Museums of Bangalore: Indian Musical Experience

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Watch the video here:  https://youtu.be/xuSdTK4XeoI Overview: I thought Bangalore just had 2-3 museums which are well known until a few years ago, but a little research opened up my thoughts as I discovered several museums within the city. I have decided to visit all the museums in the city and document those.  The first one on the list is the Indian Musical Experience in JP Nagar 7th phase. This beautiful museum is dedicated to the evolution and science behind different forms of music from traditional to contemporary.  As we enter the museum, in the inner courtyard, we can see a sound garden, where we can learn about the sounds created from natural things like wood, stones, and metals. We can try our hand in generating music as well. This area is well enjoyed by both adults and children. We then get inside the museum and the experience starts from the 3rd floor, where we are shown a small animated movie with different types of sound created by nature. From there we enter an interacti
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Rock Climbing Series 5: Bilikal Rangaswamy Betta

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Overview: Bilikal Betta or 'white-rock hill' is situated off Kanakapura road near Maralwadi. We set off on our trek early morning to avoid the afternoon sun. As it was not too far, we set off on our bikes. On reaching Harohalli, we had to turn left towards Maralwadi through the countryside. It was a pleasure riding alongside agricultural fields and grasslands.
    


On reaching Maralwadi, we asked for directions to Bilikal Betta. We reached Bilikal betta in around 1.5 hours. It was fortunately a cloudy day and was very cool outside. We parked our vehicles in front of some villager's house and a couple of kids guided us till the base of the hill.
    

We started our way to the hill through bushes and tall trees. Initially the climb was not too tough but as we advanced, the climb got steeper and we were gasping and taking breaks every 10-15 mins. We stopped at a couple of places to click a few terrific view points.
    


We continued climbing and at one place we came across a bald rock where we relaxed our muscles a bit. One of our members decided to carry on and found that we are almost at the top of the hill. Without wasting a moment we followed him and in 10 mins we were at the summit. The climb requires a bit of physical exertion but in the end we are in for a treat. The winds blowing across our faces made us forget all the stress of climbing. There is a small temple on the top dedicated to Lord Ranganathaswamy. It is carved out of a huge rock which resembles the Nandi bull. Next to temple we rested on a boulder for sometime. We could view the entire range of hills surrounding this region. Opposite to the temple is a small tank or 'kalyani' next to which we could see white coloured rocks and probably the reason it is called 'Bilikal' betta.
     
    
After relaxing on the top for a while we started our descent. It was fairly easy to climb down the hill and it took around 45 mins to 1 hr to climb down. We left the place and on our way back we visited the crocodile lake which is near Sri Ravi Shankar ashram. It is a serene lake which is ideal for spending some time outside the city on a lazy weekend. We sat near the lake for sometime and started back towards Bangalore.
   


How to reach: Car/Bike: Head on NH209 towards Kanakapura. At Harohalli, turn left towards Maralwadi. At Maralwadi, ask for directions for Bilikal Betta. Alternately, there is a mud road which leads all the way to the top of the hill.
Food/Accommodation: Not many options available for food on the way. Its advisable to carry eatables like fruits and biscuits to avoid exhaustion.
Map:

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Comments

  1. Arti6 January 2012 at 12:43

    Terrific shots! Heaven on earth, serene and beautiful...

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  2. chitra6 January 2012 at 20:59

    Wow, beautiful capture..Don't think I can trek like your team.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Arnie7 January 2012 at 00:56

    Another lovely post about a hidden gem!
    Hats off to your exploring spirit! Hoping to join you someday on your trips.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ramakrishnan9 January 2012 at 19:22

    Excellent shots of country side,hills,lake & sky. Nature in all its glory & grandeur.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous10 January 2012 at 10:10

    beautiful photos

    ReplyDelete
  6. ರಾಜೇಶ್ ನಾಯ್ಕ10 January 2012 at 16:15

    nice place and photos. Looks like from one side it has a nice view of forest and from the other side view of far away villages. liked the fourth from from end.

    ReplyDelete
  7. chethan13 September 2013 at 23:08

    Hi I HAVE BEEN DONE TRUCKING IN BILIKALBETTA LORD RANGANATHA LOOKS AWSOME ITS ONE OF RANGANATHA OF 7 including BR HILLS & SRIRANGAPATNA. FOR TRUCKING ITS BEST PLACE ONLY 40 KM FROM BNGLR . PLS NOTE SOME TIPS DO NOT GO TRUCKING WITHOUT FOOD & WATER. BEWARE OF ELEPHANTS,TAKE SUPPORT FROM KUNALDODDI VILAGE PEOPLE & ALSO ITS ALMOST 35 kms trucking. PLEASE GO WITH GROUP 10PEOPLE or MORE

    ReplyDelete

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