Connecting the dots

offbeat travel Every place in Karnataka has something unique to offer to those looking for a different experience.

General awareness and rising interest in history, culture and legacy of the State have prompted people to look more towards our heritage that had so far been neglected. As a result, now we see a rising tide of change in the form of heritage tourism.

Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), a non-governmental organisation, started heritage walks in Bengaluru in 2008.

The walks are aptly termed Parichay because they intend to acquaint the locals with Bengaluru's heritage and appreciate its composite and diverse culture.

Meera Iyer, who is associated with INTACH, recalls, “A man I met in a village near Hesaraghatta once told me: ‘We all know about Belur and Halebid, but how many people know about the heritage of their own neighbourhoods?’”

INTACH works with a dedicated group of experts, comprising architects, historians, writers, conservation architects, naturalists etc, who take people to these places.

Depending on the place, they talk about the history of the area, its layout or settlement pattern, people linked to the area, architectural styles, and of course, stories associated with the place — myths, events and anecdotes.

People who come to these walks say they come because they want to know more about the City they love and live in. Apart from that, many people say it’s a very pleasant way to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning — a pleasant walk, new stories, new insights, and a nice way to meet different people.

For those who like to get out of the City to get a ‘real feel’ of the State’s heritage, there are some other routes too. Take for instance, the Ashokan Trail, also called The Megaliths and Edicts Trail.

This takes you to Brahmagiri in Chitradurga district, where three Ashokan edicts and some megaliths are found.

 On the way back, a mandatory stop is made at Chitradurga to see the spectacular fort, as well as close by Chandravalli. Also, another completely offbeat one-day heritage tour one can take is to Aretippur. It is called the Lost Jain Trail.

This is an interesting site for several reasons — there is a monolithic Bahubali that some historians believe was a prototype of the one at Shravanabelagola, and rock-cut carvings of tirthankaras on a rock face.

Another interesting trail is the Megaliths and Edicts Tour. It covers the spectacular megalithic site of Hirebenakal near Gangavati and the equally beautiful site of Palkigundu near Koppal, which has an Ashokan edict carved on a rock perched way up on a hill. The views from there are amazing, and the climb is great fun.

And if you are the kind that likes a little education on your vacation, look towards the Silk Tour. This one takes people through all the steps in the silk-making process, right from the hatching of silkworms, through the different stages in their rearing to the cocoon stage, the reeling, and finally, the dyeing and weaving of silk. These offbeat heritage trails are conducted by Carnelian, a heritage-based initiative in Bengaluru.

Similar to the ones in Bengaluru are  the Bidar heritage walks. The Indian Heritage City Council initiated the Bidar heritage walks in 2012. The efforts were aimed at putting Bidar back on the tourist radar, as it has mostly been neglected, despite its historical charm. This was when a few people got together and decided to take stock of the situation. Team YUVA, a local youth organisation put in efforts to make the initiative consequential.

They began popularising these walks, which generally span six-seven tiring kilometres. The principal objective of the walk is to increase awareness about the heritage sites of the city.

GoUNESCO, an initiative of UNESCO to create awareness about world heritage sites and preserve them, supported the effort. Team YUVA does not like this walk to get boring or repetitive.

Therefore, they organise it in a different way every time. There is generally a local guide who leads the way, explaining the history to 200 people (which is generally the strength of the crowd). Ever since the walks have begun, the otherwise neglected structures have been restored and much care has been taken to maintain them.

Kishor Joshi, assistant director of the Tourism Department, vouches for an
increase in the footfall as a result of these efforts.

Poornima G, president of Gnana Sudha Education Society, Bidar, talks about how children from the school have played an important role in the awareness process. They believe popularising Bidar will create more opportunities for youth in the region.