When it comes to night treks around Bangalore, Skandagiri holds the top position. Skandagiri is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful hills around Bangalore. But in recent time it has been very difficult to get permission for trekking there. Even if you do somehow get permission, the trek starts only after 4am and you can't even camp at the top.
While planning my next trek a few weeks back, I was browsing through Google Maps, hoping to stumble upon a hidden gem that I could explore by night. That's when I noticed a big hillock next to Skandagiri which I wasn't aware of. Upon more research, I found that the hill is named Kaurav Kunda and it is ideal for night trekking! I badly wanted camp on this hillock for the night but due to the unavailability of the tents, I decided to scale the hill before sunrise.
Around 8 people joined me for this adventure. We started riding at 2.30 am, after Chikballapur, Google Maps went crazy. It took us through many dead-ends and villages. We somehow managed to get on track to finally reach Hariharapura Village – the base of the hill at 4.30 am. After some exploration, we found the initial point of the trek.
Kaurva Kunda is an immensely beautiful yet little- known trekking destination located at a distance of no more than 75 km from Bangalore. The twin hill has derived its name from the mythological text of Mahabharata, and is a combined name for the Kauravas and Pandavas. From this hill, one can spot the outline of Nandi Hills and Skandagiri Hills.
Unravelling the beauty of Kaurav Kunda, one step at a time
The initial stretch of the hill is very easy as there are staircases till you reach a beautiful Shiva Temple. After we reached the temple, we were clueless about the route to reach the peak. During the day, time it is easy to figure out the route but since it was dark we spent some 15 minutes to figure our way forward.
The real fun started from this point onward. It was around 5.30 am and the golden rays of the sun were slowly lighting up the way ahead of us. After 20 minutes of non-stop trekking, we reached a big open area. I could see Kaurav Kunda standing tall and proud from this spot. Meanwhile, the sunrise had begun to cast a magic show of colours all over the sky. Our aim was to reach before the sun rose completely, and so we sped up towards the peak. It was a race between us and the sun.
This was the last leg of the trek and in 10 minutes, we reached the peak. We had made it to the peak just before the sun had risen. The feeling of watching this beautiful phenomenon from the summit of our target of the day was unmatched!
In next couple of minutes we witnessed one of the most beautiful sunrise. After seeing the rising sun, all our tiredness washed away. We could see the Skandagiri and Nandi Hills from this point. I was a great feeling to be in a serene place.
We spent next one hour clicking pictures and talking about our next destination. We started descending at 8 am. We reached the base in half an hour and in the next few hours were back home in Bangalore!
If you are looking for an off beat place around Bangalore for night trek then your search ends here. Visit Kaurav Kunda and thank me later.
All pictures belong to the author and cannot be reproduced.
' fill='%23359391'%3e %3cpath d='M46.1538462%2c43.5714286 L41.5%2c50 L36.8461538%2c43.5714286 L36.8670256%2c43.5714286 C36.3173077%2c42.7142857 36%2c41.6851429 36%2c40.5714286 C36%2c37.4854286 38.4535641%2c35 41.5%2c35 C44.5464359%2c35 47%2c37.4854286 47%2c40.5714286 C47%2c41.6851429 46.6826923%2c42.7142857 46.1329744%2c43.5714286 L46.1538462%2c43.5714286 Z M41.4294872%2c39 C40.6150641%2c39 39.9487179%2c39.675 39.9487179%2c40.5 C39.9487179%2c41.325 40.6150641%2c42 41.4294872%2c42 C42.2439103%2c42 42.9102564%2c41.325 42.9102564%2c40.5 C42.9102564%2c39.675 42.2439103%2c39 41.4294872%2c39 L41.4294872%2c39 Z' id='Location-white'%3e%3c/path%3e %3c/g%3e %3c/svg%3e)
