I’ve been in and around Tumkur for quite a few months. A place that I’ve heard of, located in maps, heard occasionally, and had never thought would visit, forget ‘live*’ here.
A calm, and vibrant place, when compared to the neighboring Bengaluru, Tumkur (oops it’s Tumakuru now!) is famous for the Siddaganga Mutt and the 109 year old and still rocking Swamiji. He is referred to as Nadedaduva Devaru (Walking God), and no amount of praise can be attributed to the yeoman service that he has done, and is doing for the betterment of the society.
Nandi near Siddaganga Mutt Entrance
Tumkur is also famous for its numerous colleges, that it is known as the Educational District of Karnataka [FYI, Chennai also has a lot of engineering colleges😉 Only a Chennaikaaran/kaari can appreciate a subtle joke here!]
Mahatma Gandhi Stadium at Tumkur
Tumkur has got another nickname – Kalpatharu Naadu – A place that gives boons to all! Yeah it has given several boons to me, that I’d treasure for a lifetime and more [Again FYI, Chennai is known as Vandhaarai Vaazha Veikum Chennai – A place that helps a person to thrive, when he comes here, to Chennai]
Siddaganga hostel and playground. Seen at the background is the Siddaganga Hill.
Tumkur is surrounded by hills, small and large which gives an opportunity for a lot of sceneries and weekend escapes. The Siddaganga Mutt itself is situated at the foothills of a range of hills, with the Siddaganga Temple situated over a small hill. Siddarbetta, Siddagange, Chinnaga Betta are few other popular hills with temples, in this region. Madhugiri (which translates to honey-hill) is another rocky place, bit far from here, which has the second largest monolith of Asia, along with some ancient forts.
Along the Bangalore-Tumkur highway, on a winter morning!
Tumkur, already a city with good facilities, is under development to be a smart city, with facilities like full wi-fi connectivity, rapid transportation system, and to name. Tumkur is very well connected to Bangalore, around 75 kms away, with bus and train facilities. Tumkur enjoys the same climate as of Bangalore, with almost same facilities, yet lesser pollution, lesser traffic and cheaper cost of living. No wonder it is already a smart city!
Old Building of the Siddaganga Mutt
*I didn’t want to use the word stay, for you’d have understood that I haven’t stayed, but lived in Tumkur!
Cheers
God Bless
