Biligirirangana Betta - BR Hills

Hills are always fascinating. From my early years I have had an enduring interest in Hills. I have found them always to be at a distance and seem mysterious. I can remember the time we stayed in Pandavapura.Our house was at the town's edge and there at a short distance was a hillock. The very first Bonfire that we built was there some 30 years back. I would go to that hill with my friends and the treasures it threw up were priceless. Unbelievably smooth pebbles, strange insects, Bird's nests, strange but friendly dogs and so on......People quarried there mining for rocks and blasted the hill little by little. This quarrying left huge craters amid the hills and after the monsoons they became small ponds for us boys to splash around...........

The Hills of the plains have brushes and small tawny growth but not so the Hills of the Western Ghats in the Indian Sub-Continent. Western Ghats is a unique forest Bio-Sphere with a mind boggling range of Flora & Fauna. BR Hills nestles amid these Western Ghats ( Ghats = Hills )

I can remember the first trip we planned to BR Hills. I was still in College and along with my friends JP and Mukesh decided to walk there from Mysore. Our first stop was in Nanjanagudu some 30 Kilometers from Mysore. We rested on the Kabini(?) river bank close to the Srikanteshwara temple. It was already dusk and was pretty dark. The only sound was from the river flow but JP had brought along his Cassette player and we heard Santana and his "Blues for Salvador" the rest of the way to Chamarjanagar.

Once in Chamarajanagar, 60 KM from Mysore, we realised that our legs had become wooden and we could not take another step. So, JP's father was called and we were put up at the Jungle Lodges in KyathadevaraGudi (K Gudi) and our stay there is another story altogether. Ofcourse we never reached BR Hills and I got no opportunity to visit the place until I, Anil, Indra and Maapi decided to travel there.

It was evening when we left Mysore this time and the Sun was already sinking into Sugarcane fields when we reached the outskirts.



We were in a hurry as the forest is protected by Law and is closed every evening with nobody allowed to get in or out. But we soon reslised that we had left Mysore late and our best course of action would be to stay the night at Santhemaralli, a small town with a PWD Government guest house.

We got up early and were ready to leave by 7.00 am. From Santhemaralli to BR Hills is a very fine drive and with Maapi behind Indra's Santro we were off. The way was splendid, dotted with Trees, Ponds, Hillocks..............

As we got into the Hills proper we noticed fresh dung on the road and decided to inspect. It was clear that a herd of Elephants had just passed by and they were not to be seen. ( I can say this with certainty because on our way back we did spot an Elephant herd and a really huge Bull. Again my camera was wholly inadequate for the task). In any case we did not have the nerve to venture inside the bushes to check.

We were lucky to have had not only good weather and clear skies but also to have spotted the Dhol !!! - the Wild Dog of the Western Ghats. These are not like the African wild dogs that look like emaciated versions of the Hyena with black smudges all over their bodies.
They are blond and almost fair with bushy tails very similar to their African cousins. My camera was a aim and shoot affair with a zoom that was no great shakes and could not get a clear shot at all.

As Maapi took a curve, I spotted a pair of Dhols right in front but they slipped off on seeing the car. I asked Maapi to stop and got down and walked towards the spot where the dogs had dissappeared. As I noticed the two of them, one dog, possibly the Alpha female(????) covered the other behind it and walked slightly to the front and stood staring at me.

I haven't yet told you how the Hills got the name Biligiri Rangana Betta. BR Hills is most famous for the Ranganatha Swamy Temple. Ranganatha Swamy is an Incarnation of Lord Vishnu, one of the Hindu Trinity. Ranganatha Swamy resides on top of the Hill and hence the name Biligiri Rangana Betta!!! The temple is atop the hill and offers some spectcular view of the Ghats.


The steps leading to the Temple are quite steep and Anil could not make it to the top on foot. Also on the way to the Temple I saw the Chariot on which the God is taken on a procession on pre-fixed dates. Every day(?) the Idol is taken round the Temple before Pooja.