“I love the sound and power of pounding water, whether it is the waves or waterfall.”- Mike May
My love affair with any form of water body continues. It was one of the weekdays when a friend called in early morning to check if I could take a day off from work to visit this place popularly known as Shivanasamudra falls. I had very little knowledge about this place. Considering that this would be my first time watching an emerging waterfall for real and with Monsoons being just the right time, I did manage to escape work.
I packed my essentials and was all set for the trip. We had rented a car for the five of us because that seemed like the most suitable option at such short notice. Shivanasamudra is roughly 120 km from Bangalore. There are broadly two ways to reach these falls, one is Bannerghatta Rd – Nice Rd – Kanakpura Rd – Shivanasamudra and the second one is via Mysore Road – Maddur – Malavalli – Shivanasamudra. We preferred taking the latter route that was approximately 3 hours from Bangalore. It took us one extra hour to reach the falls as we were famished and couldn’t resist passing by KFC and grabbing a quick bite.
On reaching Shivanasamudra falls, we were quite disappointed as we could see the waterfall only from a distance and the area was gated making the place just a scenic viewpoint. We stood there holding onto the railing, all our expectations of experiencing the gushing water crash on us went down the drain. Thankfully we were not dissatisfied for long as on further probing the locals, we figured there were, in fact, two waterfalls, one is called Gaganachukki falls where we stood disappointed. The construction of balconies of Gaganachukki falls is appropriate for photographers and sightseeing. The other waterfall is known as Bharachukki falls where we later trekked down. Both these falls together are well-known as Shivanasaumdra falls (Lord Shiva’s sea), named after the town in Mandya District, Karnataka. Shivanasaumdra is home to the first hydro-electric power station in Asia and is still functional.
A few kilometers away, we reached Bharachukki falls. It had a huge parking area and was packed with people even on a weekday. There were 100 odd steps to the bottom of the falls. As we trekked down, I could smell the mud and hear the sound of water pounding onto the rocks giving me chills. On reaching the bottom of the falls, we saw water drizzling down the rocks from a height forming a serenity pool. The water was clean and unpolluted. There were people who took the coracle ride to see the waterfall closely and come back. We did take one of those coracle rides. It cost us Rs.200 and the man agreed to leave us under the falls for an hour. It was an incredibly breathtaking experience. I stepped into the natural plunge pool which was shallow and my feet felt all nice in there. I tried to locate the rocks submerged under the water for support to be able to reach the falls. On finally reaching under the falls, I thoroughly enjoyed the gushing water fall on me. There was something very intermediating about the strength of the falls, I stood there with open arms enjoying every bit of the moment. It couldn’t have been more peaceful. The force of the water was so powerful that I could barely stand beneath it for few seconds. The thrill was something I had never experienced before and probably I cannot express enough that feeling of joy, being carefree, and a moment so unusual.
I was unable to click pictures in abundance as I had to put my phone away to prevent it from being washed away. The man who rowed us to the falls was a great help in capturing few candid pictures of us. Exposing myself to nature has always been a delightful experience and this was certainly my first and one of the best of a waterfall till date.
I couldn’t stop but quote these wonderful lines that I came across recently. “There is a hidden message in every waterfall. It says, if you are flexible, falling will not hurt you!”―Mehmet Murat ildan
There are a couple of things that you need to keep in mind if you are planning a trip to Shivanasamudra falls during monsoons is that you will need to be really careful as most of the areas will be slippery and not much safety arrangements are found around. It is not advisable to swim in the streams as the water flows at a very high speed. Be watchful!
Monsoons are here yet again and this place could be one of your best experiences. Do share your memorable waterfall experiences, I am all ears!
Happy Monsoons!
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Suro The Saunterer 