Billigiri Ranganath Hills

Five guys on five bikes set out on the 6th of August 2005 towards BR Hills near Mysore.
Billigiri Ranganth temple is situated ..........[follow the links below :-P] http://www.karnatakatourism.com/hill/brhills/index.htm
http://www.bangalorenet.com/katour/brhills.htm

Introduction:
Ashwin alias:apc/acp/`kal mari` from NES Technologies. Harshad Ex Wiproite, Vikram Ex Microsoft employee, Rampratap friend of `Shwetha Reddy` from HP and me too from HP. Apc and Harshad rode a Bajaj Pulsar each, Vikram Bajaj Avenger, Ram Yahama RX 100 and me TVS Victor.

`Up Shakuna`[bad omen]:
We agreed to meet up by 6:30 am on the 6th of August at my place in Jayanagar 7th block. Our friend had trouble getting up early and so it didn't happen. To make up for it another friend tried too hard and disaster struck! Even before the actual biking began our friend apc got hit from behind for taking a sharp turn and ended up with
minor bruises.

By the time we started off it was 9am. Our first destination was Kanakapura 60 km away. Reaching there by 10:30 we had breakfast at some local restaurant. The stretch between `Target Pura` and `Kanakapura` was pretty good and could maintain speeds over 60. Our next destination was Shivasamudram which is 5km deviation off NH 209.

Shivasamudram:
Due to heavy rains over the past week and flood gates being wide open at Krishna Raja Sagar Dam Mysore, the water fall was at its best. It was a bit too risky to get too close to the water. We spent about 2 hrs and left to Kollegala.

`Kollegala` is well as `DRV'[Dodd Rowdy Veerappan] frequented in 'n' around Kollegala. Kollegala is about 85 km away from Kanakapura and 25km from Shivasamudram. We had lunch at Kollegala. The roads get bad here onwards, we took a 30km diversion which lead us to BR Hills.

The roads are stone laid and un-tarred on many occasions. This is when you realize the pain in your ass. Our friend apc struck again, this time he was testing his front disk brakes and ended up with a deep wound on his elbow and more bruises to his already hurt leg. He was in good spirits and the ride continued. On our way up we saw a peacock and a couple of wild boars.

We reached the peak before dark, by the time we found ourselves with a room and settled it was 7:30pm. The climate out there was cold, foggy, drizzling and windy. We visited the temple and had road side dosas for dinner.

Next morning we out for a 3km walk and after breakfast we realised apc was not quite comfortable with his injuries. We decided to head back home before dark and planned accordingly. Unfortunately another disaster struck again this time it was Harshad's Pulsar, with a flat tyre. Ram and myself unknowingly took Mysore Road, braked at Càfe coffee day and began following an ambassador with 4 pretty chicks whom we caught up at Càfe Coffee day. After we ran out of patience we raced ahead to reach home by 7:30pm.

Conclusions:
1. Avoid Bajaj Pulsars.
2. Go singles, avoid doubles spare the life of the pillion rider
3. Smaller the group better co-ordination and less confusion.

Final bit:
1. Incidents are worth happening, memories last forever.
2. Wear a helmet & leather to prevent injuries in case of mishaps
3. Always keep an eye on the guy behind you in the rear-view mirror
4. Stretch your arms and legs at every stop to reduce the strain

Route Summary:
Bangalore to Biligiri : 180km
Bangalore to Kanakapura : 60km [good road minimal potholes]
Kanakapura to Kollegala : 85km [good road, small patches are being re-laid]
Kollegala to BR Hills : 30km [1st 15kms narrow rustic roads, most stretches un-tarred]