Belgaum

View from hill-top viewpoint

“Ninnindale, Ninnindale, kanasondu shuruvaagide.

Ninnindale, Ninnindale, Manasindu kunidaadide”

“You are the cause of my new dream.
You are the cause of my heart dancing”

Cheerful sunflowers on a grey day

crooned an ebullient Sonu Nigam in Kannada; as I poked my head out of the car window, soaking in the verdure. The mood created by what my ears heard complemented what my eyes saw & this song had me humming along. Frankly, I’d had no expectations from Belgaum & it was turning out to be a pleasant surprise. So much was the lack of expectation, that I hadn’t carried my camera with me; something I would regret later. As the beauty begged to be captured, my friend’s ‘point & shoot’ would come to the rescue.

My friend, whose home it is, always ended up being the target of our leg-pulling about his ‘small town’ or ‘Bull town’ (Belgaum does not mean ‘bull town’, by the way; that was just a literal translation we used to tease him with). He would challenge us to visit Belgaum with him so that he could show us how beautiful it was. A huge gang decided to finally take up the offer. But, at the last minute, people dropped out due to various reasons. We would have cancelled the trip altogether hadn’t the three of us decided to go ahead with the plan; we were in the mood for a trip, gang or no gang. So, it ended up being 3 girls in Belgaum. We set up camp at our friend’s house & imposed on his poor mom, who patiently cooked yummy breakfast for us before we headed out each morning.

Hut with a view at the viewpoint

People run to escape the ulta baarish

The rain beat down on us every day but we didn’t mind. That’s what made it so much fun to eat hot goodies at MK Swamy’s, a Belgaum institution & popular hang-out. We dutifully trooped in there morning & evening, to have our fill. Nothing gourmet: just homely, piping hot munchies on a cold, rainy day; standing with friends on the road outside. The rain was also what made it fun to walk around the hill-top viewpoint, where the sun highlighted waterfalls & streams cascading down green slopes. When the rain stopped briefly, we had the ‘ulta baarish’ or the ‘upside-down rain’: the strong wind blowing a waterfall upwards at one particular spot, drenching all of us standing on the hill-top. Great fun to play in!

Yet another viewpoint allowed us to walk onto a cliff, mossy-green & misty. Sit there & you can see nothing else around you, except a green carpet. Even tree trunks & branches are clothed in moss, due to the almost perennial rainfall. The rain also meant that the waterfalls were bursting forth at their seams. There’s Gokak falls with a rickety suspension bridge over it. As it cascades over horizontal granite slabs before the steep plunge, you can feel its raw power. 

Gokak Falls & a small Hoysala-style temple next to it

Moss covered trees

Then, there’s the tiny & intimate Godachinmalki falls, which allows you to walk into it & play. It’s so small, you feel like Goliath. It’s fun sitting on rocks by the falls, swinging your feet over the water. The far end of the falls has a steep drop, though. Both these falls can be seen from at least 2 viewpoints, each with different views; ensure you do that. Don’t miss the sunflower fields as you drive from Belgaum to these falls; they look stunning with a dramatic monsoon sky as the backdrop.

 

Amboli Falls

The rain also brought out the full glory of the Amboli falls, just across the border; in Maharashtra. Alas, we were not to see that. What we saw instead, was a cascade of people in un-flatteringly wet clothes; not a pleasant sight at all. Add some groping to it & we were totally repulsed. Our mistake; we’d ventured there on a weekend. Another friend who went on a weekday had the loveliest time. You can climb up to the middle of the falls & enjoy the water. The saving grace was the vada-pav stalls. We sat there gorging on piping hot & fiery vada pavs, trying to ignore the waterfall.

While in Belgaum, feast on some Kunda & Kardant, two sweets that are a local specialty. Kardant is made of dry fruits & jaggery and is a bit of an acquired taste. I bought Kardant from shops at Gokak falls. Kunda is a melt-in-your-mouth milk sweet, made with heavily reduced milk & khoa. This, I purchased from ‘Purohit’ in the cantonment area, next to MK Swamys. And oh yeah, we spent an evening relaxing at ‘Ajanta Café’, a youth hang-out at Belgaum & my friend’s favourite. It’s a nice little place to sit & have some sandwiches & coffee.

Belgaum is definitely not to be dismissed as a fun holiday destination; especially during the monsoons. I still haven’t seen everything that it has to offer: the Hidkal dam, Jain temples and the Fort. Even the Dudhsagar Falls in Goa are only 120 odd kms away & easily accessible as a day trip from Belgaum.

I must admit this: I’m glad my friend challenged us to come. Maybe we should thank ourselves; he may not have invited us hadn’t we riled him about his ‘bull-town’……some good things do happen by annoying your friends, after all!

Quick facts:

• Belgaum is at its most beautiful during / after the monsoons when you can enjoy the green vistas & the waterfalls. Visit then (July-October).  
• Belgaum is conveniently connected by train and bus, from Bangalore. Both depart at night to deposit you at Belgaum early in the morning.
• I stayed at hotel ‘Kshema Inn’ on Khanapur main road, during another visit to Belgaum. It’s one of the best in the town & I had no major complaints. Makes for a comfortable base.
• Gokak & Godachinmalki falls are approx 60-70 kms from Belgaum. Both can be clubbed together in a day.  
• Amboli requires approx. 70 kms of travel in another direction, on another day. On this day, you can take in the view points along the way.  
• Hire a car & a driver to drive to all the sights….that’s what we did. It’s not too expensive.   
• Within Belgaum, you have autos to get around.
  
  
  
  
  Photo credit: some photos by Preethi Reddy & Hema Priya K