Head for the hills

On a cold July evening when my friends and I sat on the terrace, planning to spend the rest of our semester holidays away from all the chaos of the city, one of us came up with this amazing idea of trekking to Narayana Durga! We knew that it would give a good start to our further getaways and wasted no time in packing our bags.

How did we go?

About 20 of us left for Narayana Durga, our trek destination. We had booked two mini buses and left the city at 5 am. We took the Bangalore-Mysore highway. Narayana Durga is situated in the village of Rayasamudra, K R Pete Taluk, Mandya district, 135 kilometers from Bengaluru.

We made sure we reached our destination early in the morning to avoid trekking in the sun, which would drain our energy. We reached there at 7.30 am and had our breakfast in a local hotel.

What did we do?

It was necessary to get in touch with a localite who could guide us; after all we didn‘t want to be lost in an unknown place. Having listened to our guides’ instructions and rules, we moved forward, obediently following them.

Narayana Durga is a rocky hill which was once a fort. The Kannada word ‘durga’ translates to fort in English. The seven stone doorways that we saw on our way to the top were evidence that we were heading in the right direction. The trek could be tricky for a first-timer but with the help of localites and enough rest, it is certainly achievable.

These breaks are when you get to enjoy the scenic beauty, the time when you are away from the noise of vehicular traffic, when you get to seize the moment of silence and peace in your senses, carrying it in your memory to have a look back later on.

After an hour and half of walking, we reached the hill top. It was a beautiful sight, and we could see the many variations of green.

Here we took a long break; some of us clicked pictures, faking candid images which would get hundreds of likes on social media the following day, while others tried to explore the place.

The place has some link to the epic ‘Mahabharata’, we found knee imprints, which actually look like a small pond, rumoured to be of Bheema, one of the pandavas. And to add to the surprises, we found a small temple of Shiva.

When we had all seen enough of that place and breathed in pure air, we decided to leave. To climb down was harder than to climb up, the rocks were slippery and we had to take proper care while stepping down.

Since our trek tour was completed by two in the afternoon, we decided to visit an ancient temple at Hosaholalu on our way back. Hosaholalu, a temple built in thirteenth century, is very rich in architecture and is a place which must be visited and appreciated. We left after having spent some quality time there.

Our trip to explore the unknown ended here, leaving us with a deep impression of how rich our culture is and how important it is to maintain these heritage sites.