Castle Rock - Dudhsagar - An unbelievable train journey

Castle Rock - Dudhsagar - An unbelievable train journey through the Western Ghat ranges filled with evergreen rain forest and many rain fed waterfalls.

During monsoon Doodhsagar is approachable only by train, either from Kulem (Goa) or from Londa and Castle Rock (Karnataka). When it is not raining, a bumpy road trip by jeep will be an alternative.

The waterfall is one km away from the Doodhsagar railway station doable by trek along the railway track. As there are no proper tourist facilities as of now, one has to carry all the essentials like food, blanket, waterproof jacket etc. A shelter is the only resort for trekkers staying overnight.

Magod Falls, Yallapura

Magod Falls, in Yellapur in Uttara Kannada district, is 18kms away from the Yallapura town and is reachable by a well-laid road up to the view point.

Even though the view during monsoon is breathtaking, watch out for the clouds cover entire valley. I waited for more than an hour for it to get cleared and had only one minute to record this video before the region went into darkness. Set in the beautiful Western Ghat ranges of Uttara Kannada region and amidst thick evergreen forest the Magodu waterfall offers astonishing spectacle during monsoon. There is even a bus facility to and fro Yallapur to Magod. Frequency of it is very rare and has to be enquired at the bus-stand about timings. 

Dudhsagar Falls

Doodhsagar Falls is on the Goan part of Goa – Karnataka border which is accessible by road upto Castle Rock (which is the only link to Doodhsagar, that too by rail, from Karnataka side,) from Dandeli, Hubli, and Belgaum and from Collem (Kulem) Goa side. The train runs through the high altitude (elevation of around 2000ft above sea level) mountain ranges of Western Ghats. Passing through several tunnels, thick forest and heavy cover of mist during monsoon, across several mini waterfalls, the train journey by itself is a great experience. Here, I was travelling from Bangalore to Doodhsagar by Chennai – Madgaon Vasco Express which runs on Fridays and reaches Saturday morning at around 11.00am. One has to make reservations well in advance for the train journey as Goa being a famous tourist destination, trains always run full and cancellations are least expected. Usually one can hitch-hike any of the several goods trains cris-crossing every now n then but in weekend they will not oblige as there will be too many visitors wanting to do the same.

The Dudhsagar looks literally like a sea of milk plummeting down the cloudy sky. There is a railway station near Dudhsagar and even though none of the trains are scheduled to stop here, for the benefit of enthusiasts, they actually stop for 2-3 minutes. It is a sight to behold to watch the trains running across the downstream with a grand display of waterfall at one side and spectacular spread of ghat ranges on the other. Even though there are some shelters built, during monsoon, it is difficult to stay here for the night as rainfall in this region is agonizing even in daytime. The best time to visit the fall is undoubtedly during monsoon. Water flow will be in full strength and the splash hits right on to the tracks showering everybody on the tracks and even the trains passing by. As there are no facilities, one has to carry all essentials. Only in the weekend there will be an impromptu canteen set up in an abandoned station shelter serving tea, coffee and idlis. Anyways, there is presence of RPF personnel and other railway work force, should you need any help in extreme situations.

Shravanabelagola

Shravanabelagola (Kannada: ಶ್ರವಣಬೆಳಗೊಳ) is around 150Kms from Bangalore towards Hassan. On Bangalore – Mangalore highway at Hirisave take left and drive for about 15Kms to rech the town. 

There are two hills facing each other - Vindhyagiri and Chandragiri. Vindhyagiri is the hill on which the Gommateshwara, a 57 feet monolithic statue of Bahubali is situated inside the Jain Temple. The Mahamasthakabhisheka of Bahubali, which takes place once in every 12 years attract millions of people around the world, next one is during 2018. A beautiful Kalyani (temple pond) is on the foothills. The view from top of this hilltop of the pond and the Chandragiri Temple on the opposite hill as well as the surrounding is magnificent. Just 10Kms away, in Kikkeri, the famous Brahmeshvara Temple built in Hoysala style in that period is situated. Aghalaya and Sasalu are the other places nearby famous for Hoysala temples.