A trip to Ranganathittu, Somnathpur and Shivasamudram

Last weekend I had gone on a one-day tour with my colleagues, Neeti and Amod. The tour was organized by KSTDC and covered three places near Mysore; Ranganathittu, Somnathpur and Shivasamudram. Here is a detailed description.

Ranganathittu bird sanctuary

The tour started off with Ranganathittu, a small bird sanctuary around 10 Kms from Mysore.The sanctuary has a lake with a group of islets, which are home to many exotic bird species and more so during the monsoon. I was initially skeptical about the boat ride, as our guide had informed us that the place is infested with muggers or the Indian marsh crocodile. But the sight of hundreds of birds flocking on the islets and the thought of watching them from even close made me change my mind instantly.

The boat we hired didn’t look like it could carry ten people but it did, and to think that this guy steers it everyday in a croc infested lake, he sure is brave!


The ride offered many such picturesque views, and the birds flying majestically and their कलरव made it even more beautiful.


A couple of painted storks, but their private moment didn’t last for long as they were joined by more of their kind after I clicked this pic.


Actually sleeping or pretending to sleep? Crocs are very good at pretense I am told; remember the phrase ‘crocodile tears’.


A cattle egret, our guide was right after all, he said it was an egret but I thought otherwise.

The boat ride lasted for around half an hour; the other birds spotted were white ibises, cormorants, open billed storks and little egrets. The sanctuary also has a viewing tower but the birds are best viewed from the boat ride.

Keshava temple, Somanathpura

After stopping for lunch at the ‘Ideal restaurant’ in Mysore, we headed for Somnathpura temple, which is around 40 kms from Mysore. The Keshava temple at Somanathpura was built in the 13th century and is almost completely well preserved. It is an excellent example of the unique Hoysala architecture also seen in the Belur-Halebid temples. It’s a dead temple though, as the deities are defaced and so no religious rituals are performed, but that in no way diminishes the splendor of the monument.


The infinite, bound.

The temple is star shaped a characteristic of Hoysala architecture and has three sancta, the idols of Keshava, Janardhana and Venugopala adorning each sanctum. The Keshava idol seen in the pic is not the original; the original idol it seems is gracing a British museum.


Notice the attention given to detail; the elaborately carved canopy under which the deity stands, each and every jewel chiseled flawlessly, the eyes and the curve of the eyelashes. It’s almost unbelievable that the idol has survived such an immense span of time so perfectly well.


The pillar is one among many inside the temple, each circle chiseled so perfectly and intricately, as if they were turned on a lathe. The lace like feel is because of chlorite the stone used to build the temple.


Bejeweled elephants adorn the platform on which the temple stands. The platform is broad allowing the visitors to perform pradakshina of the temple. The temple is enclosed within a courtyard, with steps leading to the temple and to the chambers along the wall.


Motifs on the outer wall to make sure that the pradakshina in no way gets boring.

I will also remember the temple for the audacious crows that reside here, one crow had the cheek to snatch a biscuit right from my hand! I actually felt its beak and feathers! I promptly threw the biscuit packet I was holding lest I would be attacked again, and the crow happily flew away with the packet!

Shivasamudram Waterfalls (aka Shivanasamudram, bluff, shimsha)

Our last stop was Shivasamudram; it’s the name given collectively to the twin falls Gaganchukki and Bharachukki formed by the Cauvery River. They are second highest waterfalls in India. The two falls lie at a distance of 1 Km from each other; we could only manage to visit the fiercer of the two, Gaganachukki. Shivasamudram is also famous for the first hydro station in Asia; it was built in 1902 but is closed to visitors.

Gosh! So much water! Notice the tiny specks on the rocks on the left side; people look even smaller than insects. We could only witness the waterfall from the viewing gallery , you can go close to the waterfalls from the Dargaah side. But there is no way you can enter the waters without coming out alive, the force of the current is tremendous, as the water strikes the rock the dense mist itself rises to several feet.


This is the other stretch of Gaganchukki, which looks rather calm and has comparatively lesser volume of water. But look at the height from which the water tumbles, it’s easily above 300 feet.

Just uploaded the video of the waterfall on youtube, watch it here.(listen to the gurgling and splashing waters!)

We started for Bangalore at around six, the bus journey was nothing short of a roller coaster ride due to the fact that we had got the last seats .The oldies playing from Neeti’s and Amod’s cell were intermittently impinged by shouts of ouchs. We were lucky that though it had been raining constantly for last few days, we didn’t meet heavy rains on the day of our tour else the trip would have been marred completely.

Monsoons is a good time to see waterfalls, they’re in full splendor because of the rains, you will miss out on the fun of playing in water, but the spectacular sight you witness will more than make up for it. There are many waterfalls around Bangalore and I have decided to make the most of my time by visiting as many I can during monsoons. Will keep you all updated, till then!

Happy Traveling!

Ranganathittu, Somnathpur and Shivasamudram Album

P.S.- The names of birds are as told by our guide(or Khevaiyya) and some of the historical info about the temple and Hoysala architecture is googled.