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No, this is not the famous Ha Long Bay of Vietnam but Narihalla River and its reservoir situated in the central regions of Karnataka state. The damming of the Narihalla River, a tributary of Tungabhadra in this landscape has produced a unique sight where red craggy hills inter cut it beautifully at many places.
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| The scenic view just before darkness descended |
In a region that has seen volcanic activity in some millennium, it has contributed much to its beauty and biodiversity. The Narihalla flows and meanders serenely in between steep gorges, thereby, producing fabulous views.
The lifeline of Sandur, Narihalla has many shepherd communities with their sheep camping on its banks, channels and backwaters. The bleating of the sheep with the native dogs herding and protecting them is a common sight when you visit these regions.
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| Every rock, every hill with so many stories to tell |
One should not miss this place while on a visit to either Ballari or the World Heritage Site of Hampi. Sandur was once the seat of the Ghorpade royal family who ruled for many years and contributed much. People visit Hampi but do not make an effort to go further, so Sandur remains an unexplored and unknown landscape in the central Deccan Plateau.
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| Even the mining tracks in the background cannot affect this natural beauty. |
The serene spot is a place for one to spend some quality time in the lap of nature especially after the monsoons. Visit this place between October-January or even during the rainy season as it offers a much needed respite from our busy lives.
The backwaters of the dam in the background of the red hills, is an idyllic spot to camp out or go for boating in country made boats. Do not expect many facilities as it is not on any tourist circuit. Except for the Shivavilas Palace Hotel and a few resorts, there is not much of accommodation available in Sandur.
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| A western ghats atmosphere near Bellary, really hard to guess. |
Known for its rich iron and manganese deposits, it has attracted miners in droves to milk its heritage and get rich. Despite this, the biodiversity rich Sandur hills is a balm for our stressed out lives as the lush forest habitat and the flora and fauna reminds one of the Malnad landscape.
In fact many visitors express their complete surprise and amazement as in the iron ore rich land of Ballari, one gets to see dense forests and listen to the sweet melody of rare birds and winter migrants as also the sounds of leopards and bears.
HOW TO REACH NARIHALLA:
Situated near Taranagar on the Sandur-Torangallu Road, Narihalla is just 25 kilometers from Ballari town in Karnataka, India. In fact, this is on way to the verdant hill and ancient temple town of Sandur. From Hampi it is about 40 kilometers while on the way, one gets to see much movement of iron ore laden truck movement amidst the verdant hill ranges where the top portion of some hills have been mined.
Location map:
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