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The unpretentious country roads
Shivanasamudra is one of the most popular destinations for a one-day trip from Bangalore. In the recent years, the weekends seem to be flooded with tourists. It is especially favoured by motorcyclists, novice and experienced alike. Growing up in Banglore in the late '80s and early '90s, it was customary to visit the trio: Bluff-Talakadu-Somnathpura from our school.
From Mysore, the single-lane Bannur-Malavalli-Shivanasamudra road winds through paddy fields and small towns. With scant traffic on a Monday early morning, it was a breeze to ride. This also meant no crowd, and the serenity of the waterfalls and surroundings retained.
The Kaveri splits into two waterfalls at Shivanasamudra, creating a segmented waterfall. This occurs when the water flow is broken into two or more channels before dropping over a cliff, resulting in multiple side-by-side waterfalls. Barachukki, the wider of the two, cascades from around 70 metres. Gaganachukki is a couple of metres higher, plummeting from approximately 90 metres. Home to India's first hydroelectric power station, it was another of Sir M Vishwesvaraih's notable designs. It was commissioned in the year 1902 by the then Diwan of Mysore. The generated power was supplied to power the machinery at KGF.
Leaving the well-laid asphalt road of the onward journey, I chose to explore the interior road following Talakadu - Somnathpura and rejoining Bannur. The country road is lined with mighty Banyan trees bearing stories and legends from years gone by. The numerous generations of birds calling it their home, people who have sat under its shade sharing tales. Each small hamlet is bordered by fields - paddy, sugarcane - and a water-body, sometimes a lake or a pond filled with lotus flowers.
Watching the everyday life of the villagers, with their cattle, goat and cosy homes, is an enriching experience. Though the condition of the road is not at its best, the beautiful yellow flowers blossoming on the trees with vibrant green shrubs surrounding the verdant paddy fields, visited by the winter migratory birds, outweigh the potholes. The cloudy weather and light drizzling added to the charm.
