Shimoga-Nittur-Kodachadri

KODACHADRI 2014

Date: 05th July 2014 and 06th July 2014

Team Members: Vishwanath [Shimoga], Viraj, Umesh, Harish and SATEESH

Route :Bangalore - Tumkur - Arsikere - Shimoga - Hosanagara - Nagara - Nittur.

Vehicle : Bolero Storm

Team left Bangalore on 04thJuly 2014 at 6-30 pm, 

My friend Vishwanath who is working in Bank at Shimoga informed him that we are reaching Shimoga, by  10-30 pm, he  kind-heartedly  welcomed us and all  together had a  good dinner (Onion-Potato Sambar) at his residence

05th July 2014

Next day morning  we had planned to take some photographs of birds in and around shimoga and Viswanath took us for bird watching nearby place called Purdal Dam in shimoga

Purdal is a small village nearby Shimoga city which has beautiful scenic view. There is a water reservoir to store the water from the nearby steep areas. Purdal dam is also the major water supply for Lion safari and forest around Purdal. A very calm place which receives less crowd. Purdal is best suited for family outings nearby shimoga. Purdal can be reached by two ways - one is from Sagara road and another is from Anupinakatte road. There is huge parking space next to the dam and evening is the most opted time to visit the location. A popular television hosted a reality game show at purdal few years before which made purdal to come into the public notice. A beautiful road leading to prudal with semi-forest is treat to watch.

PURDAL TEMPLE

Purdal is a scenic beauty which is equally good for photography.
Small animals like chameleon, red squirrels and other animals and variety species of birds, flora and fauna are commonly seen.

ROBIN

SUN BIRD

LAPWING

Had Breakfast at Vishwa Residence, we had prepared Upma (Uppittu) and left  Shimoga by 12-30 pm. (From shimoga nittur is around 110kms) Vishwanath called Manjanna of Kalyani Nisarga Dhama that we are proceeding to your place, and requested to arrange the stay over there at Kalyani Nisarga Vihara Dhama, owned by Mr.Manjanna (fondly called) a eco friendly, South India Yoga Champion, Humanitarian, Trekker and a good hearted person.

enroute we visited Karanagiri SiddiVinayaka Temple had darshan of Vinayaka proceeded further, [the distance from Shivmoga it’s around one  a half hour drive towards a place called Hosanagar. From Hosanagar it’s around 7 Kms to Karana Giri]

We reached Nittur at 2:00 pm (117 Kms in one hour 30 minutes- Driver Harish Speed counts here)

Nittur is a village located in Hosanagara Taluk, Shimoga District, Karnataka, India. The village is located in dense forest, on Shimoga-Kollur state highway and Kodachadri peak falls within the jurisdiction of Nittur Grama Panchayat

Nittur is starting point of one of the trekking routes to Kodachadri peak, which is located at about 15 km from the village
Kalyani Chowka is about 2.5 kms to Nittur and to be frank its better you have a Jeep though in these roads to enter Nisarga Vihara Dhama is most suitable rather than other vehicles.


KALYANI NISARGA DHAMA 

Inside the HUT, Kalyani Nisarga Dhama

Hosanagara – Kollur main road in between a small village called NITTUR (35 kms from hosanagara) Sharavathi River backwater a forest treat at Kalyani Chowka called Nisarga Viharadhama.

Nisarga Vihara Dhama is a retreat built amidst forest consisting of log huts and tents (on request) to stay overnight. Run by Mr. Manjanna with an ambitious and thousands of colorful dreams of exploring Shimoga Dist Tourist places, he has setup this Nisarga Dhama in his own land with support by many people..  Government of Karnataka has recognized the activities here and sanctioned two boats for sight seeing in Sharavathi Backwaters.

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After having Lunch  we started towards Hidlu Mane falls  to a point where the trail starts. The road is not all that good so always take a Jeep and never your car. It took about half an hour and some effort to reach the first stage of the fall

Route 

Start from Hosanagar on state highway 26 towards Kollur and pass Nagara to reach Sampekatte and take left turn towards Kodachadri hills. Drive for 13 km to take right turn and trek for remaining distance to reach the waterfalls. Hidlumane falls also has one more route which is on trekking by Nagodi  village.

Hidlumane falls is about 6-7 kms from the main road and there are many forks on the road. It is nearly impossible to find your way here without the villagers'  help.

HIDLUMANE GURURAJ HOUSE

Hidlumane falls is a series of cascading falls with about 6 or 7 falls one after another. The beauty of these falls is that each of these falls are hidden from one another and they get better and better as you go up the cascade, culminating in a magnificent fall which is as secluded a waterfall as you can imagine! As we had gone in the monsoons, going up the cascade was anything but easy. The path was treacherously slippery with leeches feasting on you at every step.

HIDLUMANE GURURAJ FIELDS

First boulder is quite easy.But the second one is giant boulder.During monsoon its very difficult to cross. Some how we managed to climb that, It is really strenuous.  The trek uphill on a scale of 1 to 10 is around 6 where 10 is the worst and most difficult finally we reached Hidlumane Falls.. amazing..!! no words to explain after seeing that falls.

As we reached the main falls, the excitement was palpable as we began indulging..Since the visibility on the peak wasnt too great, 

Jeep and 2 wheeler can go till that house, Cars may not. No food is available anywhere on the way or at the spot. So carry your food with you. Please don't throw any non-biodegradable substance (plastics, water bottles, plastic plates etc..) there. Enjoy and be one among the nature.

Flora and Fauna in Manjanna Residence

More Information :

Transport

There is bus facility from Hosanagara which has stop at nearby villages. Buses from Sagara, Nagara, Shimoga has stop at Kodachadri. Most of the tourist come in hire vehicles as trekking till the peak is time consuming. Private jeeps are also available at the nearby village which charge according to the season.

Lodging and Hotel

There are hotels in Nagodi and Nittur village serves Malenadu style of food. There are few home stays available nearby Kodachadri hills and also there is an IB at the top of the hill and Priest's house nearby temple also have accommodation. 

Kalyani Nisarga Vihara Dhama
Nittur, Hoasanagara Taluk,
Shimoga Distt, Pin 577452

Manjunath (Populary known as Manjanna)

Main Highlights:

Beautiful Bamboo Hut, Plastic Tent houses varying according to your need and number of people
Delicious Meals, Breakfast of Malenadu taste
Caring staff  never let u down
Well constructed and maintained toilets
Natural dining tables ( Told he found these wooden logs deserted in forest and thought utilizing to sit and have food)
Arrangement for nearby tourist places, Backwater riding, trekking.
Near by places are mentioned on a big bill board.
Bird Watching, Water Sports, Fire Camp, Cultural programs 

What to look for

Visit nearby Kodachadri hills for its natural beauty of sunset and nature. 

Trekking experience to Hidlumane is memorable along with family and friends. 

Nearest health camp : Nittur,Kattinahole,Sampekatte.
Approach : 

There are 2 trekking trails are there to reach koadachadri.
1)From karakatte gate and santosh hotel.this is the easy trek route. It will take around 2.5-3 hrs to trek.
2)From nittur via hidlumane falls.this is the toughest trekking trail. It will take around 4-5 hrs to trek.During monsoon season it is not advisable.

Contact persons : Nittur Rajendra(9449145540)
Best time to visit : During Monsoon u can see nature at its best.
sep-jan is best time to hang around there.

Kodachadri - (12 km) 

Kodachadri is a miniature of Heaven on Earth. It’s a mountain peak (altitude - 1343 m above sea level) in the Western Ghats in South India (Karnataka State). The name comes from native word "Kodacha" or "Kodashi" which means hill and "Adri" a Sanskrit word, both combined together coined the word Kodachadri. It is also called "Kutachadri" and "Kodashi Parvatha". Kodachadri forms a picturesque background to the famous temple of Mookambika in Kollur. Situated in the middle of the Mookambika National Park, it is home to several endemic and endangered species of flora and fauna. The shola forest and rain forests loom in a perpetual layer of mist around the peak.

The peak is barren due to strong winds and as such, the forest covered nature is visible all around and also several smaller peaks and hills full of greenery makes a very good sight. The important animal life include Malabar Langur, King Cobra, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Great Pied Hornbill, and many more of which several are endangered. Its 115 kms away from shimoga

Kodachadri is home to many endemic and endangered species of flora and fauna.

Kodachadri is famous for its wonderful sunrise and   sunset

It is declared as natural heritage site by Government Karnataka

 

The main attraction of Kodachadri is "Sarvajna Peetha" which is on the hilltop. It is believed that  philosopher "Adi Shankaracharya" performed meditation at this place. The closest base to Kodachadri  hills is Kollur which is at a distance of 20 kilometers. Kodachadri hills form a scenic backdrop of the famous Mookambika temple in Kollur.We decided to visit   the famous Kodachadri sunrise. Also since we were told that the path to Arsinagundi falls will be really tricky because of the rains, we headed straight back to Nittur 

Kodachadri Tea Owner's Mobile