The Ghost Town of Kudremukh - Haunting Images

A ghost town that was once the hub of iron ore mining, Kudremukh of the present is a prime example of how nature slowly takes over when man leaves. Kudremukh National Park, in the beautiful Western Ghats of Karnataka was the hub of iron ore mining for over 30 years.

30 years of mining had caused the equivalent of nearly 300 years of damage to the ecosystem and the forest itself. Thankfully, in the late 1990s, mining operations came to an end and the township of Kudremukh was left behind to the forest as the workers and the staff of the Kudremukh Iron Ore Corporation Limited KIOCL departed.

I explored this beautiful place for the first time in 2012, and from that time, it has been one of my favorite places to visit in the Western Ghats. I shot pictures on multiple trips to this place between 2012 - 2014. Few places of the town are inaccessible due to extensive growth of the forest and some roads are blocked by fallen trees and my reluctance to venture deeper into such territory alone. Take a look at this hauntingly beautiful Ghost Town in pictures.

An abandoned Tuktuk, Kudremukh.

Abandoned basket ball court, Kudremukh.

Early mornings are misty, cold and creepy at times. Reminds me of scenes from Game of Thrones!

Not a road that I would want to find the destination for alone...

The forest has slowly started reclaiming its own.

One of my favorite roads to take a morning walk. The road leads towards the hill beyond the town.

The crumbling hospital building stands on the right side of the street. You can see a part of the building in the picture.

Shyadri Bhavan was reopened in early 2016, but is closed again. There is no place to stay within the old town of Kudremukh anymore.

The Kudremukh Iron Ore Corporation Logo. Kudremukh in the native language translates to "The Face of the Horse", as is evident in this symbol.

Kudremukh Peak, seen in the distance. This little hillock is one of my favorite places to go to in the mornings. The view is lovely.

In the absence of any human interference, Nature has slowly started to come back, undoing the damage that had been done over the years. Kudremukh town today has only a few essential forest department staff as residents. Their numbers are also declining as the years pass. Soon, the town will be left to the vagaries of nature. It is a spooky place at night. Only the ghastly glow of sodium vapour lamps or a flickering tubelight provide faint illumination on the streets. It is not uncommon to see wild animals cross the town at night.

I hope you enjoyed the hauntingly beautiful pictures in images. It is a lovely place and nature is at its best here. If you ever find yourself in the Southern Part of India, do not forget to visit this beautiful place.

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Check out some more of my other travel and adventure photos in the links below:

The unparalled beauty of the Western Ghats

The beauty of Ladakh from a Bird's eye view

The Bluest lake in the world?

Roadtrip of beautiful Kerala - This is what I saw!

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