Madhugiri Trek
If you're looking for an adventurous day-out around Bangalore, Madhugiri is not a bad choice. We're not a huge fan of Monolith, so to add some excitement we made Madhugiri a Ride & Trek event. Madhugiri is one of the easy treks to plan since it doesn't require much of Planning & Logistics. This time it was Subish, Alok, Giri, Harish and Myself. We got to Madhugiri on the last Sat of July, 2013.
More info on Madhugiri:
Madhugiri is a Taluk headquarters in Tumkur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. The town derives its name from a hillock, Madhu-giri (honey-hill) which is to the north of the place. At 3,930 ft (1,200 m) elevation, Madhugiri is a single hill. It is the second largest monolith in Asia. Nestled on its steep slopes is a fort, once credited to Hyder Ali. Antaralada Bagilu, Diddibagilu, and Mysore Gate are the three gateways of the fort. A series of doorways leads to the hill. The ruined temple of Gopalakrishna is located at the top. (Source: Wikipedia)
·Distance/Route: Bangalore --- 55 Kms ---> Dabaspete --- 60Kms ----> Madhugiri
·How to get: Private vehicle is a most viable option. There are buses available as from Majestic and KR Market.
·Difficulty Level: 2.5/5
·Distance: ~4 Kms (One Way)
·Permission: Not Required
We gathered at Old Airport Road at 4 am in the morning to start our ride towards Madhugiri. The roads to Madhugiri is in very good condition until Dabaspete and after that its all Village limit and the roads are little bumpy at times. As usual, we were on a good pace until Dabaspete and from then on, we slowed it down since its all village limit. At around 6.30 am, it started drizzling and it added to the beauty. Especially, when it drizzles while riding, the experience is something which cannot be explained. We stopped for breakfast around 7 in one of the villages and had hot Idly Vada and Lemon Rice. Resumed at around 7.30, we reached Madhugiri base at 8.30 am.
More info on Madhugiri:
Madhugiri is a Taluk headquarters in Tumkur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. The town derives its name from a hillock, Madhu-giri (honey-hill) which is to the north of the place. At 3,930 ft (1,200 m) elevation, Madhugiri is a single hill. It is the second largest monolith in Asia. Nestled on its steep slopes is a fort, once credited to Hyder Ali. Antaralada Bagilu, Diddibagilu, and Mysore Gate are the three gateways of the fort. A series of doorways leads to the hill. The ruined temple of Gopalakrishna is located at the top. (Source: Wikipedia)
·Distance/Route: Bangalore --- 55 Kms ---> Dabaspete --- 60Kms ----> Madhugiri
·How to get: Private vehicle is a most viable option. There are buses available as from Majestic and KR Market.
·Difficulty Level: 2.5/5
·Distance: ~4 Kms (One Way)
·Permission: Not Required
We gathered at Old Airport Road at 4 am in the morning to start our ride towards Madhugiri. The roads to Madhugiri is in very good condition until Dabaspete and after that its all Village limit and the roads are little bumpy at times. As usual, we were on a good pace until Dabaspete and from then on, we slowed it down since its all village limit. At around 6.30 am, it started drizzling and it added to the beauty. Especially, when it drizzles while riding, the experience is something which cannot be explained. We stopped for breakfast around 7 in one of the villages and had hot Idly Vada and Lemon Rice. Resumed at around 7.30, we reached Madhugiri base at 8.30 am.
The trek started on human carved steps on the boulders, it goes on for about 30-40 mins. The view of other villages and lakes around looks gorgeous. The trek starts getting better when we get to the last part of it, its ~50 degs inclined and we have railings to hold on for support. The climb is very similar to what we find in Siddarabetta, Savandurga, Shivagange, etc. We reached the peak around 11.30 am, its a good 2 hours climb but we spent time on photographs and exploring the storage wells.
In the peak, we have huge wells which Kings used to store Ragi, Oil, Grains, etc., but the public have done a good job in polluting this place as much as possible. The place is filled up with Love Signs like "Raju Loves Geetha", lol...and plastic covers everywhere. We spent some time in the peak and started descending. It took an hour and a half to get to the base. We stopped at a Dhaba near by for food and found our way back home.
Overall, Madhugiri is a good weekend gateway and if you're interested in Cave Exploration, Ancient Forts, etc., this should be a treat. Some more pics below:
In the peak, we have huge wells which Kings used to store Ragi, Oil, Grains, etc., but the public have done a good job in polluting this place as much as possible. The place is filled up with Love Signs like "Raju Loves Geetha", lol...and plastic covers everywhere. We spent some time in the peak and started descending. It took an hour and a half to get to the base. We stopped at a Dhaba near by for food and found our way back home.
Overall, Madhugiri is a good weekend gateway and if you're interested in Cave Exploration, Ancient Forts, etc., this should be a treat. Some more pics below: