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Maternal Grandmother's birthplace
Both of my maternal grandparents are from small towns (not so) close to Mysore. Grandfather is from Saligrama, 60 kilometres, and Grandmother is from Sargur, 55 kilometres from Mysore. If one is around the river Kaveri, the other has the Kabini flowing through. The Kabini flowing from Wayanad is a confluence of the Panamaram and Kabani rivers. It is also known as Kapila here in Karnataka, and the name of the dam in Kannada reads "Kapila Jalashaya", meaning Kapila Dam. The dam is a short 10-kilometre ride from the town. The reservoir has an area of 2145sq kilometres and is a beautiful sight to behold. Many resorts around the catchment area offer a spectacular view of the magnificent panorama.
At 12 kilometres from the main town of Heggadevana Kote (H.D.Kote), the town panchayat of Sarguru was bigger than what I remember or expected. It was many years ago, in my early childhood, I visited this place with my grandmother and her brother. The only episode I remember from the trip is the car getting stuck in the slush. It was the rainy season, and I am guessing the inner roads in the town may not have been developed as it is now.
The patchy and broken road to H.D.Kote is not very interesting and can get very busy with traffic after 9 am. It was a breeze to reach Sargur, and I enjoyed the early winter morning ride. From there, interior roads lead to the Kabini Dam, with ponds of small villages brimming / teeming with diverse birds. A new bridge is under construction next to the dam. The current small bridge is too low and will be flooded, cutting off connectivity during the monsoon. A sumptuous breakfast from H.D.Kote completed the excursion (breakfast ride). The return was uneventful except for some oncoming traffic.
