January 9, 2023
A Nandi Hills Outing
Today we traveled to the Nandi Hills, a region north of Bangalore featuring farm communities and prominent, forested peaks jutting abruptly from the rolling hillscape. Bhargavi, an advocate for sustainability in Bangalore who had given us a lecture the previous day on Bangalore’s history, accompanied us on this visit. We first visited the Sri Bhoga Nandishwara Guda, a temple complex that originated in the 9th century, and contained three temples, each constructed at different times and devoted to a specific Hindu deity. The section of the complex that contained the temples consisted entirely of roofs, walls, floors, and columns made entirely of stone that was carved intricately with Hindu figures and patterns. In one of the temples, we had the opportunity to provide a monetary offering, whereby a religious figure would make a prayer for lord Shiva to grant us success in one of our areas of life, such as wealth.
After enjoying time in the temple, we bussed to the top of one of the peaks and walked along a trail surrounded by lush green trees and bushes to a clear pool of water overlooking the valley below. Bhargavi explained to us that this pool of water was the origin of the Arkavati River, a major river that supplies water to Bangalore. While we sat and enjoyed the peacefulness of our surroundings and the company of a couple monkeys and a viper, Bhargavi also explained some of the history of Bangalore’s growth and development. I felt many of her anecdotes, especially those regarding water resources and waste management, included insights that could provide useful context for the work we would do in the coming weeks.
Upon our return to Bangalore, we finished the day with a night on the town enjoying a local Kannada music performance and dinner at a fancy restaurant. Our group, which included a couple new engineering friends from our partner college, listened and clapped as an ensemble of beautifully-dressed musicians sang and played a mix of instruments which included a flute, a large string instrument called a Vina (also spelled Veena), and some more instruments familiar to us such as a keyboard and drums. As a bonus, one of our group members won a contest for very accurately guessing the value of a jewel ring displayed in the lobby outside the performance auditorium.
In summary, an exploration of natural beauty, Hindu religion, and the local music scene fittingly capped off our first week exploring and experiencing the richly-cultured city of Bangalore, and I am raring to experience the next week.
