MC Travel Special | 4 Bengaluru getaways to refresh the mind

From a distance, when you first sight the statue, you will know that you are approximately 30 km from Shravanabelagola. The small town actually has two hills, Chandragiri and Vindhyagiri, and it’s on top of the former that the statue of Lord Gomateshwara resides; 614 steps cut into the rock leads you to the top. The panoramic sight is stupendous as the landscape remains thankfully devoid of ‘development’.

Why did a poet-minister from the Western Ganga Dynasty, Chamundaraya, choose this place to install the statue? Where exactly in Shravanabelagola did Chandragupta Maurya, the king and founder of the great Maurya Empire, take his last breath as an ascetic? These questions cross the mind as you climb up the steps.

Perhaps, you will remember to look out for the memorial to Chandragupta Maurya on the Chandragiri hill. When there, maybe you will stand in front of the simple monastic statue of the first monarch of India or Bharata chakravartin, who, the Jains believe, conquered all the six parts of the world along with his younger brother, Bahubali. The statue is much smaller than that of Bahubali, who, according to legend, renounced his kingdom in contrition after coming close to defeating his brother.

There are many beautifully carved basadis (temples) around the two hills, take your time.  The reverence of pilgrims visiting the town for over 2,300 years has kept its majestic statue alive in our consciousness.

Where: 145 km from Bengaluru via NH 75

Thondanur

If Shravanabelagola is the hub for Jainism, let’s nudge you a little away to another place where a new sect began. Thondanur is not popular like other pilgrim spots - like the nearby Melukote, which boasts of the world’s oldest Sanskrit library and a Narasimha temple sitting on top of a hill.

At Thondanur, 155km from Bangalore

Thondanur is just about 60 km from Shravanabelagola and is barely visited. But the village was the scene of conversion from Jainism to Vaishnavism under the aegis of the 11^th century philosopher-saint Ramanujacharya.

The first historical sighting is not any temple – there are a few Hoysala temples – but a massive manmade lake called Tannur Kere (2015 acres) which has never once dried in the past 1,000 years. The lake was planned and built by Ramanujacharya as a gorge between rocky hills, and the lore goes that its water has medical properties.

The saint, fleeing prosecution from Chola King Kulothungan, first arrived here to meet his disciple, Nambi. The land was ruled by Hoysala King Bitti Deva who approached Ramanujacharya to cure his daughter. She was cured and the king converted to Vaishnavism in gratitude. Later, after success here, the saint went on to have disciples, an ethnoreligious group called Iyengars, who followed his philosophy.

A well-preserved temple, Nambi Narayana, is in the vicinity with an idol that’s supposedly 5,000 years old. There are two other temples of Yoga Narasimha and Venugopalaswamy nearby with similar architecture and unique anecdotes. Go around the village unhurriedly and talk to the friendly villagers for ancient stories and oral history.

Where: 155 km from Bengaluru via NH 75 and NH 150A

Chikmagalur

Growing up in Bengaluru, one hears the story of Baba Budangiri. The story, as it was told to me by my grandfather, goes like this: a shepherd, who would take his goats to graze in the hills around his village, noticed that the goats were perkier and full of beans (pun intended) after grazing in the meadows of one particular hill. They would eat the beans of a plant which, you may have guessed, was coffee. That hill is part of the Baba Budangiri Range of the Western Ghats and houses a shrine of litigious claims. And, of course, the aforesaid story is just that and Baba Budangiri was actually a 17^th century Sufi saint who supposedly brought coffee beans to Chikmagalur from Yemen.

The town is about 200 km from Bengaluru and is approached by hilly roads. You could take in the sights at a slow pace, mainly because the hotels and homestays have great views of the hills – leaving the room will be hard. There are coffee plantations all around and most estates welcome visitors. A tour is mandatory and so is the purchase of coffee powder. Coffee aficionados should know that this is the place for quality robusta coffee beans and the world famous Indian Kaapi Royale.

For sightseeing, trekking is usually the best way to take in the sights from atop hills, so pack sensible gear. Some popular treks are through the Mullayanagiri, the state’s highest peak from where, on a clear day, I saw the Arabian Sea, Hebbe Falls, Kalhatti Falls, Baba Budangiri of course, and more. There is a bit of colonial legacy to explore - if you like, look for colonial architecture homestays.

In the days that follow, take time to explore the Hoysala temples. Chikmagalur is in the region where the early Hoysala rulers stayed, so the temples of Belur, Halebidu, Somnathapura and Belavadi are close by. The soapstone temples show how dreams can last over centuries.

But if you wish to revive the soul, the right time to go would be after the coffee blossom showers, the pre-monsoon rains in March-April, when the flowers bloom. Taking in the fragrant air and the buzzing of dorsata bees, on whom the crucial coffee pollination depends, is the best way to experience the sensorial appeal of Chikmagalur. Go on a walk, stroll along the estate pathways and have not a single agenda for the day. Just cups of coffee will do.

Where: 242 km from Bengaluru via NH 75

Bylakuppe

But if there is more on the wish list than a cup of coffee, let it be a bowl of Tibetan Thukpa. About 250 km from Bengaluru (about 140 km from Chikmagalur), the Tibetan settlement of Bylakuppe feels like a serendipitous find, no matter how much you have planned to get there.

There are maroon-clad monks everywhere – praying, chatting or just going about the town. The main draw for visitors to Bylakuppe is the vibrantly colourful Namdroling Monastery or the Golden Temple. The main hall has three massive gold-plated statues, the statue of Buddha (60 feet) and the statues of Guru Padmasambhava and Buddha Amitayus (58 feet). Inside the statues are scriptures, relics and small statues symbolizing the body, speech, and mind of the Buddhas. The entire hall is filled with paintings that symbolize stories from Buddhism. Over the din of conversation, prayer wheels and synchronized chants, the mind settles down and the being gets hungry. Literally.

A friendly monk spoke of his education at the Namdroling Monastery over a bowl of steaming Thukpa at Potala Kitchen, a small eatery on a narrow road leading to the monastery. “It’s a long road to being a Rinpoche and takes about 16 years to go through scriptures, chanting prayers and meditation,” he said. The thick and nourishing soup originated in eastern Tibet and is now prepared in Tibetan restaurants all over the world with varying degree of authenticity. At this first-floor eatery, buckwheat noodles were soaked in a flavourful vegetarian soup (my preference) but there are meat versions available as well. A diner recommended the amdo thukpa (chicken version).

The umpteen eateries at Bylakuppe offer most of the Tibetan dishes but the popular dishes are Thukpa and momos. Many families run backyard eateries and homestays. If there is time, visit other monasteries (Sera Jey) and try out other Tibetan dishes. No matter where you eat, Thukpa will not disappoint. Nor will Bylakuppe, the second largest Tibetan settlement in India where you can pray, shop (Thangka paintings and Tibetan artefacts) and eat. The most festive time to visit Bylakuppe would be during the Tibetan New Year (Losar) around February-March, when the monks perform the Cham Dance on the sixth day.

Where: 214 km from Bengaluru via NH 275

Bylakuppe, the second-largest Tibetan settlement in India, is a great place to shop for Thangka paintings and Tibetan artefacts, and eat Tibetan food.