Kanoor Kote – An epitome of Lost Glory
What better way than to spend the New Year’s Eve in the lap of lush green nature. I have been doing this for the last few years and no other better person to join me in this endeavor than my close buddy Manjunath.
This time around we decided to experience the bountiful Glory of the kanoor kote, very few men of the contemporary generation have set their foot in this place.
On 29 Jan 2007 we hopped on the bus to Sagar. After an overnight journey we reached Sagar. After another good hour’s of sleepy wait , we hopped on to another bus which would take us to “ Hosagadde” . This was from where we had to start our trek
We reached Hosagadde by 10:00 am and on an unusual December hot morning we set out on our long 36 km trek to Kanoor kote
The first hour or so was exceptionally relaxing, enjoying the nature’s beauty and gulping in unadulterated oxygen. A breakaway feeling from the Monstrous traffic and the perennial slavery to IT
As it is always with Nature, it isn’t a easy beast to handle we realized that we were lost and were in a wrong path. As it usually happens with us we found a good Samaritan who guided us to the right Path.
After about two and half hours of trek and miss-treks we reached Gowadara mane. This was our first stop. – Dabbe Falls
Gowdara mane is at the top of the falls and from here to get a glimpse of the roaring beauty of Dabbe is an hour’s downhill trek. It is more than two miles deep( Trek distance) and getting down this route during a slippery rainy season with leeches for company is surely a Herculean effort.
DONOT attempt to go down this path in Rainy season.
We had our gear with us, A rope with fasteners, water and some swimming costume. After about an hour’s downhill climb we came to the Vantage point… The first view of Dabbe Falls
Dabbe in its full glory was roaring down hill. The silence of the forest and the constant rumbling of the falls was a memorable experience
Here it is where nature separates the lesser mortals from the men. To get down to the bottom of the falls one has to maneuver two twenty feet (20 feet) drops. The difficulty is not with the drop but the slippery downhill slide following it. One wrong step and you are history…..
Time for Contemplation… Me and Manju weren’t very sure whether we wanted to it. On one side was the lovely dabbe opening her arms and welcoming us into her abode on the other hand is the menacing smile of a broken arm/limb or the eternal kiss of death
We chose to walk into the abode
Manju, the braver of the two…. Decided to head down first. With the rope hanging from a wooden stump he lowered
himself slowly. After few feet of descent he had to maneuver a sharp crevice and I was shouting all different ideas from top. The only way was to go around it and with utmost precision Manju was able to maneuver it.
Few feet down and I had my heart in my mouth when Manju missed a foot hold and was almost swinging freely with the rope before he managed to grab a shrub nearby
The time had come for me to go down and a nervous me descended myself. Manju guided me down…. Well when some one has done it..things always look easier
The next couple of hours were Nirvana for us… we yelled, laughed, sang. It was just the two of us and nature for company. All we could see was endless greenery, all we could hear was the roar of Dabbe and the territory challenged birds who were chirping with utmost anxiety.
Like two tired infants we drifted into the arms of dabbe falls… we closed our eyes and laid to rest our wearied bodies in the waist deep waters
All the while my thoughts were drifting to the rope uphill climb. I wasn’t really very sure how we would climb back.
At 3:30 PM we decided to head back, the demons of agony was laid to rest when we roped our self up to the vantage point with very little difficulty.
But ahead us lie the taxing climb up hill. Every twenty steps we needed a break and by the time we reached on top, the sun was setting in the west.
We reached Gowdara mane and we were thinking of camping there for the night, but the non responsive host changed our plans and we decided to continue our trek to Kanoor Kote.
We were accompanied by Gowdaru to some distance.
Please note donot attempt to do this trek without a guide as it is just impossible to find your way around here
By sunset we had reached a tiny hamlet in the forest, a single thatched roof house. We were welcomed and with their permission we decided to camp nearby.
Any day it is a nice feeling that there are other human’s around in addition to the nocturnal species for your company
We set up our tent and were thinking of cooking our first meal for the day when our host offered to serve us dinner.
A sumptuous hot meal in the middle of the forest…… tending to the tired muscles…….. nothing but cool forest winds and the occasional flapping of the oil lamp.
It surely cannot be described. I will leave it to the reader’s imagination.
We got into the tent and that was paradise…..
The next morning we set off early …. at 6:30 am …our first stop was Kanoor Village… It was about 8 kms from where we had camped.
Kanoor is a small town/Village, Just one asphalted road (I should say semi asphalted) . A bus a day… few houses..
That’ s Civilization defined for you. It is not even seen in the map
We reached Kanoor by 9:30 am. We were guided by our last night host all the way.
At the village, some of the villagers were persuading us not to go to Kanoor Kote as we would not make it back to Gerusoppa by night fall and trek was tough and would have to go through really thick forests
But we were determined and we decided to go ahead. This time around it wouldn’t be a walk in the forest but a very well timed trek. We couldn’t afford to loose on time as it was very critical. We took timed breaks to tend to our weary bodies and an occasional sip of water (water was premium) and it was getting very hot
After about 3 hours of trek, we still hadn’t reached the fort. We were a worried lot….. not sure whether we were on the right track and this time we were all alone, no person to guide us.
At one point we couldn’t go any further as we ended up with a forked road and we didn’t know how to proceed. I was taking a shot at one path but Manju wasn’t ready to be the explorerJ.
We waited there not knowing what to do
At this point… we heard couple of voices and out there were two villagers climbing up the hill and heading to their lonely houses in the thick of the forest
We stopped them and asked them directions, they also posed for few pictures with us
We now were on the right path and it was way past noon. The forest cover was so thick that it felt as if the sun had already set
After about half an hour’s walk we could see the sign’s of the fort. An old inscription stone caught my attention. There was lot of carved pictures on it which seemed to be telling the story of the glorious past.
We moved on and lay ahead in front of us was the majestic Impregnable fort built by the Keladi rulers. We were dumbstruck with the view.
I slowly moved towards the wall and touched it with my hand and it sent a chill down my spine.
An old fort with so many untold stories, two young trekkers all alone in the forest… The closest human race was about 10 miles away. A moment to cherish
We slowly walked inside the fort though a small opening in the fort wall.
Here I was in the middle of history ….witnessing a battle for supremacy.
No guns or swords but the perennial struggle of the walls of the fort that were being constantly sieged by the creepers.
Nature was it’s at wildest best...
We decided to explore the fort and we moved deeper into the fort.
It was an eerie feeling when I walked into the fort... I cannot explain it… everything about the fort seemed mysterious.
Every wall of the fort, the deserted well, every picture carved on the walls were looking at us
The fifteen minutes we spent was a thrilling experience
I was always worried about the reptiles underneath the hugely overgrown weeds we were walking through; any small sound was raising my senses.
It was past 1:30 Pm and we decided to head back. On the way back I turned around and looked at the fort one last time
The fort was looking back into my eyes with a wry smile…. The moment I
entered the fort I felt that I had captured the fort but that wasn’t true, there was mystery hidden in its core and it was beckoning to be unraveled
I decided at that moment that I would surely come back… Kanoor Kote beckons to be explored
We trekked down 10 Kms and reached Gerusoppa. These 10 Kms were very tiring and the heat and exhaustion was catching up very fast
Finally we reached Gerusoppa by 4:00 PM took a boat ride to cross the river and took the bus to Bangalore via Shimoga
It is three months since we went to Kanoor and every time I close my eyes and think of the fort, I visualize the mystery of the fort, the lost kingdom and the inscribed Stones
For now it will remain an enigma to me……. A Sweet memory captured in the clutches of time.
What better way than to spend the New Year’s Eve in the lap of lush green nature. I have been doing this for the last few years and no other better person to join me in this endeavor than my close buddy Manjunath.
This time around we decided to experience the bountiful Glory of the kanoor kote, very few men of the contemporary generation have set their foot in this place.
On 29 Jan 2007 we hopped on the bus to Sagar. After an overnight journey we reached Sagar. After another good hour’s of sleepy wait , we hopped on to another bus which would take us to “ Hosagadde” . This was from where we had to start our trek
We reached Hosagadde by 10:00 am and on an unusual December hot morning we set out on our long 36 km trek to Kanoor kote
The first hour or so was exceptionally relaxing, enjoying the nature’s beauty and gulping in unadulterated oxygen. A breakaway feeling from the Monstrous traffic and the perennial slavery to IT
As it is always with Nature, it isn’t a easy beast to handle we realized that we were lost and were in a wrong path. As it usually happens with us we found a good Samaritan who guided us to the right Path.
After about two and half hours of trek and miss-treks we reached Gowadara mane. This was our first stop. – Dabbe Falls
Gowdara mane is at the top of the falls and from here to get a glimpse of the roaring beauty of Dabbe is an hour’s downhill trek. It is more than two miles deep( Trek distance) and getting down this route during a slippery rainy season with leeches for company is surely a Herculean effort.
DONOT attempt to go down this path in Rainy season.
We had our gear with us, A rope with fasteners, water and some swimming costume. After about an hour’s downhill climb we came to the Vantage point… The first view of Dabbe Falls
Dabbe in its full glory was roaring down hill. The silence of the forest and the constant rumbling of the falls was a memorable experience
Here it is where nature separates the lesser mortals from the men. To get down to the bottom of the falls one has to maneuver two twenty feet (20 feet) drops. The difficulty is not with the drop but the slippery downhill slide following it. One wrong step and you are history…..
Time for Contemplation… Me and Manju weren’t very sure whether we wanted to it. On one side was the lovely dabbe opening her arms and welcoming us into her abode on the other hand is the menacing smile of a broken arm/limb or the eternal kiss of death
We chose to walk into the abode
Manju, the braver of the two…. Decided to head down first. With the rope hanging from a wooden stump he lowered
himself slowly. After few feet of descent he had to maneuver a sharp crevice and I was shouting all different ideas from top. The only way was to go around it and with utmost precision Manju was able to maneuver it.Few feet down and I had my heart in my mouth when Manju missed a foot hold and was almost swinging freely with the rope before he managed to grab a shrub nearby
The time had come for me to go down and a nervous me descended myself. Manju guided me down…. Well when some one has done it..things always look easier
The next couple of hours were Nirvana for us… we yelled, laughed, sang. It was just the two of us and nature for company. All we could see was endless greenery, all we could hear was the roar of Dabbe and the territory challenged birds who were chirping with utmost anxiety.
Like two tired infants we drifted into the arms of dabbe falls… we closed our eyes and laid to rest our wearied bodies in the waist deep waters
All the while my thoughts were drifting to the rope uphill climb. I wasn’t really very sure how we would climb back.
At 3:30 PM we decided to head back, the demons of agony was laid to rest when we roped our self up to the vantage point with very little difficulty.
But ahead us lie the taxing climb up hill. Every twenty steps we needed a break and by the time we reached on top, the sun was setting in the west.
We reached Gowdara mane and we were thinking of camping there for the night, but the non responsive host changed our plans and we decided to continue our trek to Kanoor Kote.We were accompanied by Gowdaru to some distance.
Please note donot attempt to do this trek without a guide as it is just impossible to find your way around here
By sunset we had reached a tiny hamlet in the forest, a single thatched roof house. We were welcomed and with their permission we decided to camp nearby.
Any day it is a nice feeling that there are other human’s around in addition to the nocturnal species for your company
We set up our tent and were thinking of cooking our first meal for the day when our host offered to serve us dinner.
A sumptuous hot meal in the middle of the forest…… tending to the tired muscles…….. nothing but cool forest winds and the occasional flapping of the oil lamp.
It surely cannot be described. I will leave it to the reader’s imagination.
We got into the tent and that was paradise…..
The next morning we set off early …. at 6:30 am …our first stop was Kanoor Village… It was about 8 kms from where we had camped.
Kanoor is a small town/Village, Just one asphalted road (I should say semi asphalted) . A bus a day… few houses..
That’ s Civilization defined for you. It is not even seen in the map
We reached Kanoor by 9:30 am. We were guided by our last night host all the way.
At the village, some of the villagers were persuading us not to go to Kanoor Kote as we would not make it back to Gerusoppa by night fall and trek was tough and would have to go through really thick forests
But we were determined and we decided to go ahead. This time around it wouldn’t be a walk in the forest but a very well timed trek. We couldn’t afford to loose on time as it was very critical. We took timed breaks to tend to our weary bodies and an occasional sip of water (water was premium) and it was getting very hot
After about 3 hours of trek, we still hadn’t reached the fort. We were a worried lot….. not sure whether we were on the right track and this time we were all alone, no person to guide us.
At one point we couldn’t go any further as we ended up with a forked road and we didn’t know how to proceed. I was taking a shot at one path but Manju wasn’t ready to be the explorerJ.
We waited there not knowing what to doAt this point… we heard couple of voices and out there were two villagers climbing up the hill and heading to their lonely houses in the thick of the forest
We stopped them and asked them directions, they also posed for few pictures with us
We now were on the right path and it was way past noon. The forest cover was so thick that it felt as if the sun had already set
After about half an hour’s walk we could see the sign’s of the fort. An old inscription stone caught my attention. There was lot of carved pictures on it which seemed to be telling the story of the glorious past.
We moved on and lay ahead in front of us was the majestic Impregnable fort built by the Keladi rulers. We were dumbstruck with the view.
I slowly moved towards the wall and touched it with my hand and it sent a chill down my spine.
An old fort with so many untold stories, two young trekkers all alone in the forest… The closest human race was about 10 miles away. A moment to cherish
We slowly walked inside the fort though a small opening in the fort wall.
Here I was in the middle of history ….witnessing a battle for supremacy.
No guns or swords but the perennial struggle of the walls of the fort that were being constantly sieged by the creepers.
Nature was it’s at wildest best...
We decided to explore the fort and we moved deeper into the fort.
It was an eerie feeling when I walked into the fort... I cannot explain it… everything about the fort seemed mysterious.
Every wall of the fort, the deserted well, every picture carved on the walls were looking at us
The fifteen minutes we spent was a thrilling experience
I was always worried about the reptiles underneath the hugely overgrown weeds we were walking through; any small sound was raising my senses.
It was past 1:30 Pm and we decided to head back. On the way back I turned around and looked at the fort one last time
The fort was looking back into my eyes with a wry smile…. The moment I
entered the fort I felt that I had captured the fort but that wasn’t true, there was mystery hidden in its core and it was beckoning to be unraveledI decided at that moment that I would surely come back… Kanoor Kote beckons to be explored
We trekked down 10 Kms and reached Gerusoppa. These 10 Kms were very tiring and the heat and exhaustion was catching up very fast
Finally we reached Gerusoppa by 4:00 PM took a boat ride to cross the river and took the bus to Bangalore via Shimoga
It is three months since we went to Kanoor and every time I close my eyes and think of the fort, I visualize the mystery of the fort, the lost kingdom and the inscribed Stones
For now it will remain an enigma to me……. A Sweet memory captured in the clutches of time.
“ An Epitome of lost Glory”
Terrific twosome Girish and Manju
2 comments:
Excellent blog!! Enjoyed it a lot. Felt like I went to Kanoor Kote and came back with the pictures and verbiage. It seems like this was truly a fascinating trip.
-Kiran
Hey, Relly am lot impressed by your way writing. U just excellent to explain the journey. As if I was thinking just am travelling with u and explaining me your memories...really good one..
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