Weekends are meant to relax and get refreshed. But many times, they tend to get packed with activities that turn out to be just another working day. So why not look for opportunities to get out for quick breaks - may be for a drive or a weekend day trip – just to break the monotony? It’s not even like you have to do much, you might just get a few cheap bus tickets to your destination and hop on the ride. It just takes a bit of spontaneity on your side to break the circle of grim and you are all set for your tiny weekend adventure.

1. Title: Bangalore :A Day Trip
Keyword: Cheap Bus Tickets
Summary:
Weekends are meant to relax and get refreshed. But many times, they
tend to get packed with activities that turn out to be just another working
day. So why not look for opportunities to get out for quick breaks - may
be for a drive or a weekend day trip – just to break the monotony? It’s
not even like you have to do much, you might just get a few cheap bus
tickets to your destination and hop on the ride. It just takes a bit of
spontaneity on your side to break the circle of grim and you are all set for
your tiny weekend adventure.
Content: Devarayanadurga is a small hill fort with a temple near
Bangalore. We headed for a quick drive last winter just to watch the
sunrise. Devarayanadurga or DD in short, is not exactly new to me. I
have been here as a kid many times. My grandma's place was in Tumkur,
there have been times when we used to go in a "Tonga” or "Horse Cart"
driven on non-existent roads, it was back breaking but obviously fun. We
would climb the hill, visit the temple, and finish the lunch packed from
home and then get back home. These trips were more like a pilgrimage. I
am not sure whether anyone visited DD just to watch the sunrise.
Sunrises and Sunsets are always fabulous when you watch them from the
hills. DD was our choice as we did not want to go to Nandi Hills, which get
over-crowded on the weekends by tourists. Situated at a distance of 72
KMs from Bangalore, the road to DD is in a good condition throughout.
Our idea was to reach in time for sunrise, watch it and come back home
for breakfast after visiting the temple on the hill. Getting up early, we
reached the place at around 6 AM with leisurely drive. There was no one
except us in the parking area. The place was pitch dark and had a cool
eerie feeling. I have experienced mist in North India, but for the first time
I experienced a deep layer of mist floating around us here. It was a great
feeling. The hill is part of Devarayanadurga Reserve forest which spreads
across 49 Square Km and is home to wild animals like the wild boar, Sloth
bear and leopard. We could see many rabbits popping in the brightness of
our headlight. The sunrise time being 6.47 AM, it was still quite dark
when we reached and so we did not dare to go for a walk fearing sloth
bear. We sat in the car for a while and started climbing the hill as the
dawn set in. The temple opens only at 8 AM - but we were able to get to

2. the vantage point. We kept our fingers crossed as the mist was very
dense and we were afraid that we won't get the glimpse of the sunrise at
all. But soon the mist slowly cleared and we were lucky enough to witness
a beautiful sunrise. The sun played hide and seek and we waited for
moments for the mist cleared and the sun shone to get his pictures
clicked. It was surely a morning well spent amidst nature......
Travel Tips:
Reaching there:
By road – There are direct buses to DD starting from Government Bus
stand in the Majestic area in the town. You could just buy few cheap bus
tickets and set out. It is quite a pleasant one and half hour drive from
Bangalore if you are opting to drive in your car.
By Train – The nearest railway station is Tumkur, which is also well
connected to Bangalore. One can hire an auto rickshaw to reach DD from
Tumkur. The best time to go is actually any time round the year.
Monsoons will be the most perfect time to see the low hanging clouds in
the valley below. Summers and winters are best for Sunrise and Sunsets.
Although Summers will be hot during the day.