Orion Mall & ISKCON

I know I know I have been away from blogging for quite sometime now. Though there have been many instances which did inspire me to scribble, my thought process dint let me complete any of them. I would come back to them eventually but for now to that one topic which inspired me to get back here.

Being born and brought up in Bangalore, finding a place to visit on a weekend is a challenge by itself. However when we decided to take up this challenge, it was the new “Orion Mall” which came to our rescue.

Orion is the name of a new Mall which has sprung up between Yeshwanthpur and RajajiNagar and comes as part of the Brigade Gateway Lifestyle Enclave. It is one of its kind as it opens out to a courtyard rather than to a busy street. The open courtyard overlooks the premium luxury brigade apartments, World Trade Center Bangalore and the best of them all is a man made lake.

The makers of the mall have put in enough effort to ensure that the mall provides a nice surreal feeling than exhaustion which is very common in other malls. There are premium restaurants like Mai-Tai, Mainland China which line the lake and makes one feel out of Bangalore.

Orion is not just any other mall for it has some of those small things which make it interesting like a food court which looks like a street from Europe. There is an aesthetic sense to the food court with fancy paintings which adorn the walls, and dull street lamps providing the soft light effect. There are enough benches and drinking water outlets in each floor so that one can enjoy the mall without feeling the fatigue.

The mall has just the right blend of luxury brands like Mango, Zara, Debenhams and the common ones like Westside, Lee, Levis. The mall also does have one of the biggest Swaroski outlets.

There are two approaches to reach the Mall, one from the Yeshwanthpur flyover and the other from the Chord road side. However the chord road end is blocked due to Metro construction

A visit to the mall in the evening is sure to make one feel out of Bangalore.

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At a very short distance from Orion is one of Bangalore’s biggest temple complexes ISKCON.

ISKCON stands for “International Society of Krishna Consciousness”.

In September 1987, ISKCON Bangalore was operating from a rented house in the city with a handful of devotees. Under the leadership of the Temple President,
Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa, ISKCON Bangalore applied for a 7-acre hillock from the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). The BDA had described it as waste land as it was a huge piece of monolithic rock and could not be converted into sites. The BDA sanctioned the land at a cost of Rs. 11 lakhs to be paid in 90 days. This hillock was then converted to the ISKCON temple complex

There are two entrances to the temple, one is a general public entrance which takes one through a series of stairs and the other is a vehicle entrance. The staircase to the temple is a long and winding one with a small break to deposit the camera, bags and chappals.

Once the items are safely deposited, there are series of temples which one comes across before entering the main complex. The first temple that we encounter is of Lord Sri Prahalada Narsimha and then comes Lord Srinivasa Govinda.

A broad series of staircase then leads to the main temple complex which is a huge prayer hall comprising of three deities. Sri Sri Radha Krishna Chandra, Sri Sri Krishna Balarama and Sri Sri Nitai Gauranga are these three deities adorning the main hall.

The main prayer hall is huge and splendiferous. The ceiling of the sanctum sanctorum is adorned with paintings of Lord Krishna and his childhood. The gopurams inside the hall looks magnificent. The mesmerizing bhajans in the main hall hold the devotees with such power that one wouldn’t feel like leaving the hall. However for those who would like to soak themselves in the chantings can do so as there is provision for the devotees to sit at the center of the hall.

There may be different programs which are specific to each day and the day we were in the temple, there was “thepothsava” which is called “Panihati Chida Dahi Mahotsav” in ISKCON.

The exit from the temple complex leads us to a lot of shopping options ranging from bakery products, idols and souvenirs of lord Krishna, clothes and various other stuff. The prasad is offered at the end of the stairs.

Do keep aside enough time to enjoy the grandeur of the temple.

So the next time you are wondering where to head on a weekend, try out this option, it is sure to engage for one whole day.

Club Cabana

Well the next post in this section of day outings is here. Generally we as a couple haven’t explored the umpteen resorts flanking Bangalore, but we decided to make to this one thanks to my bro.

Club Cabana played host to us on one of those weekends when we wanted to just go out and not spend at home.

Tucked away from the main road and the airport crowd, Club Cabana is located about 25kms from city in the Devanahalli taluk.

The resort has a varied set of Club and Water sports apart from the bowling alley, pool table and foosball. It also has a specialty restaurant and a welcoming reception area.

Wave pool

We reached the place around 11 and immediately were attracted by the wave pool which is the first thing one gets to view from the reception area. No doubt that that’s the place where maximum people were found.

Having soaked ourselves in the pool we headed to other water attractions. There are two water slides; one where a water tube is used to slide through the water and more than person can slide through it, the other is where one person slides down at a time without a water tube.

I was excited to try all of them, but my dear one wanted to test the water and so he asked me to choose one of them first. I chose the one where I can go on the slide all alone and enjoy it. But what a disappointment that was. I wasn’t able to slide even one fourth the distance, I was stuck and had to creep all by myself half the way and then went down like a deflated balloon.

Water Sport area

Since I said I dint enjoy the ride, he wanted to try the ride himself. Well he started off well and came down splashing water but at the end of it we saw that he had hurt himself. Well that was the end of our water slides and we decided to laze around in pool called lazy river.

If you are tired playing around in all the water rides then you can relax in the lazy river. You are provided with a water tube and all one is supposed to do is laze. The water current takes you along the circuit. At the end of the lazy pool circuit there is a variety of water fountain which is resembles a water fall.

Only when we were done with all the water sports did we realize that our stomachs were rumbling and it was time for lunch.

There is an in-house restaurant which provides a buffet spread which is quite tasty. After quite a meal and some relaxation it was time for some outdoor games.

I have heard that earlier the outdoor games was in another property called Jade Garden but now the outdoor games are at the other end of the resort within the same campus. However there are limited options.

One can choose from table tennis, basket ball and badminton and archery though there is no specific court for badminton. The bowling alley is a compact and well designed one but is small compared to the Amoeba alley.

I tried the simple archery and quite impressed at my own attempt.

Since there wasn’t anything much to do, we concluded the day with a session of photos with the family and bid farewell to the resort and headed back home.

If you are water enthusiast, want to relax and not do many activities then head to Club Cabana with family. There is enough for everyone to relax.

Nandi Hills with a different perspective

It was one of those weekends in Bangalore which was rain washed for two or three days and the city had returned to being “green”. 

Not to miss these wonderful weekends, the plan was set to head to Nandi hills the nearest hill station to Bangalore.

My only remembrance of Nandi hills was the visit I paid when I was a kid on a blazing hot summer day. But having seen some of the beautiful mist covered pictures of Nandi in recent times, a visit to this hills station was in the queue to get a firsthand experience of it.

What better day than a weekend which has had some rain previous eve to reload the greenery back in the hills, plans being made and things set, it was time to leave. 

The drive to Nandi hills is not very scenic, now that the New Bangalore International Airport has made its presence felt. However the consequence of this advancement is the good condition of roads that take you all the way to the hills.

There is not much to stop and have a peek en-route but we found some small rose gardens which hadflowers in full bloom. Of course one will not be able to reach the garden but admire its beauty from a distance and let them be in their tranquility. 

Nandi hills are best viewed in the wee hours of morning when mists and clouds swallow up the hills and form their shadow on the farms below. Though our excursion was planned to be at that point of day, it did not come about due to our multiple stops for pictures on our way.

There are around 40 curves from the base of the hill to the entrance which also issues tickets. Once the tickets are bought, cars are allowed to enter inside the site. The roads are formed in such a way that one can see few of the interesting things by being in the car.

The premises on top of the hills are maintained by the Horticulture department and have a done a commendable job.

View points

Some of the additions to the place compared to when I visited last are structures which bear a resemblance to tree houses, view points along the way which have taken up the shape similar to Opera house, Australia. 

There are enough benches in the landscape for the tired to take rest.

We made use of these benches to have our breakfast and it was nothing less than a picnic in the woods of course with yum food.

 There are hidden places which you can enjoy though not listed in the main attractions in Nandi hills like a tank right behind the Yoga Nandishwara temple. You can sit here for hours enjoying the cool breeze and witnessing the ripple effects on the water.

The horticulture department park also extends through length and breadth of the hills and one can get engrossed in the nature here without any disturbance of the outside world. Take enough time to explore the entire park on foot, which is the best way to feel nature on the hills.

Some of the must visit places atop the hills are:

• Nehru park : Huge park with lots of greenery, keep enough time aside to enjoy the place which is worth all the walking.

•    Tippu drop : There are two ways to reach it. One is the pathway through the steps which run beside the Yoga Nandeeshwara temple and for the adventurous you can make your way through rocks and boulders. (This actually gives you thrill but ensure to bring enough warm clothing, its pretty breeze here.)

• Yoga Nandeeshwara temple: It’s an ancient temple and has been well maintained considering the infrastructure available atop. It’s not to be missed

• Tippu’s summer palace: It’s at the other entrance of the park, nothing much to see since it has not been maintained well.

• Amruth Sarovar: Another place which has got nothing much to offer.

• Gavi veerabdhadra Swamy Temple:

•  Ganesh temple

Entry & Timings: 

The entrance gate which issues entry ticket opens at morning 6.30 and the tickets are charged at Rs 5 per person.

Accommodation:

In case you have not quenched the desire to explore the place, then you can stay on the hills. There are various options for varied budget

•  Hotel Mayura Pine top is managed by KSTDC and provides the profile view of the hills

• Traveller Bunglow which is managed by the horticulture department. For reservation contact the horticulture department at Lalbagh. On call bookings are rare and this place requires booking a month in advance (It was under renovation on 1^st September 2012)

• There are various other options on the way to Nandi hills as well.

Food

There are not many options to have food on top of the hills except the Hotel Mayura pine top but none other which requires a mention.
Hence it is advisable to carry food and have a picnic lunch.

Other information

Nandi Hills is one of the unique place in Karnataka which offers paragliding activity.

Nandi Hills is cyclists paradise, a good ~400 meters of altitude gain in ~7 km of ride, The bikers/cyclists from Bangalore storm there on weekends and holidays. It's a very good hill training spot for them.

For enquiries and booking the traveler bungalow contact:

DIRECTORATE, Horticulture Department, Lalbagh, Bangalore-560004.  Phone: 080-2657-9231   
SPECIAL OFFICER, Nandi Hill Station, Chikkaballapur Taluk, Kolar district. Phone: 08156-2678621   (Between July 16th to March 14th)

Bhoganandishwara temple.

This is an ancient temple situated on the foothills of Nandi hills and at a distance of 50 odd kilometers from Bangalore. There is a sign board which informs tourists about the temple in Nandi village but very few take the turn.

The temple is a mix of architectural styles from Hoysalas, Cholas and Vijayanagar empire period.
The façade of the temple overlooks flourishing green lawns which are exceptionally well maintained.  

The temple hosts three main shrines dedicated to Bhoganandishwara, Arunachaleshwara and Uma Maheshwara. The temple is divided into two area one which holds the shrines and the other which looks like a cultural center with an adjoining temple pond. The entire temple possess aesthetically designed pillars, carvings to hold your attention long enough to not let you go.

The serene nature of the temple and its surroundings wiped out all our weariness and we were rejuvenated once again.

For more information contact

Sri BhogaNandiShwera Swami Devalaya
Nandigrama, Nandi Village, Chikkabalapura
Contact Mr. Vijay Ph. No. – 09341170852