Gandikota and Belum Caves - January 2018

When the Gandikota and Belum Caves trip was announced a few months back by Tattva Adventures , I knew I was doing it for sure. A chance sharing by a trekker friend about “The Grand Canyon of India” and “the largest and longest cave system open to the public on the Indian subcontinent” made this a must attend event.

The trip began as always with the unavoidable yet irresistible train travel with the fun loving Tattva Tribe. It hardly matters that  there are always people whom you meet with for the first time. The ‘connect’ is almost instant ☺☺☺ .  After the eagerly looked forward to  Dumb Charades and other games what followed was an early lunch cum dinner consisting of a mind boggling variety of delicacies to gorge on.

An eventful night with more games and an early morning  wake up call from a group of  fellow travelers (‘devotees’ ) only added to the excitement quotient of the trip further.

Alighting at the immaculately maintained Tadipatri Railway Station 

and a quick authentic South Indian Breakfast 

later all were geared to descend into and explore the Belum Caves.

A comedy of errors happened with our group waiting (im)patiently 

for the local Guide whose number was unavailable  and when we finally decided to descend into the Caves without him

 , we found him waiting for us at the very beginning of the Caves, and the reason . .  .of course no telephone network !!!!

The beauty of the Belum Caves made all the traveling and waiting worthwhile. Discovered in the 19th century by a British Surveyor and later on in the 20th century a group of Germans explored and mapped these caves. A total of 3.5km has been explored and only 1.5km of these caves are open to the tourists. These limestone caves have been carved due to an erosion by an underground river resulting in tunnels of giant proportions & smooth walls. Also one is greeted by a giant, beautiful and serene statue of Buddha at the entrance of these caves.

The Belum Caves is the largest and longest cave system open to the public on the Indian subcontinent, known for its speleothems, such as stalactite and stalagmite formations. I was reminded of the Enid Blyton example of childhood that Stalactites hold tight to the ceiling and Stalagmites might one day reach up and touch the stalactites. The Belum Caves had long passages, galleries and spacious caverns.  Because of the Monsoon only part of the caves was open for viewing and the depth of how far we could descend and what we could see was around 120 feet below ground level.

This natural underground cave system was formed apparently over the course of tens of thousands of years by the constant flow of underground water. Intricate patterns in the limestone walls and ceilings and a natural Air Conditioner had us awestruck. After a sufficiently long sojourn at the Caves, we ascended to the ground level and proceeded towards Gandikota. Few hours later we checked into the sprawling and picturesque one and only  Government  Resort .

Lengthy session of music, dance and more music was on the agenda interspersed with tea, random snacks and dinner.

 Sunday morning after breakfast we eagerly proceeded towards the Gandikota Fort and Temple ruins and Canyon. 

There are several other attractions in and near the village that allure visitors, the most special being the ancient, magnificent Gandikota fort that sits majestically on top of the gorge. Apart from the unmatched beauty of the gorge, the mystical charm of this fort makes a visit to this village all the more exciting for history lovers and adventure seekers.

The ruins of the temples of the Vijayanagara era had me wondering about the original grandeur of the place . No wonder this place has got the tag of  'Mini Hampi'. There were ample photo ops within the temple complex. 

We regretfully left behind this magnificent example of Man’s creation and proceeded to soak in the larger Nature’s creation.  We eagerly rushed towards the spectacular gorge formed by river Pennar that cuts through the Erramala hills. This handsome piece of Nature’s architecture has come to be known as the Hidden Grand Canyon of India by travelers who visit it and get bewitched by its beauty. No words and photos can do justice to the beauty of the Canyon.

On our return back from the Gandikota we stopped by at the ruins of the Ranganathananda temple which has some amazing carvings depicting the Dasa Avatharams of Lord Vishnu. The Vaishnavite influence in the Temple sculpture was very evident.

 Mention also has to be made of the Mosque, the pool and the granary within the township which the Fort housed.

We returned back to the Resort only because our return tickets were booked !!!

After a lazy lunch it was a couple of hours drive to good old familiar Tadpatri Station . 

Next day morning led to more games and it was a tired but happy bunch of travelers... nay friends that dispersed with promises to meet soon for another adventure . It never ceases to amaze me on the experiences that we as travelers are fortunate to have on weekends just because of our inclination to explore and go a little bit beyond our comfort zones. 

Thank you Jaal and Sai and Team Tattva Adventures for another memorable trip.

Bindaas Travellers trek to Dudhsagar Waterfall on 16th & 17th Sept, 2017

Dudhsagar Waterfalls … The very name conjures up the iconic image of the train on the bridge (for the Bollywood aficionados – Chennai Express fame)  with the majestic Waterfalls at the background. Dudhsagar, as the name suggests, means the ‘Sea of Milk’. For the academically inclined Dudhsagar Waterfalls is one of India's tallest four-tiered waterfalls, located on Mandovi river, in Bhagwan Mahaveer sanctuary and Kulem (Collem)  national park among the Western Ghats. It is densely surrounded by deciduous forest with rich biodiversity and forming the border between Karnataka and Goa states.

I  never thought I would actually end up seeing Dudhsagar  Waterfalls as part of a Trek. At the most, I would have been quite content to just have a glimpse of the waterfall while travelling in that route sometime.

Thanks to Bindaas Travelers, we actually did the trek and did it in style !!!!  The fifteen km trek in all covered the majestic Waterfalls up close and personal and the bonus Jungle trail through the beautiful Bhagwan Mahavir Sanctuary, plus the unique trudge along the railway tracks.

Our journey started routinely enough, boarding train for Pune at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Kurla Terminus) , and getting to know each other along the way. We were joined by few others at Pune and then boarded the onward train from Pune. The optimal group size of eleven ensured Non-stop activity during the entire journey comprising of Dumb Charades, Mafia and lots other random games for others and book reading(!!!!) in my case. some fantastic Sunset photo opportunities too. 

Late to bed and early to rise was the mantra. We get off at the railway station as early as 5 in the morning on Sunday and start the onward journey on the Railway tracks. The ‘station’ does not have a platform and hence we carefully descend from the train using the steps. A continuous drizzle and the pitch black surroundings ensure all the flashlights and raincoats are put to good use. An hour’s rail line trek punctuated by an occasional scramble to the sides because of approaching trains brings us to the actual Dudhsagar Falls. We have a fair indication of the Waterfalls as there is a wonderful mist in the air plus the continuous faint roar of the Waterfalls.

We reach the spot well before daybreak and hence are treated to an absolute myriad of colours in the pre day break ... .actual day break. .and post day break periods. Thanks to the delayed arrival of our local guide , we spent a decent period of time at the actual Falls. Photos galore and soaking in the beauty of the Falls was done in abundance.

We eventually started our onward trek. Special mention of the amazing experience of walking through tunnels which we had to pass along the way plus the walking on the tracks too.

We started the jungle trail through the Bahagwaan Mahavir Sanctuary with its magnificent undergrowth and overhang of closely knit boughs. Barring a few places the overgrowth was nice and dense providing a measure of protection from the continuous drizzle. The fabulous exhibition of flora and fauna was a breathtaking sight.

Our intrepid local guide Tukaram apparently took us through many ‘shortcuts’ ensuring we trekked through foliage, knee-deep streams and of course the soggy red soil. The big advantage of having a local guide – the small nuggets that you get. We came across an innocent looking very still body of water called Devil’s Canyon. 

 Tukaram informed us that it had apparently claimed a  lot of lives and that the still surface was deceptive and actually there was a furious undercurrent at that place. We also were made privy to the ‘jurisdiction’ of the local deities and how the loyalties of the locals were divided among their own favourite Gods. The extempore jumping into a mini pool of water and the splashing water games was fun too. 

One would not normally expect to trek through nature parks barefoot, but we had adventurous fellow trekkers try out that too !!!

The breakfast break for the mandatory local cuisine of poha and chai was very much welcome and we were treated to the sight of a magnificent temple with the typical gopuram and a magnificent collage of colours. After trekking on (through shortcuts again) liberally laced with much singing and creative play acting,  we reach Base village Kulem for the much-needed changeover into dry clothes and then lunch (local cuisine). 

Well fed and watered we then go to  Kulem Station where We bid goodbye to our fellow trekkers from Pune  The one-hour shuttle train ride to Madgaon station in a practically empty train gives us some much needed rest either by way of snooze or catching up on many trekking stories from everyone.

Madgaon station with its nicely stocked restaurant and magnificent Mario sketches were lovely as always. With the expected delay in the train, Shrikant our trek lead along with enthusiastic participation from few others did their version of a social experiment and regaled the bystanders with a continuous medley of Bollywood numbers.

 The initially curious, then amused and subsequently, the impressed audience actually started showering the music ‘band’ with currency notes. ( for the record - The currency notes, of course, were returned back to the givers with considerable difficulty.)

The Matsyagandha Express whose onerous task it is to transport us back to Mumbai arrives at its own pace and we pile on into our Carriages. Without much ado we drift off to a long well deserved sleep to return back the next morning to Mumbai with pleasant memories and memory full of (pun intended) pictures 

Thank you, Bindaas Travelers for a fantastically managed event