Weekend Getaway To Jog Falls & Murudeshwara

It was during summer when I was huffing and puffing in the house due to a power cut for three long hours. It was midweek and I was already bugged by the heat in Bangalore. My friend called in the evening to check what I was doing for the next day as it was an off for all of us. The occasion being May Day, I was completely free. She asked me if I wanted to go somewhere for a couple of days to escape from the raging summer. I loved the idea and we quickly planned a trip to Jog Falls. Other friends were called up and in no time a group of 10 agreed to have a quick getaway from the city. The next day even before the crack of dawn, we were on our way to one of India's highest plunge water falls.

I had read in geography textbooks that river Sharavati channels into four waterfalls and dives down straight from the Deccan Plateau to the plains of Karnataka. So I was all excited to see something that I had only glimpsed at in books. The cackle of several young people inside a tempo traveller made the journey interesting. We did not take a moment's rest or nap during the 7 hours journey along the Bangalore Tumkur highway.

At around 11:30 AM, we reached the entrance of Jog Falls. Luckily for us, it had rained heavily in this part of Karnataka during the last couple of days. Therefore, the weather was mild and breezy. I could not wait to see the actual falls. The sound of water gushing down from more than 800 feet right into the gorges below, could be heard from the entrance. I almost pranced instead of walking. And then as the sound of the rushing water began getting louder, my heart beat's tempo began accelerating. And just when I thought that I could not contain my excitement any more, right before my eyes came the majestic sight of the cascading Jog Falls. There were four falls known as Raja, Rani, Roarer, and Rocket whose water united or were at a 'sanjog' at the pit of the falls. Hence the name Jog Falls.

We watched the waterfalls with mesmerized looks. Although it was mid-day, the ambience around the place was dark. The clouds shielded the sunrays from reaching the waterfalls. But on days when it is not as cloudy one can see the colors of the rainbow in the falling waters. Unfortunately, we couldn't witness the beautiful sight of the VIBGYOR.

The next stop was the Watkins Platform. From here we could clearly see the majesty of the Raja and Rani Falls, although the other two Roarer and Rocket are hidden from view. Being all adventures as I am, I suggested that we hike down till the rock base so that we can touch the thundering water. Although some of my friends nearly fainted at the suggestion, most of the group voted for my wishes and we began a downhill climb.

There is a path cut out for tourists to hike along the rocky highland. We took that very path. Easy as it may have seemed from the top, the way was quite slippery and we had to be very careful at every step. After about a thirty minute hike, we reached the base where a pool had formed. I could not resist the temptation of taking a plunge into it. It was risky, but it guaranteed just as much fun. Some of the adventure spirited ones joined me and we had a great time in the water. Splashing in the water for almost an hour, we were all famished. Our next pit stop was the Bombay Bungalow. Now I have no clue about its nomenclature because it looked nothing like anything in Bombay. It was a pretty little red little cottage that was used as a guest house once upon time but now stood uninhabited. However, there was an area allocated for tourists to sit and relax. We rested our tired souls here for some time after devouring a sumptuous lunch of chicken sandwiches, spring rolls, gobi manchurian and coke.

The sound of the thundering waters did not cease but by then our ears had grown accustomed to it. The Sharavati River Valley from this site was an absolute beauty to behold. It was a vast stretch of serene, and peaceful dense forest with a strip of river meandering like a snake towards the Arabian Sea.
After rejuvenating ourselves we were game for some more travel. So we requested our driver to take us to Murudeshwar. The Shiva of Murudeshwar is a famous attraction of that region and we could not afford to miss it.

It took us close to two hours to reach there and we realized that we were really running short of time. But the massive structure of Shiva at a meter's distance from the Arabian Sea was breath taking. We quickly got down and took a quick tour of the place.

There was an abandoned old ruin nearby that caught our attention. It was in the middle of a forested area. Without any delay we entered the forest and to the ruins. The walls of this place was overgrown with moss. It gave us a spooky feeling.

It was getting dark and we had to leave. So we hurried back to our tempo traveller and began our drive back to the city. But somehow, the thundering of the raging waters, and the enchanting eeriness of the Murudeshwara ruins stayed with me long after the trip was over.

Contributed By: Kriti Mazumdar