A waterfall & a historic temple village with lots of myths & legends around it!
Destination: Shivanasamudra & Talakadu, Karnataka.
Distance from Bangalore: approx. 120kms
Route: Bangalore-Kanakpura-Malavalli-Shivanasamudra
Bangalore-(On Mysore highway) Maddur (Take left at Blackbird apparel store)-Malavalli - Shivanasamudra
To Do:
Shivanasamudra in Chamarajnagar district is one of the two major places where the Jeevanadhi (river that sustains life) of Karnataka, Cauvery, takes a plunge into the gorges en route its journey to join the Bay of Bengal. River Cauvery having flown all the way from Talacauvery, 230 kms away in Kodagu district, splits here into two segments forming the island of Shivanasamudra. The east & west segments of the river decide to take a drop before joining again and results in the famous Bharachukki & Gaganachukki falls of Shivanasamudra respectively. The segmented waterfall drops from a height of 322feet into the rocks and bushes creating a marvelous view. Gaganachukki is 2-3kms away from Bharachukki and can be best seen from a watch tower located here.
This place houses the first ever hydro electric power plant in Asia, The Bluff or Shimsha power plant, estd in 1902. Power was supplied to Kolar Gold Fields making it the first city in Asia to be lit by Hydel power.
Talakadu is an ancient village located on the banks of Cauvery, at about 15 kms from Shivanasamudra. This place has many famous legends and myths associated with it. Adding to all the stories, one can see vast area covered by sand and many temples are believed to be buried under them. The archeological society has been excavating temples every year and they are being reconstructed. But the curse in the stories about Talakadu says Talakaadu Marulaagali (Let Talakadu be filled with sand dunes) and co-incidentally sand keeps filling and the excavation needs to be repeated every year.
Stay: Cultural capital Mysore is approx 45kms from Shivanasamudra.
Food: Local eateries available. Talakadu has a hotel under a banyan tree. Food is average but highlight of the hotel place is how quick you can finish your food before the moneys grab it! Maddur has prominent hotels.
Highlights of the place: Care to hire a guide at Talakadu to listen the interesting stories of the site as you tread over the sand dunes. You might be just walking over another temple buried beneath. Coracle rides are also available in the nearby Cauvery River.
Best time to visit: Post monsoon, as the falls will be at its maximum power and also the walk around Talakadu would be a calm and cool one.
Places nearby: Mysore is 45kms and Somnathapur, another temple town is just 25kms away. You would not want to miss the panoramic view from the Muduku thore temple on the way to Talakadu from Shivanasamudra. A moderate climb on the stairs takes you atop the small hill and you can see the split Cauvery taking a steep turn at Talakadu.
Things to remember: Water bodies always have warning boards planted nearby but hardly anybody minds it. Cauvery is known to have swirls at this part of its course, take good care of you.
There are hardly any shops near the falls or any good ones near Talakadu. Carry food & water bottles if necessary.
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