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Beauty needn't be all uphill

The hills at Thekkal on the Bangalore-Chennai highway are perfect for trekking expeditions

UP CLOSE Clean air, excellent view from the hilltop

Living in a city, especially in one like Bangalore, we tend to forget the beauty and rejuvenating power of Nature. Recently, on one of our many hiking trips, my friends and I visited a hill in a place called Thekkal, some10 km before Kolar.

The area has a number of hills, all easily accessible. Relatively green all year round, these hills are perfect for hikers.

Peaceful peaks

Among them, the most popular one has a temple halfway up and a small shrine at the top. While the climb itself is exciting, what is attractive about Thekkal is the peace and unpolluted air at the top of each hill. Although the hills are close to the highway, none of the frenzy of urban life seems to touch them.

Our climb was made perfect by a pleasant shower that came down on us just as we reached the top. We lay stretched out on the peak, enjoying to the fullest the cleansing spray of pure, clean, natural rainwater. When the shower had passed, in less than 10 minutes we were presented with the icing on the cake — a spectacular rainbow.

For the first time in our lives, we saw the complete semicircle stretching down to the fields below us, displaying proudly the entire spectrum of colours.

Fact file: Thekkal is on the Bangalore-Chennai highway, roughly 10 km before Kolar. Drive down the highway until you see hills on either side of the road. Pick any hill for a pleasant climb.

RAKESH MEHAR

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