God of the White Clouds: Billigiri

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God of the White Clouds: Billigirranga
Story by: kapil kumar
Mysuru, Karnataka
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A sound breaks the SILENCE at the hilltop of Billigiri. A forest known for it's dead silence comes to life in the dark when from a distance you see fire all around the temple of Sri Ranganatha Swamy or the God of the White Clouds. Hundreds of Soliga Tribals gather at night centuries old temple just to take out a procession of the God - a tradition that is being carried on silently in a remote jungle. TRADITION & FAITH doesn't need any glamour or attention - rather they are kept alive away from fanfare.



Billigiriranganatha Swamy or the GOD of the While Clouds is incarnation of Lord Vishnu - and is the diety of this huge forest that joins the Eastern and the Western Ghats of India. An area too rich with its flaura and fauna that no other place in India can match.










Lord Sri Ranganatha Swamy



It is believed that during Ramayana Sri Ram & his brother Lakshman came to pay a visit to Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple before  leaving for Lanka. This story makes it more attractive for people to pay a visit to this temple once in a lifetime and take my words they won't be dissappointed. Rather, they will miss this place for time to come.






procession



The dagger to Sri Ranganatha Swamy was gifted by Tipu Sultan. But, the temple is not the only thing in B R Hills - it's about being away from all the stress you have. From Bangalore you need to travel to Mysuru and from there you need to visit Chamaraja district - and from there this wildlife santuary starts.


















Gaur or Indian Bison in B R Hills -





As we were entering the santuary we were greeted a by a herd of Gaurs or Indian Bison. Pretty shy and also not giving much attention to us they kept grazing - but a male Gaur did showed us our limits. So we moved ahead only to find elephant herd blocking the way ... a jeep was coming down and the driver asked us to wait as 60 elephants were crossing a path. We had no choice but to wait till they all crossed their own highway and vanished into the jungle. But the beauty of B R Hills is that silence here is golden - and people who love SILENCE - this is the place for a sabbatical.








Tony enjoying the Silence of B R Hills



After, enjoying some wildlife - the adventure and the thrill it was time for us now to just relax and do nothing. I think Tony is perfect in that as he sleeps most of the time when off course we are not on assignments. We enjoyed some Coorg coffee - and Coorg local dishes at our resort - Ramesh Muniyappa Bhaiya made sure that we had the best of the time in that jungle.








Coorg Coffee on a Machaan - a Tree Top



And you can be taken by surprise when you might be at dinner and small hogs - wild boar family can actually be dining with you. Small babies will be running here and there and the mother will be watching us. After the dinner we can choose between a normal cottage or a tree house - this time it was TREE HOUSE.  We climbed a stair just to reach 10 feet high above the ground - and a well built Tree House was waiting for us to spend a night in the jungle.








TREE HOUSE - a night well spent



I think breaking the normal Hotel or a concrete room culture is important today. All you have to do is try for something new and adventurous. It keeps you alive and creates memories for times to come. I still feel that night we spent on a tree house where u sleep with the tree branches sprawling inside you bedroom - leaves coming into your balcony - birds are you neigbhour - its a feeling that can only be experienced when you visit B R Hills.



bum lahiri 








































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