Handi Gundi Trek
This week, we hiked Handi Gundi in Ramanagara. If you haven’t heard this name before, you might find the story interesting: long ago, a pig grazed up the hill and fell off the top without realizing it had reached the edge. Several other pigs followed and fell too. In Kannada, “Handi” means “Pig” and “Gundi” is a rhyming word that also means “Group.” So, Handi Gundi roughly translates to “a group of pigs that followed each other to the hill’s edge.”
It’s an unmarked trail, so it’s not maintained by the Karnataka Tourism Department like other popular trails. However, it’s safe and easy to access. The trailhead is at a conveniently located temple on the town's edge (Shri Handigundi Bettadatalu Temple: also the parking spot). The first section of the trail is well defined. After a kilometer, you reach the first clearing where you must choose: the well-marked path leads to the lake, while the less-marked path goes to the peak. We chose the less-traveled path.
The trail led us through a somewhat intimidating bamboo forest, and for a while, we doubted the GPX route we were following. Soon enough, we found a way out, and a short incline and multiple heartbeats later, we reached the peak of Handi Gundi hill. The views were splendid, but the weather was a mixed bag. The sun was hidden behind dark clouds, while the haze made it difficult to see distant peaks.
We returned to the trailhead and were ready to call it a day, but then we remembered Guru Thatte Idly on our way back. The fluffiness of their idlis and the generosity of the butter made it all seem extra worth it.
Here's to the next one.