“Let’s organize a hike to Yana to see its impressive rock formations,” suggested Ramesh V, the wellness consultant at Gamyam Retreat, which is a luxury wellness resort located an hour’s drive from Yana. My interest piqued. The next day, I headed to Yana located in Uttara Kannada district in the state of Karnatake in India. The area is surrounded by the thick forests of the Western Ghats.
Fig. 1. Mohini Shikhara is 300 feet (91.5m) in height.
After parking the vehicle, my hike began through the forest along the demarcated trail for hikers. Hardly a few minutes had passed before I was rewarded by the spectacular view of a sharp-edged peak. It was made up of hard and compact siliceous limestone of Late Archean age, that is, around 2.65 billion years old. Known as Mohini Shikhara (Fig. 1), this imposing rock sentinel is 300 feet (91.5m) in height.
Fig. 2. A rock formation of the Late Archean age.
After admiring it for a while, I continued ahead and spotted other rock formations along the way (Figs. 2, 3 and 4).
Fig. 3. A rock formation surrounded by the thick forests of the Western Ghats.
By this time, the trail had turned into a series of steps with railings for support. I enjoyed the solitude of the forest, the cascading streams and the bird calls everywhere along the way. And there are close to 60 rock formations at Yana, which are scattered throughout the forest. From among those formations, the two most well-known ones are Mohini Shikhara and Bhairaveshwara Shikhara.
Fig. 4. Some of the 60 rock formations at Yana.
After hiking for almost two kilometres, I spotted Bhairaveshwara Shikhara (Fig. 5) in the distance.
Fig. 5. Bhairaveshwara Shikhara is almost 390 feet (119m) in height.
Almost 390 feet (119m) in height and against the rays of the rising sun, its jagged peaks were jutting towards the sky (Figs. 6 and 7).
Fig. 6. Bhairaveshwara Shikhara’s jagged peaks.
Fig. 7. Bhairaveshwara Shikhara is one of the two known formations at Yana.
One has to remove footwear outside the Cave Temple located at the foothills of Bhairaveshwara Shikhara before proceeding towards the formation. The Temple has a Shiva Linga (that is, an abstract representation of the Hindu god, Shiva) and sculptures of Hindu goddesses.
The entry to Bhairaveshwara Shikhara (Fig. 8) is through a series of manmade steps, but once one enters, the path is natural, over soft sand and smooth rock.
Fig. 8. The entry to Bhairaveshwara Shikhara.
The interiors have varied rock formations (Figs. 9, 10 and 11) and, at one point, the rocks open to the sky allowing natural sunlight to penetrate. The exit from the Shikhara opens into dense forest and I made my way down the same trail that I had hiked up.
Fig. 9. People taking selfies inside Bhairaveshwara Shikhara.
Fig. 10. Some of the rock formations inside Bhairaveshwara Shikhara.
Over a meal of local delicacies at Gamyam Retreat, an enriching phone call was made to Dr H. S. M. Prakash, Deputy Director General (retd) of Geological Survey of India in Bengaluru, India to learn about how the rocks at Yana were formed. As he explained to me:
The siliceous limestone was formed under a marine environment. The dissolved calcium carbonate and iron carbonate with minor magnesium carbonate was precipitated under super saturation, layer upon layer, lamination upon lamination leading to bedding layers. Quite often, these are thick beds varying in thickness from 10m to 300m, and even to 500m. Initially, they were horizontally deposited on the sea floor. Later, they became vertical to sub-vertical due to deformation and tectonics. When they were involved in folding processes, they became part of great synclines and anticlines. In addition, the high-quality limestone is used as raw material for cement making. Siliceous limestone is used as slabs and building stones as they are tough compared to calcium carbonate beds.”
Fig. 11. These rocks are almost 2.65 billion years old.
Some tips about visiting the site
Gamyam Retreat is the best place to stay, as it is conveniently located near toYana and organises hikes to it. The resort has luxurious accommodation. Meals are wholesome and healthy and mostly prepared from zero-kilometre seasonal ingredients. Therapeutic Ayurvedic and western massages after the hike can be undertaken at the retreat.
