I usually like to travel to a place less crowded and less known to people. In other words, Off-Beat travel is what I like the most. The other day Ramesh, a cousin of mine, suggested the name ‘Gandikota’. We were like “What? Where?". He is an excellent explorer and a point of contact for me to get off beat location details.
Gandikota is in Andhra Pradesh. It is close to a town named Jamalamadugu, Cuddapah District. If you traveling from Bangalore, then it is around 290km one way. Google maps is all that we used to reach Gandikota. Of course, we did refer another blog for the details about this place. You can stay for a night and return the next day to Bangalore.
Suggested onward route:
Bangalore – Devanahalli – Chikkaballapur – Bagepalli – Right deviation to Kadiri – Pulivendula – Jamalamadugu – Gandikota.
Jamalamadugu town is about 13km. It has pretty much everything you would require. Medical stores, provision stores, fruits, meat stalls, and liquor shops as well. But it makes to shop everything you need for Day 1, from Bangalore itself. For Day 2, you can probably buy basic stuff at Jammalamadugu for the return journey.
The onward journey, 80% of the roads are good. Few places, the road gets rough, but thankfully no potholes. Once you’ve crossed Bagepalli and taken deviation to Kadiri, you’ll slow down cause there are many small villages that you will pass by. Do carry surplus water or soft drinks with you.
So, we left Bangalore around 5:30AM after picking up Arun and Deepak. Santosh (our Schumi) was behind the wheels in his Swift VDI. We stopped for a short breakfast before Bagepalli on the way. A small “hotel”if someone wants to call that. We do not care about the ambience. We just need to silence our grumbling tummies (because of the hunger and not because of indigestion). We continued with Google maps to guide us all the way. No human interactions at all. We wanted to avoid that. Some may think that’s sad, but we wanted to check the accuracy of Google Maps. And I must say it is damn good!!!
We reached Gandikota around 1:30PM and we drove to APTDC Haritha. This is the only place to stay and eat while you are in Gandikota. They have decent rooms and prior reservation is not required. Even though we were reluctant and called the hotel about a week back, the manager assured that we would get rooms. A non-AC room per night costs Rs.700 + taxes (approx). They are decent enough and we took two of them. I hate cramped space.
We had taken Jolad Rotti (Corn flour rotis) with groundnut chutney pudi (I am not gonna give a recipe for this, you can Google it
). Some fruits, bread, cheese and some savouries. We consumed the rottis to our heart’s content. We did not want to spend at the hotel’s restaurant. We then decided to head to the gorge. We took the car and drove for about 5 mins. You have got to appreciate the architecture. It seems like a maze, wherein it was easy to target from above if enemies attacked. Simply brilliant!!!
The place was hardly maintained. So, one can imagine the cleanliness. As we moved along, we had to stop at a junction where we had to proceed further by foot. In other words Nataraj service ki jai. It wasn’t a long walk ahead. From the junction, we headed left where we could see a massive Gopuram. When we reached near it, we noticed how big the Gopuram was. There were hardly any tourists around. We went inside the enclosure and saw a centre place of worship. However, there was nothing in the centre area. It was empty and stank of bat poo. Man!!! It stank real bad!!!
There was an area to the far left end of the enclosure. We were guessing that when any ceremonies/functions need to be conducted, that is where they used to do it as it was on an elevated platform with mantap or roof with pillars to form a housing. We could see outside the enclosure that many windmills are making their way to Gankdikota. Few were functional, few were being installed. We then proceeded to the Gumbaz we saw from the enclosure. We had to head back and reach the junction we took left deviation, we had to take left again. The village has been occupied by few locals and they speak Telugu & Hindi. They sell soft drinks & other junk food. But it is a risk to buy them.
We proceeded for about 5 mins walk and we could feel it. We sensed that the gorge is not far away. Behold!!! The rustic rock formations welcome you to the Grand Canyon alike destination. You need to be careful when stepping on boulders. They may be slippery. We went to the far end and got a beautiful view of the gorge. In between this gorge flows a river. There was little water when we went. in summer these rivers dry up and if you are adventurous, you can go down the gorge.
We just planned to sit around the place enjoy the view and cool breeze (which by the way gets strong at times). I clicked few shots and got mine clicked by Arun. We sat there till about 5:30PM and headed back to the junction where our car was parked. It even drizzled for sometime while we were at the gorge. Amazing feel that has to be experienced. We drove back to the hotel and headed to the restaurant. We had awesome masala tea and some Omlette along with it. Muaaah!!! Simply superb!!!
We head back to the room as the sun was setting fast and we did not want to waste time.
We had the night to us and we talked, argued and even got aggressive. But in the end, it doesn't even matter. The next morning, we got up and dug into the bread, jam, cheese and fruits for breakfast. Our own English breakfast. We also had the masala tea to complete our breakfast. We checked out of the room by around 9:30AM. Our next destination – Belum caves. Just like the guys in another blog had planned it out. Belum caves is in the district of Cuddapah, Andhra Pradesh. We again put our faith on Google Maps and head out.
We reached Belum Caves by around 12:30PM. The drive from Jammalamadugu to Belum Caves wasn’t that great as the roads were bumpy. We got the tickets and entered the caves. Damn it was crowded. People come in flock to this destination. Everyone is at a stone’s throw away from Belum. Anyways, we just went our way. No guides. We were amazed to see the indigenous rock formations. There were lights to highlight the formations. Amazing!!! The cave is long. Make sure you watch your head at times. I bumped my head into the rocks at one of the narrow passages. Obese people, be advised. It ain’t gonna easy. People with breathing issues are advised to walk slow and avoid going deeper as the oxygen levels dip. But, the management has done excellent job pumping fresh air into the caves at places where the oxygen levels dip.
No use spending much time here. We were here for max 1 hour. We head back after sufficient exploration and snapshots. We were hungry and wanted to eat something from a local cuisine. The return journey, we decided to take small deviation from what the Google maps was suggesting. We headed to Anantpur. Belum Caves – Tadipatri – Anantpur – Penukonda – Bagepalli – Chikkaballapur – Bangalore was the route we took while on our return.
The road from Belum to Tadipatri was worse. Very slow drive. The road from Tadipatri to Anantpur was rough. Average speed drive. Anantpur was where we had our lunch. And what??? Biriyani!!! With our stomach full and ready to go, our Schumi wanted to do a one stop strategy. We nodded in agreement. We reached the NH-7 and from there, our Schumi was zipping at 160kmph. Anantpur to Bangalore was around 189km. We stopped for 15mins in between for tea. We reached Devanahalli by 5:00PM. From Devanahalli to Vidyaranyapura, it took 2 hours!!! Screw the city traffic!!!
From left: Myself, Deepak, Santosh, & Arun
Stay option:
There is only one stay option at Gandikota - APTDC Harihta. Advance reservation not required. Decent rooms to stay. Dormitory facility also available.
Average cost per room per night Rs.700 + taxes (Room only basis). The hotel has an attached restaurant. They have sufficient choice for food, however they may not be as tasty as you get in Bangalore. Don’t keep you hopes high.
All said and done, we had an amazing tour of Gandikota and Belum Caves, which would be cherished for a long time to come.
Until next post, Adios Amigos
Gandikota is in Andhra Pradesh. It is close to a town named Jamalamadugu, Cuddapah District. If you traveling from Bangalore, then it is around 290km one way. Google maps is all that we used to reach Gandikota. Of course, we did refer another blog for the details about this place. You can stay for a night and return the next day to Bangalore.
Suggested onward route:
Bangalore – Devanahalli – Chikkaballapur – Bagepalli – Right deviation to Kadiri – Pulivendula – Jamalamadugu – Gandikota.
Jamalamadugu town is about 13km. It has pretty much everything you would require. Medical stores, provision stores, fruits, meat stalls, and liquor shops as well. But it makes to shop everything you need for Day 1, from Bangalore itself. For Day 2, you can probably buy basic stuff at Jammalamadugu for the return journey.
The onward journey, 80% of the roads are good. Few places, the road gets rough, but thankfully no potholes. Once you’ve crossed Bagepalli and taken deviation to Kadiri, you’ll slow down cause there are many small villages that you will pass by. Do carry surplus water or soft drinks with you.
So, we left Bangalore around 5:30AM after picking up Arun and Deepak. Santosh (our Schumi) was behind the wheels in his Swift VDI. We stopped for a short breakfast before Bagepalli on the way. A small “hotel”if someone wants to call that. We do not care about the ambience. We just need to silence our grumbling tummies (because of the hunger and not because of indigestion). We continued with Google maps to guide us all the way. No human interactions at all. We wanted to avoid that. Some may think that’s sad, but we wanted to check the accuracy of Google Maps. And I must say it is damn good!!!
We reached Gandikota around 1:30PM and we drove to APTDC Haritha. This is the only place to stay and eat while you are in Gandikota. They have decent rooms and prior reservation is not required. Even though we were reluctant and called the hotel about a week back, the manager assured that we would get rooms. A non-AC room per night costs Rs.700 + taxes (approx). They are decent enough and we took two of them. I hate cramped space.
We had taken Jolad Rotti (Corn flour rotis) with groundnut chutney pudi (I am not gonna give a recipe for this, you can Google it
). Some fruits, bread, cheese and some savouries. We consumed the rottis to our heart’s content. We did not want to spend at the hotel’s restaurant. We then decided to head to the gorge. We took the car and drove for about 5 mins. You have got to appreciate the architecture. It seems like a maze, wherein it was easy to target from above if enemies attacked. Simply brilliant!!! The place was hardly maintained. So, one can imagine the cleanliness. As we moved along, we had to stop at a junction where we had to proceed further by foot. In other words Nataraj service ki jai. It wasn’t a long walk ahead. From the junction, we headed left where we could see a massive Gopuram. When we reached near it, we noticed how big the Gopuram was. There were hardly any tourists around. We went inside the enclosure and saw a centre place of worship. However, there was nothing in the centre area. It was empty and stank of bat poo. Man!!! It stank real bad!!!
There was an area to the far left end of the enclosure. We were guessing that when any ceremonies/functions need to be conducted, that is where they used to do it as it was on an elevated platform with mantap or roof with pillars to form a housing. We could see outside the enclosure that many windmills are making their way to Gankdikota. Few were functional, few were being installed. We then proceeded to the Gumbaz we saw from the enclosure. We had to head back and reach the junction we took left deviation, we had to take left again. The village has been occupied by few locals and they speak Telugu & Hindi. They sell soft drinks & other junk food. But it is a risk to buy them.
We proceeded for about 5 mins walk and we could feel it. We sensed that the gorge is not far away. Behold!!! The rustic rock formations welcome you to the Grand Canyon alike destination. You need to be careful when stepping on boulders. They may be slippery. We went to the far end and got a beautiful view of the gorge. In between this gorge flows a river. There was little water when we went. in summer these rivers dry up and if you are adventurous, you can go down the gorge.
We just planned to sit around the place enjoy the view and cool breeze (which by the way gets strong at times). I clicked few shots and got mine clicked by Arun. We sat there till about 5:30PM and headed back to the junction where our car was parked. It even drizzled for sometime while we were at the gorge. Amazing feel that has to be experienced. We drove back to the hotel and headed to the restaurant. We had awesome masala tea and some Omlette along with it. Muaaah!!! Simply superb!!!
We head back to the room as the sun was setting fast and we did not want to waste time.
We had the night to us and we talked, argued and even got aggressive. But in the end, it doesn't even matter. The next morning, we got up and dug into the bread, jam, cheese and fruits for breakfast. Our own English breakfast. We also had the masala tea to complete our breakfast. We checked out of the room by around 9:30AM. Our next destination – Belum caves. Just like the guys in another blog had planned it out. Belum caves is in the district of Cuddapah, Andhra Pradesh. We again put our faith on Google Maps and head out.
We reached Belum Caves by around 12:30PM. The drive from Jammalamadugu to Belum Caves wasn’t that great as the roads were bumpy. We got the tickets and entered the caves. Damn it was crowded. People come in flock to this destination. Everyone is at a stone’s throw away from Belum. Anyways, we just went our way. No guides. We were amazed to see the indigenous rock formations. There were lights to highlight the formations. Amazing!!! The cave is long. Make sure you watch your head at times. I bumped my head into the rocks at one of the narrow passages. Obese people, be advised. It ain’t gonna easy. People with breathing issues are advised to walk slow and avoid going deeper as the oxygen levels dip. But, the management has done excellent job pumping fresh air into the caves at places where the oxygen levels dip.
No use spending much time here. We were here for max 1 hour. We head back after sufficient exploration and snapshots. We were hungry and wanted to eat something from a local cuisine. The return journey, we decided to take small deviation from what the Google maps was suggesting. We headed to Anantpur. Belum Caves – Tadipatri – Anantpur – Penukonda – Bagepalli – Chikkaballapur – Bangalore was the route we took while on our return.
The road from Belum to Tadipatri was worse. Very slow drive. The road from Tadipatri to Anantpur was rough. Average speed drive. Anantpur was where we had our lunch. And what??? Biriyani!!! With our stomach full and ready to go, our Schumi wanted to do a one stop strategy. We nodded in agreement. We reached the NH-7 and from there, our Schumi was zipping at 160kmph. Anantpur to Bangalore was around 189km. We stopped for 15mins in between for tea. We reached Devanahalli by 5:00PM. From Devanahalli to Vidyaranyapura, it took 2 hours!!! Screw the city traffic!!!
From left: Myself, Deepak, Santosh, & Arun
Stay option:
There is only one stay option at Gandikota - APTDC Harihta. Advance reservation not required. Decent rooms to stay. Dormitory facility also available.
Average cost per room per night Rs.700 + taxes (Room only basis). The hotel has an attached restaurant. They have sufficient choice for food, however they may not be as tasty as you get in Bangalore. Don’t keep you hopes high.
All said and done, we had an amazing tour of Gandikota and Belum Caves, which would be cherished for a long time to come.
Until next post, Adios Amigos
