Kundadri hills & temple revisited- 2022 Updates

Revisited again in Feb 2022. The paint on the temple had lost a bit of brightness. Fences have got white paint now. I could take some drone footage as well.

First trip of 2021 was a short (250 kms approx) bike ride with colleagues. As part of this ride, revisited Kundadri Hills near Agumbe. My previous visit was in 2011 in Tata Aria and 2012 in Tata Safari. The 2021 visit could have been in another Tata Vehicle, if Tata Motors had delivered Tiago within 1 month of booking. Anyways, in this post I will update you what all has changed in Kundadri since my last visit, almost an year ago. The fourth trip was in a Hyundai Venue.

1. Kundadri is now protected with multiple gates. In 2012 there were hardly any gates enroute to Kundadri. This time I spotted several of them. One small vehicle barrier where final stretch of uphill ride begins, another big gate a bit ahead, one main gate at the parking lot.

2. Temples are painted & open. This time I got to see Kundadri temple in a colourful mode. It was recently painted and looked well maintained. A perimeter wall is built, visitors can enter the temple now. Last time there was no provision to enter the temple.

3. Sitting area with open sunroof (roof blown off)

Govt has built a sitting area on the hill- few benches to sit and a roof on top. But apparently they underestimated the power of winds on top of Kundadri hills- the roof is almost blown off. A concrete roof would have lasted longer.

4. Guard/Caretaker

A person was asking people not to spend more than 10 minutes. Probably he is assigned caretaker duty. Though there is no rule that one should return within 10 minutes, I think he was trying to make his job easier by sending off people asap. He was also advising people to wear mask saying there will be an inspection and was scolding people who got too close to fence or enter dangerous areas.

5. Toilet available: A toilet is available now but with without working freshwater supply. 

6. Road uphill: I see a road being planned till top of the hill, protected by a gate. Probably only for cargo movement or VVIP visits, not for common people.

7. Empty rooms: About 7-10 rooms were built on hill top but all rooms were locked. Probably Govt is planning to rent them out. To be able to make it liveable, good water supply and some minimum food/cooking provision would be needed.

8. Fencing: Tall fencing is added now on the boundary of Kundadri hills. Makes it more safer but compromises the view a bit.

9. Vehicular traffic has increased: Kundadri is now very popular- almost every tourist coming to the region has it on his/her wishlist. The narrow uphill road can't handle two big vehicles facing each other. So far with sheer luck and lots of coordination even tempo travelers are being driven till top of the hill. You will see many drivers lifting bonnet to cool off their engines after stressful uphill drive. Road condition is Ok for now, but won't hold for long if vehicular traffic keeps increasing day by day.

10. Police: I saw a police man guarding one of the gates. Kundadri now has timing of 6 AM to 6PM. Police is probably put on a generic duty to ensure people are wearing mask and timing rules are honored. No check for plastic bottles or anything else.

Happy 2022

Watch a drone footage below [Watch on youtube]

Nearby: Kavaledurga Fort * Kuppalli  * Malgudi Days house in Agumbe * Sakrebailu Elephant Sanctuary * Achakanye waterfalls * Talasi Abbi falls * Agumbe guide * Koodlu Theertha falls *