Bangalore to Kukke Subrahmanya via Bisle Ghat

Journey through Bisle Ghat

Date of Journey: 14/01/2021
Service: Karnataka Sarige
Website- http://www.https://ksrtc.in/
Fare: 299/- 

Like every other traveler, I have always cherised every moment while traveling. However, 2020 turned out to be a dreadful year for everyone. Like all other industries, tourism took a beating due to the pandemic. Lockdown and travel restrictions made matters worse but slowly the world has started to limp back on its feet.

Sitting at home working for long hours was taking a huge toll with stress levels soaring high. However, with the vaccine now in place and the cases slowly dropping, I decided to start this year by visiting the famous Kukke Subrahmanya temple. 

Traveling to Kukke Subrahmanya temple via road is the best option. With KSRTC and other Pvt operators starting services, accessing this holy abode is hassle free. The usual route is via CR Patna, Hassan, Sakaleshpur, Shiradi Ghat and Gundya cross. However, there is another route which many don't dare to take.. via the famous Bisle Ghat road!! 

Back in 2019 during a conversation with my friend, we were discussing about an alternate route to travel to Kukke and he suggested the Bisle Ghat. Incidentally, he traveled on the same stretch last year after the restrictions were eased and he shared stories about the stretch which was mesmerizing. 

KSRTC operates couple of services (both day / night) to Kukke via Bisle. After discussing with my friend, I decided to book the 23:15 service from Bangalore. 

I reached the bus stand well ahead of time. Spotting the buses lined up  to travel to their respective destinations after a long time was a sight to behold. However, the crowd were less in number and the buses were running almost half full. Traveling in a bus after almost an year was really exciting and to ensure that the journey is uneventful, I had booked seat# 5 which would ensure that I have a beautiful view of the ghat road during the night. 

The conductor checked my ticket and said since the crew rests in next row, he wanted to know if I was comfortable to shift to the row behind. He mentioned that the seat next to it will be empty. Once I told him why I booked the specific seat, he smiled and told me to enjoy the journey.

The bus started and we began to pull off from the platform on time. It was after one year since I was in a bus and nothing was about to stop my excitement. Well that was untill we reached bisle 

The bus takes a different stretch. It travels with CR Patna, Arkalgud, Shanivarsanthe and enters the Bisle forest range. Since I wanted to stay awake later in the night, I decided to get some shut eyes. I remember the bus heading towards kunigal bypass before sleep consuming me. The next time I woke up, we were in CR Patna. I asked the crew about what time we'll reach the Bisle Ghat and he said he'll wake me up at Arkalgud. I slept again and the next thing I remembered was when the bus stopped at Arkalgud for tea. After enjoying a hot cup of tea with the crew, I was all set to enjoy the journey up ahead.

We quickly passed Shanivarsanthe and entered the Bisle forest range. The officer at the gate mentioned that it had rained moderately few hours ago and informed us to drive carefully. Since this stretch is also an alternative to shiradi ghat, the roads are being laid with concrete. We entered the stretch and then the journey began. 

It was pitch dark and with no vehicles insight it was an eery silence. Our driver showed his expertise in negotiating every corner and bends with ease. At some stretches the road would get so narrow that the bus would barely turn forcing us to drive on the edge of the barriers. But again our driver was upto the challenge. The eery silence and darkness of this stretch was enough to give even the brave hearted a worst nightmare. I knew I've met my match when I asked the driver how long before we reach kukke. The driver laughed and said... Sir.. innu neevu yenu nodilla.. (Sir, you still haven't witnessed anything yet). The cold night was somehow hiding my sweat and then we started to hit the bad stretches which were under construction. Our driver switched to off road driving mode as there was no more roads to drive on. I held on to my seat firmly as the bus swayed around on the bumpy roads negotiating unimaginable bank angles. After a nerve wracking journey, we finally exited the stretch and reached the highway.

I had a huge sigh of relief seeing butter smooth road and traffic. Never was I so happy to see some traffic as the bus slowly headed towards the bus stand. At around 6:00AM, I was dropped off at the bus stand. I thanked the crew and they asked if I was returning in the same bus. I told them about my plans of heading to Udupi and bid adieu to the crew.

Of all the journeys that I have undertaken in my life, this journey will be the most memorable one. While the stretch was scary in night, the crew kept on telling how scenic it gets during the day. The crew mentioned how people like us specifically choose this stretch to travel and insisted that I travel with them again during the day.