Travel Log #6
Leisure Visit to Nandi Hills & Shree Bhoga Nandishwara Temple
A sudden and surprising plan earlier in the week made me to finally visit Nandi Hills which was long pending due for many years since I set foot in Bengaluru in 2014. And guess what? It was a bike trip. So, after almost two years I went on a bike trip to Nandi Hills on a Sunday morning along with a friend of mine.
Lost in time, to the Mighty Sun
Apparently, Nandi Hill is renowned for sunrise and being conscious of this we planned to visit the hill as quickly as possible even though we weren't sure after Covid whether the authorities allowed visitors early morning. We started our bike ride at 4:40 a.m. sharp and had only stopped for a short tea break. We reached on time at the entry gate to Nandi Hill, 7 kms away from the peak and only then the authorities were allowing vehicles in. Sun was just few minutes away from waking up and there were a myriad of vehicles: two-wheelers aplenty and four wheeler galore. It was a race to the hill top which was quite exciting to cover. But by the time we reached the hill top and parked our bikes, the Sun was already out and comfortably stretching out in it's sky bed.
Jam-Packed Hill Top
There was an unpleasant surprise waiting for us at the view point and that was none other than: People swarming all over. Ever hear of ""Memory Overflow" in programming? Well, it was "People Overflow" at Nandi Hill on Sunday morning. The place was utterly overcrowded and I couldn't enjoy the beauty of the place much due to this. There was so much crowd that I literally found it difficult to click a snap without a person in it. So, keep this in mind: Never go to Nandi Hills on Weekends! We roamed around amidst the densely populated hill top and worshipped at Lord Shiva temple. While coming back to the parking spot, we tried exploring some pathways to an extreme level in such a way that we discovered a stone stairway and climbed up only to lead us back to the hill top again. So, yeah! We kinda hiked our way up and down twice.
Short Ride To An Ancient Temple
My friend had noted that we visit a temple named Shree Bhoga Nandhishwara Temple which just few kms away from Nandi Hills and we made sure we did reach the temple after having a quick breakfast. The entrance pathway to the temple had a wide pavilion (Mandapa) and huge trees that must be at least several hundred years old. Also, there was a chariot completely made out of stone; even it's wheels. When we went inside the temple we were awe struck by the incisive architecture and stone carvings in the walls around the shrine. Spending a minimal but peaceful time resting in the premises of the temple after worshipping, we left for the return journey to Bengaluru.
Riding bike after a long time, catching a glimpse of the Sun closer in proximity than in the city, and visiting delightful temples, the one day outing was a rejuvenating and refreshing trip for me.
Nandi Hills - Checked !!!
