 |
| MADHUGIRI BETTA |
Madhugiri betta is the second largest monolithic rock in Asia (1200 meters) and will whet your appetite for a bit of a climb and some serious trekking. First timers must study the climb and come adequately equipped with good trek shoes (the grip matters !!). Your small back pack must contain at least one liter of water , good sunglasses (i prefer Polaroids to cut the sun ) , sun protective hat to protect your skin after ample application of sunscreen. The last suggestion can be skipped in case you don't care about your skin. Since it is a single rock it will present challenges of numerous kind inter alia steep exposed rocks and wind factor. If it rains the challenge increases as your chances for a slip increase proportionately. Of course you can start late in the day and have additional heat and glaring sun added to the list of elements !!! On my way back I saw a family all set for a climb with kids and the ladies wearing sandals (thankfully not stilettos) . This is not that kind of place. It is not a picnic spot. I would rate the difficulty level at intermediate for a well worked out person with a bit of trekking experience. Of course am sure it is cake walk for an experienced trekker. Isn't it all relative in the end? LOL
Madhugiri is a town located in Tumkur district of Karnataka state. A small nondescript town will provide with basic eatery and very basic hotel facility in case you need to stay the night over. Many people from Bangalore do this as a day trek after driving down from Bangalore which is about a 120 odd Km. away. This could be covered in about 3 hours. The road is good as well.
Also if time permits one must spent time to explore Jayamangali Blackbuck Sanctuary. It is only a notified protected sanctuary so don=t be alarmed at the absence of a grand gate to welcome you or some major forest office area with guards scurrying around
 |
| I am the Jayamangali Blackbuck Sanctuary |
 |
| Vast spread of grassland with thorny bushes |
 |
| My hubby dear poses |
 |
| The umbrella provided relief from the scorching sun |
 |
| Termites abound |
It has the largest contiguous population of blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) in Karnataka. I spotted a watchtower also. Excellent for putting up your tripods or just fooling around through a pair of binoculars !!
I loved the vastness one feels in the absence of much construction , less vegetation , and of course absence of teeming millions.
 |
| Blackbucks sighted..made my day!!! |
It is a typical grassland and apart from the Black buck, other mammals present in the area includes , Indian Wolf, bonnet macaque, jungle cat, Indian grey mongoose, bats, Indian fox , Indian hare, rodents , butterflies and birds. Some medicinal plants also found here.
One can also drive through Thimmalapura forest reserve. The route can be tracked through GPS, google maps or even the locals are helpful. I found the locals around to be more than willing to help some even going out of the way to point out the best route to reach the destination.This forest is known for its population of peafowls and sloth bears
Lets get back to the main purpose i had undertaken the journey- the trek. We (hubby and I) started the trek at 6: 45 AM and were down to base at 945 AM. 2 hours to go up and an hour for the descend . The descend will be easier than you perceive it to be .I did not do much photography during this trek having outsourced the click job to him. We are regular gym people with some marathons to our credit. But the experience in the climb trek route was a bit low and so i did find the trek to be difficult in some areas especially where there was no support at all and the rock was steep and exposed. The gust of wind was strong as well. The only blessing was the heat. Having started early we were not hit by the sun to that extent..
The entry way is through a gateway. There is no ticket and one can easily park inside and start the trek.
The level of difficulty will increase proportionately with the ascend. From plain steps to huge boulder cut steps to rock cut steps guarded by a metal rod support to totally exposed rock with rock cut steps to no steps. Here is the challenging bit. Saw a lot of people turn away at the exposed rock part.
Apart from the Adrenalin rush , i found the area to be quiet aesthetic and picturesque with a derelict fort thrown in at the top.
The construction of the original mud fort was undertaken by Raja Hire Gowda in the 17th century around 1670 AD.
