JOIN US'Gorge'ous Mekedatu
Name the most exciting, and also easily affordable, one-day excursion/picnic spot within a 100 sq km radius from Bengaluru. You are spoilt for choice, right?
To stir matters, add a rider! A picnic spot without a subtext alluding to any religious, cultural or spiritual sentiment? And, more pertinently, not exactly a regular hotspot for the adrenaline junkies or wildlife shutterbugs.
Nandi Hills (65 km) or Savandurga (60 km) will top the list, for sure. The laid-back may even prefer the nearby Big Banyan Tree (28 km). How about Mekedatu?
Give it a shot. It’s worth it. For a first-timer, it can prove an exhilarating eye-opener. And, for a repeat visitor, it can be a vintage adventure.
Less than 100 km from Bengaluru, the drive is smooth once you are past the city limits as the road steadily widens (after Bidadi) and gets uncluttered (after Ramanagara).
Famous eatery joints on either side of the road (thatte idli outlets, in particular) tempt you to take a quick break for breakfast. You then drive through the narrow and undulating lanes of rustic villages of the old Mysuru region.
A brief stop to fill up the visitors’ diary at a government check post will be followed by the final leg, the best part of the journey, amid green mountains and dense forest ranges.
The immediate view is spellbinding, both to the mind and the soul, even if it’s through the muddied windshield of your car — you are at Sangama where rivers Arkavathi and Cauvery merge to the tune of nature’s vibrant rhythms.
The more exciting part starts here as you have to cross the river in a primitive boat (called theppa locally). And then, you have a choice to reach your final destination — a safe but rickety bus ride or a tricky trek of about five-six kilometres.
Once at your final destination, you are in a different world altogether, incredibly serene and almost surreal. Though the place is severely barricaded for safety reasons, you can enjoy the views from a distance — in fact, from right at the top — as you get a drone-camera view of the deep gorge, the razor-sharp granite rocks and the mesmerising sight of a ceaseless stream of crystal clear water whipping up thick foam as it gushes through a ravine wide enough for a goat (meke, in Kannada) to crossover (datu, in Kannada). Welcome to Mekedatu.
Coming to the strange name Mekedatu (meaning, a goat’s leap). There are many versions, but the most probable one is that of the herdsmen who lived in that area a long time ago.
According to them, a goat made a desperate but successful attempt to save its life from a charging tiger by leaping from one side of the gorge to the other with the raging river below, leaving behind ‘footprints’ for posterity. The tiger was not as daring and abandoned the chase. It is believed that only divine goats could have marked their ‘footprints’ on such rocks.
According to another fascinating fable, the goat was Lord Shiva in one of his many disguises. And the tiger, you may ask? Well, it’s left to your imagination.
These stories keep your mind occupied as you return to Sangama. A detour to Chunchi Falls on the way back is highly recommended. Or, you can leave that for another day.