BR Hills- An offseason trip to a border hilltop
I had heard about BR hills when I came to Mysore but dropped the plan of going there since it was almost summer. Hills look great in green and this trip was just given a realization nature is great any season. I can rather say going to BR hills was not exactly my plan, it was my friends and friends of friends who decided on it.
Biligiriranga Hills is the real name of BR hills though hardly used by anyone. BR hills is situated around 82-ish km far from Mysore and we decided to rent a car to reach there. We chose Drivezy, which is an online app offering rental services. We have used this app before too but mainly for two-wheelers and it was great. From this trip, we slightly regret renting four wheelers from them.
Sometimes the roads we take are much beautiful than the destination. The route to BR hills was also like that. It goes through the villages of Karnataka where we got to see colorful small houses, cows being milked on the side of the streets, crops being spread on the roadside (literally on the road, though I have no idea what they were!) and flocks, a lot of sheep flocks! We also got lost on the way and the people around were very friendly to direct us even though we spoke different languages and couldn’t understand much. Never underestimate the power of hand gestures.
The Road And The Monkeys
There was a government check-in point where you pay the fee and they make you enter your details. The road from there to the top of the hill was the highlight of the entire trip. With the twist and turns and trees on both sides, it just gives out that positive natural energy. Since we went there in January, the leaves were all shed off from the trees and the place was pretty dried off. But, it still had a low temperature and calm.
On the way, we came across many monkey families. They were chilling on the roadside, some of the younger ones playing around, some in deep thinking, some watching. The tiny ones were the fun ones. They ran all around there and came to the road to greet people too. It is not allowed to feed them for the sake of both travelers and animals. However, there were few doing that anyway.
The Hilltop
We reached BR hills at around noon time. The main point there was the temple at the top of the hill and a viewpoint. We went to the temple though it was closed after the rituals in the morning. The temple just like many other ones I have seen in Karnataka had similar architecture. The temple seemed to be under renovation, with many areas being blocked for entry. Looking down from the top point in that temple, the valley was beautiful with tiny houses and steps that lead to the village. I am assuming there is a clear path if you wish to hike to the temple.
There were many vendors selling flowers and leaf garlands to offer at the temple. Coconuts with flowers on them, bottled herbs and many local products were also there on the table for sale. Few begged on the steps to the temple too. Donkeys and cows casually roamed around the place. The valley had many residents and they are very familiar with this forest and its resources.
The Viewpoint
Coming down from the temple, this arch-shaped turn is one of the best places for photographs I think. Imagine this with a lot of green, which is usually the case after it rains. It was beautiful, especially the view from this point.
From there we returned to Mysore within a few hours. On the way back we spotted an elephant on the roadside and many more monkeys. An unfortunate accident happened when three guys on the bike sped and skid on the roadside. One of them was thrown out of the bike and that made the trip a little gloomy while returning.
We could not find many places to eat around BR hills so we decided to skip the meal. Though we found a place to have sugar cane juice on the road. Sugar cane fields and trucks with sugar canes were a common sight throughout our way to the BR hills. The little lambs were running around those fields, with their matching brown colour. Since the harvest was over most of the fields were dry and brown with rolls of hay left.
We took the highway and headed to Mysore. We came to know there are safari and camping available near BR hills. I hope to visit BR hills once it rains, especially now that I am in Karnataka for a longer time.
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