GUNUNG · India

Mullayanagiri

ಮುಳ್ಳಯ್ಯನಗಿರಿ

Puncak Mullayanagiri, Chikkamagaluru (foto: రవిచంద్ర, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: source

Information

Elevation: 1.925 m
Country: India (IN)
Location / Range: Rangkaian Chandra Drona / Baba Budangiri, Ghats Barat, Distrik Chikkamagaluru
Mountain type: Puncak tertinggi Negara Bagian Karnataka — punggungan batuan non-vulkanik Ghats Barat
Volcanic?: No (non-volcanic)
Coordinates: 13.3910, 75.7214
Difficulty: Sedang untuk jalur pendakian klasik dari Sarpadhari (± 3,5–4 km sekali jalan, tanjakan terus-menerus dengan kerikil lepas, 1,5–2,5 jam naik); sangat mudah bila memakai jalan aspal sampai kaki puncak lalu menaiki 464 anak tangga batu/beton. Traverse punggungan ke Baba Budangiri sampai Kemmangundi naik kelas menjadi berat dua hari karena ada ruas sempit dengan jurang di kedua sisi
Best Season: September–Maret; pasca-monsun Oktober–Februari paling nyaman (suhu musim dingin sekitar 14–32 °C dan udara paling jernih). Monsun barat daya Juni–September menghadirkan bukit paling hijau tetapi juga kabut tebal berjam-jam, jarak pandang nyaris nol di puncak, jalan licin, dan lintah aktif di ruas berhutan
Permits & Rules: Sejak 1 September 2025 pemerintah Distrik Chikkamagaluru mewajibkan pemesanan online dan pembayaran di muka untuk tiket masuk kendaraan ke Mullayanagiri, Seethalayanagiri, Dargah Sri Guru Dattatreya Bababudan Swamy, dan Manikyadhara — lewat portal toll booking resmi chikkamagaluru.nic.in. Kuota 600 kendaraan per slot per hari dalam dua slot (06.00–12.00 di Parkir 1 dan 13.00–18.00 di Parkir 2), dengan jatah terpisah untuk sepeda motor (100), bajaj (100), taksi pelat kuning lokal (100), tempo traveller (50), kendaraan sepuluh penumpang (50), serta mobil/jip/SUV wisata (300). Bus besar dan mini bus dilarang naik karena risiko kecelakaan dan kemacetan di jalan pegunungan sempit. Aturan berlaku juga untuk tamu homestay dan resor
Hazards: Cuaca berubah dalam hitungan menit — kabut dan sinar matahari bergantian, dan pada monsun jarak pandang bisa turun sampai beberapa meter saja. Tidak ada sumber air sama sekali di sepanjang jalur Sarpadhari ke puncak, jadi seluruh bekal air harus dibawa dari bawah. Jalur setapak berkerikil lepas dan curam (laporan menyebut kemiringan sampai sekitar 40 derajat di bagian bawah) sehingga tergelincir saat turun adalah risiko utama. Pada traverse punggungan menuju Baba Budangiri ada ruas sempit dengan jurang sekitar 90 meter di kedua sisi, ditambah badai petir sore dengan angin 50–60 km/jam yang tercatat dalam laporan pendaki. Lintah aktif di jalur berhutan dan sekitar Kemmangundi saat musim hujan. Jalan ghat menuju kaki puncak sempit dan berkelok — alasan langsung pembatasan kuota kendaraan

Description

Mullayanagiri (Mullayyanagiri, ಮುಳ್ಳಯ್ಯನಗಿರಿ), 1,925 m, is the highest point in the Indian state of Karnataka and the 23rd highest peak in the Western Ghats. It stands in Chikkamagaluru taluk, Chikkamagaluru district, within the Chandra Drona or Baba Budangiri range. Modest in height by Indian standards, it is nonetheless strikingly isolated: topographic prominence reaches 1,154 m and the nearest higher ground lies some 189 km away, so the summit genuinely dominates central Karnataka. The high point carries a small gadduge — a tomb-shrine dedicated to the sage Mullappa Swamy, said to have meditated in caves below the peak and to have given the mountain its name — alongside a police radio relay station. The main approach today is a sealed road about 22 km from Chikkamagaluru town via SH 57 and Bababudan Giri Road, ending at a car park below the summit, from where 464 stone and concrete steps lead to the shrine. The historic path, Sarpadhari ("serpent path", named for its switchbacks), starts about 15 km from town and remains the trekkers' choice: roughly 3.5–4 km one way across open grassland, rock and the edge of shola forest, usually 1.5–2.5 hours up. Because of surging vehicle tourism, from 1 September 2025 the district administration has required pre-booked online vehicle entry passes, capped at 600 vehicles per slot, with buses banned. On a clear day the summit shows the Western Ghats stretching away, with neighbouring high ground at Baba Budangiri, Seethalayanagiri and Kemmangundi — while in the monsoon the cloud regularly comes down to head height.

Gallery

Foto bersumber dari Wikimedia Commons — klik untuk memperbesar & lihat sumbernya.

Routes

Jalur Sarpadhari — trek klasik dari gerbang Sarpadhari ke puncak

Sedang — tanpa bagian teknis, tetapi menanjak hampir sepanjang jalur dengan kerikil lepas

3.50 km +500 m 1,5–2,5 jam naik; sekitar 4–5 jam pulang-pergi termasuk istirahat di puncak

The real hiking line to Karnataka's high point, and the only one that makes Mullayanagiri feel like a mountain. It starts at the Sarpadhari arch, about 15 km from Chikkamagaluru town on the road towards Baba Budangiri. The name means "serpent path" for the way it snakes up the slope, and that is its defining character: narrow, zigzagging, loose with gravel, with a first section that several reports put at around 40 degrees, so the body needs time to warm up. It runs roughly 3.5–4 km one way and usually takes 1.5–2.5 hours. The ground is not dense forest but open grassland, rock outcrops and the edge of shola woodland — beautiful, but with almost no shade, so an early start pays. Along the way are the caves associated with the sage Mullappa Swamy; some can be entered with a torch and a bit of crawling. The warning that appears in nearly every guide to this trail: there is no water source at all between Sarpadhari and the summit, so carry it all from below. Good grippy footwear matters, since the loose gravel makes the descent riskier than the climb. In the wet season mist can close the trail in minutes and leeches are active in the wooded stretches — carry salt or tobacco powder. The summit holds the small Mullappa Swamy gadduge/shrine — remove footwear and dress modestly if entering — plus a police radio relay station, with the Chandra Drona range and the Western Ghats spread out on a clear day.

Source

Pendekatan jalan raya dari Chikkamagaluru + 464 anak tangga batu

Mudah — jalan aspal sampai kaki puncak, sisanya tangga batu dan beton bertahap

0.50 km +100 m Sekitar 52 menit berkendara 22 km dari kota, lalu 15–30 menit menaiki anak tangga

How most visitors reach Karnataka's highest point. From Chikkamagaluru town a sealed road of roughly 22 km via SH 57, Bababudan Giri Road/Thippanahalli Estate Road and Mullayanagiri Road brings vehicles to a car park just below the summit; the official Chikkamagaluru district site gives about 52 minutes' driving. From the car park, 464 stone and concrete steps rise to the shrine at the top — a short but breath-taking climb, often done in the monsoon inside thick mist that cuts visibility to a few metres and erases the view entirely. The ghat road is narrow and winding, and surging tourism led the district administration to impose new rules from 1 September 2025: vehicle entry passes must be booked and paid for online through the official chikkamagaluru.nic.in portal, capped at 600 vehicles per slot per day across two slots (06:00–12:00 at Parking 1, 13:00–18:00 at Parking 2). The quota is split by vehicle type — 300 tourist cars/jeeps/SUVs, 100 each for two-wheelers, auto-rickshaws and local yellow-board taxis, and 50 each for tempo travellers and ten-seaters. Full-size and mini buses are banned because of accident risk and congestion. The rules apply to homestay and resort guests too, so carry a digital or printed booking.

Source

Traverse punggungan Mullayanagiri → Baba Budangiri → Gaalikere → Kemmangundi (2 hari)

Berat — punggungan sempit dengan jurang di kedua sisi, ruas tanpa jalur jelas dan belukar setinggi orang di hari kedua

30.00 km +1200 m Dua hari; hari pertama sekitar 08.30–18.30, hari kedua sekitar 08.30–15.30

The classic long route of the Baba Budangiri massif, and the real reason Karnataka hikers come here. Day one starts at the Sarpadhari arch: about 1 h 45 min up the zigzag trail to the summit of Mullayanagiri, roughly 1 h 25 min down to a lunch spot, then 2 h 30 min across the rocky ridge with some scrambling towards the BSNL tower, and a final 45 min descent to Gaalikere to camp. The ridge is the crux — other reports record drops of about 90 m on both sides at the narrowest point and call it a section that needs experience; the whole stretch from Sarpadhari to the Baba Budangiri complex is some 12–15 km with constant ups and downs. Weather swings hard: thick morning mist, a clear midday, then an afternoon thunderstorm with winds of roughly 50–60 km/h and rain through the night. At Gaalikere, severe gusts between 22:30 and 01:00 once forced a party to move their tents into an abandoned shack for shelter. Day two runs to Kemmangundi: about 3 h 30 min through shola forest where the trail is frequently swallowed by vegetation, 1 h 30 min along a valley and across a stream — the first decent water of the trip — then a final 2 h of bushwhacking through dense jungle. On that closing stretch the scrub can stand taller than an adult, so navigation demands GPS and repeated checking. Over 30 km in total. Since it starts and finishes in different places, it needs a vehicle pickup arranged at Kemmangundi.

Source

Climbing Experiences

Trip reports on Mullayanagiri split cleanly into two worlds. The first is the visitor who drives the roughly 22 km from Chikkamagaluru town to the car park below the summit and climbs the 464 stone steps — a short outing that in the monsoon often ends with no view at all, mist cutting visibility to a few metres, and that lately comes with crowds and queues of vehicles. The second is the trekker starting at the Sarpadhari arch about 15 km from town: a snaking 3.5–4 km path that climbs almost throughout, with a first section around 40 degrees, loose gravel and almost no shade because the ground is grass and rock rather than shola forest. The recurring timing is 1.5–2.5 hours from Sarpadhari to the summit, with the Mullappa Swamy caves as a stop along the way. The most consistent warning is water: there is no source at all between Sarpadhari and the top, so it must all be carried. For many groups Mullayanagiri is only the opening. The classic local route continues along the ridge some 12 km to Baba Budangiri — the narrowest part has drops of around 90 m on both sides and is said to need experience — then descends to camp at Gaalikere and pushes through shola forest and head-high scrub to Kemmangundi, more than 30 km over two days. Those accounts also routinely record abrupt weather: thick morning mist, a clear midday, then an afternoon thunderstorm with 50–60 km/h winds and heavy rain overnight on the tents. Leeches are a repeated complaint in the wooded sections and around Kemmangundi in the wet season, while on the summit itself hikers note the small shrine, the police radio relay station and a math that serves food.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.