Jog Falls

Jog Falls is the magnificent water falls in the Western Ghats just 100 Kms from Shimoga city. This beautiful water falls is formed when Sharavati river plunges from a height of 829 feet in four magnificent cascades namely Raja, Rani, Roarer and Rocket. 

This is the tallest waterfalls in India that is situated in the dense evergreen forests of Western Ghats. The water does not stream down the rocks, instead it thunders down the slope losing contact with the rocks.

The lush green surroundings enhance the beauty of the waterfalls. It  is also known as Gerusoppaa Falls. The best time to visit the Jog is in winter when the sky is clear of the mist. 

The place is well connected by rail and road. It is just 100 kms from Shimoga on NH26.

Sikkim, the Paradise

Sikkim is one state that my family has been planning to visit for last 3 years. This has been getting postponed for one or another reason, but finally it happened in the last month.

Located in the Himalayan mountains, this beautiful place is characterised by mountainous terrain is a very lovely destination. The original inhabitants of Sikkim, called it Nye-mae-el, meaning "Paradise".

The entire state is hilly, with an elevation ranging from 280 metres 8500 metres with summit of Kangchenjunga peak forming the state's highest point. The state has 28 mountain peaks, more than 80 glaciers. Numerous rivers originate from the snow covered Himalayan mountains. The major river of the state is the Teesta River.

It is one of the few states in India to receive regular snowfall. The green cover for the state is provided by the thick forests. We covered length and breadth of the State by visiting important places in East, West, South and North. 

The entire state has roads built on the mountains with never ending high, low, twists and turns. It was a exciting trip with skilled local driver taking us around. We shall cover each of these places in more detail.

Mahadeva Temple, Aluva

The Mahadeva Temple at Aluva on the sand banks of Periyar river. 

The unique feature of this temple is that the Shivalinga is not enshrined within the walls of temple. The temple has no walls at all i.e., it is a open temple. 

As per legend the Shivalinga is installed by Lord Parasurama and worshiped by Lord Sri Rama. 

The Shiva Linga faces east and there is a Nandi in-front of the temple. During the rainy season most of the temple is submerged in river.

Sangam

Sangam is just 3 kms from Srirangapatna. Located near a temple is the confluence of 3 holy rivers Kaveri River, Kabini River & Hemavati River. 

The place is not only frequented by devotees, but also by those interested in picnicking. 

This place is also frequented by birds.

View of River Ganga, Haridwar

In Haridwar one can reach top of the hillock to offer their prayers to Mansa Devi at Mansa Devi Temple.

From the top one can get top see the beautiful views of River Ganges and the plains.

Bhitarkanika National Park

As part of our Orissa trip we had been Bhitarkanika, which is one of the largest Mangrove Eco systems in India. The place is on the river delta of Brahmani and Baitarni rivers. It is home to diverse flora and fauna, migratory birds, turtles, and the menacing estuarine crocodiles.

The wetland is divided into 3 protected Areas, namely “Bhitarkanika National Park”, “Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary” and “Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary”.

If lucky one can spot any of salt water crocodile, king cobra, water monitor lizards, marine turtle, kingfisher, wood pecker, horn-bill, bar headed geese, brahmany duck, pintail, white bellied sea eagle, tern, sea gull, waders and a large variety of resident and migratory birds. It supports an amazing 8 varieties of Kingfishers in its habitat.

The best time to visit the place is November to February. We had been here in the month of April and could see few of the birds and other creatures in the area. Khola and Gupti are the two main entry points to the park. Visitors should take entry permit from the Forest Check Gate at Khola and Gupti.

We hired a boat to ferry us in the river system for observing the scenic beauty and the biodiversity resource including basking crocodile, water monitor and spotted deer.

We went around the park in the boat for around 4 hours and visited crocodile breeding area, museum, red crabs, birds and even basking crocodile. Even though off season it was a good experience. In other posts on this I will show you what else I discovered. But,  a tour of this place is must during the peak season.

How to Reach: Entry pints to the park is 160 kms from Bhubaneshwar, 140 kms from Cuttack and 70 kms from Bhadrak. We reached this place from Kendrapara which is at a distance of 35 kms.

Shivanasamudra Waterfalls

I had done this trip a few years back but had not written about it so far. This place is about 130 kms from Bangalore and we left home after breakfast to this place. The road to this place via small villages and scenic fields.

The dazzling Shivanasamudra Waterfalls is formed by River Kaveri. Here river creates two natural waterfalls named as Gaganchukki and Bharachukki where water flow is broken into two or more channels before dropping over a cliff. The falls are considered to be one among the 100 best waterfalls in the world.

It has an average width of 305 meters, a height of 98 m, and an average volume of 934 cubic meters/sec. The sight of these two falls is mesmerizing and the best time to visit them is during the monsoon the rainy season. This waterfalls can be reached from Bangalore via Kanakpura Road towards Mysore.

Marsh Glory at Teeta Reservoir

At a distance of 73 kms from Bangalore in the Teeta village there is a Teeta reservoir. 

This is a picturesque location and one can see various plants in the region. One of them is wild plant Marsh Glory flower plant.

Ganjam

Ganjam is a small historical place on Bangalore Mysore Highway. It is 17 kms from Mysore and 2 kms from the highway near Srirangapatna.



It lies at the confluence of two rivers Cauvery and Lokapavani. This centuries old place is the land of rulers of Mysore and they built the beautiful Nimishamba Temple for goddess Nimishamba on the banks of the river.



The landscape here is amazing with the temple on one side of the river and hill on the other side. The hill is hemmed in intermittently by bushes, tropical trees. 



Here one can enjoy the beauty of the countryside by the riverside. For those who know swimming this is a ideal place as water is not deep. Coracles can be rented here for a ride in the calm waters and explore the other bank of the river.