The Manchanabele Getaway

My friend Harsha had come across a scenic place near Ramanagar last month (May 2005). He had told me about this which aroused the photo bug in me. We decided to go to this place called Manchanabele. I left home at 9 AM with the camera and tripod stand as usual and a large bottle of water. Harsha joined me in Vijaynagar. We soon hit the Mysore highway at around 9:50 AM. The Bangalore - Mysore highway which is being converted into a four lane system, is still under construction. The roads until Kengeri are in a pathetic state.

As Manchanabele is a village & no hotels nearby it we decided to pack food from some hotel on the way. Came across this nice looking hotel called Kadu Mane (Forest House) a little away from Kengeri. This hotel is very spacious with lots of greenery around it.



There was a special room which was built using bamboo sticks high above the ground level. The view from here was nice and the feel of the room was natural. It was more like a tree house.

There were some huge Turkeys and somDuckse too in this place. Though the ambience of the hotel was good the same thing cannot be said of the food served here which we realized later. We packed two masala dosas and two plates of vangi bath. The food here is a bit costly.



We resumed the drive at around 10:45. The roads from here are a pleasure to drive. We can reach around 100 kmph easily. Very soon we reached Ramanagar. To go towards Manchanabele one has to take a right turn just a few meters away from Ramanagar Town. The people around are more than willing to help you.

Manchanabele is about 30 Kms from this deviation in Ramanagar. Ramanagar is famous for its many mountains.



The mountains are so prominent in this place. The houses here have the view of the mountains either from the backyard or front yard and sometimes both.



The beauty of the mountains are complimented by the greenery around them.



There are some very interesting patterns which are made by the mountains in this place. This one here takes the form of the Basava (Bull). It is nicknamed as the Basava Betta by the people here.



The drive to Manchanabele is very scenic and I stopped the car a hundred times to capture some really splendid shots of Mother Nature. The calf here looked so innocent though it’s giving a menacing look for the camera.



We came across this very nice old man who explained to us in detail about the mountains here. This was the very mountains where the eternal movie of Bollywood Sholay was shot. The places around here are favorites for the Cinema makers.



An areca nut farm on the way.



This mountain here is called the Aame Betta (Turtle Rock). Amazing are the ways of nature.



I came across a stack of bricks on the road. I tried in vain to get the face of the grazing ox through this gap here. I missed out on the timing :(



Another lovely view of the mountains. The holes there add to the beauty.



A wind mill with a weather cock on the way.



This farm here contained both coconut and areca nut trees. The geometrically straight areca and the curved coconut trees compliment each other.



A barren tree on the way caught between two mountains.

Yet another formation of the rocks. I christened this as the Grandfather Rock.

The villagers spread the Ragi Stalks on the roads. When the vehicles go on them, the ragi grains get separated from the grass. This lessens the burden on them. The conventional way is to beat the grass on the surface so that the grains fall off. Alas in this computer age everyone including the village folks are becoming lazy.

An interesting incident happened here, when I was capturing this shot, a guy from the village was carrying more stalks and going towards the ladies in the picture. I overheard him telling them that I am taking a photograph to lodge a complaint against them for spreading the stalks on the road and causing inconvenience for the road users. But the ladies remained unaffected by his words. Guess they knew he was flirting around.

Finally at 1:30 PM we reached Manchanabele. The drive was very scenic and the Kannada Songs playing on my CD system added to the pleasure.

Located in Magadi taluk of Bangalore district, Manchanabele is a popular picnic spot located amidst hills, forests and the Arkavathi river. The Savandurga mountains are in the backdrop.

The Manchanabele reservoir, built across the Arkavathi, a tributary of the Cauvery. A scenic view of the Arkhavathi River and the mountains.

The view of the roads beneath from the dam.

Harsha strikes a pose.

The stone bed of the Arkhavathy.

Another one here.

After spending some time near the reservoir it was time for lunch. We trekked up the mountains for about 20 minutes. Came across a green bed of grass which was suitable for having lunch. It was so calm here away from the usual din of the city.

Came across a green bed of grass which was suitable for having lunch. It was so calm here away from the usual din of the city.

After a satisfying lunch (satisfying beacuse of the hunger & not the taste) we trekked back to where I had parked the car.

Grazing goats along the way on the mountains

The view of the bridge beneath. The water body here in Harsha's view is of the shape of the map of Karnataka

We then drove towards the other side of Arkavathy River which is a few Kms away.

We relaxed on the banks of the river hearing the sound of the water. Unfortunately the fishermen were out of sight. Seems they take you for a ride for a small amount.

After some more time we left for Bangalore via the Magadi road which is just around 30 kms from Manchanabele. On the way we came across the famous Dodda Aladha Mara (Big Banyan Tree) in Ketohalli, Tavrekere village. This banyan tree is a 400-year-old tree. This is the second largest banyan tree in India. The main tree has over the years spread out widely with several aerial roots or prop roots. The tree covers an area of over four acres. The big banyan tree has been a popular jaunt for quite some time and is a favorite site for several film shootings.

The monkeys in the Dodda Aladha Mara are very badly behaved. They attack visitors and snatch the eatables from them. We had a first hand experience of this. Harsha was attacked!! The monkey is trying to open the bottle.

It is pathetic to SEE that almost every branch and trunk of the tree has been etched with graffiti by vandals and self proclaimed Romeo's and Majnu's

After a short stroll we left for Bangalore and reached there by 5:30 PM. It was a short memorable outing. One can also camp on the mountains of Manchanabele and the Savandurga nearby.