Rangannathittu bird sanctuary trip

- May 21, 2012

Hi everybody,

It feels like an eternity since I posted last, but, as other things are keeping me preoccupied, I am trying to keep this space alive (which I hold close to my heart) with great difficulty.Many of us will be heaving a sigh of relief that the days of scorching heat are coming to an end and looking forward for monsoon days. How did you keep your kids engaged? Did they roam about freely without any summer camp classes? Did you go to water theme parks and did some swimming and rides? Many of us would have traveled to hill stations to escape the heat, and a lucky few would have made to trips abroad. Talking about trips, we made a short trip to Rangannathittu Bird Sanctuary which is just about 140 kms south-west of Bangalore. This small sanctuary is situated very close to Srirangapatnam. It's a 3-hour leisurely drive from Bangalore on the Mysore Road, if we start early in the morning. There are many Udupi restaurants and Coffee Day outlets on the way to fill and thrill yourself. Not to be missed on the way are the delicacies of Hotel Haripriya in Mandya district which has grown by leaps and bounds over a period of time, Maddur Vada-a speciality of Maddur in Mandya district (made of rice flour,semolina and maida which are mixed with sliced onion, curry leaves, grated coconut and asafoetida- Wikipedia), the famous wooden toys of Channapatna.

Once you reach the sanctuary, you are greeted by the well-laid pathways with trees on both sides, lots of stone benches and tiled platforms to relax and have snacks and picnic food. We found some artistically done stone sculptures. There are lot of small isles in that area where a variety of storks like open-billed stork and painted stork being more common. The boatman told us that there are about hundred marsh crocodiles to be found in the river. We could spot a few of those crocodiles during our boat ride. It being a Sunday and lots of tourists visiting that place, I was disappointed that our boat ride duration was shorter when compared to the other days. While in the boat, we took some snapshots of the stork varieties perched on the trees of the small isles. Since there were some constraints on our part, we could not wait and take any exotic photos of the birds flapping their wings, thus showing their well-arranged feathers. If you are a lover of birds visiting a bird sanctuary wanting to discover all the birds in that area, you need a lot of time and patience and be free of any constraints. You have to travel alone or with like-minded people who will be willing to be adventurous like you.

On our way back, we visited Tipu Sultan's summer palace which is well maintained even to this day. The well-laid garden before the palace reminds us of Taj Mahal garden. The palace

was full of intricate paintings done on the pillars, walls, and ceilings. Though some of it has started fading, it is still worth a watch. There were lot of paintings depicting various wars during that period, accessories of Tipu Sultan and furniture. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside the palace. Some photos from our trip.