A trip to BR Hills..Biligiri Rangana Betta

BR hills..Biligiri Rangana betta

BR hills is located in South-Easten Karnataka(Yelandur Taluk, Chamarajnagar district). The area is called as Biligiri Ranganatha Swamy Temple Wild Life Sanctuary(BRT wild life Sanctuary).

From Bangalore its around 175.9 km away and it can definitely must see place if you are exploring to visit places near by Bangalore or in Karnataka.

We went on a planned for a trip on mid of August from Bangalore to MM hills(Male Mahadeswara Hills)  and the next day we visited BR hills via Kollegal route.

When everywhere there was huge news on very rain and flood in Karnataka, Kollegal seem to be unaffected and remained with normal weather.

But whereas BR hills visit was a real surprise for us, as it was full of fog and cold weather and the foggy clouds welcomed us.

Unlike Ooty, with not much visitors it remained so clam and peaceful. But the weather looked more cooler than Ooty.

Once when we enter the entrance of BR hills, you will have to give your vehicle details as its a area of Wild life Sanctuary and also a Tiger reserve forest.

Entrance of BR Hills forest area...

Roads remain not too dangerous as there are not much curved cuts and you can enjoy the forest fresh air and trees.

We didn't get to see animals as we entered the forest area in afternoon time. but if you are lucky you can see deer's, wild bison's and tiger too..

We had lunch at Hotel Giridarshini and that's the only hotel who serves food(Veg). Otherwise if you opt for staying there, there are some good resorts there(Gorukana, Giridarshini ...etc)

And apart from that you can also stay at PWD departments IB rooms where they wont offer you lunch, but you can visit Giridarshini. or if you inquire with hotel or any localities there, they can arrange some veg/non veg food from the village tribe people.

After lunch we went to top of BR hills, where the foggy clouds welcomed us. and if fog is cleared, once can see the beautiful city and village view from there. and one should drive really careful there. As roads were not much clear because of too much fog.

Biligiri Rangana Betta Temple entrance area

Fog view from the top of the Hill

Foggy view

                                      

On top of the hill, there is Biligiri ranga natha temple,we had darshan there and came back to hill point to enjoy the view and returned back from K Gudi forest area. and this will be more thick and green forest than BR hills.

Please make a note that BR Hills and KGudi entrance or transport will be closed within 6.30 am-6pm, so if you are planning for a 1 day visit, make sure that you follow the timings.

KGudi Forest Area view

Please visit my next post to more about KGudi forest trip.

Omkar Hills Shiva temple in Bangalore | Omkar Hills and Omkar Ashram | short trip places in Bangalore

 

Omkar Hills and Omkar Ashram:

Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Temple

Omkar Hills and Omkar Ashram, is one of the beautiful temple and peaceful ashram near Bangalore and one can definitely give a thought to visit if you want to go for a short trip near Bangalore.

Its a small hill temple and religious place in Rajarajeshwari Nagar,South Bangalore.This is said to be the highest point in Bangalore. It has Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Temple and Sri Matsya Narayana Temple in there and many other temples too.

Viewpoint near the temple

How do you reach this place?

This temple is located in Rajaji Nagar, South Bangalore. If you are coming from the Mysore side,  you can take a diversion to this place near the Rajarajeshwari Nagar gate and go little further.

Whats special in this temple and Ashram?

There is Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Temple has 12 Jyotirlingas at one  temple, and you can get Darshan of it at one place.

There is also Sri Matsya nayarana temple just behind this temple. There is banyan tree and  free space and park near the tree which gives the cool atmosphere and can spend some quality time there.

Sri Matsya Narayana Temple

Around the Banyan tree, they have constructed small monuments which represents all religions like Hinduisms, Buddhism, Hinduism,Sikh, Muslim and Christianity.

Visiting Timings : 7am to 12.30am and 4.30pm to 8.30pm. 

There is also goshala where you can visit and big clock tower which they say as 2nd largest on the world.

Big clock

Recommendations:

It is best for you to go visit the place in early morning or evening time. Afternoon sun will be too hot and spoil your mood. So, I would say its worth visiting sometime whenever you are free (But dont forget to carry your food and water. When we visited this place, there was also food prasada offered in temple around afternoon 1pm).

Pyramid valley International in Bangalore | One day trip places in Bangalore

 

Pyramid Valley International: 

This place is a Buddha meditation center located outskirts of Bangalore. When you travel towards Kanakapura road away from busy Bangalore traffic this .

Its a wide beautiful vast green park which is calm, peaceful and pleasantful where you can visit ,relax and can be a 1 day short trip location with your family members. If you are there at lunch time,there is free food facility at the meditation center.Otherwise there is only 1 hotel which  obviously seem to little costly and little options to eat. so pack your food if you are too specific.

 You can meditate in the pyramid shaped valley which feels like flowing positive energy in you.
there is also some courses and stay facility available. even at the very crowded time, you still have some free wide space and can relax at the shades of the trees.

some beautiful pics of the center is below:

View of the pyramid valley:

View of the green park :

Gandhiji statue in the green park:

Swing bridge near the Lake and pyramid building: 

Tourist Places to visit in Bangalore | short trip destinations near Bangalore

 

Tourist Places to visit in Bangalore


Bangalore is known for big malls, shopping complexes, super bazars and wonderful amusement parks. Apart from all these malls, busy shopping complexes if you want to visit some places in and around Bangalore here are few of the places.

 If you are looking for short trip or 1 day trip around Bangalore, you have many regular places like including regular spots like

1. Lalbagh: old botanical garden in Bangalore and located near to majestic main bus stop, which has many greenaries with a vast area area. it has glass house lake inside it. they also maintain a plant nursery where you can visit and buy many plants and seeds. Many of the native Bangalorians go for morning walk in this park. During republic day Lalbagh will have flowershow which is world famous and attracts lakhs of visitors into it.

2. Cubbon park: This is also one of the old and vast park.Garden like and this is also located near to majestic main bus stop. This is also called of green lung of the city. it has museums, toy train, tennis academy and aquarium. this is a perfect place for relaxation with family

3. JawaharLal Nehru Planetarium: this is a scientific and education planetarium is a popular attraction in Bangalore and a must visit place for kids. It has a science theater  where they show videos of solar system and stars. it also has science galary, old telescopes and projection boxes.

4. Vidhana Soudha: this building is a iconic place and is a seat of the state legislative of karnataka and a must visit place if you have visited Bangalore. The main person behind the construction of this building was Kengal Hanumantaiah who visited many countires like Paris, Russia,United states and incorporated various architectural designs in it.

5. High court of Karnataka:  this excellent red building is located just opposite to Vidhana soudha and from outside it looks exiting to see high court view of well maintained view of garden around.


6. Sankey tank park: its a man made park located near malleswaram, was built to fulfill Bangalore water supply needs. it has long walking paths and parks which attracts many seniors citizens, families and kids.nice place for morning and evening walk and weekend destination of short trip and relaxation.

7. Big Baniyan tree(Dodda alada mara): this place has 400 year old banyan tree and is located in Kethohalli which is around 17 kms away from Bangalore city near to Mysore road. this is natural home for many number of Monkeys and birds. banyan tree dropped its areal roots over acres of land and this is one of the short trip location with family and friends and be aware of monkey and keep your valuable items safe.

8. Bannerghatta National park:



Apart from that if you want to visit temples, recreational or peaceful places, here are few options like

10. Pyramid Valley International:  this place is a Buddha meditation center located near kanakapura road, Bangalore. when you travel towards Kanakapura road away from busy Bangalore traffic, this place is located few kilometers after Ravishankar Guruji ashram. and its a calm, peaceful, pleasantful place where you can visit ,relax and do meditation. It can be a 1 day short trip location. If you are there around lunch time, you get a free, otherwise there is only 1 hotel inside the meditation center which  obviously seem to little costly and few options to eat. so pack your food if you are too specific. you can also get meditation courses here and also if you decide to stay here there are stay facility. to read more about this please see the post in the blogpost in this link:
https://knowaboutkannadalanguage.blogspot.com/2020/03/pyramid-valley-international-in.html


  

11. Ravishankar Guruji Ashram: its a awesome place in outskirts of Bangalore. Many places here for  meditation and relaxation. Yoga and meditation courses are offered here and can get Ayurvedic assistance too here.


12. Iskon Temple
13. Mahabodhi Loka shanti Buddha Vihara
14. Omkar Hills Shiva temple

Tourist Places to visit in Mysore | Top 10 places around Mysore to visit | Namma Mysore

 Namma Mysore Darshana

Mysore is one of the most beautiful city in Karnataka and also one among the cleanest city in India
who doesn't know that its called our heritage city and Mysore Dasara.. !! 


How do you reach Mysore and what places can you cover during Mysore trip?

This place is around 145km away from Bangalore.  If you visit Mysore, You can visit and cover many places around it.

If you are coming to visit from Bangalore side, on the way to Mysore, you can visit below these places:

Somanath pura,

Gagana chukki, Bhara chukki
Sriranga patna
Rangana Thittu

Once you arrive In Mysore, you can visit the below places:

1. Mysore Palace
2. Chamundi Hills
3. Zoo Garden
4. St, Philomena's Cathedral, Mysore
5. KRS, Brindavan Garden
6. Exhibition(During dasara times)

7. Lalit Mahal Palace

8. Jagmohan Palace and Art Gallery

9. Regional History Museum

10.Melody World Wax museum

Chamundi Hills:

This is One of he famous hills and temple in Karnataka and must visit place in Mysore. Goddess Chamnudeshwari temple is in the top of the hills and we do have many frequent Govt buses(City buses) to the temple.  Temple will be crowded during festive and any holiday seasons

Ride to the hill is exiting when the vehicle takes you to top of the hill and we do have symbolic idol of Mahishasura who got killed by Goddess Chamundi.

Zoo Garden:

Zoo Garden is one another must watch place in Mysore and the biggest zoo Garden in Karnataka and India too. this place is near to Bus stand and one can take auto or can get buses to reach the place. you will need a entire day time to watch all the animals relaxly. if you cannot walk there are mini travel facility which takes you around the Zoo

Please click on this below link to know more details on the Zoo Garden

https://knowaboutkannadalanguage.blogspot.com/2019/03/dont-forget-to-visit-zoo-garden-if-you.html

Dasara festival in Mysore:

Beautiful view of Mysore palace:

During Dasara time(Usually in the month of October) the whole city of Mysore will be beautifully decorated and attracts lacs of people around the world.

On Vijayadashami day, there will be a Dasara procession(Jambu savari) held and the procession will cover all the streets of Mysore.

The main attraction of this procession is the golden mantapa with Goddess Chamundeshwari idol and this will be carried by the decorated elephant.

the whole of the districts of Karnataka will also participate in the procession and bring the unique procession representation from their district and participate in the procession

Dasara celebration will begin before the 10 days with a lot of cultural programs, events, and some sports which represent the state,and also with food mela and other kinds of exhibitions.

A lot of visitors from all over India and the world visit which increases the attraction of Dasara.





KRS Brindavan Garden view:

KRS Brindavan garden is one more must-visit place in Mysore. It is located next to the  KrishrajaSagara dam which is built for the river Kaveri and it spreads over an area of  60 acres of land.

The garden has a wide variety of greeneries and flower plantations. with the river Kaveri and greeneries, it's pleasant to visit this place. along with this garden has water fountains and a musical fountain show at night is a feast to watch for eyes. Timings would be around 6.30 - 7.30pm on weekdays and 6.30 - 8.30pm on weekends.

If you are planning to stay in Mysore in your travel plan, plan to visit Mysore palace Brindavan garden in the evenings, so that you can see both the garden and also musical fountains at night.

For kids also, the garden has swings and some small play area facilities and there are also boating facilities.

For people who want to stay at Mysore for their vacations, there are hotels in the garden itself, but this has to be pre-booked.

St, Philomena's Cathedral, Mysore:

St. Philomena's Cathedral church is a catholic church in Mysore.  One of the old and big churches in Mysore, and also the tallest church in Asia. and this also attracts many tourists in Mysore. If you have enough time to roam in Mysore plan to visit the church too.

Melody World Wax museum:

this is a privately owned museum located in Siddhartha Nagar, Mysore and this will be an addition to the places around Mysore to visit. since this is privately owned, there is also an entry fee of 60 rs for entry(free for kids under 5 years of age). timings is 9.30Am to 7.30pm

 

This museum has a few wax creations of Indian cultural tradition and some western culture too..But They have the largest collections of musical instruments..This entire visit can be completed within 30min to 1 hour to the max. 

Nearby you can also plan to visit the regional History museum which is maintained by govt of India and its entry is free here.

 

and there is a small play area for kids(with a video car race, trampoline, and virtual reality game, which can be used by paying some charges). and for kids above 10 years and adults, there is a horror world also which again needs a separate entry fee(around 100rs). 

Click here to know about MelodyWorld Museum and pictures.

Regional Museum of Natural History

History Museum and melody museum is located nearby in Siddhartha Nagar, Mysore. and you can plan to visit both of them at once.

Regional History Museum is well maintained, spacious, and has quite a collection which exhibits on plants, animals, and geology of region of India. 

They have unique sea shell collections, sculpture collections, butterfly collections, ecology representations, animal and human evolution representations, and many more. you need at least 2 hours to see this properly. it can be a good educational tour for kids

Click here to more know about the Regional Museum of Natural History

Also, visit the pages below to know more about other places in Karnataka

BR Hills..Beautiful hillstation of Karntaka

Places in Bangalore

Rangana thittu pakshi dhama in Mysore | Tourist places to visit in Mysore | Bird sanctuary in Mysore | Karnatakada Pakshi dhamagalu

Rangana Thittu also famously known as 'Pakshi kashi', is a bird sanctuary located in Mandya district Karnataka, located around 130 km away from Bangalore.and if you are coming from Mysore,its around 19km away. It is lying in bank of River Kaveri and is home for most of the birds.  

If you are planning to visit Mysore and places around, then this is one of the must watch place.

Some of the birds that you can spot here are shag, white ibis, Little Egret, little cormorant, open-billed stork, Spoon bills, painted stork, White Ibis, river tern, Darter, Peafowl, Pond Heron, Wild Duck, large cormorant, heron, great stone plover, kingfisher, Cattle Egret, the lesser whistling teal, 
Indian cliff swallow Great Stone Plover, River Tern, of Streak-throated Swallows and many more.

Entry fee for this bird sanctuary is 50rs for Indians and 300rs for Foreigners and there is boating facility available in this place to watch the birds nested. For Boating too it costs around 50rs for Indians and 300rs for Foreigners. Along with all sorts of birds, you can also see the crocodiles in the river. Boating and environment around is awesome with river and green parks around.

KanakaGiri-Jain Temple in GundluPete | Tourist places in Karnataka | Jain Temples in Karnataka

 SriKshetra Kanakagiri Jain temple:

SriKshetra Kanakagiri Jain temple is known as the Holy Jain centre, and is located around 184 km away from Bangalore. If you are planning to visit this place from Gundlupete, this place  is around 31.2 km away.

If you are planning to visit places around Gundlupete, you can plan to visit
Kanaka giri temple,
Gopala swami temple,
Bandipur Nartional forest Gundlupete.

kanakagiri temple is one of the ancient Jain temple and located on a Hill and definitely its a nice option if you are planning for a short trek or outing with family or friends. Since this is not much discovered or known place, usually it will be not too much crowded and you can your time over there.

You can take the vehicle upto the hill(its a small journey to the hill) or you can plan to climb the temple from steps. Jain Temple at it first look will attract you and because of the location and serenity it feels special visiting there.

Outside the temple in the Hill there are small sthupas where foot prints of 24 theertankaras are there.
we visited the place around evening time and sunset view was awesome and had a nice family time and little trek while visiting all the sthupas.

People can have a small trekking experience while seeing all sthupas of 24 theerthankaras. I suggest visiting this people either early morning or  evening, since it can turn very hot and little uneasy in the afternoon time.

Jain Temple on the Hill:

Full View of Kanaka giri Hill:

Picture of one of the Stupa:















View of the Last Stupa on the tip of the hill

Zoo garden - Must visit place in Mysore | Places to visit around Mysore | Tourist places in Mysore

 Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens

Zoo Garden in Mysore is one of the must watch important place if you ever visit Mysore
and and it is around 157 acres of land and is one of the old and famous zoo in India.


How do you reach Zoo Garden:

Whenever you enter Mysore, Zoo garden is near to the bus stand and one can get Autos, Tangas(Horse rides), or even City Buses to reach to the place. 


There are many kinds of animals resides here like Tiger, Lion, Monkey, Gorilla, Chimpanzee, Elephant, Crocodiles, Snakes, Turtles, Fishes, Deers, buffaloes, wild dog, bird varieties like Mecaw, Parrots, Peacocks and many more varieties of animals are kept and maintained in the zoo.

There are so many peacocks in the zoo and You can also see that few of the peacocks have left to roam around free as the have many more in counts. and its obviously feast to your eyes !! 


Among them zoo attractions are Giraffe, Elephant, White Tiger, White peacock, Cheetah, Lion, Gorilla.

Colorful Love Birds
ಲವ್ ಬರ್ಡ್ಸ್ 

Lion
ಸಿಂಹ 

Fox
ನರಿ 

Hippopotamus
ಘೇ೦ಡಾ ಮೃಗ 

Leopard
ಚಿರತೆ 

If Kids are there with you then you should definitely plan to visit the zoo and they will definitely enjoy the trip. There is zoo vehicle facility to travel inside the zoo and see the animal for the older and  people who cannot walk much.

You cannot carry plastics, any kinds of food packed in plastic like biscuits inside. and there will be strict monitoring and checking while entering the zoo. We preferred to keep all our eatables and juice  bottles in our vehicle and only carried steel water bottles. there will be also water facility inside the zoo. There are hotels and bakeries inside the zoo which is bit costlier.

To use camera's you need to pay and buy ticket along with entry tickets.

Once you enter the zoo, a big horn like sounding Mecaws, white feathered peacocks, and blue feathered peacocks will welcome and also will give you excitement if you are first timer. and at the end, Giraffes will say bye to you with their long strectched necks and remain forever as memories of the zoo


How much time do you need in Zoo Garden:

If you decide walk by yourself and watch all the animals relaxly, you will need a entire day time to watch all the animal. If you have limited time and cannot walk much then there are are mini travel facility which takes you around the Zoo

Plan to enter the zoo early as you need quiet a good amount of time to cover the entire places in Zoo..