Dodda Alada Mara - Big Banyan Tree

After exercising our vote early on Thursday morning we had the rest of the day for our self so me, my husband and my parents set out to have an early lunch in my favourite restaurant Royal Andhra Spice in Rajarajeshwari Nagar. The food here is excellent, the chicken 65 is lip smacking and the non-veg thali they offer is value for money. After a delightful meal we stil had half a day to spend so we have decided at a whim to visit the Big Banyan tree near Kengeri. Every tourist blog in banglore refers to this place but they do have mixed reviews, some say it was too long a distance to visit a tree and there is nothing much to do there, others write that this place is worth the visit since we are free and in no hurry we decided to check the place out.

Google maps is the best App on our phones, it is the best way to reach destinations we have not been to before. Earlier we had to stop at every fork in the road and ben in the street asking for directions but with this app. we are there without a glitch.

Directions: This big banyan tree at Kethohalli of South Banglore taluk is 28 km from Bengaluru city and a little outside Kegeri. If you are driving on Banglore-Mysore highway you cannot miss Rajarajeshwari Medical College to your left and if you go further we find a road between Rajarajeshwari Dental and boys hostel and Rajarajeshwari Engineering College to our right. This road is the Dodda Alada Mara road, follow this well paved road to the big banyan tree.

On the Dodda Alada Mara rd we find many nurseries full of blooming roses and many beautiful flowers. The banyan tree itself spreads across 3 Acers of land which has been developed into a park for visitors and serves as a picnic spot. Inspite of spreading through such a vast area this mammoth tree is but the fourth largest banyan tree in India. The tree, they say, is around 400 years old, although the main trunk is dead aerial shoots that grow down into the soil forming additional trunks have kept the tree alive and still growing. The dept. of horticulture has taken the responsibility of preserving the tree and made necessary arrangements to provide the propping roots enough support so that they could grow strong and establish themselves. The tree appears to be a grove of trees providing shade and shelter to its visitors. Despite it's many adversities the tree is still strong and the jetting branches reach out of the park area are a true testment for its will to survive. 







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