0 Bannerghatta on bicycles

Skanda, C V Nagendra, and I planned a trip to Bannerghatta, a 22km ride, in the first week of our summer vacations. This would be our first trip outside Bangalore on our own.

I had an Olive Green Humber Bicycle and my friends had one Atlas and one Hero. We planned a great deal and worried what we would do if we got a flat tire or a brake failure as they were a big problem!

We packed bread and home-made tomato jam and water in bottles. We left early, riding leisurely occasionally stopped by to catch our breath. Beyond the city limits, road was flanked by woods. It was peaceful and the air was fresh. The peace was occasionally disturbed by the traffic; smoke bellowing KSRTC buses or trucks laden with sand, granite or bricks. We reached Bannerghatta by 10 or 10 30 and we had breakfast. We spent time looking around the zoo and then we left to the small granite hill near-by. We explored the small granite hill near by with an ancient temple at the base (this was my second visit). By 3 or 3 30 we decided to head back home. We reached home safely and without a flat tyre... not really an adventerous trip.

Now, looking at the traffic now on the same stretch of road, it’s a complete contrast. The jungle now is a concrete jungle, peace replaced by the noise of traffic and air filled with dust kicked up by the vehicles. How modern man destroys tranquility in the name of development!

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Detail: Bannerghatta on bicycles

0 Ramakrishna Ashram, Bangalore

Mom and me spent some time in this serene place. The garden is well maintained with lots of colorful flowers. I snapped up a few pretty flowers...





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Detail: Ramakrishna Ashram, Bangalore

0 Shivagange

Shivagange. The first hill I ever climbed right up to the top.

Shivagange looks like a 'Shiva Linga' as seen from the NH4 (before Dobbaspet). I've heard it also looks like a bull's profile from another angle. When it's cloudy th top part of the hill is covered in clouds giving it a heavenly look.

The first time I had been was with Anish and Praveen but we stopped half way up since it was getting dark. The nect visit was with Gulli and we were determined to reach the top. The climb is not really tough. It took us some 90 minutes (eventually, on the thrid or fourth climb we made it to the top in 45 minutes).

The climb is a mix of both dirt and rocky surface unlike Savandurga which is all rock surface. As we pass the half way mark, the climb gets steeper with hardly anything to hold on. This part can be dicy during rains. Grass and small shrubs are the only plant life... no trees on this hill.

Just before we reach the top, we get to see Nandi statue on our left. It's perched on a small rock which acts like a private little mount for Nandi. Once on the top, you can see a small temple and a shop, managed by the Swami and his son.

The Swami's been living there for more than 20 years. What a life! On top a hill breathing fresh air and seeing the sights we rarely get to see.

The summit is a small area with steep faces on three sides. We have to watch where we step. One wrong step... let me not imagine further.

One of the faces is a suicide spot... straight down several hundreds of feet. This is where Shantala, King Vishuvardana's wife, had jumped to her death. I stood two feet from the edge and took the picture you see below.

When we looked around, we could see lot of smaller hills spread around. Many of them with little forts or watch houses on top. Palegars used these hills to keep watch over their territory and also as hideouts during wars. This whole area is one destination for nature lovers, adventure seekers and wild life enthusiasts but it's changing fast with the so called 'development acticities'.

For people coming from Bangalore, there are two routes to reach Shivagange. The most travelled route is the one from Dobbaspet. the other one is from Bangalore-Hassan road which is less crowded. We always took this road which passed through country road. During one of the visits, on the way back, I saw a flock of vultures. This was the first time I ever saw them so closely. Huge and ugly and scary. The flock was a mix os all sizes and ages.  They were busy feeding on a carcass... may be a cow or a buffalo. At first they did not notice us. I took out my aim-n-shoot Yashica and slowly went towards the flock... scared where they might attack me with their claws and beaks. But they were suddenly alert. They saw me and started leaving moving me away from me. I interrupted their party. Sorry guys. The next scene was some thing I'd never seen. The vultures started running picking speed, flapping their massive wings trying to lift their mass of the ground and then slowly took off the ground... like jumbo jets. I don't think I'll ever get to such a scene ever again.

Shivagange is a home to several temples. One of the temples is popular for it's underground spring. People throng here to touch the water which is supposed to be holy.

I've heard that a tunnel existed long time back which connected to Kashi. Hard to believe. I've also heard that another tunnel connected Shivagange to Gavigangadhareshwara temple, one of the cave temples in & around Bangalore. I've seen the tunnel's enterance at Gavigangadhareshwara temple. It was blocked after few treasure hunters died of suffocation. The temple is worth seeing.

If you ever happen to visit Shivagange, make sure you carry sticks to scare the red-faced monkeys. They are rude. Last when I went, some time 1993, they ruled the place.

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Detail: Shivagange

0 Bicycle Ride - Bangalore to Mysore to Bangalore

The most memorable cycling excursion, was during summer of 1986.

Just after my PUC-I exams, Babu Prasad and I, did some basic planning for the trip. A little village near Mysore was our destination. Mom was against our idea while Dad was cool about it... We made sure our Hero cycles were in good condition, especially the brakes. We carried one back-pack each. Both of us had Walkmans and few cassettes.

We started our journey early morning since we had no idea how much time was required to cover 165km. The first 20-30kms was mostly uphill, with the sun going up, the day was getting warm. Sweating and panting, I started wondering if I could ride all the way to Mysore. This is where our Walkmans came handy, thoughts of giving up were blown away by the numbers blasting into our ears... we passed by Ramnagar, place full of hills where Sholay was shot.

We had breakfast at Channapatna and continued with our journey. Riding a bicycle on the highway was a totally new experience. We had to be careful, watch for traffic... turn back every now to check... especially notorious KSRTC bus drivers. We made our way to Mandya by lunch time, we had covered close to 100km, 60 more to go. Paddy and sugarcane fields flanked the roads now. We stopped by a farm and got fresh tomatoes from the farmer. On with journey... Srirangapattana and river Cauvery... the turn to Ranganathittu, the bird sanctuary... We were riding through the streets of Mysore, it was around 5pm.

We were yet to cover the last leg of our journey. The road to Babu's village was full of ups and downs. At one point of time, we both got cramps in our legs... what a coincidence! Almost fell off our bicycles by the sudden pain. We relaxed for few minutes and resumed with the journey, it was dusk and would be dark soon. As we reached the village, we looked up at the sky and saw the first few stars twinkling... we felt as though they were smiling at us, smiling at our joy.

Babu's relatives gave us a warm welcome. We freshened up, had coffee and went around the village... looking at the houses, dim light spilling out of them, people relaxing on the door steps, cattle tied to their posts, carts parked by... seeing rural life so closely for the first time in my life... Had a satisfying dinner, offered with so much of affection and care. We went out again, walking the empty village streets.

Next morning, we bid our hosts bye. Riding through a narrow dusty path, I suddenly realized that we were meters away from KRS... reservoir created by the dam Kannambadi Katte across river Cauvery. The dam is almost 2km long, we rode end to end and back... it was an unique experience. By evening we reached Mysore. We stayed at Babu's friend's place for the night.

Heading back to Bangalore...some where after Mandya, we passed by a cyclist riding a rickety old bike...in couple of minutes this guy was next to us, trying to pass us... he was racing us! The race was fun for us though it was not fair, since our bikes were much better than our competitor's bike. Our friend was increasing the pace of the race... we picked up speed and left him behind. Then, slowed down to let him catch us... ride faster to stretch the gap... slow down again...let him close the gap... (guess it was mean of us to do this) I don't remember how long our race went on...the guy gave up...probably he had reached his destination. Hoping to meet another character... we rode on, looking at every mile-stone- 80s, 70s, 60s... we counted down all the way back home.

We'd ridden 380km in three days, testing our stamina, testing our determination to complete the circle.

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Detail: Bicycle Ride - Bangalore to Mysore to Bangalore

0 Thenginkalbetta

Thenginkai - coconut
kal- stone or rock
betta - hill or mountain

One of the most serene places I had ever been to.


Twin peaks of Thenginkalbetta. Our guide leading us.

Thenginkalbetta is peaceful and hardly touched by man in the recent times. The hill has two peaks; one small and one large. Bottom half of the hill is green with lot of plant life. We had walk over rocks, through creepers and thorny bushes. It was one hell of an adventure. Without our guide, we would not have found the way to the top. By the time we reached the half way up, my exposed skin was covered with cuts.

The top half is rocky and barren but has it's own beauty... decorated by randon rock formations.

peak one - the larger of the two

peak two - the smaller of the two

Thenginkalbetta has played a role in history. It's natural caves were used as hideouts by Plaegars (local chieftans) buring wars. Our guide (i regret i cannot remember his name) showed us one of the caves high up in the rocks. Tall ladders were used to climb and pulled up into the cave. It seems the cave can accomaodate upto 60 people and has a source of water.


The hideout caves


Risky climb over unstable steps


Fresh water spring


Even now people use these caves to hide from the law... that's what I heard.

Our guide also showed us numerous other smaller caves and a place where weapons were hidden.

Rajesh inspecting the place where weapons were hidden


Small shelter with engravings depicting soldiers and cavalry


The pictures see below are atop the smaller peak. The rock surface is not very smooth... it gave us good grip and we felt confident even on steep faces.



The place is amidst hills and may not long back the place would've been covered by thick forest.



Every step we see something unique- a T-shaped gap.



Rain water stil fresh... a wash refreshed us. Our guide on my right and Girish on the left. From this spot, we caught a glimpse of three bears trying to get under cover... they are way down the hill.



We are standing in the valley of the two peaks



This creeper born in the tiny gap! Look how it's stuch close to the rock.



More water... this time we see a fresh water pond. This looked like a man made one. Long time back built by soldiers to store water. If you look carefully, you can see a stone pitching over the surface of the water.



A trisected rock still standing as one. I wonder how it was formed.



As we climbed further upto towards the bigger peak, we entered a small wood. A carpet of green grass and fruit bearing trees. I felt I was looking a paradise. My pictures hardly say anything. One should be in the place and feel it.



The shape of the rock is the effect of soldiers sharpening their swords. They would lie below the rock and rub the edge against the rock's surface.








We had a wonderful time on the top. We climbed down the other face of the larger peak. It was prety steep but the surface gave us great grip.



Even nature draws and paints... see this painting created by flow of water. Such contrasting colors!



Once back down, our guide took us down to his home. This simple mud house has sheltred four generations of our guide's family. We had coffee with jaggery as sweetener it.



I think his name was Manjunath...

If you want to go to Thenginkalbetta...
Bangalore - Ramanagara - Kanakapura Road - turn right to SRS betta - ask some one
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Detail: Thenginkalbetta

0 Bangalore University

On the way to Savandurga, Gulli and I had stopped in Bangalore University, waiting for Deepak, Girish Praveen and Rajesh to catch up. We had tender coconut water and were chatting away when these flowers caught my attention. The blue and white of the sky and clouds was a great background for these pink flowers.

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Detail: Bangalore University

0 Made in Photoshop

This is a picture I created by picking up photos from my collection.



Going clock wise, starting from the top left image;
1. Savandurga as seen from Bangalore
2. Rapids of river Cauvery at Mekedatu, 100km from Bangalore
3. Sunflower, somewhere between Badami and Jamkhandi
4. Bidar Fort
5. Three friends at Chikkasiddarabetta
6. Ramdevarabetta, Ramnagar near Bangalore

Before I was introduced to Blogspot, I organised my photos in folders. This image was one of the welcome images to my photo gallery.




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Detail: Made in Photoshop

0 Tipu Sultan Palace, Bengaluru

26 years of living in Benagluru, I had not stepped into this compound though I had passed by it countless times. Same applied to Bengaluru Kote ~ Bangalore Fort. Finally I made it on the last day of 2011 ...with Gulli my friend, together we have traveled thousands of kilometers visiting historic monuments across Karnataka.



Tipu Sultan's Palace looks well maintained. However, a part of the monument houses an office and some furniture were dumped around haphazardly. Also few state vehicles had  been parked close to the building :(


ASI description- 


This magnificient palace in wood, sone, mortar and plaster was started by Nawab Hyder Ali Khan in 1781 AD., and completed by Tipu Sultan in 1791 AD. It is situated within the fort walls of Bangalore, next to the Sri Venkataramana temple.


Though it seems like a one storied pavilion, it is actually a double storied building of symmetrical plan, typical of this style of architecture. Built on a stone plinth, the facade has gigantic fluted pillars in wood with stone bases, that support huge wooden beams constituting the structure. Cusped arches and brackets spring off the pillars in typical Indo-Islamic style, painted and polished in two different colors to accentuate the carvings of them.


The walls and wooden ceilings of the entire palace are painted in floral motifs on madder red surfaces, in muted warm colors, gilded, in great detail and beauty.


The upper chambers and balconies can be accessed by four staircases leading to them. The central portion on the first floor, is a large hall leading off to four smaller rooms at its corners. These rooms are considered the Zenana quarters. Located in the two balconies on the North and South were seats of State, where the Sultan held audience and conducted affairs of State. There is an enclosed private space below this area that houses a museum.


An inscription on a stone found in the palace describes it best as an 'adobe of Happiness and envy of Heaven'.


Brown, gold and red definitely creates a royal feel to interior.



Inscriptions embedded in opposite walls.




The ground floor of the palace houses a museum, its a collection of paintings, a model of rocket missile and a model of Tipu Sultan Tiger Organ. The original is supposed to be in a British museum. Tipu got this organ made to express his hatred for his enemy, the British of East India Company. The other interesting object was a rocket powered spear. It is said that Tipu's army had mastered rocket technology and used to fire rockets in battles. Photography is banned inside the museum yet few tourists shot away with mobile phones. Ditto at Tipu Summer palace near Srirangapatna.


An array of twin pillars support the roof. One of the two balconies used by Tipu to see people is visible in this picture.



Four such stairways lead to the first floor of the palace ...stone steps and carved wooden railing.



During its hey days, this floor wouldn't be bare. Probably it would be covered by expensive Persian rugs.



A closer look at the balcony and the open hall. Either ends of this level has small rooms, perhaps used by the Sultan to take rest.



Trying to get a feel of how Tipu Sultan looked at his audience.



Base of the pillar fits into a sculpted stone base. Simple yet beautiful floral art in wood.



Similar floral art at the top.



White walls facing east and west help reflect heat and keep interiors cool during summers.



Venkataramana temple and Tipu Sultan palace share a common boundary wall.



Done with the tour, Gulli and head to Bengaloru Kote, a five minute walk from Tipu's palace.


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Detail: Tipu Sultan Palace, Bengaluru