Travel to Sandur, an oasis in Ballari

The first time I heard about Sandur was while trekking with YHAI friends. Few of them had gone trekking in Sandur in Ballari district. I felt it strange to trek in an area known for its hot weather and mining. Illegal mining in the 2000s had given a bad name to the district. While few minted gold from iron ore, everyone else got dust!! But I realized that Sandur, rich in hills and forests, was an oasis in Ballari!!

Our visit to Sandur started from Kamalapur near Hampi. We crossed Hospet, and the scenery turned beautiful. The hilly terrain started after crossing Hosapete, and we could see greenery everywhere. Sandur town looked like any other place in India. We went to the first place of our visit, Krauncha Giri.

Krauncha Giri

Krauncha Giri is about 10 km from Sandur and is famous for two old temples. The more famous Kumaraswamy temple was built in the 8th-10th century, while the adjoining Parvathi temple was constructed in the 7th-8th century.

The drive to the temples was the scariest for me as a driver. The road was good, but speed breakers were omnipresent. With four people and luggage in the car, I had to be careful while moving over the speed breakers. Still, I could not stop the underbody from hitting the road bumps a few times. Once, it made a loud noise as I passed through a monstrous road hump attracting attention from the roadside people. I expected the car to stop or make a weird noise. Nothing happened, and no warning lights came up on the dashboard. I continued driving but told my family that they should get down at that speed breaker while coming back!!

In addition to speed breakers, I had to manage the mining trucks on the road. The presence of iron ores in the forest meant lorries on the road. They came with dust!! It would be a painful drive for two-wheelers. In our case, the car took a complete mud bath!! There was forest everywhere, and so were the mines.

The last few km was the climb to the hill with series of hair pin bends. Few people had warned about the challenges in pulling up the car. But I did not face any issue. It was a normal ghat climb.

Finally, we reached the peaceful temple area, notwithstanding the chaos of mining in its surroundings. The temples looked spectacular. The architecture of the Parvathi temple was different. It seemed to be a mix of many architectural styles. Surprisingly, the temples remained intact for so long.

View point at Narihalla river

We drove to Sandur-Kudligi road to see the viewpoint. Situated on the outskirts of Sandur, it provided a nice view of the Narihalla river and the valley. The entire area was green, and the forests looked like western ghat ranges.

Chaya and Tanu pointed out the graffiti on the rocks. I was all “X loves Y” kind of writings. We were surprised how one could climb to such places and then paint such things. “Their love is so strong” was one view. Taj Mahal looked pale in front of their expressions. For me, they were a bunch of losers who were a pure pain to society.

Narihalla dam

We then proceeded towards Ballari. The drive was along Narihalla dam backwaters. My family exclaimed that it looked like the “Milford Sound” of New Zealand. Wow!! It was a strong comparison. While I felt that it was an exaggeration to compare against a place known as a natural wonder, it was still beautiful and could be called “Local Milford Sound”.

The photos do not give justice to the place. Due to the position of the sun, it was hard to take good snaps. I think evening is the best time to visit this place.

Where to stay?

I did not see any good hotels in Sandur. The Sandur Palace converted to a hotel offers a great stay, if you can afford it or if someone is sponsoring you!! Else, you can go on a day trip from Hosapete/Hampi or Ballari.

We also could not find a good vegetarian restaurant. Nearby Toranagallu has better options to eat.

What else to see?

• Sandur fort in the town is a land fort, but it is now part of the living population.
• Jindal Vijaynagar city is a planned township that has excellent roads, parks, grounds and infrastructure. Kaladham in the township is interesting.
• Hills around Sandur are good spots for trekking.

Tips and information

• The best time to visit Sandur is during the monsoon months when the place looks green.
• Beware of speed breakers. They are present on every road in and around Sandur. By the time you accelerate and reach a cruising speed, you need to apply brakes!!
• Mining trucks ply on the road. Be very careful as the drivers drive like maniacs. I felt that there were in the wrong jobs. They would have easily won any race events in the world and brought their name to our country.
• Avoid Sandur “Bypass” like the plague. With hundreds of parked and moving trucks on that you, you may get stuck for hours. Google maps do not provide traffic information for this road but divert gullible car drivers to this stretch.