Travel: Nandi Hills and Bhoganandishwara Temple

Kris gets to travel to India about once a year through his work.  The last time he went it was a fly in, work, fly out trip so no time for going out and seeing the sights.  This time I was lucky enough to go with him and he made sure there were a couple of days that we could be tourists.

Our first stop was Nandi Hills.  It is on the outside edge of the city of Bangalore and is a popular spot for tourists and locals alike.  While we stayed in India we had a driver, Rajesh. Traffic is like nothing I’ve ever seen.  Lanes are optional, honking your horn is essential and merging, well, just get on over.  The amazing thing is, it works and it works really well!  But if you’ve never driven there, don’t try it!  Hence, we got a driver and I was so grateful we did.  Not only did he drive us anywhere we wanted, but he would tell us about the different places and people.  Our very own personal tour guide.

On this particular day we left our hotel at around 5am and Rajesh also picked up one of Kris’s workmates, Hari, who is also a keen photographer, to show us the sights and be able to capture the wonderful sunrise up on Nandi Hills.

It’s a long and very, very, very, curvy road to the top of the Nandi Hills lookout.  As we were driving along I saw where we were headed and thought to myself, “we’re going up there?!!!”  As we drove it got a little bit foggy.  As we drove further and higher we drove into the clouds.  Literally.  Yes, we were still on a road, but it wasn’t fog that was surrounding us, it was clouds.  It was amazing.

This first picture is a beautiful wrought iron archway that is at the start of one of many paths at the top of Nandi Hills.  The stone pathway, the iron arch and the vines growing over it. All framed perfectly what looked like a portal to anywhere.  I could picture walking though and disappearing into the mist beyond.  Magic…..

After we trekked around Nandi Hills we descended back down the zig zag road out of the clouds and Hari suggested we visit one of the temples.  I was thinking, some small building but Bhoganandishwara Temple was anything but.  It has many different sections.  You enter through a metal gate set into a stone wall and you step into an unbelievable place.  Outside the temple is a lawn and garden, surrounded the whole way around by beautiful stone walls.

Outside of the temple was an old lady.  Beautifully dressed in a traditional sari, she was sitting on the ground by some wooden racks.  You take your shoes off before entering the temple as a sign of respect, place them on the racks and the lady stays and minds your shoes.  It’s not her job.  No one pays her to do it.  She just does.  You can give her some rupees when you come out.  It’s probably the only money she gets.  She stays there all day in the hope to earn a few dollars for her family.  I was very humbled by the people of India.  So many have so little but work so hard for it.

When we entered the temple it is all stone.  Beautifully carved stone.  The floor is stone, the walls are stone, the pillars are stone.  Worn smooth by time.  I looked at my bare feet and wondered how many people had walked here before me. There are carvings everywhere you look, even in the floor.

Going through a small doorway we entered into another section of the temple.  This part had a water well.  It’s like an inverted pyramid with stone steps all the way down.  That way, you can step down to wherever the water level is at the time and get your buckets of water.  We were in the water well room when a man in a white robe made his way in and sat down on a step of the water well.  He was just there, sitting peacefully, enjoying the day.

The carvings were amazing.  Every one is different.  Representing different gods and deities and important things in Indian culture.  I put my hand on the stone and felt like I could be anyone, anywhere, any time.  I can’t explain it.  But it was an experience I’ll never forget.  I’ve never been anywhere with so much history.  I’ve never seen things so old, been in a place that seems to transcend time.

 

As we left the temple we stopped at the sign that gave a bit of the history of the temple.  Here I was thinking it was a couple of hundred years old.  No, the temple was built in 810 A.D. And no, I didn’t forget the 1 off the beginning of that year.  Not 1810, but 810.  Over a thousand years old.

Thank you India.