There is something spectacular about watching the sun set from a hill top. The sheer beauty and grandeur as the powerful orange rays dim in the distant horizon, is an experience that cannot be described in black-and-white.
So, we decide to do just that and try to locate a place within Bengaluru’s city limits to watch the sunset. Nandi Hills is just round the corner, but it is crowded and does not offer the solace needed after being surrounded by technology for years. So we look southwards and discover the Turahalli Forest.
The forest is in the middle of high rises, or rather we have encroached the land almost leading to the forest. It is a two-hour drive on a Sunday afternoon from Bengaluru North. We leave home at 3.30 and reach our destination at 5.30 in the evening. As we drive through a road full of curves, we realise we have driven right through the forest and have gone back towards the land of the living.
After a U-turn, we head back to the point, which looks like the entrance to the forest. With backpacks, loaded with torches, warm clothing, camera and water, we hop and skip towards the forest. But, the policeman on guard refuses to let us in, citing the place can be dangerous after sunset. “Only the locals who visit the temple are let in,” he says.
No amount of persuasion works and we head back to our car. But, the cop calls out. “You can come here in the morning between 6 am and 9 am. Many trekkers, bikers and joggers are here. You can meanwhile enjoy the greenery in the forest opposite to this, which is safer and offers you a pretty view too.”
New routes open up
We thank him and trek towards the lush green space opposite Turahalli Forest. It has a few slopes, which offer you a mild trekking experience. Once you climb a few of these, you are led to a man-made seating area with shelter, where you can just laze, feel the cool breeze and soak in the contrast between Nature and civilisation.
On one side are silver-lined clouds, the rustling of leaves and peacock calls. On the other, lies the ever-growing city, with people in orange helmets on tall construction sites and orange sparks that fall to the ground as they weld metal. You also get to meet people from the neighbourhood, who come here often as part of their daily fitness routine. We sit here till the sky turns dark and then head back. We decide to stay the night at a relative’s house closeby. The drive is perfect with thunder showers and old melodies playing on the stereo. Excited about the morning trek, the night is restless and we can hardly wait to hit the road again.
At the crack of dawn we are back in the forest. This time, there is no policeman and a few other cars and bikes are parked at the entrance.
Wanting to avoid the man-made trail, we decide to take a more adventurous path.
After a short walk around the base of the forest, we find a spot that has rocks and boulders and start our climb. Soon, we find ourselves surrounded by tall trees and huge rocks and bigger boulders.
After almost a half-hour of climbing, we hear voices in the distance and spot a young couple picking up plastic strewn by insensitive day trippers.
Unusual finds
Soon , we reach the top and are greeted with picture-perfect scenery. There is a tiny pond, a large banyan tree and an ancient temple, from which the fragrance of incense fills the air. We sit down at this hill top and discover that the forest is fairly huge and offers a bicycle trail. There are tiny human figures visible on the other side of the mountain.
After an hour of soaking in the ambience — trees, trees and more trees — we head downhill. This time, we decide to take the man-made trail and reach faster. The dream of watching the sunrise is unfulfilled as there is a drizzle all through.
As we head down, we see footprints and plenty of bicycle tyre tracks. It is 9 am by the time we reach the parking lot, and there is still no sign of the policeman. The others have also left. We too quietly get into our car and drive back — towards the concrete structures — promising to return for a cycling adventure soon. But we take back with us a slice of Nature and its tranquillity.
