BR hills – a lush affair!

Living in the city, I have always had a lust for the mountains. There is something so mystic about them.

So I set off with my friends to explore this beautiful mountain range, BR Hills or Biligiriranga Hills. I went to Mysore(my favourite place) the night before the trip as most of the people coming to this trip resided there.

Located in Chamarajanagar district in the South Eastern part of Karnataka, they stand at the confluence of the Eastern and the Western Ghats.Although, we had heard a lot about it, and staying close by we were yet to visit here. So, ultimately, one weekend(long weekend actually), tired of the boring work life, we decided to rejuvenate our souls here.

We planned to start off at 6 in the morning, but by the time everyone was ready it was 6:30. So in a hurry we left and I was damn excited about this trip connecting me straight to the nature. It was a wonderful morning and we had a great start. Before leaving Mysore we stopped over for breakfast. Next we decided to stop at br hills only. BR hills is about 82 kms from Mysore and we took via Mysore – Kollegal Rd/Mysore – Trichy Rd/T Narsipura Rd, Tirumakudalu Narasipura – Chamarajanagar Rd and SH 57. The scenery was very good as the road mostly passed through villages with green farms and scattered population.

Almost 30km from Shivsamudra, the road takes a diversion from the main highway towards B R Hills. However, soon we entered into an expanse which has beautiful green meadows and pasture lands. This meadow is lined by the B R Hills at the other end. And in between, farm animals can be spotted grazing. I completely forgot about going to the hill top. Rather felt like stopping the vehicle and running into the utterly green fields that stretched till eternity.

The roads start winding a little into the mountain ranges at this point. Soon, we arrived at the entrance of BR Hills. The entrance is marked by the forest check post. We have to make entries of our vehicles before entering. As one enters inside, there is a beautiful narrow road leading inside the forest. This road is marked by super dense forests on both sides. The forest department advices not to blow horn loudly and avoid stepping out of the vehicle on this stretch.
The forests were very dense and we were sweeping our eyes sight left and right to catch sight of wild animals which is very common in these forests. Single lane road in very good condition and surrounded by some breathtaking forests views .

People often spot some wildlife like herd of elephants or leopard. However we were not lucky enough to spot either of them. But we surely spotted some deers though! The whole stretch of drive amidst the forest was very beautiful. The constant birds chirping will add to it. It’s like getting transported into another world.

The ascent to the top is breathtakingly beautiful. The lush greenery everywhere is so soothing. At the top, there is a small temple and a couple of view points. We took the blessings of the Lord and spent some time clicking touristy photos. BR Temple is perched atop a beautiful hill. The hill provides breathtaking panoramic view of the whole valley. Behind the valley, enormous green hills stay guard. The air is crisp and fresh as ever. It was already noon by this time and it was time for us to descend.

The best part of BR hills was surely the journey. There is only one word that comes to my mind to describe the kind of feeling you feel upon seeing fields lush green and full of healthy crops. And that also in a country that is primarily agricultural. And that word is “happiness”. That was exactly what I felt while passing through this patch of land.

I’m simply falling short of words to describe the beautiful view I witnessed at BR hills. So, I’d let the pictures do the talk.

♥

Divya