Muniswamy
is impressed seeing your sincerity as you toil in the heat looking for little
known monuments in Hampi. So he promises you a surprise when we go to Anegundi
the next day. According to Muni, your regular cabbie in Hampi, such surprises
are reserved for passionate travellers only and not for casual tourists. Now it
is your turn to be impressed with yourself.
After
discovering the Monkey Kingdom of Kishkindha in the charming and laid back
village of Anegundi you make your way towards the surprise. Anegundi roads are
picture perfect. Lush green paddy fields, swaying coconut trees and huge loose
boulders piled up high complete the incredible looking countryside. Anegundi,
one of the oldest plateaus of the world about 3000 million years old, has
thrown up several surprises in the past few days including pre-historic cave
dwellings and paintings. Several episodes of Ramayana have played out among
these boulders including the enmity between the brothers Vaali and Sugreev and
the ashram where Sabari fed sweet berries to visiting Lord Ram.
In the
early evening, driving among the paddy fields with windows rolled down, you
come to an embankment on your left. Sitting in the car, the level of the
embankment is above the eyeline as you run your eyes looking for the surprise.
And then you hear water sloshing. Woow - the motorcyclist driving up front just
got hit by a wave that suddenly leapt up over the embankment! While you were
looking for a monument, Muni has delivered you to Apollo Bandar behind Taj
Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, right here in the middle of boulder strewn
Anegundi.
Sanapur Lake at Anegundi |
Oh yes -
you are definitely surprised and stop the car to see what is going on. The
sight is mesmerizing. Just above the edge, lapping waves catch the hues of the
sun as it sets over the distant hills. You thought the only water body among
the boulders of Hampi and Anegundi was the Tungabhadra river. But here tucked
away in complete isolation is the big surprise in the form of Sanapur Lake created
by the reservoir of Tungabhadra Left Canal and named after the local village.
The
difference is so stark - On the west is the glorious sun setting over rippling
waves, while on the east, just beyond the embankment, green paddy fields
stretch among the piled up boulders.
Sanapur Lake - Croc Alert! |
The road
turns to the right sharply and goes over a barrage that regulates the flow downstream.
A sign cautions against going into the water as there might be crocodiles. Muni
clarifies that no crocs have been sighted and foreigners who stay in Anegundi
village are known to take a dip jumping off the boulders.
Sun sets over the Sanapur Lake Anegundi |
Even in an
off-the-grid like place Anegundi, this setting is far greater amazing. Irregular
shaped boulders line up on both sides of the road as it snakes beyond towards
Rangapur.
You climb one
of the boulders and absorb the surroundings. The water turns into liquid
gold. All around it is supremely peaceful and serene - just the sound of
lapping of water and a divine setting for company. This is a different world.
This is the time when the mind goes silent on its own and nature takes
over you. This is the utopia called Sanapur Lake in Anegundi.
But the surprise continues. As the sun goes down in the west, the moon comes up in the East. You cannot believe your luck – it is a full moon night. The water flowing towards the east catches the moon light. It seems the men tossing the fish line into the water are trying to reel in the moon. Now this is astounding and phenomenal. You have never seen this before. It is like being in the middle of the sea. In the west, the water turns golden catching the dropping sun and here in the east, the water turns silver catching the rising moon.
Sanapur Lake - Is that a Shooting Star? |
Tungabhadra Dam turning into a Fairyland |
On
your way back to Hospet, you see the Tungabhadra Dam twinkling away in
brilliant colours. Looking from the Hospet road bridge, it looks like a
fairyland. What an amazing evening. In Hampi and Anegundi it seems as if every
evening is different, heavenly and almost life altering. This is when you have
not yet climbed Anjanadri Hill and Matanga Hill for their scintillating
sunsets.
Getting
There: Sanapur Village
is few kms away from Anegundi in Koppal District of Karnataka on the road to
Hospet. Turn right from Sanapur Village to reach the lake.
Let some sanity remain in me. Getting mad !
ReplyDeleteSir we dont want any insanity - Anegundi is not far from Bhopal! And the weather is getting better!
DeleteWell, that's quite a pictureque evening. As you rightly said, "Anegundi needs time to let it grow over you" - and your posts on Anegundi for the past few days serve as a prequel to this. I have become kind of virtually familiar with this place :)
ReplyDeleteThough you let your pretty pictures do most of the talking this time, your words continue to impress.
Anuradha Thanks! Your feedback and appreciation is always liked.
ReplyDeleteAnegundi is a wrapped package with lots of surprises just waiting to be discovered.
Thanks again for reading!
This is so beautifully written and the words and pictures just draw you into the cool lap of the lake and the green fields. That seems like one magical evening stretching into night. And wow, those are powerful waves in the lake!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mayalakshmi ji! I could not have put it better. Sanapur is a place that is beyond words. You just try to capture a little of the evening magic in the camera!
DeleteBest Wishes
good and informative post
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading. Do visit Anegundi when you are there for Hampi!
DeleteGood write up and wonderful pics. When were these pics taken? i mean month. Is August a good time to visit Hampi?
ReplyDeleteHi Pinakin,
DeleteThough Hampi / Anegundi is good all year around, but the months after the monsoons are especially nice since everything is fresh and green. Paddy fields are lush green and its cool in the shade and the sky turns spectacular during the sunsets. These photos were taken in August. Sanapur is a complete surprise and only known to few! Do visit.
Thanks for reading. Hampi Awaits!
Regards,
Nirdesh