206) Nijagal Betta: (7/7/2024)

Place: Nijagal betta trek

Distance: 60 x 2 = 120km

Directions: Bangalore > Nelamangala > Dobbaspete > Nijagal Betta

Krew: Dileep (koof) > Karthik (Sp)

Bikes: Pulsar                                                                                                   

Previous Visit: Medigeshi trek

Budget: Rs 150/head

IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:

Nijgal is a small hillock situated 50km from Bangalore. This hillock offers an easy climb and is a perfect trek if you are unsure about a trek for a weekend. This place can be submitted via two routes, we usually take the easy one to the top and take the mildly challenging one back down.

INTRO & PLAN:

It was one week since our nice trek to Medigeshi. So, we had no plans to trek, but a meet up scheduled for the first week of July. Hence a Saturday passed away lazy watching The Shield. Then asked Koof if he was up for a small trek, and we decided to go to Nijagal once he agreed.

TIME: 19:00 (6/7/2024)

ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:

Oh yeah, woke up by 3 am, did a few stretches, and warmed up. Had a sip of coffee and was waiting for 6 am. At around 5:45 am left my home picked up Koof from his place and left Bangalore.

TIME: 06:15

RIDE 1: (Bangalore – Dobbaspete - Nijagal)

This was a clean 50-60km ride, a very smooth one. As we departed Bangalore we stepped on the gas and accelerated.  Cruising at a comfortable pace we zoomed pass Nelamangala. Since both of us were not very keen on breakfast, we skipped and directly headed towards Niajagal.

The starting point of Nijagal is slightly tricky. You can spot the hillock from the Dobbaspete Bridge itself. But after the HP petrol bunk, one must take a route under the railway track to reach it. This time it was flooded with water, hence parked the bike near the railway track and decided to walk up.

TIME: 07:15

NIJAGAL TREK:

Alright, Nijagal is one of the smallest treks but offers a pleasant view throughout. For a Sunday morning, yeah this is good. It took us about 30 minutes to reach the top.  I have divided the entire trek into 4 phases which include the descent via different route.

i) Initial walkway

ii) Hike uphill

iii) Dark Caves

iv) Lost Ruins

Ok, so, let us finish this, eh?!

i) Initial walkways:

The initial walkway is through a gravel-filled muddy trail. The route is straightforward, the view of Shivagange lifts you. The weather was cool, and we kept moving at a controlled pace.  At the end of this initial stretch is ancient gateways and the place really opens up after that.

ii) Hike uphill:

Once the initial stretch is done you get a very good overview of the place. The center of all is the ancient temple in complete ruins.  We took the path towards the right, which led to steps, and this took us uphill. This is the easier route to the top.  Once we reached the top, the view all around was very uplifting.

iii) Dark Caves:

But the highlight of the place is the huge boulders on top. It had become a thing, a few years back nobody knew this hillock, but now quite some people were present. Asked Koof if he wanted to sit at the cave, finally opted to sit at the cliff with a view. A monkey came slowly towards me, Koof warned me about the monkey, but I just sat there aligning my breathing with it showing I’m no harm and beautifully it also sat in peace alongside me observing the view. It was a magical moment.

iv) Lost Ruins:

We spent about 45 minutes on the top. After which I told Koof, we head down a different path which would lead us to the ruined temples. And trust me guys, this good route. The rock of this Nijagal is slightly slippery, so cautiously we made our way down. We did encounter a few tricky spots and it was super fun negotiating all of it.  Once we reached the ancient temple, it looked beautiful like always. This place kind of hits you differently, with Shivagange staring from afar. Once we rested a little bit at the temple, we decided to wrap up this chapter.

TIME: 09:45

RIDE 2: (Nijagal – Nelamangala – Bangalore)

Ok, to be very honest we were super confused on what to do the rest of the day. I suggested we have breakfast on our way back, then go home, and then again meet at Blue Wings. But Koof we finish off all together. Hence the ride back was a dash, we pulled over near my place for some nice breakfast, after which we headed to Ble Wings and chilled for an hour so, after which I dropped Koof and reached back home.

TIME: 13:00

CONCLUSION:

“This was the perfect chapter for a lazy Sunday, rather than sitting at home or chilling at bar, this just fell into the slot perfectly!”

Cheers, until next time \m/