0 Kavdikere

...journey continued from Magod Waterfall.

The story of Kavdikere has a mythological connection. It seems the lake was created by Bheema. During Pandava's exile...

...Panadavas are searching for food in the forest. Bheema come across a cave and finds that Devathas are performing pooja inside. He becomes inquisitive and asks one of the Devis why the pooja is being performed here when there's so much place on this world. Devi says that the cave cleaner than any other place..... Devi asks Bheema to make an ideol of her and install it and hide the cave under water. So Bheema goes to Kashi and gets Ganga water in a sea shell (seashell is called kavadi in Kannada) and poured it into the cave. The cave gets submerged and a small is created. Hence the lake is known as Kavadikere.

Kavdi = seashell and kere = lake.



There's a village close-by. It seems local people have heard sounds of bells and conch at noon from the middle of the lake. It's a local belief that anybody challenging to swim across the lake drowns never to come out again.



People often come here to picnic and relax because of it's peaceful ambiance.

If you want to visit Kavdikere, here are the directions, starting from Dharwad.

Dharwad > Kalghatgi > Yellapur > drive towards Ankola, about 5km down the road, watch out for Magod Waterfall's board on your left > take Magod Waterfall road, about 10 or 12 km into the jungle, watch out for Kavdikere board to your left > take the narrow road, Kavdikere is another 5km

If you plan a weekend picnic you can visit Kavdikere, Magod Waterfall and Jenukalgudda. Watch the Sun set at Jenukalgudda and head back to Dharwad.

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Detail: Kavdikere

0 Sirle Waterfall

5:15 AM December 25. Veena N, Veena R and I. Dharwad, Kalghatgi, Yellapur, Idagundi...

At Veena's place I met her parents and sister Vinaya. We had good breakfast; paper dosa, ghee, liquid jaggery and coffee. Veena showed her arecanut garden and took us to Ramalingeswara temple. We met one of her cousins... I remember them calling Suranna. We got back home and left to Sirle, about 8km drive.

I parked my car off NH63, at the beginning of a narrow dirt track road to Sirle village. We walked down the steep path. It was cool at the top and got warmer as we went down into the valley.


This is Talegari leaf. Talegari plants are unique to this part of Western Ghats. It seems the plant can be found in few places and Sirle is one amongst them. In fact, our decision to walk was a good one. We would see so many varieties of plants, trees and flowers. I saw a big spider but could not get a good shot of it. The sounds of the jungle were soothing after all the maddening sounds of cities.



Sirle is one big arecanut plantation with 6 or 7 houses scattered around, all homes belonging to one family. Every house is designed to handle arecanut processing... a cauldron packed in a dirt-insulated stove to boil ripe fruits and raised platforms to dry them. Almost everything is from nature. Arecanut stems are used as beams and pillars. Talegari leaves are used to protect things from rain. People here are truly down to earth. They are natural engineers.


That's Veena, Veena's father Nagesh Bhat and Veena of Idagundi.


Nagesh Bhat took me on a guided tour to Sirle waterfall, a short walk through the plantation. Veena's mother and both Veena's also joined us. There's a natural rock arch with a small cave within. The inside of the cave was pretty dark and we did not bother to venture near it... God knows what slithery creatures were lurking in it.


That's a smaller arch within the bigger arch.






The temple shaped rock looks like it fell off the top.

Dry bamboo roots.


The ladies start hunting for black smooth surfaced stones. My guess; to grind chatni.


Nagesh Bhat helps them find some. This particular stone was shaped like a Shivalinga.



We headed back to the arecanut plantation and climbed up towards the waterfall top. Nagesh Bhat & brothers have constructed a small dam and channels to divert water to irrigate the plantation.


Water flows over the dam and then rushes down towards the edge, dives down the cliff kicking up a mild spray and flows down deeper into the jungles.


I look forward to visit Sirle again... during a rainy season.



Two videos-




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Detail: Sirle Waterfall

0 Syntheri Rocks

October 1 evening I decided to go out towards Dandeli, thought I'll shoot pictures. October 2 morning I left home around 8 after breakfast of uppit. It was raining for the past few days and I expected the forest to be greeeen.


I stopped few kilometers from Haliyal, and ventured into the woods (not deep inside). The soil was wet and trees were dripping with rain drops.


Road was good most of the way except for few kilometers before Dandeli. I stopped on the bridge across Kali river and surprised to see rocks scattered over the water surface. During my last visit December 2006 the river was full and water was deep green.


Having come so far I thought let me go to Ulavi and on the way I could I also stop over at Syntheri Rocks ...I drove on. I passed by a graveyard and saw two men walking into it with a pick-axe and a spade. I guessed they were heading to dig a grave. The jungle got thicker as I drove on and I could see streams more often. The sky was filled with dark clouds and the air was humid and warm ...sign of rain.



Finally I was at the turn off to Syntheri Rocks. I bought tickets one for me and one for the car and took the dirt road. On the way I stopped by to take a picture of a tree and a spider caught my attention. It was a delicate looking one but hyper-active ...it seems it was weaving a web.



I parked the car in the vehicle parking space and walked down the slippery steps into the valley ...I could hear the water gushing through rocks. This board greeted me to the spot ...it should have been in red. One needs to be really careful on these slippery rocks, especially when they are wet.



The stream flows from the right to left passing through a narrow gap between rock formations...


...and cascades down into a pool and then flows away.






It looks as though tar has flowed down these rocks.


I sat here watching the water flow by raising a light mist. The caves and few pigeons sitting on the narrow ledge jut above one of the caves. I collected a few pebbles ...white colored and light weight.


Rain drops made me get up but I stopped to shoot these interesting life form out of dead leaves.




May be these two videos gives a good feel of the place.





By the time I climbed up the steps and reached th car it was pouring and I was sweating too. And by the time I reached the main road it was raining cats and dogs. I turned left towards Ulavi.

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Detail: Syntheri Rocks