theladywanderer

It was a casual weekend and I was checking BMC’s( Bangalore Mountaineering Club) website to see if any new treks have opened up and Bingo here it was – Minchikall Betta trek which was scheduled on Independence day 15 th   August. So I signed up for this trek and was super excited for exploring yet another offbeat trek around Bangalore. We were around a bunch of 20 trekking enthusiasts who were picked up from various designated points in Bangalore by BMC early in the morning. After a pit stop for breakfast we then drove towards Bangalore-Tumakuru Highway.   Minchikall Betta is a 3 layered fortified hillock located in Tumakuru district of Karnataka state. Google maps led us to a tiny hamlet called Masanipalya. We were asked to get off from our vehicles here and walk towards the base point of the hill.  Fondly called by locals as Minchukallu Betta but surprisingly no one knows about the history of this massive hillock. The walk through this village till the Minchikall base is soul soothin

Muddenahalli is a small village in Chikkaballapur taluk, around 100 Kms from Bangalore. It is the birthplace of Sir M Vishveshwaraya, one of India’s most accomplished engineers. So who was Sir M Vishveshwaraya? Sir Mokshagundam Vishveshwaraya also referred as Sir MV was regarded in India as one of the foremost Civil Engineers who served as the 19 th  Diwan of Mysore. Hi Birthday 15 th  September every year is celebrated as Engineer’s day. He was awarded the Bharata Ratna by Government Of India. Vishveshwaraya Technological University (to which most engineering colleges in Karnataka are affiliated) was named in his honor. He designed and patented a system of automatic water floodgates. He was the chief engineer of the KRS Dam at Mysore.   As a mark of respect to this great engineer, Vishveshwaraya National Memorial Trust has converted his birthplace at Muddenahalli into a museum along with his Samadhi. So you will find his well-preserved birthplace, museum and his Samadhi in the same pl