5 Popular Weekend Getaways Around Bangalore

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.