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Some fun on the rocks

Turahalli is a rock climber's delight, though it's only a shadow of the tough terrain it once was

TRAINING GROUND Turahalli is a perfect location to hone climbing skills

Oh, that glorious past! That's the refrain of every Bangalorean, harking back to a time when the city and its surroundings were saner places to live in and visit.

And if there is one place around Bangalore that deserves all this nostalgia, it's Turahalli — a hillock off Kanakpura road which is part of the reserve forest. A place dear to all outdoor enthusiasts and rock climbers, it is deteriorating fast.

One can hear the "first generation" rock climbers of Bangalore talking about what a challenging trek Turahalli offered. But with housing plots and lanes at such proximity, enabling one to ride up to the very base of the hillock today, it is an experience quite sadly unlike that of those days.

Growing temple

The temple atop the hillock, which started as a small shrine, has over the years become a well-cemented and tiled concrete structure. And roads have been constructed to lead all the way to the shrine. It is questionable, through, how such extensive construction can be allowed in reserve forest.

But old timers will tell you of a time when Turahalli was a haven for rock climbers.

With some of the best rock-climbers in India hailing from Bangalore, it is even now here that both amateurs and professionals (the national team) hone their climbing skills.

It is also a place visited by international rock climbers during their trips to India because of which Turahalli has found mention in publications and journals abroad.

Also a place for many avid bird watching enthusiasts, it is one of the few remaining green patches in South Bangalore. One can spot birds such as barn owls, white-eyed buzzard, red-wattled lapwings and butterflies such as tailed jay, blue pansy etc.

Monitor lizards, rock agamas, wild hare are also part of the long list of species known to inhabit Turahalli. The place was also earlier part of the elephant corridor.

A place of such diversity and importance, one wishes, could be restored to its original state.

How to get there

On Kanakpura road, go past the Khoday's brewery and take the road on the right opposite the first petrol bunk sighted. Go past Gubbalala village towards Turahalli village.

Turahalli gudda is around eight km. from the Banashankari temple and around two-and-a-half km. from the Kannakpura main road.

ROCHI JAMES

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