“A bike ride that was planned to three places and then finally went into a fourth one! Confused roads and enlightment after a sumptuous breakfast. Exploring the nearest waterfall to Namma Bengaluru”

How many times have you visited a place to see in its full glory??? As of now, 3 is my personal record! This waterfall which flows only during few weeks of monsoon was evading my sight for 3 years now. I had visited here twice in the last 2 years but both the times I was lucky to see only a small streak of water trickling down the rocks, a pond that was polluted and surroundings that looked like a dump yard for a local bar! (Though no bar exists anywhere close) I am talking about the closest waterfall to Bangalore, Thottikallu waterfall a.k.a T.K. Falls.

Few of my friends had joined me for Saturday dinner on 23^rd October. It was then somebody came up with the idea of going on a short ride. Suddenly everyone seemed interested and me in particular. I suggested them Hesaraghatta and everybody were okay with it. The plan was ready, wake up at 4.30AM, ride to Hesaraghatta via Malleswaram and return by 11am. But as I fell asleep, I was reluctant about trying Hesaraghatta as I had already been there and didn’t find it great enough to go on a second ride, that too so far from my home in Banashankari. I thought I shall convince these guys for Manchanbele or TG Halli after we wake up and cancel Hesaraghatta.

All of us woke up at sharp 4.30am. I brought out my alternate plan and tried convincing them but ended in further discussions. It was then one of them reminded about the falls that his friends had visited last week. He rang up his friend at 4AM to ask whereabouts of the falls (Thank God! He was just going to bed! Weekend, u know). I had been to TK falls twice before but the late-awake friend suggested a different route, so I was up for it. At 6 am, after one & half hour of discussions we set out on Kanakpura road to Thottikallu falls, wasting 1 & half hour of precious morning!

We have to travel about 15kms on Kanakpura road from Banashankari, via Art of Living, to reach Kaggalipura. At Kaggalipura, we enquired a localite the way to Bannerghatta! Why Bannerghatta? Because TK Falls comes somewhere near that! But couldn’t we ask for TK falls? My mistake, we could have, but I did not and after almost 10kms of off-roading and riding through dusty, partially asphalted roads, we reached Bannerghatta! We knew we had lost the way. I was telling these guys that Anekal is another 20kms from here. Why Anekal? Who knows! We were not even close to TK Falls. So the plan changed again. We would have breakfast at Bannerghatta, check out Sarala Birla Academy and return! Too confusing!!

At 8am we were munching the hot dosas, idlys and chitraannas from a hotel in Bannerghatta. After a plate of each of these and a loud burp, I was rejuvenated. It was then I realized my blunder, I was talking about Muthyaala Maduvu a.k.a. Pearl valley, another waterfall in Anekal until now to these guys and TK Falls was actually close to Bannerghatta! Breakfast had got my head working! Pearl Valley is a different falls in Anekal Taluk and TK Falls is in Bannerghatta. Eureka! Now I know why I was asking weird directions to people on road and giving instructions that made no sense! More worse was that, TK Falls was 7kms down on the same road on which we had just come to Bannerghatta. We had over ridden! Hehehehe!! With a wicked grin, I turned at my friends and said you know something; we have come 7 kms ahead of the falls. But so what? we got an awesome breakfast. Now we can go to TK Falls also!  They all looked at each other!! Mannnn, who the hell introduced the concept of birthday bumps!!?? Grrrr!!! After ten minutes I was riding back on the same road towards TK Falls with a sore a**!

TK Falls is just 3kms from Kaggalipura, where we had taken a turn earlier after enquiring with a localite. We had not observed the almost invisible writings on an old stone board that read, TK Falls 1 km towards left!  Ah! Now I remember this place, I had parked my bike here last year! Also there was an old lady who collected parking cum entry fee from us claiming that the falls was in her farm. I was looking around and there came our landlady! Granny said ‘okkati bike’ku padhi rubbaylu’ (ten rupees per bike), paid our parking fee and walked into the farm.

There’s a half constructed and half destroyed house as you climb up, after the photo shoot and modeling in that ambience, we climbed down to the pool area above the falls. There was more water than I saw last time and so was the pollution. We also spotted few guys who were already there with bottles & glasses at 9.30am. Responsible young India! More liquor would have flown there than water, I guess. But the concern was the trash. Entire place was filled with plastic, liquor bottles etc. A website even describes, TK Falls is a small waterfall near Bangalore which is filled with gutka packets and beer bottles. Wow, what publicity!!?

We moved towards the falls area and I was delighted. Finally I got the view that I was looking for 2 years. The falls was almost full and gushing down about 40-50 feet with a huge noise.

Thottikallu falls was a sight to behold. White water was flowing down the rocks creating a great view. It is a convex rock of about 50 ft height and 75ft width. Water was flowing down as 4 or 5 streaks of different magnitudes and the ones on right side were too big & loud. My friends took a dip under the waters and said the pressure was too high to withstand. A small photo shoot under the waters ended our visit to the falls.

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