Hogenakal Falls

It has been over a year I left BITS campus and when I recollect the memories of the places like Rishikesh, Haridwar, Agra, Jaipur, Jaisalmer etc around Rajasthan, they often make me nostalgic.

Corporate work always clouds you from the phun you used to have during your college days. We, few employees of Qualcomm were lucky to find some time to breathe on Nov 1st, Karnataka Formation Day, a declared HR holiday. Good were we, to snatch on this teeny tiny opportunity to pull out one of our most memorable trip to Hogenakal Falls near to Bangalore.

Hogenakal Falls is in Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu state along the border with Karnataka, is one of the beautiful waterfalls in southern India on the Kaveri alias Cauvery River. “Hoge” in Kannada means smoke and “Kal” means rock – with the essence that when water falls on the rocks it would appear as smoke is emanating out of the them.

The destination is around 170kms from Bangalore, so you would spend nearly 3-4 hrs in travel on either side. Hence starting early in the day is ideal to make the best use of your time near the falls and in the water.

Homework:
We booked a Tempo Traveler (TT) since we were 10 in number. I sincerely advise a TT over Qualis/Sumo, coz you carry a lot of stuff apart from yourself. We discussed a check list and ensured we had all of them on the following day.

Few include Frisbee, lot of water, first-aid kit, playing cards, Good Music (which I ensured was Met !!), snacks to munch, couple of digital cameras, plastic ball to play in the water etc.
From individual point of view, we carried some dosh, jackets, extra clothes to change from your wet ones, towels, caps, goggles etc. Shucks, Im going too much into the Details :(

Start of Travel:
It was around 8AM by the time we picked up the last person and everything was set for our journey. We went via the Silk Board, onto the road which goes to Electronic City towards Hosur. Since the destination is in TN, we had a Border Check kinda stuff, where the documents of the vehicle were verified. The process took nearly 45 minutes. We were still very drowsy.

Breaking our fast and drowsiness:
Next stop was Sarvana Bhavan for breakfast, where we literally hogged. We savoured the quality of Dosa, Upma and Vada. I suggest anyone who is planning to Hogenakal should stop by this place. After all, Good Food is what we are living for…Donno about others, atleast I am !!
It was around 10AM by the time we were done here.

Towards Destination:
One significant difference which I found with Karnataka and TN were the Roads. With good drive songs such as Mumbai Salsa, Mauja Hi Mauja and green fields around the drive was pretty smooth and exciting.
Snaps in Sugarcane fields and Anthyaakshari were the exciting segments before we reached the destination.

Start with Bargaining:
The only way you go near the falls and the small islands around is with a Coracle. The first step we did after reaching the place was to get the best bargain for the Coracle ride to span for the entire day. Each coracle can accommodate 5. I have seen coracles in movies, but boarding it for the first time was very different. You are damn close to the water and feel like somebody is holding u and sailing you over the small ripples of the river.

All the Phun:
After the initial ride in the coracle, we trekked for a while to reach onto the other side of a mountain. This was to ensure that our coracle was in the direction of the water current. We found that well cooked fish was being sold, and did not think to go back without relishing it. We ordered some rice along with the fish for our lunch to be delivered on the island which was our next destination.

Our second coracle ride was towards the Hogenakal Falls. It was just getting better. We were nourishing the scenic beauty as we approached close to it. We climbed onto the small rocks and reached the place where we got the full view of the waterfall. It was like a white blanket fluttering over the mountain and finally settling itself with the water beneath. Click Click Few Canon Powershot Moments !!!

Island:
The third coracle ride to reach the Island. This time it was drizzling with tiny drops of water falling from above and below. You are sailing in the water, munching some Lays, and with small droplets touching your cheeks …Boy it was one lovely experience.

We spend real good time in the water after reaching the Island, played with Frisbee, took support of others to float, tried all junk stuff..and as usual…Click Click Few Kodak Moments!!

The guys who were sailing our coracles asked if we wanted some Body Massage. One of my buddies and me partially undressed to have this royal experience with mustard oil. You never realize there are so many muscles in your body which could twist and turn without pain. I was a kid when my Mom used to give me a bath. This time I was sitting thousands of Kms away from my native place, half naked, with oil all over my body, getting bathed with a stranger in middle of a River. Can it get any Royal than this??
Click Click…few snaps taken, but censured….for good of public.

Last Coracle Ride:
The last coracle ride before we paid them and got into our TTs. The time was around 5.30PM and the sun is no more scorching. It was a pleasant evening and you get this feeling that there is no one else in the river apart from your coracle. We could hear the chirping of birds, sounds of water splashing, brushing of leaves and stems. The tranquility of the place puts you in a pseudo paradise, and your soul craves for the same to continue. The cool breeze and clear sky made us so attached to the nature that, we wished to stick our butts and sleep in the coracle for the whole night.

Towards the Silicon Plateau of India, Bangalore:
We boarded the TT after having some hot coffee and reached our homes at 11:00 PM with hell lot of memories in mind. Rain God was damn good and did not disturb any of our plans.

Expenses:
Each coracle – 5 seater – Rs 600/-
Entrance Fee – 150/- (including two places)
Rice and Fish – pretty cheap
Royal Massage and Bath – Rs 150/-
Tempo Traveller – Rs 8/- per Km

Road Tax at the Border - Rs 1000/-

Driver Charges - Rs 300/-

Though this was our first trip together, the total experience pumped us with energy good enough, that we are all set to visit many more places around Bangalore.