The hill with a clock and a temple

Where else but in Bangalore would you get to see a beautiful hill, temples, a magnificent clock tower and an ashram all at one place. The hill could now be rated as the tallest in Bangalore as the earlier tall peak of Doddabetta near Yelahanka has been dynamited and reduced to mere earth.

It is not only the hill that is the attraction here. The tall and elegant clock with its tower, the small but beautifully sculpted temples , a park and ashrama are all attractions here.

What is more you get all of this and much more in the form of peace and tranquility here. This is the Omkar Hills, which is now the tallest spot in Namma Bangalore.

It is home to the Omkareshwara Ashrama  and the clock towers which is regarded as next to Big Ben of London. Till the clock tower came up at South End in Jayanagar a few days ago, this was the tallest clock tower in Bangalore.  No matter, this still ranks as one of the most attractive clocks in the Garden City.

The Omkar hills are in Rajarajeshwarinagar and there are two main approaches. One is through Mysore road. You have to travel along the road and when you reach the Rajarajeshwari arch, get under it and ask for the road to the hills. The other route is through Hoskerehalli-Mysore-Ring Road and south Bangalore.

The hills are a pleasant surprise and it is away from the maddening crowd of Bangalore. They are in Srinivasapura and just 20 kms from Bangalore centre.

The hill rises more than 2000 feet and it gives you a bird eye’s view of Bangalore and its surroundings.  At the very entrance of the hill, you will find a temple complex built in both north Indian and Dravidian style.

Once you enter, on the left hand side, you will find a huge clock . Bigger than the Bog Ben of London, it was manufactured by Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT), Bangalore. It weighs round 500 kg and the hour stick weighs around 50 kg, minute stick 40 kg and second stick 25 kg.

The clock sounds its sonorous Shankha or counch sound followed by a om every hour.  The sound can be heard for miles around. The clock is next to a  Dhyana mandir  or prayer hall.

From this point, you can climb a felt of steps to reach the highest point in the hill. This gives you a spectacular view of Bangalore. There is a big Banyan tree here which is surrounded by statues of eight saints representing Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Jainism and  Sikhism.

The first structure that came up on the hill was the ashrama which has a Goshala, Sanskrit Pathashala and a training school in Vedas.

The temple complex here is known as Jyothirlinga Temple Complex and there are several deities here.

On the way back to the city, check out the Raja Rajeshwari temple and also the temple of Nimishamba. The original Nimishamba temple is near Srirangapatna.    

You have buses from Majestic, City Market, Shivajinagar and other places here.