MALLACHANDRAM DOLMENS KRISHNAGIRI 🗿⚱🗿

Some theories call these as ‘’dwellings of dwarfs’’ while some others state that they were ‘’burial chambers of prehistoric civilians’’. The locals referred to these as ''ancient temples''. The dolmens are 3 ft– 4 ft in dimension on all the sides. I was totally intrigued and eagerly waited for the rain gods to give us a break!  With two more guys willing to join, the five of us started on the early hours, cruising through NH 44, with heavy dark clouds scaring us! Google map link for you reference https://goo.gl/maps/FVJTN9SD6cmSjqqG9

Google maps took us almost closer to the spot, while the locals guided us in the right direction. The hillocks lie well inside complete wilderness and shrubbery, thick and overgrown due to incessant rain. There are no boards or markings to guide you. A sickle would have helped a great deal, but Abhi had carried a heavy, foldable lathi…hmmm smart! We let him lead the way….The trek through the jungle path was exciting and short – soon we were in a wild meadow with hillocks on all sides….

We explored the area to get near the hills and ascended one of them...disappointed😥..... completely damaged dolmens! We tried another hill...yeaa...better...it had quite a few, some in good condition while few are in ruins. Dolmens have vertical gratine slabs on four sides covered by a top stone. Few dolmens had a circular opening / window on the side. We noticed few figurative cave paintings resembling a man hunting an animal. In one area, a bigger, double stoned dolmen was surrounded by 12 smaller ones - could that be a leader and his fellowmen around ?!

The view from the top of the hills was amazing. Several verdant rolling hills and slopes with white washed houses in between made up a pretty picture. There were more dolmens on an adjacent hill for which we could not find a way through the undergrowth.

It was heart warming to notice that the hills, trail paths and nature were litter-free and the Dolmens have not been vandalised. Around 100 of them stand strong even to this day, though many have crumbled, mostly by forces of nature. Our future generations will get to see these Neolithic creations only if measures to protect, preserve and maintain them are undertaken.

Our next stop was Murugan Idli Hotel, a popular restaurant serving south Indian vegetarian food, to satisfy our hunger pangs after all the explorations, located bang on NH 44, just before we reach Krishnagiri. With a profusion of places to explore, Krishnagiri in Tamilnadu, is just 90 kms from Bangalore and makes for an ideal day trip.

With bellies filled with yummy food, we reached Krishnagiri Fort - A real strong one, strategically located on top of a steep hill . Built in 16th century by King Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagar Empire, the region was named Krishnagiri after its ruler. Later the Fort came under the reign of Sultans, Marathas, Moghuls and British during its rich and long history.

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We spent several hours huffing, puffing and climbing the steep stairs and boulders to reach the top......and were utterly disappointed! Few ruined outer walls and dilapidated structures welcomed us. Poorly maintained fort, with nothing much to explore - You can easily skip this one! Not worthy of all the effort and time spent.

The mesmering view of Krishnagiri town at our feet with the wide waters of Krishnagiri Dam at a far distance, bordered by mountains made a pretty picturesque view. We clicked on and on to our heart's content, slowly returned to the car and drove around some smaller roads through the villages - just as heavy drops started falling from the sky....it rained and rained and rained 😣😕....A roadside eatery attracted our attention with hot, hot pakoras (medhu pakoda in tamil) and steaming paniyarams (cooked rice dumplings) being cooked on an earthen stove using firewood, the age old method.

The steaming food tasted heavenly on a wet, windy afternoon. We proceeded on our journey after the small break and reached KRP Reservoir/ Krishnagiri Dam built across Thenpennai River in the year 1957, mainly to facilitate irrigation needs. The Dam has boating, beautiful gardens, children play area but entry was closed to visitors. Nevertheless, we could enjoy the view of the reservoir from other sides along with the eight crest type spillways. Fresh fish stalls are dotted on the perimeter of the lake.

You can include a visit to Parshwa Padmavathi Jain Temple, a beautifully maintained Jain shrine just off NH 44 towards Sadhanpalli, incase you want to skip Krishnagiri Fort. The google link for the shrine https://goo.gl/maps/sRv8pvTXUaav2jqz9

The return journey was long and tiring with rains and the infamous Bangalore traffic testing our patience. Embark on this quick road trip, during a weekend, for an interesting day out. Cheers ! 😊🧐

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