BHPian tasty911 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:Hassan and Tumkur District-A short ride wandering the backroads. Early Morning Chaos on NH75The early morning started with the Hassan Highway (NH75). The traffic wasn’t fun. It was as if the whole of Bangalore was on its way out and at its worst road manners. I was itching to get off the highway and get on the empty rural roads. So as soon as the sun started peaking out, I dug out the phone and started consulting maps. Over a cup of tea, I formed a loose plan around going through the back roads to make my way to the Bangalore-Pune Highway (NH48) and then take the highway back home. A little ahead of where I was consulting the maps, a road turned off the highway towards Nuggehalli. Thanks to @kiki_13 here at TBHP, I was aware of the two 13th-century Hoysala temples in this small village. So I turned in.First taste of the backroads:The road was narrow with hardly any traffic. Here and there, the fields showed some activity. Chill in the air, warm sun on the back, and an empty road. This is what backroad riding is about. At Nuggehalli, my first stop was at Shri Sadashivaswamy Temple. The place was empty, and the inner sanctum was locked. Outside, a couple of villagers sat around enjoying the sun. They looked at me, surprised. It did not look like many people visited this temple. The temple itself is well built and next to a pond. While new construction has spoiled the grandeur, the original structure is impressive and in a Hoysala Nagara style of architecture, which is a blend of Nagara (North India) and Dravidian (South India) style of architecture. There is a small bench to sit and I used it as it was intended. Just sat down and enjoyed the peace. Nearby was the Lakshmi Narasimha Temple. This is a bigger structure and equally impressive. Once again the newer construction have dented the magnificence. Here too there was no human presence. I did have many birds and a squirrel for company. Back on the empty rural roads, I enjoyed riding my bike again. The roads were quiet, and there were hardly any cars around. The morning air was warming up, but it was still comfortable and not too hot. I took my time and rode slowly, enjoying the peaceful feeling of the countryside. I stopped at a few different places along the way to take photos. I photographed colorful flowers by the roadside, reflections in roadside ponds, and tall trees by the road.A Tea stop and an unexpected guest Before Tiptur, I again stopped for tea. This guy came along, asking for his share, and I had to oblige. Beyond Tiptur, the journey wasn’t fun. The road was nice, but too much rural vehicular and foot traffic. Its a busy road with villages and small towns at regular interval. At Huliyar, I turned towards Sira. Given it was early in the morning, I started contemplating going beyond NH48 to NH44 (Bangalore – Hyderabad Highway). The road to Sira was good – wide enough but without a divider and with less traffic. I was at Sira pretty quickly and decided to head towards Madhugiri. The rocky hills of Madhugiri. Somewhere beyond is the famous Madhugiri fort. Beyond Madhugiri, I took a wrong turn and pretty soon the road ended. The view was good, so I scouted around a little and took a break for some photos. Then I headed towards Gauribidanur. Its been a while since I rode to Gauribidanur. The road from Doddaballapur to Gauribidanur used to be pretty nice and there were some good food options there. I was looking forward to stopping there for some food. Roadside benches mean once is nearing the Andhra area. My blessing to whoever started this culture of setting up stone benches under trees. Extremely helpful to riders like me. So I stopped at one of those and had a small picnic – fruits and a bottle of water. It was good I did, because soon the wide road started. In the process, they seem to have gotten rid of the benches and big trees. As I approached Gauribidanur, I found they had built a bypass to the city. So that’s what I took. Beyond Gauribidanur towards Chikkaballapur, the road goes over a hill, and it’s a nice ride. The bypass did not look much used. 60% of the width was taken up by drying corn. I picked up one and found it too hard to eat. The road from Gauribidanur to Chikkaballapur has been widened. The hill sections and the curves are not fun anymore. Crossing Chikkaballapur to reach NH44 was a pain. Traffic was high and the city is burdened with under-construction roads. Once on NH44, it was a breeze getting on STRR to Hoskote and then home. Eventual ride map, a total distance of 460Km Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
