I went to Mekedaatu in 2006-07 and all of a sudden after so many years I went back in the memory lane and revisited Mekedaatu. Mekedaatu is a very nice weekend gateway along Kaveri river in Kanakapura.
Mekedaatu is about 90 km from Bangalore. Its close to another lovely spot called Sangama. Sangama is the place where Arkavati river meets Kaveri river.
One can go to Sangama in car or there are many buses available too. From Sangama, you need to cross the river either on coracle or by walking if the water level is low, followed by a 4 Km trail to Mekedaatu. There is a ferry bus from the river side to Mekedaatu or you can walk through the nice greenery.
When we went to Mekedaatu, we took a nice walk after crossing the river by foot. Its a very beautiful stretch. There are many versions of why this place is called Mekedaatu.
Mekedata in Kannada means Goat’s Leap. After few Kms from Sangama the river Kaveri flows through a deep gorge. The gorge is so narrow that one would think that a goat can leap across it. The reality is that no goat can cross the gorge in one leap. The name comes from an incident that a goat crossed the gorge and managed to cross the river in order to save its life from a tiger. It seems the gorge was too wide for the tiger to cross and the tiger backed off. The point where the goat leapt has widened since then from erosion caused by the river Cauvery.
This story has a mythological significance as well. The goat (meke in kannada) that is believed to have crossed the gorge is supposed to be Lord Shiva. On both the sides of the gorge, one can find strange holes, whose shapes resemble goats’ hooves.
The current at the gorge is ferocious and one has to be careful as the rocks can be slippery. There are many accidents reported here.
While we went to Mekedatu it was summer and the water was less. We after crossing Sangama we walked for 4 Km to reach Mekedatu and had some very peaceful time there. While coming back we took the bus as all of us were too exhausted due to heat to come back on our own. Since the bus was full inside, we sat on the roof of the bus which was good fun. After coming back to Sangama we spent some nice time in the river rejuvenating ourselves.
There are many places on the way to have breakfast and dinner, but carry enough food and water with you as you may not find anything once you cross Sangama.
Although there are many tourist spots on Kaveri river, Mekedaatu is worth visiting and is a nice one day trip from Bangalore.
