Trek to Shiv Gange

The Bangalore weather being a delight for the last couple of weeks, it was time the long standing plan of going for a trek was executed. Saturday night, we were left enthralled by Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, a beautiful take on Milkha Singh. The whole experience of knowing about the great athlete left us inspired and raring to go. But not enough to get up early next morning for a trek to Shiv Gange!! We almost called it off and rolled over to catch up on our sleep, but our son decided otherwise. He woke us with “Amma – Appa – get up, we are supposed to be climbing the mountain today to watch butterflies!”

Oh yeah?! J Not wanting to disappoint him, we mechanically went through our morning rituals, had breakfast, and pushed ourselves out of our home by around 10:30 am. Once on the road, there was no looking back. After a small detour to Malleswaram, we proceeded towards Tumkur road. Taking a left at Dobbaspet, we were welcomed by wonderful views of the ShivGange hill from afar. It looked absolutely enchanting with a halo of cloud hanging so low that it engulfed the top most tip of the hill!

We drove on till we reached the foot of the hill, parked our car and made sure we had our stomach’s fill of ragi rotis, jackfruits and biscuits to keep us going for the next 2 hours (or so we thought). With a picture book idea of what a trek consists of, I started loading a backpack with a water bottle, left over biscuits, chocolates …. but wait, before I could complete, my husband told me to drop the entire bag back into the car and climb up bare handed. Disappointment writ all across my face, I didn’t argue, because I knew he was right as soon soon as he mentioned MONKEYS. We at least needed a water bottle, said my MIL, and carried one in a plastic bag and we started on the trek.

After hardly a 20 step climb, where the paths forked, with one leading towards the temple and the other going on to the top of the hill, we had our first (and last) close encounter with a primate. The little fellow stopped us on our tracks and jumped at the plastic bag that my MIL carried. She tried to explain to the little fella that it was nothing but a water bottle. He growled, and we concluded (thank god for that!) that he didn’t quite get us. We threw the cover away, to show him that we were speaking the truth, and tried to move on. He wouldn’t let us get away so easily. He pulled at my MIL’s saree and growled again. Oh well, we lost the battle and gracefully handed him the water bottle. Off he went with it and started opening it. We didn’t stay on to see what he did, but were glad that we could now get on with our trek.

We took the route to the trek and started our walk. I told my son (a little chatterbox), to save up his energy, and take deep breaths on the way up. He followed my instructions to the T. As long as we didn’t grab their attention, the monkeys pretty much kept to themselves. However, we did note one naughty fellow grab a fellow tourist’s back pack and run away with it. When he found that there was nothing interesting in it, he just left it there for the tourist to pick it up again.

We kept continuing on the trek, with a few stops to catch our breath and of course the view all around! There was a pleasant breeze blowing all through the climb, making our climb enjoyable. Every time we looked down below, the sights never ceased to amaze us. After around an hour of climbing, we reached the huge white colored statues of Shiva and Parvathi, and heaved a sigh of relief, assuming we had finally made it to the top. We stopped to buy a bottle of water, and the kind lady selling it explained that we were just half way to the top. My jaws literally dropped open, and I took a few swigs of water to regain my composure. A few pictures later, we resumed the trek, with only my son still being at the same enthusiasm level as the start about climbing further. He refused to hold any of our hands and went on climbing. With him to inspire us, we moved on.

This section was the more difficult of the two parts. The climb was steep, with little narrow steps etched out of the rocks itself. Railings at most places helped us with the climb. Fellow trekkers ranged from as young as 4 year olds, to a 70 year old lady! There was even a lady who had lost one of her hands, and climbed with ease with just one hand to guide her through. While most of them were encouraging, some told us it was impossible to make it to the top.

We concentrated on the climb, enjoyed the breeze and finally reached the famous Nandi, which stood with all its might atop a precarious looking rock. Looking at it from down below, I didn’t think twice about climbing. Quickly reaching the top, I started to go around the Nandi when my heart skipped a beat. I had to walk past a grill which extended out beyond the rock to nothing-ness! Though it was just one step through nothingness to safety it was enough to give a scare. The next difficult part was the descent from the Nandi. While climbing up did not seem such a great deal, the descent seemed impossible. The surface seemed like a plain fall down, and it seemed almost close to impossible to get the foot into a crevice. After relaxing for a couple of minutes and watching the others do it, I finally managed to get down safely. The next few steps to reach the top of Shive Gange were almost a cake-walk, and we finally reached the top. The view all around us was more than worth all the efforts we put into the climb. We finally realized what it meant to feel on top of the world! The looming clouds made the view simple breathtaking. It was just enough to sit there, enjoy the peace and quiet, and relish the fact of accomplishing the climb!

Some tips to make your travel enjoyable and ensure it has minimum effect on the environment:

Travel light, preferably empty handed.

Wear comfortable shoes.

Eat sufficient to keep you energetic for 4 hours, before starting the travel.

Wear trousers with multiple pockets, and carry only absolute necessities in those.

Start the climb early in the morning, so that you can finish before the sun is out.

Do not litter. There are dustbins available at all the little foodie joints. Dispose waste there. Else carry it back with you.

Do not provoke the monkeys. Remember, it’s their habitat that we are invading and not vice versa. Leave them alone, and they will leave you alone.