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Saturday, March 27, 2010

Places to visit around Bengaluru / Bangalore part-2

The list goes on..... Second part :
13. Nandi Hills
    Type :Hill, Fort , Temples, Mosque
    Nearest Town: Devanahalli
    Distance from Bangalore: 45kms
    Trek Distance: About 2 km (one way)
    Trek level: Easy
    Directions: Take the Hyderabad highway NH7 till Devanahalli. Then take a left turn ,travel for about 22kms to reach the peak
    About: This is the highest peak around Bangalore . It is about 1400mt above MSL . This  is the most commonly visited places around Bangalore. The fort was built by Doddaballapur Nadaprabhus and later improved by Tippu Sultan. This place is an excellent place for bird watching. People who don't wish to trek, can take their vehicles up to the peak.
Place to visit around Bengaluru Nandi Hills
A Water Pond at Base of Nandi Hills
Trekking route to Nandi Hills
Mantapa on the Way to Nandi Hill Peak
14. Melukote 
           Type :Hill, Temples, Wildlife
           Nearest Town: Nagamangala
           Distance from Bangalore: 160kms
           Directions : There are two ways A) Take the Mysore road , cross Mandya and then take a right turn and follow directions to reach Melukote. B)Take  the NH 48 Mangalore highway till Belluru cross , then take a left turn, proceed  a little further to reach a Y fork. Take a right turn here and follow directions to reach Melukote.
         About: This place is also known as 'Thirunarayanapuram'. It is built on rocky hills known as Yadavagiri or Yadugiri overlooking the Cauvery valley. Approach roads to this place are very picturesque. It is a temple town with many temples, main ones being Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple and Yoga Narasimha Temple  .There are many Kalyanis here .There is also a secret cave underneath the Yoga Narasimha temple . It is believed that the great Srivaishnava saint Sri Ramanujacharya did penance for 14 years here . But the entry to the cave is prohibited now. Other attractions are the wildlife sanctuary and the museum. If one is  fond of Puliyogare , then this is the place to taste it the best. Excellent Puliyogare is served here at all hotel and eateries. Overall, a great place for family outing .     
Yoganarasimha Swamy Temple, Melukote
Yoganarasimha Swamy Temple, Melukote
Incomplete Rajagopura, Melukote
Incomplete Rajagopura, Melukote
15 Gudibande
           Type :Hill, Fort , Temple
           Nearest Town: Gudibande
           Distance from Bangalore: 75kms
           Trek Distance: About 3kms (one way)
           Trek level: Easy
           Direction :  Take the Hyderabad highway NH7 till Chikballapur.Continue until you reach   Perasandra. Take a left turn to reach the Gudibande.
           About: Gudibande fort was built by a local chieftain named Byre Gowda. With  more than 13 (locals say there are 19) rock ponds at different levels, this fort seemed to have a perfect rainwater harvesting system.There is a temple on the peak dedicated to Lord Shiva , which  has been renovated recently with marble flooring. The Shiva linga in the temple  is believed to be one amongst the 108 jyothirlingas in India. When  viewed from here, the Byrasagara lake  looks like the map of India.              
Place to visit around Bangalore - Gudibande Fort
Gudibande Fort
Gudibande fort
Ruins of Temple inside Gudibande Fort
Fort Walls
Amani Byrasagara Lake, Gudibande
Amani Byrasagara Lake (just look like Map of India)
16 Narsapura Betta
           Type :Hill, Temple
           Nearest Town: Kolar
           Distance from Bangalore:40 km
           Trek Distance: About 3kms (one way)
           Trek level: Moderately Difficult.
           Direction: Via NH4 Kolar road, travel till you reach Kamat Upachar , from here take a right turn adjacent to Volvo godown. Travel  a little further till you reach a small hamlet . Then take  a left turn to reach the base of the hill .
            About: This hill is a paradise for rock climbers. Steps are laid up to the cave  temple which is dedicated to Lord Hanuman . Here on, one can go up till the peak, but there is no definite way or directions. One can use the line of electrical poles for guidance. There are  a lot of caves along th e way to the hill top. The view  from the top is awesome .
Places to Visit around Bangalore - Narsapura Betta
View from the Top 
17 Antaragange
           Type :Hill, Water, Temple
           Nearest Town: Kolar
           Distance from Bangalore:60 km
           Trek Distance: About 6kms (one way)
           Trek level: Easy.
           Direction: Via  Kolar road  till you reach Kolar. From the bus stand,  take a right turn , this road will lead to Antaragange.
           About: Antaragange is a mountain situated in the Shathashrunga mountain range in Kolar . Antaragange literally means "Ganges (Holy water) from deep" in Kannada.  Antaragange is famous for the temple situated on the mountain. In the temple is a pond which gets a continuous flow of underground water from the mouth of a Basava (stone bull). There is a steep, narrow path to the top of the mountain. The mountain contains volcanic rocks and lot of caves around.
Antara Gange Hills, Kolar
Antaragange Spring
Rajagopuram, Theruhalli
18 T G Halli Reservoir 
           Type :Dam, Water
           Nearest Town: Magadi
           Distance from Bangalore:30 kms
           Direction: Via Magadi road till you reach T G Halli
           AboutT G Halli Dam or the Thippagondanahalli Reservoir, also known as Chamarajsagar is located at the confluence of the rivers of Arkavathi and Kumudavathi. It serves as a major source of drinking water for Bangalore west. The dam was built under the supervision of Sir M Visvesvaraya. Entry into the dam premises requires prior permission from concerned authorities, although there are many ways one can enjoy the dam surroundings. This place is a heaven for bird watchers.  Read more


More places from Bangalore : Read

Related Posts:
1. 101 places to visit around Bangalore within 125 km
2. The Mighty Madhugiri Fort 
3. Waterfalls near Bangalore 

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing, will come in handy when planning for the next outing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wonderful list of places. Good compilation.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Any more info on Melukote wildlife sanctuary?

    ReplyDelete