Shivanasamudra – Gaganachukki and Barachukki falls

Chaya and I had been to Mysuru on account of personal work. While driving back, we decided to take a detour and visit Gaganachukki and Barachukki falls in Shivanasamudra. Water had been released from KRS and Kabini dams and the falls were expected to be in full grandeur. The scare of the coronavirus was still there but we thought that the crowds would be lesser. We decided to return if there were too many people.

About Shivanasamudra

Shivanasamudra is an island where the Kaveri river splits into two and joins again. The river flows through the rocky area and drops off to form waterfalls on both its branches. One of them is Gaganachukki, and the other is Barachukki. Note that both waterfalls are situated away from each other. It is also the site of the first hydroelectric power station in Asia.

Gaganachukki waterfalls

We took the deviation from the Malavalli-Kollegal highway to Gaganachukki waterfalls. Parking was easy to find, which clearly indicated that the crowd was less. We had to walk for 5 minutes to reach the viewpoint of the falls. The view was stunning. Having never seen this waterfall in such a flowing state, we were overjoyed. The flow of water was so much that it was hard to see the base of the falls.

By the way, there are two viewpoints for this waterfall. Apart from the one we were standing, which was near Shivanasamudra township, there was another viewpoint on the other side of the falls. It is near a Masjid, and the approach is from the Barachukki falls road.

Barachukki waterfalls

After spending some time at Ganaganchukki falls, we headed towards Barachukki falls. We went back to the main road, crossed the narrow Satthegala on Kaveri, and took the deviation to Barachukki falls at handpost. I remembered my previous visit to this falls. I had visited with my cousin about 20 years back. We had travelled from Mysuru and had visited Somnathpura and Talakad before heading to Barachukki falls. The bus had dropped us at Handpost, and there we realised that the waterfall was still 7 km away. We had walked that distance as there was no public transport. The upside was that we were the only people in the falls. While returning, we had managed to hitchhike in a village rickshaw!!

Things had changed a lot. Traffic seemed to be much higher in Barachukki. But we did not find any difficulty in parking the car.

The waterfall looked amazing with a copious amount of water. The crowd was beyond our threshold limit and we only spent time seeing it from the upper viewpoint. The route to the lower viewpoint was crowded and did not look safe for us.

What else could be seen?

Shivanasamudra is about 130 km from Bengaluru. You can either go via Maddur or Kanakapura. If you are coming from Mysuru, the route via Bannur is shorter. It can be easily done as a day trip. You can also combine with the visit to nearby places:

• Sri Ranganthaswamy temple in Shivanasamudra
• Hydro electric station – Unfortunately, public is not allowed. I remember during childhood days when we down down the trolley and saw the power generating turbines!!
• Somanathapura – Home to beautiful Hoysala temple
• Talakad – Ancient temples with desert like surroundings
• Mudukutore – Religious place
• T Narasipura – Confluence of Kaveri and Kabini. A religious place.

Is it safe now (COVID-19 situation)?

I know this question would be lingering in the minds of a few people. There is no doubt that the risk level increases the moment you step out of your house or someone enters your house. So, one should take enough precautions. This was our first visit outside Bengaluru after 5 months. We felt that outdoor activities posed a lesser risk than indoor. We took some precautions like having masks always on, tried to keep a distance from others, use sanitizers, took packed food, and did not stop at any restaurants or restrooms. But I felt that most people were not bothered about Corona at all.

Let me also tell you that the fun of travel was missing with so many precautions and restrictions.