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So here we are to share a trip taken from Bangalore to Ranganthittu and back.
We took the early morning train from Bangalore, Majestic at 7.25am from platform number 5. The journey started off well except for the occasional interference from co-passengers who wanted to move the child and sit down on a reserved seat.
Yet we reached by 10am at Srirangapatna railway station. We had carried sandwiches, fruits and junk food like chips too as this was a treat day for my little one.
As soon as you step out you can see the Ranganathaswamy temple and we did visit the temple and were surprised to see the rare statue of reclining Vishnu. It is a beautiful temple with lovely architecture. The temple has a rich history of having been built even before the Vijayanagara empire and has withstood changes with subsequent rulers.
The temple has vast premises and boasts of architecture that can be found in stone temples across South India. People come here to fulfill other religious commitments. But as we had intended the trip primarily for the bird sanctuary we quickly headed out.
So after a quick visit at the temple we came out to bargain at the auto rickshaw stand. For Rs, 100 we travelled until Ranganthittu. The driver mentioned that for Rs, 250 and a waiting hour of one hour duration, he could get us back too.
But we had all the time, so we didn’t want to rush unnecessarily. After paying the entry tickets we went inside and the space yet again seemed promising of a good day out.
The very first sight of the lake excited my child and he was quite eager to see the birds up close.
We approached the boating ticket counter and took our tickets to proceed ahead for the boating. It was just for 15 minutes and it was fun more with an excited kid.
Even though we were informed by the boating in-charge that early morning or evening is the best time to visit the lake, at 11am, still the ride was interesting and fun. We spotted painted storks, sparrows, parakeets among so many varieties of birds. Of course the ride got even more interesting with crocodiles seen in the lake, many of them which were just lying in one place and position.
Here is one short video taken at the lake in the sanctuary.
We just lazed around surrounded with greenery listening continuous chirping of birds.
After a while we had to choose to go in for another boat ride or try visiting another place in Srirangapatna or Mysore. We finally decided to head towards Mysore, taking a local bus.
As we walked towards the bus stand, we were pleasantly cheered by more birds on our walk. Along the way you will see picturesque scenery of lush green fields and nature that is still beautiful in the area.
The temperatures are running high so do carry enough water, juices, cap for the child, umbrella. There’s a fair bit of walk so a trip like this one is for those mums and kids (aged above 6) who can walk on their own for a short distance.
After about half a kilometer walk we did reach the bus stand from where buses ply towards Mysore. There were a few autos here and perhaps they could take us back to Srirangapatna station but as we had booked our train from Mysore, we decided to take the bus.
It was hot, sultry, but still fun as we were exploring places. Let me share this that the palace was seen by my child last year too but he wanted to see it again. So until the afternoon train took its scheduled departure we decided to see the Mysore palace.
After a visit to the royal palace and the temple within the palace premises it was time for lunch.
There are enough options near Mysore palace. We headed towards Dominos pizza, near the clock tower. The distance is short and can be covered by the tonga ride or an auto rickshaw.
It was time to wrap the day at Mysore and we headed to the railway station by an auto.
It was time to reach home.
If you want to avoid one or two instances of interference from co-passengers who want to share the seat with you (reserved seat of yours), then probably 3Ac reservation on trains can be done. However it wasn’t too uncomfortable on a regular passenger train from Mysore to Bangalore.
The moment we stepped out from Bangalore station we climbed an overbridge and landed at Sangoli Rayanna metro and we did take the metro to reach home.
It was a day filled with lots of memories.
( Reshma Krishnamurthy-Founder-Curator-Editor of Mums and Stories travelled with her child in April 2018 for this trip).