I must tell you that a potential employer wanted this assignment done by me. However I am wary of what happens to these afterwards. So I am presenting the longer version here:
This is a list that can change as we speak, depending on the
tastes of the traveller. Our choice here includes adventure, riverside,
romance, history & culture and spiritual, sometimes overlapping on each
other. So let us go straight to each of them.
Nandi Hills: Situated
about 60km from Bangalore, Nandi Hills are both popular and well-traversed as a
weekend destination. Time was when people could attempt climbing from the
foothills, but not anymore. At 4850ft above the sea, Nandi - said to resemble
the sitting celestial bull of Lord Shiva - seems to tell Bangalore: if your
air-conditioner is not working, send the people here. For it offers not just
great green vistas from the top, it also has a cool weather - if not chilly or
wet - round the year. So it is no wonder Nandi is popular across different
types of groups. Roaming around Nandi, one can see the good work done by the
Horticultural Department. In fact the Dept. owns Gandhi Bhavan here which
boasts of having hosted many dignitaries including Mahatma Gandhi himself.
There is Tipu Drop, from where Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore State is said
to have ordered a punishing nudge to many an enemy. It is also said his steed
was so powerful that it could climb down from the steeper side. Then there are
shaded areas popular with film & TV serial crews; there is the Yoga
Nandishwara Temple which is ancient and has a cooling effect if you have been
roaming in the sun for a while. There are more temples, a restaurant and other
features being added. Depending on the weather and the company, one can stay
atop Nandi for any length of time. On the return leg, a visit to the
Bhoganandishwara Temple at the foothills (Nandi village), is a worthwhile visit
as it is a great showcase of a mixed style of temple architecture resulting
from the patronage of several royal dynasties, and it is a fairly
well-preserved one at that.
Dharmasthala: On the banks
of river Netravathi in South Kanara is the pilgrim place, Dharmasthala, drawing
huge numbers of devout believers from all over the state and beyond, all the
year round. A Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Manjunatha (Shiva) and managed by
the Jain Heggade family, it has the special distinction of being the place
where disputes are settled, because devotees are quite averse to uttering any falsehood
before this deity! Oaths are uttered, marriage vows are taken, and every little
development is submitted before the Lord. Thus Dharmasthala and its surroundings
have remained the exclusive preserve of the Temple trust, which has constantly
developed it by adding lodgings, educational & healthcare institutions, the
bathing ghat and many other facilities required by visitors. Bus connectivity
to this place has to be seen to be believed - Dharmasthala is the next best
connected destination in the state after Bengaluru! Yet the temple authorities
have always strived to keep the town as clean and orderly as possible. Free
food is offered to the visitors and the conveyor transporting rice bags to the
upper floors of the kitchen complex is the only outwardly visible feature that
indicates the level of automation employed to serve the huge floating
population of devotees.
Mysore & Srirangapatnam:
Mysore, the cultural twin of Bangalore lying 140km southwest was the seat of
Wodeyar dynasty till the Mysore state was formed under the newly independent
republic of India. This state was later renamed as Karnataka, hence many parts
of Southern Karnataka are still referred as belonging to the 'old Mysore
region'! While this establishes the historical and cultural leadership of
Mysore in the region, Bengaluru, by virtue of being the state capital eclipsed
much of it in later decades through its stupendous industrial & commercial
growth aided by the steady rise in population. Hence Mysore is the sentimental
mom's home to many a Bengalurean - virtually every one in Bengaluru has someone
from the family living in Mysuru. It is great that way because both places are
about 3 hours apart at the most and the connectivity is something to be envied
at. So 3 hours is all that it takes to transpose from the polluted, congested,
stressful capital to the greener, more relaxed though no longer too laid back,
cleaner and pleasanter kingdom. Indeed, with royal references at every turn,
you may feel transported to a different time as well! Thus Mysore is a
sumptuous package of royal sights, greenery, water bodies, palaces & parks,
the evolutionary continuum spanning from the zoo to the hallowed educational institutions
in and around the famed university campus - Manasa Gangotri, Chamundi Hills standing
as a sentinel at one extreme and the spacious gardens adjoining the KRS Dam, to
name the popular few. The narrow by-lanes of the old/inner city hold many
preferred culinary spots and shopping places to hold the tourists spell bound.
Mysore indeed is a place where you have to reside for a few days and explore in
leisure. As a corollary, Srirangapatnam is just 14km while returning from
Mysore and was the capital of Hyder Ali & Tipu Sultan. The Adi
Ranganathaswamy Temple is the major landmark in this town and there are a few
other historical structures as well. This island in Kaveri is also surrounded
by innumerable other places of interest, mostly on the river banks.
Bandipur, Mudumalai & Ooty:
Beyond Mysore, an important extension for the traveller is the Ooty circuit. As
one leaves Mysore, Nanjangud - the abode of Lord Srikanteshwara on the banks of
Kapila - appears first by the wayside. Beyond Gundalpet, the Himavad
Gopalaswamy hills is a pleasing sight and a tempting deviation well worth the
time as well. Onward is Bandipur forest reserve, known for its growing tiger
population; besides regularly sighted animals like elephants, deer, wild hogs,
wild dogs and bison, Bandipur is also a great place to sight birds. Further up
the road is Mudumalai, the sanctuary in Tamil Nadu blessed by water bodies. The
elephant camp here is a treat to watch. Here, two options arise in terms of the
road to reach Ooty. One is to continue along the same road and pass through
Gudalur and Pykara before reaching Ooty. This road passes through tea estates
and rises steadily through the Western Ghats. The other route is through
Masinagudi which is much shorter and steeper. Upon reaching Ooty one comes
across a bustling little town with many hotels along winding roads, all of them
filled with tourists. Ooty is a popular hill station in South India, reachable
from Mettupalyam through the mountain railway, which is also a great attraction.
The neighborhood of Ooty, Coonoor and Kotagiri present many naturally endowed
spaces jostling with tea gardens and other cultivated patches appearing to be a
part of a picture book. Ooty's climate also qualifies it to be a retreat for
recuperation.
Shravanabelagola, Belur & Halebid:
A round trip from Bangalore to all these places is easily about 500km long,
hence it makes sense to start quite early in the morning. As many people do,
trudging up those 600-odd steps of Gommatagiri in Shravanabelagola as the first
serious physical activity of the day, one might wonder whether they made the
right choice. However, reaching level ground after about 500 steps, when one
pauses for a breath and looks at the peacefully lying countryside all around
and the distinct features of the town below, one would forget all the strain
experienced along the way. Standing before the statue of Bahubali and marveling
at the peaceful countenance of Lord Gommateshwara, a dialogue can start with
the inner self and stay on in muted tones for a long time. It is a great
physical exercise and spiritual experience to most visitors. In this
excitement, many visitors tend to miss visiting Chandragiri, the shorter climb
of 200-odd steps just opposite the bigger climb, yet it is significant as the
place where the great Chandragupta Maurya did penance and attained salvation.
Moving to Belur from here is a switch of sorts as history and piety comes alive
as a celebration when one starts circumambulating the renowned Chennakeshava
temple from outside, greedily drinking in the rich sights of the world famous
masterpiece of Hoysala architecture, that occupies the vast expanse between the
rivers Kaveri & Tungabhadra in Karnataka. It is a treat alike to the
accomplished artisan as well as the unskilled commoner who walks in. The inner
chambers of the temple also have many intricately carved exquisite details on
objects ranging from circular pillars to the figurines on these pillars to the
roof itself. It is a feast for the eyes. Around 20km from here is Halebid,
whose original name was Dwarasamudra, as it was intended to be the new capital
and entry point to the seat of Hoysala kingdom. Naturally, the ruined temples
of Halebid display mastery of a greater intensity in the structures that have
been spared by enemy raiders during the downfall of Hoysalas. Returning from
this trip, there is a great sense of fulfillment through the peek into
spirituality and history.
