"Shine" Ramkumars Castle: Monsoon trip to uttar karnataka

On second morning after a sound sleep I got up to get ready and see one of my dream landscapes the yana.Today was a day in which dreams will become a reality and stored as cherished memories.

Coming down to hotel reception I met the receptionist .He was guiding me daily by telling bus routes.he asked me about my plans for the day.
Once I told plan was to see Yana,
his suggetion was to reach a village called devanahalli and hire a bike to Yana.

Now there were three options to reach Yana hills

Reach kumta which is around 60 kms from sirsi and take rare afternoon bus to Yana
Go to devanahalli village from sirsi and take a bike or auto to Yana
Reach bus stop in kargod village next to yana cross and hire a bike /auto.

I took third option as I will get all three choices bike,auto and bus at 1 pm that comes from kumta.

I took sirsi kumta bus to stop at kargod.Auto from there took 350 rs for 16 km journey to reach Yana.
. Route took a left at Yana cross into a road running in deep forests.

There were few farm houses and small villages on the way..The road led me to gates of yana .I took some cashews from the hut shop.Trekking path divided into to two after 30 metres. I enquired the route to two young ladies at entrance
They confirmed straight one was route to yana hill.

Path to yana

Stream near yana

Monsoon trip

As I went ahead in trek route , sounds of flowing water stream were increasing along the path.but waterway wasnt visible for sometime.There were few wooden seats on sides of route .Three circular resting points were under concrete roofs in different places in the trail.

Step by step downhill water flows

Rains were playing hide and seek out of skies during the whole day.My umbrella came handy whenever it rained.After 1 km, I found the waterstream on route's right side.Water was running down the hill in steeped phases from Yana hills adjacent to trek route .I went into water stream in two different places and clicked some beautiful pictures.the water was glittering and reflecting sunlight wherever path got exposed to the sunlight. one such place, when water moved a step downwards, they divided along circumference of small rock then joined to fall together .Further reaching ground they spread out flat on surface of next step in the path.placing my feet on cool water stream was a first happy moment of the day.
I was in no hurry to reach my destination any time soon as I felt this journey was itself was my destiny.

Paths of water divided before merging at bottom

Water stream of yana

Moving futher were steps to mohini shikara.on the right was a small ganapathi temple

I worshipped ganapathi from opening in grilled doors and continued my hike .

Mohini shikara

Jungles of yana

Peaks of mohini shikara

Moving further I came to bhairavaeshwara shikara.There was Siva temple on the foot hills.The linga in Yana is suyambu(natural formation) and gets water droplets from roof of the cave.there is yearly car festival in yana.During british period there were around ten thousand people living around yana.now there are very few families living here including priest.after having darshan , I came around the temple.The temple security guided me to steps to ascend Yana caves at top.

Yana caves

There were around thirty steps to top entrance

For first five minutes, I was alone in cave till the arrival of a tourist group.yana cave is truly amazing and wonder filled landscape.yana cave starts on left part of the hill and ends on other other side of hill.its is like walking into vaccum passage inside hill.the roof of yana is also inconsistent.I saw just a stone separating two edges of roof.it reminded me of edakal cave in wayanad.In other part of cave I saw a heart shaped hole on the roof that brings in sunlight to the cave.cave was dark in some parts and lighted in other parts as sunlights comes in through the gaps of cave roof.

Light entering on the walls of cave

Stone connecting walls

Deep walls of cave and hole in roofs

Heart shaped roof

Temple in bhairavaeshwara shikara

Honey bees

Shapes of yana - natural raw architecture

It's really amazing experience to be in such place
I took group picture of a gang who were going vibhooti falls next .I was hesitant to ask lift to vibhooti falls.i came down right side of cave there was stepped path that led out of caves .As I took steps down from ths hill, fresh rains started .I kept my dslr camera safe inside bag
I walked towards the temple.In one location I saw other hill mohini shikara surrounded by evergreen forest.I took a shot in my mobile phone.the photo came out as classy signature shot of trip itself.I took this from mobile camera under umberalla just before heavy rains.

Signature shot of yana.

I headed to the temple premises again due to heavy rains.when rains stopped, I was about leave the place and catch 2 pm bus to kumta .By then railway employee spoke to me about my trip.I was telling my missing plan to vibhooti falls.He was also travelling to vibhooti waterfalls in private vehicle.There is another gate for Yana which is only 750 metres long.This gate connected to the road to gokarna and it also connected vibhooti water falls.He suggested me to ask for lift or hire a private taxi from the gate.So I headed to other gate of yana.I would see huge trees . The sun light was coming through green top of high trees.

As it had just rained there was beautiful reflections of daylight from water droplets floating on the green leaves.

Yana gate in Gokarna road

Huge trees -- visual delight in Yana trail

Leaves reflecting the sunlight after rains

It was 2 pm when I reached Yana gate.I had a cup of tea in hut shop.I requested few travellers for drop to vibhooti falls.After 30 minutes , a driver agreed to help me.He was happy to drop me taking whatever money I was offering .his guests were a middle aged couple who were seeing vibhooti and heading toward Gokarna and murudeshwara temples.i was very grateful that people agreed to give a drop to gorgeous vibhooti falls.

The road from Yana to vibhooti was rough .It was uphill at start and downhill by the time we moved closer to vibhooti.I could hear the sound of water flow along the road but couldn't see it.beautiful valley and mountains along the road were pleasant to my eyes.

vibhooti falls

From vibhooti gate, entrance fees was nominal 5 RS.Once you walk to it's trekking path , sound of water becomes louder.At one side down was beautiful valley facing the sun.You can sit on wooden bench and see beautiful valley for a long time.

I saw a arecanut farm on lower lands of thick forests.In between woods of areacanut trees, they had planted bananas plantains.I guess reason would be arecanut tress may reduce the winds during rains and protect bananas from falling.

As I walked towards waterfalls I was amazed at sight of water falls that flows down in four steps

.one cannot see top stream beyond top

water source .The stream takes a bigger descend from top and two more smaller jumps to the left first and the right .Finally it pours into a small pool of cool water.

water again overflows from this shallow pool to continue it's path .Vibhooti name comes from three levels the water takes to reach the pool.the water here is very cool.The flow is through out the year.I could see young boy diving into the descend of water falls into the pool.though this act was risky the same can look adventurous to ones eyes in a naturally beautiful waterfalls

Natural pool Vibhooti falls

The soil here was little loose due to moonsoon rains.So walking on slopes can be skitty as I experienced.

After vibhooti falls the vehicle dropped me near highway in gokarna-kumta route.we passed through very beautiful villages in achave,hillur.they left me in bus stop near high way.i took my lunch at Pai hotel.Food tasted good and I was little hungry. I took aa bu to kumta .kumta is town on shores of arabian sea where one can regularly get buses to sirsi from kumta.I took a auto to kumta beach.

Kumta beach is one of most beautiful beaches i haven seen in these parts after Gokarna beaches.there was a big hillock on the right on which sitting and watching sea waves is a pleasure.

Monsoon had made sea rough than usual.The waves were fast .they were hitting the rocky shore enthusiastically and with never ending zeal.post watching sea I would write small poetic sentences very next week.

I took many pictures of sea waves rushing embracing rocky shores.sea waves once came fast and furious and hit the hillock with force that it could raise top to spread out into white medium travelling up through the air and reach me with it's droplets .i was at edgenof rocks when sea touched me.just before horizon the water surface far was shining with descending sun light.The sun was shining like silver plate moving into dark clouds.few moments it came back to give one more beautiful view only to rest for the night.

There were some youth in white dresses who were celebrating ramzan on that day.

They requested me for their group pictures shot dslr cameras

As I shot some pictures they go more interested in pictures and started giving poses as different set of group.I sent them dslr pictures that night after reaching my hotel as mobile was off then.

I also took pictures of crescent moon near kumta beach bus stop.later realised it's crescent shape was also related Eid .I took bus to sirsi from kumta bus stand at 8 40 pm

I reached my hotel at 10 30.this was most full filling day as Yana was on my cards from past 1 year and now in my travelled places

Like all good experiences coming to end this day also came to end.