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Weekend Getaways - Around Bangalore

Weekend Getaways - Around Bangalore During my two and half year stay in Bangalore I visited a lot of places. These are a few places I visited which are a days trip from Bangalore ... Mysore Mysore city located 146 kms south west of Bangalore. The name Mysore is an anglicised version of Mahishūru, which means the abode of Mahishasura, a demon from Hindu mythology. Mysore is the second largest city of Karnataka. Today, Mysore is a vibrant city teeming with tourists and visitors. It is known the world over for its exotic sandalwood and rich silks.Its grand and imposing palaces, majestic temples, gardens leave an ever-lasting impression on the visitor. Infosys Campus It is supposedly the world's biggest training facility for IT Professionals built by Infosys Technologies. It is a beautiful campus and is almost like a 5 star resort ofcourse you need to have a friend/relative working in Infosys for staying there. It is lush green and a very well kept campus. Vehicles are discouraged on campus and use of battery operated golf carts and cycles is promoted. It has residential facilities along with a lot of eating options some of which are really great and at the same time not harsh on the pocket. There is a swimming pool, Gymnasium, Bowling Alley, a multiplex theatre all of which are available at a very decent charge. This place is a sure to visit in case you know someone in Infosys who can arrange it for you.  Study Centre @ Infosys Mysore (Engineers are trained here)  Me Cycling @ Infy Mysore  Swimming Pool@ Infosys Mysore Multiplex @ Infy Mysore Srirangapatna A town in Mandya District of Karnataka was once the fortress capital of the region controlled by Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan.It is of great religious, cultural and historic importance. Places to see around are Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple of Lord Vishnu, the fort where Tipu Sultan fought his last battle with the British before falling after being betrayed by own men; the place where he fell and took his last breath is marked there and Daria Daulat Bagh which was the summer Palace of Tipu Sultan built of teak wood with treasured paintings and other items of historical importance. There is also the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary for bird watchers which is a habitat for a variety exotic and migratory birds like Pond Heron, Spoon bills, White Ibis, Cormorant, Wild duck, Darter, Open Bill Stork, Cattle Egret, partridge, river tern, stone plougher to name a few. Mysore Palace A Place which has survived political upheavals, disaster and destruction, only to rise out of the ashes more magnificent than ever, a must visit when visiting mysore.It is the official residence of the Wodeyar's - the erstwhile royal family of Mysore.The current palace is the fourth to occupy the site, it was designed by the British architect Henry Irwin after its predecessor was destroyed in a fire in 1897. Completed in 1912 it is a masterpiece in Indo-Saracenic architecture, on par with great Mughal residences of the North and the stately colonial public buildings of the South. Every autumn this palace is a venue for Mysore Dasara, a festival where various artists perform on stage. Tenth day of this festival is celebrated as Vijay Dashami. The palace is beautifully decorated and very well lit during this time. Brindavan Gardens It was a creation of Sir Mirza Ismail, the then deewan of Mysore.It is located at Krishnaraja Sagar dam site in Srirangapatna taluk of Mandya district. Modeled on the design of the Shalimar Gardens of Kashmir in the Mughal style, the garden is enriched with a number of terraces, parterres, fountains, running and cascading waterchannels, water chutes, lush green lawns, flower beds, shrubs and trees. Today, the Brindavan Gardens is world famous for its ethereal beauty, grandeur and illumination/ musical fountain.  Chamudeshwari Temple @ Mysore Outside Chamundeshwari Temple Mysore Makali Durga Makalidurga a small granite hillock,just 2 hours drive away from Bangalore at an approximate distance of 60km. Nestled amidst the chains of mountains, formed like a valley closer to Ghati Subramanya, it is a well-known pilgrimage center. The fort at the summit has an old temple dedicated to Lord Shiva with Nandi and it is believed that Markandeya Rishi performed penance here. The mountain is filled with date plants, lemon grass, many more plants and small boulders.The picturesque Makalidurga near Doddaballapur offers a whole range of thrills from bird watching to adventure activities like rappelling. A ride down the lake at the foothills could be possible depending on the availability of coracles among the local fishermen. Me Rappleling @ Makali Durga Nandi Hills The Nandi Hills are situated at an altitude of 1478m above sea level and a distance of 65 Km from Bangalore. They have been a favourite picnic place for young enthusiasts on a weekend. The pleasant climate appeals to the old and the young alike. Lovers and honey mooners, in search of a quiet, beautiful place, and families on economised budget prefer Nandi Hills. Historians can find a wealth of information and the spiritual minded, peace and tranquility. The Pennar, Palar and Arkavati rivers start off from the Nandi Hills. A climb of 1175 steps lead to the top of the Nandi Hills(You can also drive upto it),but the effort to climb is truly worth it. Once you reach the summit of the Nandi Hills you will spot the ruins of the Fort that once belonged to Tipu Sultan. Do visit the Tipu's Drop which is a 600 metre high cliff face from which the prisoners who were sentenced to death are believed to have been thrown. Tipu's Drop offers some wondrous vistas and is a place of great tourist interest. While at the Nandi Hills do visit the Amrita Samovar. The sparkling water of the Lake of Nectar is a major tourist attraction at the Nandi Hills. At the base of the Nandi Hills in the Nandi Village is the Bhoga Nandishwara Temple that follows the Dravidian style of architecture. Atop the Nandi Hills are the temples in honor of Sri Ugra Narasimha and Sri Yoga Narasimha. The other sites worth visiting at the Nandi hills are the Gandhi Nilaya and the Nehru House. The adventure seekers may indulge in paragliding at the Nandi Hills.  View Around Nandi Hills Temple @ Nandi Hills Skandagiri (Kalavaarahalli Betta) "A Place above the clouds"Skandagiri is located in a village called Kalavaara Halli. It is situated adjacent to the Nandi Hills, about 70kms from Banaglore, near the Chikkabalapur town. The mountain is also called Kalavaarahalli Betta(Betta means mountain). There are two approaches to the foothills: one a detour from the road to Nandi Hills and the other one from Chikkabalapur town. The peak is said to be at an altitude of about 1350m, slightly smaller than Nandi Hills (which is @ about 1478m). The trek on the regular path is moderately easy and can be done in two hours although would suggest the adventure lovers to start from behind the Math and enjoy a slightly difficult trek. Try reaching the summit before sunrise as on cloudy days during sunrise you feel as if you are above the clouds. Moon lit trekking is also very popular here.  Trek @ Skandagiri  View while coming down from Skandagiri ... will update on regular basis. So keep watching. Disclaimer The contents of this web page are based on information generally available to the public from sources believed to be reliable. They have been collated from various sources and put together at one place to help tourists who wish to visit places around Bangalore.

Gaurav’s Day Out with Kids from Makkala Jagriti

Gaurav’s Day Out with Kids from Makkala Jagriti

Makkala Jagriti (“Awakening of Children”) is a Non-Government Organization (NGO) that seeks to create a holistic learning environment for emotionally and economically deprived children. Their mission is to make a positive difference to a child’s quality of learning and development. They bring together a diverse group of people, committed to this shared purpose. They facilitate (non-formal) education and development of children by augmenting the child’s school education through diverse learning opportunities. They also work closely with their parents, teachers and the community as a whole to make the learning experience that much more enriching. Apart from regular classes they also conduct tours for the kids which is both fun and educational; for these they often require volunteers who can help them organize and manage such tours.

On 15^th August, 2007 Independence Day of our country India I got the opportunity to go on one such trips with the kids. We planned to take the kids to Lal Bagh in Bangalore where a flower show was being held.

We reached there at 10 o’clock. When I first met the kids they behaved very formal as probably were instructed by their teachers, greeted me with a “Good Morning ‘Sir’” stood quietly in height wise organized lines, talked only when asked to but from their naughty smiles and eyes I could make out they wanted to break free and have fun. I started to talk to them like a friend although had some problems in understanding them as most of them spoke only Kannada and myself Hindi and English, but language was not a barrier. All of them knew Sachin Tendulkar and Shahrukh Khan and that gave us enough to talk who cared whether the other person understood or not.

The Gang

The kids were then taken to park where they were served ‘vangi bath’ (brinjal rice). The kids loved it and after having that set out to play. They had got along footballs and Frisbees, seeing them the kid in me took over and we all had a nice time playing these games. We also played antakshri which comprised of both Hindi and Kannada songs.

Having ‘Vangi Bath’ in Lal Bagh

After this we took the kids for the flower show which was great but could not enjoy much because of the mad crowd there. Being a holiday it seemed as if whole of Bangalore had come there for the show. After the show we bought masks and ice- creams for the kids which they simply loved; by this time I had become “yaar” and “beedu” and the ‘sir’ had vanished. What fun!

The Kids and I

The teachers then decided to head back as the parents were supposed to pick the kids from school by 4 pm. On our way back we had lunch at Sri Krishna Sagar.

Yummy Dosa

It was a great way to celebrate Independence Day. J