a trip with brother, Bhadravati and Kumathi

..continued from a trip with brother, Chandragutti-2.

One thing I hadn't mentioned in the previous post was about the stop at Kinara Restaurant a few kilometers on Shivamogga-Tirthahalli highway. It was suggested by our a friend from Bhadravati, we decided to try out fish there even though it was slightly out of the way. Yes, steamed fish with chilly curry was awesome, Deepak and I thoroughly enjoyed the snack. We got a few plates packed for dinner as well. After checking into the hotel at Bhadravathi, I felt better after a long bath. We had fish and cucumbers over drinks.. that was dinner. Then we crashed out!

We woke up around 6 AM, freshened up and started our tour of Paper Town the township of Mysore Paper Mills (MPM). Paper Town was our home until 1977. I have a lot of memories of those years but Deepak remembered a few things.. he was still in UKG when we moved out of Bhadravati. He was coming here after a gap of 48 years!

For our generation, Bhadravati is synonymous to Visvesvaraya Iron & Steel Ltd and Mysore Paper Mills. VISL was the big brother, it was much larger in terms of area and employment. Both factories were situated on the left bank of Bhadra river. Since it's establishment, VISL received iron ore via a ropeway from Kemmangundi. Iron ore was also transported in railway wagons. I still have memories of  seeing carriers hauling iron ore at Kemmangundi the hill station on Baba Budangiri range. Well, the two thriving public sector units providing employment to thousands and greatly supporting Bhadravati's economy were victims of politics and mismanagement. There were several failed attempts to revive the units before all hope was lost in the mid 90s. Today the two townships Steel Town and Paper Town are ghost townships. However, some of the employees continue to reside in the quarters to this day.

The two townships collectively was called New Town. Old Town is the original Bhadravati which is situated on the right bank. The townships had all kinds of amenities including educational institutions, parks and a movie theatre. Most, if not all, kids of New Town went to St. Charles Borromeo School which was situated in the Steel Town, close to the railway line.

Here are a few pictures of our tour. This is the main gate of MPM. Even though the paper mills are in a state of neglect, the main gate looks very functional. Yes, there are guards on duty round the clock. Less than a kilometer from this gate are the living quarters grouped into wards.

That's our street, most of the trees of that time have survived. I still remember this Ficus vividly. Boys from other wards used to prowl around felling figs from this Ficus.

On our street consisted of twin houses i.e. they shared one common wall but had separate spaces on three sides. This is the house we lived in, it was much more elegant back then. Now it looks like the houses have been painted with leftover material. The present occupant has added a bad looking two-wheeler parking shelter, and that wooden gate too is a recent addition. We had several trees here... mango, coconut, jackfruit, and Parijata. Now it's worn a bare look.

The open ground on one side of our street. It's the same, thankfully no new constructions here. Adjoining the ground is a park with a stage. During Ganesh Chaturthi, cultural activities were conducted on the stage. Life those days was something else.

That's Deepak, trying to recall memories. He remembered a small circular platform under a Honge tree opposite our house which we called round katte. That was our usual play spot.

At the end of our street was a junction which was also a bus-stop. We boarded those colorful buses , named after Hindu gods, with other school going kids. Bus fare per kid was five paise. The bus dropped off in front of the school and continued it's way to Old Town. This tree with a platform around it is a landmark called Aralikatte. This was Paper Town's bus-stand.

From Aralikatte we headed towards Bhadra river. During our stay here we would walk the 1.7 km path to immerse Ganesha idol in the flowing waters of Bhadra. From the outskirts of our colony, it was a dirt road, a lonely stretch. Presently the path is dusty and even more lonely. This is the foot bridge connecting Paper Town and Sunnadahalli village. The village was known for a temple - Sunnadahalli Anjaneya Devastana. I remember seeing a jaggery mill here... the orange glow of the flame under a huge pan of boiling sugarcane juice. The odor emanating from the boiling liquid was quite strong but it wasn't bad.

Deepak and spent about half an hour on the shore but we did not make it to Sunndadahalli. The rising sun was getting a bit uncomfortable to be out in the open. We headed back to Paper Town and then continued towards Steel Town. I could recall a number of places but Deepak was clueless. Lastly we went to our school St. Charles Borromeo School. The original building is still the same, even the color I think. In the 90s a new wing was added without spoiling the original look. Of course one major change is shifting the school gate to the side road from the main road. We wanted to see the inside of the school but our friend Srinivas informed us that the authorities are not allowing any visitors, even alumni members for some reason. That was little disappointing, we had to let go f wishes at times. Deepak's memory here is the flight of steps descending into a cave like chamber where the LKG classroom was. I too remember that well.

The last stop of the morning was Srinivas' home. Two more friends Nagaraj and Anil were also there. I was happy to see them and meet Srini's folks. We had a tasty breakfast, chatted and bid goodbye to our friends. We had to rush a bit because it was almost noon and we had travel 175 km to reach Kumathi well before sunset. We picked up a few snacks and cucumbers for the way.

We were heading to Kumathi to see the two anthropomorphic statues which are believed to be prehistoric. I'd seen them a decade ago. This trip was for Deepak. I had plans of camping near the statues which is situated in an open field between two villages namely Kumathi and Valase. I'd carried a tent and other required stuff. The last 17 km of the 175 km was through rural belt. Though the terrain was barren barring shrubs it looked wild. As we approached the spot, I realized the place was seeing a lot more traffic presently. The place had changed greatly in the past decade. I gave gave on the idea of camping. It was decided that we head to Kamalapur / Hampi after seeing the statues.

Like my visit of Dec 2013, today's visit too was late afternoon. My wish was to see these artifacts in morning light, looks like it may never happen. Anyway, I was happy that Deepak could see them. His first attempt to reach Kumathi in 2021 was a failure. His wish is about to be fulfilled.

Like I said before this place has changed a lot, it's lost it's innocence. In 2013 this was an open field, barren and unused. However today the place has turned into a farm. Rows of papaya saplings and lines of drip irrigation pipes cover this land. A year later, the statues would be partly concealed by grown up trees. That's Deepak, curious to see the statues up close. The two statues are identifiable easily.. one is like a bird with spread out wings, and the other looks like a man in a robe. Both statues are made of similar stone which happens to be granite. While the monk is around 11 feet tall, the bird is 10 feet. For them to be standing, a good portion remains buried. Considering the buried portions these statues are around 18 feet high.

The bird.

The monk.

Local lore is that there were two demons who happened to cross their path with an ascetic in an unpleasant way. The effect of the ascetic curse turned them into stones. Well, there can be other theories and explanations. There's one more site with somewhat similar statue in a remote location inside Tamil Nadu.

After spending several minutes with our still friends, we chatted with the people occupying the land. Apparently they have purchased the land for the sake of cultivation and settled here. A government scheme has funded their project with which a shed has been erected. The owner is an elderly woman, she and her children take care of the farm. They grew vegetables and watermelon. The Ajji was kind enough to give us two watermelon.

Having seen the prehistoric statues, we said bye to the place. We had decided to reach Kamalpur and check into Hotel Mayura Bhuvaneshwari, a 100 km journey. It was a nonstop journey, we reached the lodge by 8-30 or so. Being in the middle of the week, rooms were available. We checked in, freshened up, sat down for drinks, and opted for room service over the dining hall. Plan for the morning was a tour of Hampi. Not the usual hotspots, but to see the lesser visited spots.

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a trip with brother, Chandragutti-2

...continued from a trip with brother, Chandragutti-1.

We had trekked almost two hours in still air in the uphill path passing through the jungles on Chandragutti hill. The experience had sapped our energy. And suddenly we were out in the open, exposed to blazing sunlight and to the heat radiating from the rocks. The hilltop today was a contrast of what I'd seen in Oct 2011. It was grey-green and fresh then, today it's grey-pale-yellow and parched. One thing is common though, the constant breeze.

Deepak going around the big water tank. In the background is the jungle we trekked through to come here. Beyond the hill & jungle are farmlands and villages.

Deepak's view of the water-tank. I wonder if this tank was ever filled to the brim. Even if it's thrr-fourth full anyone swimming in it may have had a difficult time climbing out without help. Perhaps, a rope was left hanging into the tank as an aide to climb out.

This part of the fort is the core of Chandragutti fort. I guess this was where the commander stationed. Perhaps this structure was the commander's residence & office. The condition of this structure was really good back in 2011. I was saddened to see the damaged wall. I feel this damage is a result of vandalization. Possibly someone must've dislodged a block or two trying to locate hidden treasure.

Another water-tank next to the commander's office. This one is friendlier compared to the big tank. At the opposite end are steps descending into the water. Green water indicates deep water.. surely this is deep but also there's a lot of moss in it. Maybe it isn't safe enough to drink. In the past, water tanks were maintained well. Usually fish and tortoises would be left in, they did the cleaning naturally.

From the other side of the tank. That plant was there last time too which means it's at least 15 years old, maybe much more older. On the rock surfaces around this tank and structure, one can see several etchings of an elephant and hulimane triangles. Hulimane literally means tiger's home. It's an ancient game played by two people, one representing a tiger and other sheep. Obviously the tiger will prey on the sheep and the sheep have to evade the tiger or be eaten.

About a hundred meters from the water tank is that boulder which marks the end of the trail. Beyond that rock are sheer drops, down below are more jungles and paddy fields. There's place to sit around the boulder but at noon one can't expect much shade. The two canines had gone ahead and found a shady spot to rest.

That's Deepak close to the edge. On to his left was a small shelter good enough for one person to sit comfortably. This is a great great sunset spot.. west is slightly to the right, we are looking towards the south-south-west.

This wall descends dangerously to the very edge. I wonder how this wall was constructed. Those guys were undoubtedly brave and strong. Also look at the wall, it's solid. It's wide enough for a person to walk over it but anyone trying that should be daring enough or foolish enough. I guess many haven't tried it and that's the reason it has been left alone.

After going around the boulder, we came back to the eastern side, the shade was wider here. Deepak decided to go horizontal. I parked myself on a stone block placed there like a seat. Our canine friends were resting across the small water-tank next to us.

There they are, lying down in the shade. The white one was staring into the water. I guess some insect or frog had caught it's attention. The dog's expression was like... can I catch it, will it taste nice. After a while it lost interest and decided to nap.

I decided to go around a bit, the dogs followed me. Deepak launched his DJI Mini2. Luckily at the time it wasn't too breezy. Wind is kind of unpredictable, it blows in sudden powerful bursts. This is one of the few ariel shots captured by DJI Mini 2.

Sun was beating down fiercely, it was difficult to be in the open for more than 10 minutes. I headed back to the boulder. We ate some peanut candy and drank water. We felt bad for not having anything the dogs could eat. Also we would be hungry and running low on water. We decided to start our return trek. One last look at the boulder... don't know if I'll ever come here again. Whoever that person Bujji is... that person has written his name next to the hulimane etching. Around this spot we heard a buzz high above us. It took a couple of seconds for us to realize that it was a passing bee-swarm. We froze for a moment and then relaxed knowing they wouldn't attack with provocation. The buzz faded away... Oh that sound was a treat to my ears!

At the collapsed gateway, we did not take the dirt slope, it was too risky. It would be easier to clamber down the heap of boulders. That's me making my way through the branches and stones.

Another view of the ruins. Even the canines took the same way. It's easier for them since they are much lighter and their center of gravity is much lower. With four limbs they are like 4WD vehicles. With the toughest bit behind us, our descent was rapid, no long breaks.

At one spot we heard a strange call, we were unable to find the source. We stopped and looked carefuly, we found a small group of monkeys. They were kind of restless, as if they had sensed danger close by. Our canine friends stayed with us through the trek, they would either lead us or follow us, stopped when we stopped. We were really touched by their behavior. As soon as we reached the temple, our canine friends left us and went out of sight. We were tired, thirsty and hungry. We spotted a water tank, thankfully it was filled. The cool water wash was refreshing. We refilled our water bottles and headed to the car.

At the exit of the temple parking area was a shop. We stopped to inquire for a khanawali. The shopkeeper said there were hotels which served meals... chapati, curry, rice, etc. After that meal, it would be difficult to travel since we wanted to reach Bhadravati by sunset. The shop had snacks, ice-cream and buttermilk. We opted for snacks and settled at the shop for a while downing several ice-cream cups and buttermilk sachets. Thirst and hunger quenched, we were recharged. We started our journey towards Bhadravati via Shivamogga. It was around 7-45 PM when we checked into a hotel in Bhadravati. The plan for the following day was to see Paper Town, our street, our home and our school... a trip with brother, Bhadravati & Kumathi.

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