Rock Climbing Series 5: Bilikal Rangaswamy Betta

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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The forgotten story of a migration: Nacharamma of South India

This is a story of Nacharamma (fictionised by me to some extent), which is not documented in any inscriptions or ancient texts, but has been told by the ancestors of the community, and also been researched by some historians like M Keshavaiah, Dr Pranarthiharan and a few others.

Overview: Around the early 17th century, the Pilgrims set to sail across the Atlantic to become the first settlers of America. Much before this, a small but no less interesting migration took place in the Southern India of a community called the 'Sankethis'.
It was the summer of 1420 CE, in a place called Sengottai, in Tamil Nadu, along the foothills of the Western Ghats bordering Kerala. The place was flourishing with knowledge of the Vedas where Agraharams were set up. One of the prominent communities of learned people was the Sankethi Iyer community, also known as Sangeethi, derived from the name of the place- Sengottai or Shankotta. Another theory says that they were The group followed Adi Shankara…

Clock Towers of Bangalore

Overview: In the middle of the 18th century, when home clocks and watches were not so common, there was the practice of having huge clocks on top of iconic buildings or religious places having visibility from all the corners. Clock towers were in fashion all across the globe in the 18th to 20th centuries, and some of them had bells as well, which used to ring at every hour. Bangalore too, has had its share of clock towers, though the city has never been known for its clock towers. The iconic Clock tower once stood at the Russell Market in Shivajinagar, which no longer stands today as it was brought down sometime during the middle of the 20th century.
A few standing clock towers can be seen at the City Market, Baldwin Boys school, Jayachamarajendra Polytechnic, Central College, Police training grounds, St John's Church, Corporation office and the newly constructed towers at South End circle and Omkar Hills. Most of these clocks have been provided by HMT.

Know your neighbourhood-3: Madivala, Agara, Koramangala, Bellandur

Overview: Now famous for high rises, branded showrooms and startups, the villages of Madivala, Agara, Koramangala and Domlur are the villages which have seen an ancient past.

Madivala village was a flourishing agrahara under the Cholas and Hoysalas. There is an ancient Chola era temple, which was later expanded by the Hoysalas behind the road opposite to the Silk Board. This Someshwara temple is of high historical importance, with Tamil inscriptions all along the outer walls of the temple. The most important being the 1247 CE inscription which talks about the grants of some lands near the big tank of Vengalur (2nd inscription of the city name after the one in Begur). This inscription is by an official Pemmataiyar of Veppur (Begur) for the deity Sembeshwaram (Someshwara) at Tamaraikkirai (Tavarekere).

Agara is situated at the junction of the ORR and Sarjapura Road, and is in existance since the Gangas. A 870 CE Ganga inscription mentions about the fixing of sluices to 2 tanks (Agara Lake…

the light baggage

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