Waterfalls and an African Tribe

Western Ghats, in the monsoons – the verdant greenery, the numerous waterfalls and the overflowing rivulets. Every year in August, we do a “Waterfalls Trip” – seeing them when they are at their roaring best. This year we went to Yellapur, 70 kms from Hubli on the Hubli Karwar highway (part of the Karwar-Hampi road that connects the iron ore mines of Bellary to the west coast). This is a part of the Sirsi-Karwar-Shimoga section of the Western Ghats, a part of what is locally called the Malnad area.
The Hubli-Karwar road has some interesting significance in the area and in the country. I first went to see this road about 12 years ago (1996) as the first example of a modern, international quality road built in India. Great surface, perfectly banked curves, road markings and road signs, as I had seen outside the country. People talked about this road in Hubli and wanted you to see it! Seeing such a road in India at that time was both an assurance that it can be done and a hope that other highways in India would soon be of this quality. I have traveled on this road 5-6 times since then and am glad that the surface has remained the same - well maintained, smooth surfaces. This well built road is complemented by matching scenery - thick forests, great mountain valleys and numerous waterfalls..

Magod Falls
This waterfall, amongst the best known in the area and one which has the best access ( in this otherwise inaccessible area), has the Bedthi river hurtling down 675 feet in two steps. Seen from across the valley from quite a distance, through a misty haze that clears for a couple of minutes to give you a glimpse of itself. The approach to the view point of this waterfall has got better over the years – starting from needing to trek 5km+ to this place a few years ago to being able to now drive right upto the view point, park your vehicle, see the waterfall and have a steaming hot cup of chai. Look out for leeches in this area, amongst the wet rocks, ferns and grasses.

Sathodi Falls
This is another waterfall that needed a 10kms+ trek earlier and is now approachable by road upto 1 km away from the waterfall. A bunch of streams hurtle down @ 50 feet over a breadth of 25 meters. The stream then flows into the backwaters of the Kodasalli Dam, into the Kali River. We trekked around 5 kms each way with our brave kids, to reach the waterfall. Our vehicle, got stranded; stuck in a small, bad and sticky stretch of road, until 10 young people (a group of classmates in various IT companies in Bangalore, Mumbai who were on a picnic/trek) helped us out of the quagmire. Thinking its just a 2 km trek to the waterfall and back we ended up trekking 10 km. The trek itself was well worth it, to see this waterfall right there in the wilderness.

Jog Falls
Jog or Gersoppa – the most spectacular and famous of the waterfalls in the region and at @ 900 ft. believed to be the highest waterfall in the country (although the Barehipani Waterfall in the Simplipal National Park in Mayurbhanj, Orrisa is the highest at 1309 feet). On several visits here ever since 1977, I have seen this in various moods! Sometimes seen it a trickle, other times never saw it in the heavy mist, except for a few minutes during a stay of a few hours. My mother saw the waterfall when she was in school and used to tell us that they could hear the roar for more than 25 kms. This was before the Linganmakki dam and Mahatma Gandhi Hydroelectric project was commissioned upstream from the Jog. It probably attracts 50,000+ tourists on weekends and had a huge heap of garbage going down the steep valley a few years ago. Thankfully, this has all been cleaned up and work done by Karnataka Tourism to spruce up the infrastructure including the British and Mysore Bungalows that offer different views of the Falls.

Another well-known waterfall in the area is Unchalli Jog also called Lusington Falls. The districts of Karwar (North Kanara) and Shimoga have over 60 waterfalls in the area, seeing just a few is itself a treat to the senses.

Bamboo Shoots, Areca nut & Mushrooms
Yellapur is in the heart of Malnad territory or the Western Ghats that have amongst the highest bio-diversity in the world and you can find some interesting culinary exotics here. The heartland of the betel nut trade (along with the North East area of India) this tropical palm that needs the shade, moisture and rains of the Western Ghats has created many local fortunes. Raw, un-roasted Betelnut Fruit is sold here in the markets along with pepper, cardamom, forest mushrooms and bamboo shoots! Bamboo shoots pickle is a delicacy in this area and so are Yallaki Balehannu (Cardamom Bananas) those small 2” bananas that are famous as the South Indian bananas.

Siddhis - the lost African Tribe
Situated as it is in the midst of the thick forests, this region is home to a number of tribes. The Siddhis are one such lost African tribe that inhabit this area. The kids were amused to see Afro-Negroid faces amongst the village folk here, well settled that they are after being here for over 300 years. Their ancestors are believed to have been brought here mostly from Mozambique by the Portuguese and were bought by the erstwhile Maharajas as slaves. They escaped into the forests of Gir in Gujarat and Yellapur in Karnataka about 300-100 years ago and number around 50,000. Around 10,000 are in the Gir National Park area of Gujarat. Some of them became famous generals or rulers themselves – best known among them is Siddhi Johar of Janjira.

Melting Point – several cultures at the top of the ghats
The top of the Western Ghats seem to have been some kind of tiny melting points of various cultures over the years. These places are equally influenced by the culture and cuisine of the West Coast, the bio-diversity of the forests and the Deccan Plateau. Trade existed between the coast and the plateau in equal measure. This can be seen right from Pune, Kolhapur, Belgaum, Dharwad/Hubli. Yellapur is one such place influenced by the culture and cuisines of Karwar, the Yellapur forests and Hubli. A meal at a dinghy local restaurant revealed just that – cuisine ranging from from fish, banana, chicken to languages heard there amongst 10 people having dinner – Konkani, Kannada, Marathi, Siddhi with Hindi songs blaring on the radio!

Sagar - rosewood and sandalwood arts
On our way back to Hubli, we took a detour to visit Sagar, the place known for its betel nut/areca nut markets and its famous sandalwood, rosewood and ivory carvers. Sagar has a concentration of the Gudigars - families that for generations have been engaged in sandalwood and ivory carving. Idols, figurines and knick-knacks like pen-holders, agarbathi stands, cuff links, photo frames and paper clips and garlands and wreaths made out of thin layers of scraped sandalwood can be bought here. We visited a well known shop in the town – Sri Venkatesha Fancy Art Works (Ph: 98441 01369), where you can place orders for exquisitely carved rosewood furniture with intricate designs inlaid with ivory (its white plastic that’s used now)