to Hospet around 5 pm. Hospet gave a grand welcome with its dust due to mining and some 10 kms traffic jam but managed to cross the jam by offroad. Then I reached Harapanahalli, met a friend and then headed towards Harihara->Honalli. From Honalli the worst road started. The road tested both the rider and the bike, and it was worst till Ripponpet but riding solo in the fogy forest at night was thrilling. Reached Ripponpet @10 pm and I enquired about lodging @ Hosnagara, but people said there are no lodges @ Hosanagara and they guided me to Hombja. There is a Jain mutt @ Hombja and mutt provides lodging facility to devotes @ 75rs per day so took shelter there.
Morning I visited Lord Parshavnath temple and headed towards Kollur via Hosnagara-& Nagara. On the way to Nagara there is a beautiful fort built by Shivappanayaka, clicked few snaps over there tough did not see the fort fully. Headed towards Kollur, reached Sampekette and was amazed to see greenish Kodchadri hill range and decide to ride to Kodchadri. Enquired abt riding bike on to the top of kodchadri, some said very difficult and some gave a hope by saying "U can go, but u should ride slowly and watch out for the jeeps", So made up my mind to go and headed towards Kodchadri, In fact there was no proper road, only jeeps can go, for bikes it was very difficult to due to boulders and washouts due to heavy rains and It was a perfect Mountain motor biking, rarely I shifted my gear to 2nd, it was too tiring, and tested my riding skills and wrist power. After riding 8.5 kms I reached almost top of kodchadri, from there treked a km to reach to Sarvajnapeta and walked down from backside of the Hill and reached a cave and also it's Suparnika river birth place. There were 2 Sadhus in the cave(1 with mauna vrath and other talking to him continuous, it was nice to see one way communication), The view from cave was awesome, I meditated for few mins and again I treked up to Sarvajnapeta then towards my bike parking. Later reached Kollur and took a lodge and slept for 2 hrs and at 7:30pm I visited the temple.
Best part of the trip :
It was awesome to be all alone here...
Kollur Mookambika temple:
Thirthahalli -Shimoga Road:
Before visiting Kodchadri I had plans to go to Kollur--> Mangalore-->Sullia-->Madikeri-->Mysore--> Bangalore. But the ride and the view on Kodchadri was awesome and unexplainable, I cancelled my plans to go to Madikeri and Mysore.
Next Morning I visited the temple and started my return journey, from kollur I reached Nagara and then I took Thirthahalli road to reach shimoga, It was scenic, but bit long (some 45kms more) compared to hosanagara road. From Shimoga reached Bangalore(Marthahalli) around 8, crossing traffic jam after Nelamangala. Then from Marathahalli Nirnajan joined me. We both left bangalore at night at 9:30 pm reached Hyderabad at 8:30am with few chai stops. Road from Chikaballapur to Kurnool is under construction and from Kurnool to Hyderabad road is super. As always Niranjan rode in the under construction road(a tough rider :)) and after Kurnool I took over..it was fun riding whole night and also sleeping in pillion seat in 120 kms/h speed..
