Bouldering Mecca : Antharagange

Nestled about 60 kilometers away from Bangalore and a stone’s throw away from Kolar’s bus stand is a thrill seeker’s paradise. Be it Bouldering, Rock Climbing or Trekking, Muchukunda Giri has it all, a visit to the place will make anyone admit that it is India’s answer to Fontainebleau, which many consider to be as the Mecca of Bouldering. The journey in itself to Anthargange promises to be enrapturing, a preview of what to expect can be viewed with a look outside the window. Gigantic volcanic rocks or boulders which dominate the arid sun bathed landscape seem, to a layman’s eye to be precariously perched on top of each other. Patches of vegetation suggest that the rain gods rarely knock on Kolar’s doors.

The foothills of Muchukunda Giri is an interesting one, towering eucalyptus trees throw an appeasing shade which make you forget that you are in Kolar. The freshness of the atmosphere wonderfully coupled with the rich scent of eucalyptus is truly an elevating experience. There are the ruins of an old town and is in very old granite. One can find the temple of Nilakanteshwara. A few steep steps later, a pond can be seen which is enclosed by low stone walls which is constantly fed by a spring. Legend has it that sage Muchukunda underwent penance here. As age crippled his mobility; the goddess Ganga appeared as a spring to enable him to conduct the rituals. The hill thus goes by the name “Muchukunda Giri”. Water from the perennial spring gets collected in a tank and flows through a channel to wash the feet of an idol of Vishnu before springing out of the mouth of a small stone bull. From there, the water flows down towards Kilukote. The locals claim that to this day nobody knows the source of the water. To many in the dry lands, it is an oasis which is made noticeable by hoards of locals making daily trips to the spring with water cans to take back to their houses, it is considered to be sweet and perfectly potable.

The bull is covered by a small mantapa and there is a square tank below that contains a small shrine for Ganapathy surrounded by water. Under the dense shade of the giant trees also rest the temples of Ishwara and Navagrahas. Antharagange also has a deer park maintained by the forest department. One can catch a glimpse of a few sambars and spotted deer that graze here.

Trekking about 4 kms from the spring, amidst the rocky landscape one reaches the small village of Theruhalli. Since one is climbing up the hill, it is quite a steep climb, with interesting barriers to cross. The temple of Gangadhareshwara here has an attractive doorway with fine figures etched on doors and panels. To the northern side of the temple is a cave called Pandavara Hajara and on a boulder stands a small mantapa with an image of Nandi. Ancient Tamil inscriptions behind the temple and an unfinished kalyana mantapa to the south imply a Tamil influence on the area dating back centuries.

A further trek of two km to the west takes one to another village called Paparajanahathi. The specialty here is a stone umbrella that has been carved out of a single stone in front of the Shiva temple. The village is also known for the Baba Hazrat Khaja Usman Shawali Dargah, visited by one and all. Those who cannot trek can access these places by road also. On the way back you can have a good view of the entire range of hills of Kolar better known as Shathashringa Parvatha with the highest point rising to 4026 feet. A climb up one of the hills affords an exceptional view of the surrounding areas that seem to be painted with water bodies, vegetation unique to the area and villages that seem to be in small, incongruous batches considering the vast expanses of dry lands and a virtually unscathed landscape.

Or else, people seeking the ecstasy of rock climbing, Bouldering, Trekking and Exploring of caves all marvelously rolled into one mystifying experience can ask one of the shepherds or locals to show them around one of the caves formed by contiguous rocks which stretch for as much as 2 kms. Squeezing through the nooks and crannies, climbing , making jumps from boulder to boulder and enjoying a never before experience one learns that it is a trite and obvious truism that one can get easily lost in these Byzantine caves if it wasn’t for the reliance of local knowledge. It can take as long as 15 mins to 2 hours to complete a whole journey through these caves as at very few points can one find level ground. The experience makes one want to shed claustrophobia and value what it is like to explore one of these caves. Awestruck by the formation of rocks and equally spellbound by how fantastically balanced they are on top of each other, it is very easy to get won over that they seem to defy all known laws of logistics.

I am tantalized to admit that Antharagange is guaranteed to leave an ineffaceable inkling on a traveler’s mind that the adventures and discoveries one can have in vibrant Karnataka are limitless and that we have barely tapped the immensity of exploring possibilities.