the light baggage

Aivarkandapura & Bheemana Hejje: Stories from the Mahabharata Overview: We have several unexplored places within Bangalore limits, thanks to Bangalore Mirror, we get to know some of them. I read about Aivarkandapura in an article in Bangalore Mirror. It is believed that the Pandavas had spent time here during their exile. The two main temples here are Dharmeshwara and Gopalakrishna, apart from these there are several other small temples within the Dharmeshwara temple complex.        Bheemana Hejje or Bheemeshwara: This is the most striking thing I saw in the newspaper that prompted me to visit this place. There is a Bheemeshwara temple where Bheema himself consecrated a Shiva Linga. And the most amazing part is the giant footprint which the locals showed us is of Bheema himself. Also there are small holes in the rocks which indicate that Pandavas once used to play dice here.         How to reach: By Car: For Aivarkandap...

  Overview: Thinking about offbeat places around Bangalore, I came across Kunti Betta, which is around 120 kms from Bangalore. Going by the name of the place, this place was visited by the Pandavas during their exile, with mother Kunti. The nearby town Pandavapura is also named after the Pandavas. This place was also called French Rocks by the Britishers. We set off from our place pretty early to avoid Mysore road traffic. We had our breakfast on our way at Maddur Tiffaney's. After crossing Mandya, there is a board which directs us towards the right to Pandavapura. We took that road. It was a heavenly ride with lot of twisted roads even though there is no climb. After riding for around 15 kms, we came across a board which leads us to Kunti Betta. We reached the base of the hill and visited a small temple and a kalyani there. We asked the villagers the way to start the trek. We were instructed to follow the pathway and watch out for a pump house which is the base for the climb. We...

Pearl Valley/Muthyala Maduvu: Pearl-like water droplets falling from a cliff Overview: Pearl Valley or Muthyala Maduvu as it is called in Kannada, is a small waterfall which is formed only during rains near Anekal after Bannerghatta National Park. We went there during the monsoon season of 2008 but it didn't rain that well in that year. We have to pay a toll of Rs 20 before entering the area of the falls. On parking the vehicle, we took the steps down leading to the falls. There is a small temple dedicated to Lord Shiva at the base of the steps. We have to walk around a kilometer before we reached the actual falls. Its actually disappointing to see tiny droplets of water falling from a cliff and it is named as 'waterfalls'. A small muddy pool is formed when the droplets are collected. It must be because of the drops of water falling that it is named 'Pearl Valley'. We sat there for a while. There was a lot of noise coming from the crowd as many people flock here...