Brahmagiri Trek

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Location info:India->Karnataka-> Thirunelli

Route Info:

Bangalore - Mysore - Nanjangudu - Gundelpet - Sulthan Bathery - Mananthavady - Kattikulam - Thirunelli - Bhrahmagiri.

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Summary:

Brahmagiri is a mountain range in the Western Ghats of south India. It is situated on the border between Wayanad District of Kerala state on the south and Kodagu district in Karnataka on the north side. Brahmagiri Hill, at 1608 m height, is a scenic tourist attraction. The top of Brahmagiri Hill (1608 m) is well forested and has a lot of wildlife.A trek to Brahmagiri was decided out of the blue...viz I had no intention or plan to go there in the near future...I had decided to go for CTC's Vellarimala-Vavulmala trek on 21st - 23rd Feb trek for which I had to reach Kozhikode (Calicut) on early 21st Feb. As I could not get a train tkt to Calicut, the only option left was to fly to Bangalore and onward by road to Calcut (8-10hrs). Since I was taking this route, I thought why not add 1 more trek to the itenary. Hence the plan to Brahmagiri came up...

Things To Look for:

Thirunelly Temple:
Thirunelly temple, also called 'Kashi of the South' is 32 km northeast of Mananthavady. This ancient temple is 5000 years old and the presiding deity is Thirunelly Perumal/Lord Vishnu. Legend says that Lord Brahma the creator performed a yagna and installed the idol here. The idol is in the form of Chathurbhuja. This Kerala architecture style temple with the background of three hills, Kambamala, Karimala and Varadiga in Brahmagiri hills reserve forests is both beautiful and divine. The temple courtyard consists of 30 granite columns and granite slabs has been used for the floor too. One can see t he mighty Brahmagiri Peak towering behind Thirunelly temple.

Pakshipathalam:
Pakshipathalam at an altitude of 1740 m is another attraction on the Kerala side. Pakshipathalam boasts of a cave that is said to have been used by rishis in ancient times. On the Karnataka side it is also known by the name of Munikal cave.

Munikal Caves:
Munikal Caves'Iruppu (or Irpu or Lakshmana Tirtha) Falls of the Lakshmana Tirtha River lies on the Karnataka side of Brahmagiri. According to legend, when Rama and Lakshmana were searching for Sita, they became thirsty. Lakshmana shot an arrow into the Brahmagiri from which the river sprang. Rama is said to have dedicated a Shiva Kshethra known as Rajeshwara Temple on the banks of river Lakshmana Tirtha. The Lakshmana Tirtha river eventually flows into the Kaveri River.

Brahmagiri:
Brahmagiri can be reached by a trek from Mananthavady (29 km east) or from Kutta. From Karnataka side, trek to Brahmagiri from Irpu Falls is 9 km and to Munikal Caves is 7 km. Trekkers need to seek the permission of Range Forest Officer at Srimangala.

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