Mekedatu – The bubbling confluence of Kaveri

Mekedatu is about a 100 kilometres away from Bangalore. It is one of the most wonderful tourist spots near Bangalore. The term ‘Mekedatu’ means goat’s leap in Kannada. There are two rivers Cauvery and Arkavati that merge at a place called Sangam and flows down a few kilometres to Mekedatu. The river flows through a fascinating gorge which is really a splendid view. The route towards Mekedatu is a very scenic route on Kanakpura Main road. One has to cross Kanakpura village and drive straight.This highway twirls in the ghats and the fun and the thrill that you experience when you drive along this highway through an SUV with a really stupendous driver friend is incomparable.

Once we reached the river, we had to leave our vehicles and just wade across the river. Its shallow and pretty safe to cross. There are slippery stones to avoid and cross the river where everyone else is crossing. It may not be a good idea to try this in the rainy season or immediately after heavy rains. The water flow is pretty decent and with the help of a few friends you can easily walk through the cold waters of the river. There are small boats which help you cross the deeper part of the river until you reach a safe spot. We started quite early from Bangalore and halted for breakfast at Swaad Restaurant gorging on the delicious smooth Idlis, the standard Ghee Roast and some lip smacking coffee. The sight of a fake waterfall at our restaurant made us all smile with glee, at first we thought it is just the water flowing because of the rains on the window panes but the idea of a fake waterfall did not cross our minds. As we set for the second course of our journey after clicking selfies and photos of our self driven car, the drive was phenomenal. The weather played its role really well and helped us feel the fresh breeze that came through the window. There was hardly a need for an AC.

As we neared our destination the winding ghats made the journey enjoyable. Dangling from one corner of the car to the other, with three girls laughing at the top of their voices in the rear seats the guys in the front wondered as to what was wrong, nonetheless it is the birthright of the girls to express their happiness in the best way possible. We took hollow bamboo boats to cross the deeper part of the river, they were not very hollow, but the right size to fit in 5 people, coated with plaster they were strong enough to bear our weight and to my surprise wobbled really less. This place is situated between the mountains, like a valley and a gorge come together, so the views were pretty panoramic.

We decided to walk in the river though it was slippery because the water levels were pretty low, up to the knee. We discovered that apart from the sightseeing place , the whole area was kind of an adventure spot. It's amazingly beautiful and dangerous.Dangerous because the rocks can hurt you if you are not careful. At the banks of the river, the water is a bit dirty since you find people doing all sorts of household activities but as you walk in the river, the water turns crystal clear, with tiny fish to tickle your feet if you meet any. We clicked crazy pictures, sitting on those solid granite rocks with water on the all the four sides felt eternal. For two hours we were in the middle of the river jumping from one rock to another and balancing ourselves in the meanwhile. The forest authorities of the state of Karnataka have maintained this area pretty decently.

Soon it was time to return. We tried different angles to figure out where exactly a goat or even a horse can jump across the gorge, but it seemed pretty risky even to approach the edges.They were sharp and ferocious, we even had an adventure walk on some of the slippery stones, the best part was where I went on the farthest rock and balanced myself just to get a few good clicks inside the water. Since I knew swimming I was not frightened to let myself go a bit deeper since I can always swim back to the shore. This trip was special because we made it happen on the friendship day and had loads of fun. Finding the best place itself was a task but the stupendous driver friend helped me with that too. It was indeed a spontaneous one.

Music helped us get the adrenaline rush we needed on this trip and the enthusiasm prevailed throughout the journey. We had lunch at a restaurant near the shores of the river maintained by the Karnataka State Travel Corporation which served fresh meals. Nothing special to buy in this area, but the mountainous region is filled with various types of flora and fauna. One can say nature at its best, just outside the city of Bangalore.