Panchapalli & Bettamugilalam: Hidden getaways from Bangalore

Panchapalli & Bettamugilalam: Hidden Getaways from Bangalore

Overview:
Panchapalli Reservoir: I read about this place in Bangalore Mirror in its weekly feature on offbeat destinations around Bangalore. We decided to go biking to Panchapalli. It is around 85 kms from Bangalore and is a nice and silent place to spend a weekend. As it was a Sunday, there was not much traffic on Hosur road. We took the Anekal-Attibele road to reach Denkanikottai road. This road is really deserted but well maintained. Criss-Crossing the countryside and crossing the Karnataka-TN border we reached Denkanikottai. Its a bustling town and we enquired about Panchapalli lake from the locals and finally reached the road which leads to the lake. The roads were smooth and cool breeze blowing was great. We finally reached Panchapalli and it was very silent with not a single soul in sight. We sat by the lake for sometime and then thought of venturing into the wild following the water which was flowing steadily. We stopped at a place which had a miniature waterfall and played in the water for sometime. After a while we started our journey back towards Denkanikottai. Before reaching the town we visited the Bettarayaswami temple which is believed to be around 500 years old. The temple is clean and well maintained.

         
Bettamugilalam: Our next destination was Bettamugilalam which was a place again mentioned in the Bangalore Mirror. Its around 28 kms from Denkanikottai. The route to this place is through a jungle with ghat sections. It was thrilling to ride the bike in this place. This place is also called mini 'Nilgiris' because of the hills surrounding the region. We spotted a variety of birds of different colours and was very pleasing to watch. We finally reached Bettamugilalam and went a few miles down the muddy road where we rested for a while admiring the beauty of nature. On our way back we halted at a small lake in the midst of the jungle which looked perfect for camping. Taking several pictures at this place, we started back towards Bangalore. At the end of the day we thoroughly enjoyed our biking trip.
       

How to reach: Take NH7 towards Hosur, Turn right at Attibele towards Anekal, then turn left towards Denkanikottai (20km away). At Denkanikottai turn left to Panchapalli reservoir (18km). For Bettamugilalam, ask for directions at Denakanikottai. It should be around 28 kms from Denkanikottai.
By public transport: There are frequent buses from Bangalore to Denkanikottai and Hosur to Denkanikottai. Private taxi can be hired from Denkanikottai to Panchapalli and Bettamugilalam.
Food/Accommodation: Not many options for food once we deviate from NH7.
Map: View Larger Map

Comments

  1. Excellent pics Arun.. Never heard of this place before.

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  2. Wow! Thanks for sharing this, I am already bookmarking this for a next trip

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  3. Wonderful place Arun, how would this be now? any idea?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Santosh, please avoid summer months.. You will not be able to enjoy..Best would be to visit this place after first showers..

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  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. awesome post,thanks for sharing ur views,want to spend your weekend by wildlife safari then kgudi resorts is best place
    to get good experience

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  6. We went to these places yesterday.. the forest is very good, but the panchapalli dam is disappointing.. at present there is no much water in the dam... it's time waste to go to the panchapalli dam, instead spend ur time in the forest only...
    -Harish T

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  7. Arun, is this a gud time to go
    Planning to this weekend so please reply sooooon as early as possible

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  8. HI Mithun, yes it is a good time as it is post monsoon and the water will be fresh and you might find lot of beautiful birds as well to photograph. The afternoon sun might become a bit hot though.

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  9. Hi Arun, Thanks for sharing this very interesting place. I am planning a trip by car. what is the road condition, can we drive the car to this place. any comment/suggestion

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  10. HI
    Thanks for the information...beautiful place I guess...Me and my husband are planning for an off beat travel....
    Raadhika

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  11. hi arun, nice place & nice pics, thanks for sharing dear

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  12. Those visiting Bettamugalalam can stay at Melur where there is private resort run by a gujrathi man. Facilities available are cottages for stay and boarding facilities on request. To melur one has to deviate at unchetty

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    Replies
    1. Can you share the name of resort with contacts?

      Thanks.

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  13. panchapalli is an awesome place....went yesterday... villagers said that bettamugilam is just a village and nothin much to see there...so we cancelled that plan...ppl din allow inside panchapalli dam....so we found out a water falls nearby the dam...and that was classic...

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  14. Is this place totally isolated? Do u advice this place for family outing?

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    1. There are cottages now come up in Timberland Oaks, Ramagiri, Bettamugilalam. You can enquire in the village for details. should be functional in another month's time.

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    2. There are cottages for sale also in timberlands oaks built suitable to the environment.

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  15. Is this good time to go? what about water falls will there be any water to play and enjoy?

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  16. Very nice pictures. Thanks for sharing. Panchapalli Lake is only an hour's drive from Bangalore via Hosur. The early morning drive through Bamboo forests and snaky curves will take you into the heart of rural Tamil Nadu, which was never in the tourist map. Check out all best places to visit in Bangalore for joyful vacations.

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  18. Lovely location spotted. We had visited last week and due to the excessive rains in Tamilnadu the sights were even more beautiful.

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  19. Dear Sir,
    I am John Cyrus from Kairos Multimedia (founded by late Dr. Emil Jebasingh, founder of Vishwa Vani). We request you to give us permission to use the following photos “IMG_0844[9]. jpg, IMG_0856[2].jpg, and IMG_0857[2].jpg” in our “Emil Annan's Testimony and His Farewell Address” video by Kairos Multimedia, Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi - 110019.

    We want to use these photos as a visual background for Dr. Emil Jebasingh’s narrative about his first FMPB missionary saga. Thanking you for your kind permission.

    Yours Sincerely,
    John Cyrus
    cyrus.kairos@outlook.com

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  20. My wife and I along with our adult children visited Denkanikottai as well as the Panchapalli Reservoir today, 2 Jan 2016, and had a very satisfying time. Thanks to this review for showing us a place that is off the beaten track!

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  22. Nice drive but our bad luck d forest is now a restricted area. We need to stay der to visit d forest. There was one stupid in charge person n he dint let us pass thru d check post. We returned disappointed

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  23. Any updates on this place since 6th of July? Can we still visit the place?

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  24. Any updates on this place since 6th of July? Can we still visit the place?

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  25. Yes you can it is still greenary around with recent rains and there are many places to see urigam, kottiyur, hunsanhalli, thaggati, be careful wild animals like elephant and wild cats are common, this is the starting pioint for hogganekal from here hoggnekal is 30 km you can get permission from the forest department in kottiyur gate and enter it is almost 4 km from the gate pls don't carry any prohibited things, forest rangers will be your best guide if spoken in good way

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  26. Hi, Can we visit all the above mentioned places in car? Is November a good time to visit? Thanks!

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