Yana - Rocks & Caves. Review on Yana

Yana - Rocks & Caves.

Almost every year I go to Goa with my family. My kids like beautiful beaches of Goa. This year we planned to visit Yana before coming back to Bangalore. Yana echoes its past glories; it has its own history, myths and beliefs that had made it a place blessed by God. It is a place of unmatched natural beauty and tranquility.Y

Yana is a village located in forests of the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, which is known for the unusual rock formations. Yana is located in the Sahyadri mountain range of the Western Ghats, about 60 kilometres from Karwar and 460 Kilometres from Bangalore.

Yana has two awesome peaks of black crystalline limestone peaks jutting into the sky towering above the dense forest cover in the western ghats of Uttar Kannada. One peak stands 400 feet tall and is called Bhairaveshwari Shikhara while the other stands at 300 feet and is called the Mohini Shikhara.

The Legend Behind Yana:

According to an old Hindu Legend, the names Mohini and Bhairaveshwara come from an ancient belief. The story goes that demon king Bhasmasura performed penance to eventually gain a boon from Lord Shiva – the former got the power to burn and reduce to ashes whosoever’s head he placed his hand on. Ungrateful as the demon king was, he decided to test the powers on his benefactor himself. Lord Shiva took refuge with Lord Vishnu to protect himself, and to seek the latter’s help. Lord Vishnu took the form of a beautiful woman, Mohini, and enticed a smitten Bhasmasura to a dance competition. As the dance progresses, Mohini places her hand over her head. Basmasura has forgotten that his hands have a unique power to burn anyone whose head it touches. As he repeats Mohini's steps and places his hand over his head, he burns himself and becomes a fist full of ashes. Thus Vishnu ends an evil force and restores peace.

We reached Yana in the afternoon. It was a clear sunny day & we relaxed for some time under the shades of large trees. We preferred to climb the rocks in the evening to avoid the hot sun so we can stay little longer.

There’s a saying, never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. We climbed around 300 steps to reach the top. Walking in the Yana Rocks has many pleasures, the variety of trees, small waterfalls, history, pretty villages and iconic scenery to name but a few. With less visitors visit here, the walking is usually peaceful and quiet.

At the bottom of Bhairaveshwara rock there is a small temple, of Lord Shiva, with belief that the lingam is self-emerged and not placed there manually. There are about 60 plus limestone rock structures, within a radius of 3 km. A natural waterfall located at a distance of about 8 km known as Vibhuti Falls.

Things to do at Yana:

Yana is a popular rock climbing and nature walking destination. Trekking can be a good experience at Yana. The rocks are slippery during the rains and trekking can be a breeze during winter.

Photography buffs can try clicking a few snaps of the surrounding beauty.There are varieties of endangered species of birds and butterflies in this biodiversity hotspot; bird watching in this area can be a beautiful experience.

Sightseeing and hiking to the cave temple are popular activities. One must-visit place near Yana is the Vibhooti waterfalls. There are two falls: one is about 25 feet and the other is about 4 feet.

Nearby places one can visit along with Yana:

Karwar, Gokarna, Unchalli Falls, Dandeli, Jog Falls, Magodi Falls,  Banavasi, Murudeshwara, Ikkeri, Maravanthe,

Best time to visit Yana:

Yana can be visited all through the year. But the Best time to visit Yana is after the monsoon during the months of September to February.

Reaching Yana:

By Road: Yana is around 460km from Bangalore. From Bangalore KSRTC runs direct buses to Sirsi. From Sirsi, Yana is around 40km away. Jeeps can be hired from Sirsi to Yana rocks.

By Train: Hubli is the nearest Railway station. From Hubli buses are available to Sirsi.

By Air: The nearest airport to Yana is the Goa Airport, located at a distance of 137 kilometers.

Food & Accommodation:

There are no good hotels or decent restaurants at Yana. It’s better to have breakfast at Karwar & pack lunch at Sirsi. There are some budget hotels & resorts near Sirsi and Karwar.

Overall, Yana offers spectacular scenic beauty; lofty mountains, splendid rock formations, trickling waterfalls and a holy temple. The unusual rock formations of Yana attract pilgrims, nature lovers as well as trekkers. For those who love mythology, Yana has places of special significance.