THE ANANTHA GIRI HILLS ARE BECKONING

 We were looking out for a weekend getaway from Hyderabad and found that Anantha Giri Hills located in Vikarabad district, Telangana State, India around 80 km from Hyderabad was a superb choice 

Vikarabad town got its name after Nawab Viqar-ul-Umrah Bahadur II . One can reach it by road ,as condition of roads are excellent  and most of the youngsters love to go there in two wheeler vehicles .

There are trains and nearest railway station is Vikarabad Junction and from here one needs to hire an auto to go to the hills

It is a  popular hills and mountain destination .The best time to visit Anantha Giri hills is from November to March though it gets a little crowded at this time. July to October is also a good season though one should expect seasonal variations like heavy rains though the hills look beautiful even drenched

Usually tourists make one day trips  from Hyderabad ,starting in the morning and returning by night or some choose to stay for 2 or 3 days chilling out in the green hills  ,enjoying the vibrant sun rises and chilling sunsets 

We started  from home on a Saturday in September at 11 am after a quick breakfast ,The road was  very good , weather cloudy and moderate rain was anticipated according to weather report

We took the route from Masab Tank , onto Chilkur, stopped at Mrugavani for lunch ,We found though highly priced service was fast and food both vegetarian and non vegetarian was tolerably good

As we drove towards Vikarabad  , the clouds played hide and seek and the large old trees on either side of road formed a welcoming cozy canopy .We could see plenty of eager vegetable vendors beside the roads selling their fresh organic fare to passersby ,probably at a much cheaper rate.

The fields  as we passed by were in varying shades of green, nodding their heads in glee and having merry conversations with the fluffy passing clouds above them

On the way to Vikarabad there is a tourist spot ,we stopped to have a glance and a snap ,we saw very tall graceful Eucalyptus trees grown on both sides of the road  ,the air around was filled with the smell of the Eucalyptus trees .

Many  people were stopping and clicking their snaps as it provided an excellent photo opportunity ,I felt that this spot could become very popular and more frequently visited if a cafeteria  and rest rooms were also  made available to the public

We reached Vikarabad in 2 hours and went  up the gentle  undulating hills of Ananthagiri and drove  straight to the Haritha resort where we had booked rooms 

Though the resort had a lot of grounds ,large old trees ,swimming pools ,play area for kids and rooms the condition of the rooms was  quite deplorable ,door locks were not working ,bed covers were torn towel in our room was used by someone  before us and thrown on the bed in a wet state ,the tiny soap given as a compliment was also used ,with wrapper thrown carelessly on the bath room floor 

The only saving grace was the beautiful views from the balconies , we could see green  chequered carpets of fields with serpentine roads running through them ,as it was a rainy season there were mini pools of water glistening like mirrors when the sun shone on them

There was no telephone in the rooms and so we went to the reception and complained about the rooms there was  luke warm  response to our complaints and finally we carried back our towels personally to our rooms .There is a lot to do  to improve management of  the resorts as there was no other commercial accommodation Anantha Giri being a restricted area

We freshened up and started for the Anantha Padmanabha  temple ,just  outside there was a huge statue of Hanuman looking incredibly slim 

Given its terrain and scenery, Ananthagiri hills is also known for its trekking trails. There are 2 most popular Trekking Trials in Ananthagiri, one starting from the temple and the other beginning towards the Kereli

We wanted to see the Musi river origin before it became dark ,we had to climb down quite a distance ,on the way we saw Markandeya caves

The doorway was small and we stooped to enter it ,water was dripping  from the roof and the room was cool as if we were in an AC room ,we could see the statue of the Rishi in a meditative pose ,a flat stone bed and multiple shelves in the walls of the caves probably to keep household objects

We cautiously trekked down the steps made slippery because of rains and wet leaves ,found people coming up huffing and puffing and some sitting on the benches constructed on the sides .There were plenty of monkeys dangerously hanging from the big trees ,eagerly waiting to snatch a coconut or fruit from the tourists

Finally we arrived at the point where Musi river is said to originate , Musi river is also called as Muchkunda River, which originates in Ananthagiri Hills ,90 km to the west of Hyderabad and flows east for almost all of its course. It joins the Krishna River at Wadapally in Nalgonda district after covering a total distance of about 240 km

The Musi river origin was in the form of  multiple Gundas ,these waters also accumulated in the form of a reservoir where we saw turtles and large fish swimming ,few people were trekking further into the forest,our guide told us that lot of movie shoots were done in Ananta Giri specially in the trekking points

There was a selfie point with huge trees whose branches had grown horizontally and standing beneath it we had an eerie feeling of a big green tent above us

There was a very old mango tree supposedly more than 100 years old and of course it merited a snap

We slowly started climbing up the steps which was comparatively tedious ,we also had to keep a cautious lookout for the naughty monkeys waiting for tourists like avid pick pocketeers

We finally came to the Ananta Padmanabha Swamy temple , according to  Skanda Purana it is believed temple was installed by the Rishi Markandeya in Dvapara Yuga. Markandeya Rishi came here for yoga  sadhana as he liked the peaceful atmosphere

 and every day used to go to Kasi from Ananthagiri through a cave to take a holy bath in the Ganges 

One day he was not able to go to Kasi as Dwadasi had entered the early hours of the morning. Lord gave darshan in dream and arranged the Ganges to flow to perform  a holy bath for the holy Rishi.

Rajarshi  Muchikunda after fighting the rakshas came to Ananthagiri to rest and went into deep sleep, He had a boon from Devendra that whoever spoils his sleep will be burnt to ashes. 

It is said that Kalayavana Rakshsa took control of Dwaraka and followed Lord  Krishna and Balarama to Ananthagiri and spoiled the sleep of Muchikunda and in the process got killed. 

Lord Krishna in the form of Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy appeared to Muchikunda and blessed him to take a permanent place on earth in the form of the river. 

About 400 years ago, Nizam Nawabs used to come here for hunting and to take rest in the peaceful place of Ananthagiri hills, one day lord Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy appeared in dreams of Hyderabad Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan  and asked him to build the temple for him.  

We saw a dwaja sthambha where lamps are lit in Karthik masam and the pujari there told us that pujaris come from Thiruvanantha Puram ,Kerala to take the lamps from here to Padmanabhaswamy Temple there

On entering the sanctum sanctorum  which is a small cave, the shaligram idol of Lord Vishnu can be seen . An idol of Goddess Lakshmi can also be seen besides Lord Vishnu .The temple was fortunately not  very crowded and we could pray in serenity

As it was getting late we returned back to the resort and rested , morning  to our delight ,we were greeted by the exotic sweet sounds of various birds and a bright sun rise ,after the breakfast we checked out of the rooms and proceeded on our way

After 20 km ride we reached  the Nagasamudram lake  also known as Kotipally reservoir located next to a masonry dam. 

Near the car parking we found a quaint old man offering  free loan of a large hat ingeniously made of leaves ,we took snaps with the hat and his stick and of course gave him some money too , I found his innovative  Idea very good  ,it was definitely better than begging for money from the tourists

 Due to preceding heavy rains ,the lake was full and the water  overflowing over the masonry dam.People were cautiously walking near the small dam and some sitting under the water falling over the dam

There was kayaking facility and make shift stalls offering boiled peanuts, freshly prepared corns fried on coal , omelettes , sandwiches and noodles and last but not the least tasty fried fish freshly caught in the reservoir water

One can easily spend hours looking at the placid water ,enjoy fresh air blowing gently over and the muted voices of those kayaking in the water

We next went to Bugga Ramalingeswara Swamy temple ,where it is said that Lord Rama after slaying Ravan ,to free himself from the guilt of the murder went around installing siva lingas all over the country.

He came to a spot 5 km away from Vikarabad and struck an arrow into the ground ,there was a burst of water which he used to do pooja for the linga he established at this spot .

Tourists and locals flock to this temple in Karthik month and during Sivaratri to worship the shivling

Water here formed a reservoir ,its water was supposed to be full of natural herbs and minerals and so very medicinal

Just next to it was a Surya temple ,both temples could benefit from more funds from the government as the locality was very serene and peaceful

The next item on our agenda was the view point which was 5 km to the temple ,there was a big Nandi  and a Shivling ,this was on the highest point from which the trails extended ,many tourists were braving their way through the hills and snapping photos to take back fond memories of their stay in this beautiful place

We could see the ever present piles of stones representing the desire of people who wish to build own houses ,on the way from this spot to temple there was a road in the forest to a watch tower from which the views were really awesome, we literally felt like birds viewing all the beauty around us

Anantha Giri hills has a lot to offer , many sun set and sun rise points ,temples and tracking trails

On the way back to Hyderabad , we also visited a commercial resort ,the Harivillu resort comprising of tents and 5 triangular  stilt houses ,they take bookings for corporate groups and tourists , we thought it definitely  had potential to develop into a popular resort in future

Altogether our trip to Anantha Giri hills was very relaxing and we came back invigorated and ready for the routine grind

As it is very near Hyderabad one could happily make a day trip or go for a day or two