The adventures continue in Mysore. A sneak peak at the picturesque Chamundi Temple.
"881.. 882.. 883...
Devika, if I don't make it down, tell my friends I love them!"
My legs had started shivering at this point and I was seriously contemplating rolling into a ball and rolling down the hills. Hey! Blame Tom and Jerry for teaching me that!
Our throats parched, we sat down on the 884th step awaiting the inevitable.
“Built atop the Chamundi Hill, the temple commemorates the victory of Lady Chamundeshwari over the demon Mahishasura, after whom the the city of Mysuru is named.”
You might think I'm exaggerating, probably I am, but this all started when me and my friend Devika made a plan yesterday at Infosys Mysore to visit the picturesque Chamundi temple.
Built atop the Chamundi Hill, about 12kms from the city of Mysore, the temple commemorates the victory of Lady Chamundeshwari over the demon Mahishasura, after whom the the city of Mysuru is named. Chamundi or 'Durga' is one of fiercest avatars of Shakti Devi and the home deity of people at Mysore.
It is one of the must-visit places in Mysore and expectedly people come in droves to seek blessings and offer gratitude. You can read more on the the rich cultural history of the place on the Government of Karnataka's website here.
The bird's-eye view from the top of the hill, behind the adjoining Mahabaleshwara temple, is one to climb a hundred steps for! Then entire city of Mysore lies sprawling as far as the eyes can see. On a clear day, you can make out all the prominent places of Mysuru.
So, when my friend Devika said, "Hey Anish, did you know that there are a thousand steps built by the side of the hill, which people climb up and down for good luck and to offer prayers?" I was eager to explore it for good videography shots. Especially since about 500 steps down, we could book a cab online and ride the rest of the way down. After the tremendous physical exhaustion of the couple of days, my legs had started turning to jelly.
The first couple of hundred steps flew by, capturing pictures and videos. The forests on the hill are an enchanting place surrounded by the natural beauty of a rich variety of trees, birds and animals.
300 steps down.
The Nandi statue, Lord Shiva's bull, is a spectacular piece of architecture. Built by Dodda Devaraja Wodeyar, this colossal monolith structure is one of the largest in India at 16ft tall.
500 steps.
What we had not taken into count, was the fact that there are no internet towers atop a hill.
In hindsight, a grave mistake. So we were in for a rude shock when we stood there with our smart and advanced phones useless without a connection. Now I know how aliens feel when they come to earth!
I turned to Devika, "The way I see it, we have two options. 500 steps up or 500 steps down. And I remember my Physical Ed teacher telling me that climbing down is easier. So down we go!."
Let me tell you guys, I think what my Physical education teacher had assumed was that all steps are of the same height. And in real life, on man-made steps cut into a hill, it is not so.
The steps got progressively steeper and our breathing got more laboured.
"700 steps down. We have fallen quite low." I sighed.
Devika cocked her eyebrow, "Really? A staircase joke?"
And it finally brought us to the 885th step. Where we sat, spent and exhausted. And just as I could see no light to the end of the tunnel, as my eyes started drooping, I heard Devika say those 5 words that every guy in that situation wants to hear, "Anish, I booked an Uber!"
And thus ended our adventure of the 1000-step-StairMaster. Needless to say, we almost kissed the driver and took the Uber to tour the rest of the city spots.
It was a day-well-walked, and back at the Infosys food court, as I had jalebis that night, I admitted, maybe it's worth a second try! Not anytime soon though!
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