Omkar hills is one of the lesser known place for weekend getaway and it moved right up in my travel list ever since I read about it. Primary reason being the distance, which is much closer compared to my daily commute distance. And it is easily the most leisure ride. With Anirudh moving to Bangalore and Shiva was also in town for a weekend, not to disappoint them, we decided to visit Omkar hills and if time permits drive back through Turahalli forest.
Needless to say that we started late and with other folks taking their own time, we started from Udupi garden signal at 8 AM. No confusing routes accompanied by usual blissful weather, we drove through Banshankari, Uttrahalli and reached the hills around 9 AM. The temple looked completely different from South Indian counterparts which I have seen till date. It looked more of a tombstone structure with outsides painted completely in white. Unlike traditional south Indian temples there wasn't any detailing or vibrantly colorful looking outer walls. It was plain and simple. The Omkar hills hosts all 12 jyotirlingas under one roof. There are 12 gopuras each representing a Jyotirlinga.
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| Bangalore at its usual best |
A sense of calmness and peace sets in once you step inside the temple. Inside the temple are 12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva, each taken from different place around India. A 30 minute stride inside the temple talking history about shiva and a short photoshoot, we were done with the visit. Yea we had prasadam too.
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| Love for Windows |
Outside the temple is the famous giant time clock where we ended up spending more time than planned discussing various theories about the purpose of its existence. The ride back home was through Turahalli forest roads, which felt like any other traffic free highway road drive. As we entered the city by 11, traffic has already set in and It took another hour to reach home.
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| The time machine |
Ideal for a weekend visit. Takes not more than 2 hours. Must visit place if you are in Bangalore. Plan to start early so that you can return before the traffic kicks in.
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