Kenneth Anderson Trail

This weekend, pedal along Bengaluru's wild history, a time when people went duck hunting on Kanakapura Road and man-eaters thrived in these forests, an era when MG road was called South Parade. This trail is named after an Indian-born, British author named Kenneth Anderson who explored the many jungles of South India, especially those around Bangalore, in search of man-eating tigers. The route cuts through the forests outside the city, far away from the traffic and deep into the greenery. The clear blue skies blend effortlessly with the lush green landscapes as you cycle through these trails.  You won't see any tigers but you'll certainly have the experience of a lifetime!!

 

Kenneth Anderson was the shikhari everyone would call to deal with man-eaters that prowled the jungles that now fall under the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuaries in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. If you've ever read his haunting tales of the region, you'll know about its rich biodiversity and intriguing folklore. Places such as Jawalagiri (Jowlagiri), Anchetty, Shoolagunta (Soolagunda, Sulekanta), BR Hills spring to mind when one reminisces his enthralling stories. His books never glorified hunting, but did speak a lot about wildlife, weaving through nostalgia-inducing details of the old city of Bangalore and its surrounding forests. His gripping stories are of real-life, near-death adventures on the very roads that we'll traverse. In the memory of the last White Shikari, the trails he frequented are named after him. We'll retrace, if not relive, his adventures on biking routes that snake through the jungles made famous in his books and soak in the charms of a time long past.