A Once-In-A-Year Relationship with Kumara Parvatha

There is a proverb in Kannada, "Doorada betta kannige nunnage", which literally translates to "The mountain far away always looks good" or something like that. The closest English equivalent proverb could be, "The grass is always greener on the other side". But for the sake of fun, we shall be using the Kannada version. Because people who try out this trek for the first time without experience and without fitness, they all feel that they should have just enjoyed the view of the mountain from below, in front of the Kukke Subramanya temple. But there is so much this trek offers that are way too difficult to put into words. I can only describe it as "Magical"

I have been to KP (Kumara Parvatha) twice. But in this blog, I will be writing only about the first time. Everyone knows that the first time's always the best. There are two starting points to the trek. One from the Kukke side (the popular one), and another from the Somawarapete side starting at Kumarahalli. Both times we started and ended our trek on the Kukke side. Apparently, the view is even more awesome on the other side. I am planning to start the next trek from that side.

A basic map of the trail

We rented our tent in Bangalore, brought it to Hassan, then climbed the mountain with that on our backs. Thankfully, now you can call Bhattara Mane and book the tent there. No need to carry it. It's a weight lifted off of your shoulders, literally.

The trek starting point is around 1.5 km from the city. We took a bus from Hassan to Gundya, and then another bus to Kukke, reaching there by 1 pm. There are several direct buses from Bangalore and Hassan. And if you can't catch any of those direct buses, you can always take Mangalore / Dharmasthala buses, get down at Gundya and go to Kukke in local buses, auto rickshaws, or jeeps. Connectivity is not an issue here from this side.

We had some food in a small canteen. My friend ordered Masala Dosa, but there was no "Masala" in the Masala Dosa. So, she asked to change it and bring proper Masala Dosa. They took back the dosa without any complaint and said they will prepare new dosa. So, they took it inside (we were able to see the kitchen from the outside, and I think they knew that), put some potato palya (curry) on the same dosa, and served that. We just finished our food, paid the bill, and got the hell out of there. The point I am trying to make is that most of the canteens/restaurants suck. So, plan accordingly.

We met my brother, then started the longest walk of our lives. Though Google shows it as 10 km, the trail is actually 12 km - 13 km. There is a small temple at the forest entrance. We spotted a snake just within 5 minutes. I knew we would be encountering snakes here. But, just didn't expect it to be that soon. But, the forest disappointed me then because we didn't spot a single snake the whole trip.

We continued on our path. The first half of the trail is almost just forest. So, at least, you get good shade from the scorching sun. It's not too elevated, but with distance, you'll start noticing it. We took a break every 20-25 minutes. The first break was after 45 minutes, then the time interval got smaller and smaller.

And just when we thought we just couldn't walk anymore, we got presented with a small waterfall formed by the stream that flows in the forest. You can see the map above. The waterfall is in the perfect location. I think it is around 4 km from the starting point. It's like someone placed it there tactically just so that the trekkers can have their refreshments there. The water is cool. Some people advise not to drink water from the stream, but, we drank it, and nothing happened to us. We relaxed there for a bit, enjoyed ourselves, and started again. Since this was way past the rainy season, there were no leeches.

The life-saving waterfall along the path (Canon 1500D. 5 seconds exposure)

We still had to walk 3 km to the Forest Office. Camping is not allowed anywhere else but near the Forest Office. The sun was coming down. It was November, and the days are shorter. And it gets really dark really fast in a forest. Fortunately, we were able to make it before dark. By the time we exited the forest the sun was still bright. It was a view to behold. But, the Forest Office was still like 1 km away.

The view right after you exit the forest. (Mi A3. 1/4200s)

We reached the sunset viewpoint by 6 pm. We should have first gone to the Forest Office, got our tents pitched, then come back to enjoy the sunset. (The Forest Office and Bhattara Mane are kind of on lower bases of small peaks). But we just sat there enjoying the sunset. It was so calming. We finally went down at 7 pm. Thankfully, we didn't get into any trouble. But, these days you must report to the Forest Office at the earliest.

Sunset from the mountains. (Composite HDR image of 2 individual images. Canon 1500D)

Forest view. (Mi A3)

We took out our tents and started pitching. But, none of us had done it before, so we were failing miserably. Some guy in the next tent offered help. After pitching our tent we again went to the peak above. Had some fun taking light painting pictures (you can read about light painting pictures here). There were so many stars in the sky. I had never seen that many stars because I live in an urban neighborhood where the whole sky just reeks of light pollution.

It was also my first time experimenting with astrophotography. I wanted to capture a good night sky photo but ended up capturing a star trail on my first attempt because I left the shutter open for too long.

An accidental star trail. (Canon 1500D. 459 seconds exposure)

I still didn't get a really good photo that night. After some trial and error, it was getting better. But, the Forest department guys didn't let us stay there after 9.30 pm. So, we had to come down. Surprisingly, even after exerting so much pressure on our bodies, we couldn't sleep. I guess we were too excited. We hadn't booked at Bhattara Mane for dinner. We just ate some Snickers and biscuits. (Ah snickers, the lifesaver in so many of my treks).

We woke up at around 4.45 am in order to make it to the nearest peak to watch the sunrise. But, since there was only 1 restroom, our plan was cardinally delayed (the situation has improved now as there are three restrooms WITH working lights in one of them). We walked faster without taking many breaks. The cool breeze also helped. And yet, we failed to make it there before sunrise. We just had to see the horizon turning orange-yellow gradually.

The view at 6.15 am. Remember that the sunrise is in the opposite direction. (Mi A3. 1/125s)

 

Our next major stop was to be at Kallu Mantapa, a stone structure built many many years ago. You will meet the small stream again here before reaching Kallu Mantapa. We drank water from that, filled our bottles, then had some rest on the old stones of Kallu Mantapa.

From there the next major point is Shesha Parvatha. The trail from Kallu Mantapa to Shesha Parvatha is filled with really great views of mountains and grasslands. There comes a point on the trail where the path is like really carved into the mountain and it's just an abyss on the other side. The winds are so strong here. You feel like you have entered into another world. Then we reach a small resting point where there are some really good views.

On the way to Shesha Parvatha. (Canon 1500D. 1/3700s)

Composite HDR image of 3 individual images. (Canon 1500D)

Shesha Parvatha. (Edited Panorama )

Some people end their trek here at Shesha Parvatha. I would say they are missing out on a lot. Not necessarily because of the views over at the main peak of Kumara Parvatha, no, it's really not that great. But, the path to the peak is something magical. It's a relief to see the forests after endless grasslands. Temperatures start to drop as you enter the forest. It's around 2 km from the Shesha Parvatha peak. But, we hardly took 2 or 3 breaks here.

Lush evergreen forest. (Mi A3)

Before climbing the final peak you will hit a wall. It's a big rock elevated at an angle of 80°. Then you climb the peak. Nothing really great about it, but you feel the satisfaction of climbing it.

Then we started the descent. The worst part of the whole trek. Since it's all just grasslands, no shade to take rest, the sun burning down on you, your stomach feeling the effect of zero food and very less water in the body, it was hell. We reached Bhattara Mane at around 12.30. Apparently, we had to book there for lunch. We hadn't, but Bhatta was generous enough to provide us with food (for money, of course). No amount you pay is going to be enough. The effort they go through to bring all the ingredients from Kukke city to their house in the mountains is unimaginable. I can't really comment on the taste of the food there, but, it felt so heavenly.

The trip from there to the base was not that difficult. We also saw the workers of Bhatta climbing the mountains carrying loads of rice and other ingredients. They made it look like some child's play. But, for us, climbing down the mountain really puts too much pressure on our ankles. We reached the base. Then we had to walk from the base to the city. That, too, felt like an extreme task. We were so done. We made it to the city. My brother was waiting there. But, we couldn't catch a bus. We waited and waited. Finally got a bus to Gundya. Thought since many buses are on that route, we could catch a bus to Hassan. Alas, couldn't have been more wrong. Waited again for some 40-45 minutes. Got a bus to Sakaleshpura. Then took another bus to Hassan, where the whole bus smelled like a Distillery.

Came home, and couldn't move a muscle. I smelled worse than a Distillery. Took a shower, and slept like a baby.

That's it. If I have to list the key takeaways, they are:

1. Don't even try this trek if you are not in good shape.
2. Pack as much food and water as you can. Snickers will be your savior. (No, I am not being paid by them to write this)
3. Must be aware of leeches during the rainy season.
4. Book your tent and meals with Bhattara Mane. Contact No. +91 9480527765.
5. Hats are really important.
6. Don't pack too many clothes.
7. Don't try to finish the whole trek in a day. It's so tiresome, and also, you miss a lot of great things.

Thank you for reading! This is my longest blog to date. Hope you had fun. Share it with your friends. See ya!

Share this on WhatsApp