Long Hood Forward: Madagadakere, Chikmagalur

Chikmagalur. For most people in South Karnataka and beyond, any mention of this place would bring to mind mountains adorned with lush greenery, thick clouds, coffee estates, and a steaming cup of coffee, in no particular order. A beautiful hill-station, to put it simply. In reality though, Chikmagalur is situated mostly in the plains, just at the foot of the towering Chandradrona Mountain Range, with smaller hills scattered around for good measure. And this is what gives it a different kind of beauty. It is, for all practical purposes, a convenient 'halt' from where one can travel to all the beautiful places that abound this region.

Apart from the usual tourist spots here, about which much has been written and photographed, and which are all in the mountains (or are mountains), there is probably only one well-known spot visited by tourists, and that is Ayyanakere (kere meaning lake) in Sakharayapatna, a small town (or a big village depending on how you look at it) around 23km from Chikmagalur. But that is not what this post is about. There is another lake hidden in this region, among the foothills of the Western Ghats. Most people do not know about it even though it is barely 5km from Ayyanakere as the crow flies. It is not a well-known place because of the longer route needed to get there, and lack of facilities and good roads. 35km from Chikmagalur, Madagadakere is the place for people who want to explore relatively unknown places. For people who, like me, want to find hidden gems like this lake.

Madagadakere is one of the most beautiful and serene lakes I've ever seen, and is as large as its more famous neighbour - Ayyanakere. Surrounded by lofty hills on almost all sides, with rustic villages nearby, this place makes for a wonderful view. The village nearest to the lake is Hale Siddarahalli, which was inaccessible to our little Alto, because of some er..puddles. Apparently hundreds of years old and restored only 25 years back, the lake overflowed in 2012 and 2013 after a long time. As was expected from this year's unforgiving monsoon, the lake has overflowed again. The quantum of water flowing into this lake is so much that the small roads connecting these villages are out of bounds for anything short of a boat. The one road which is manageable is again a 'danger zone' for small cars. This road connects the villages directly to the Chikmagalur-Kadur Highway.

Bad roads and lack of facilities notwithstanding, a visit to Madagadakere just after monsoon is worth it. It is accessible by two routes, one via Sakharayapatna, and the other via a deviation from the Chikmagalur-Tarikere Road. Both routes take you through very different landscapes, and being the mountain-lover that I am, we took the route via the Chikmagalur-Tarikere Road. This route, apart for some small stretches and of course the inundated part near the lake, is quite good, if a bit narrow. We visited this place in early August when the rains were at their best, on a cold and cloudy evening. Visiting as a group is recommended as the route is quite lonely with only a couple of villages on the way and three little villages near the lake. Initiatives are being taken to develop the lake as a tourist spot, with better accessibility and facilities, and I am doing my bit to showcase this mesmerising place with my trusty 550D. Away from the crowd-ridden hotspots, this place will give you peace of mind, and that, according to me, is what visiting Chikmagalur should be all about.

The pictures that follow will describe the beauty of Madagadakere much better than a lengthy explanation of every aspect of the lake. Thanks for dropping by.