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Destination fatigue had set in. Weary of the regular tourist spots within driving distance on the outskirts of Bengaluru, I embarked on an off-the-beaten track destination, scouting new experiences and experiential travel.
My exploration spree covered a bunch of quaint, British-era railway stations built on an 81-km narrow gauge line built between Bengaluru and Kolar. Currently it is a broad gauge line but the old stations have survived.
The heritage route covers four distinct stations, beginning at Doddajala, winding through Devanahalli and Avatihalli, and culminating at the Nandi station against the backdrop of the charming Nandi hills. These stations have been painstakingly restored from their crumbling conditions by INTACH Bengaluru in collaboration with South West Railway, using corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding from Mineral Enterprises Ltd and Discovery Village, and help from other communities and businesses.
INTACH has ensured that the structure has adhered to the original vintage style. Avatihalli, Devanahalli, Doddajala, and Nandi stations have solid stone walls with Mangalore-tiled gabled roofs on wooden rafters. A striking feature is the monkey top protruding from sloping roofs above windows and elsewhere.
The stations are all small, with a little hall that acts as a waiting room, a storage room, and window counters for dispensing tickets. The timings, paper tickets, fare, and other details are available at these stations.
Avatihalli is a brick masonry with lime plaster. If appropriate tree planting, landscaping, and seating arrangements are put in place in the surroundings of the Avatihalli station, it will add to the aesthetics, besides helping to woo tourists. Nandi Halt is bigger than the others. It has a wide rectangular building with an arched entry passage.
Hoping to encourage tourism and display the place’s cultural heritage, the authorities have planned an array of structures and activities at each station. For instance, the Doddajala station building will be converted into an art gallery. A historical interpretation centre for monuments and history, along with a café or snack counter is planned at Devanahalli due to its proximity to the Devanahalli Fort and also being the birthplace of Tipu Sultan. A rail museum is planned adjacent to the existing heritage building besides a café, an amphitheatre, weekend pop-up markets, and a cultural performance centre in Nandi Hills station.
The highlight of our trip was the visit to the Silk Museum at Avatihalli station. A collage of photos of farmers engaged in various stages of mulberry silk cultivation herald a welcome at the museum. A few steps ahead, in glass cases, are models of silkworm eggs, newly-hatched silkworms, and the four different moulting stages, by the end of which, the silkworm becomes a mature caterpillar, weighing 10,000 times more than it did when it first hatched into a young larva.
As we embarked on the silk trail that documents the process of silk-making in our city’s backyard, we realised each village has a yarn to spin, waiting to be unravelled. Sharing nuggets of information on the history of silk, peppered with quirky facts, Aravind Chandramohan, co-convenor of INTACH Bengaluru explained how the discovery of silk is as fascinating as its shimmer and fall. “These seemingly innocuous small towns like Siddlaghatta and other places are little dots on the map that have a big hand in the state’s silk trade. In the silk industry, nothing goes to waste—strands of wasted yarn are used to weave spun silk and dead pupae are exported to South Korea where they are a popular delicacy,” said Aravind.
We saw other exhibits in the museum, which include wooden racks lined with old sarees and newspapers on which silkworms are reared, a Chandraki or bamboo mount onto which the farmer transfers the native caterpillar before it goes into the pupal stage, a glass case filled with cocoons, and even a Mysore Domestic Basin, an info poster, and a silk reeling machine designed in the 1920s, still used in this region.
Karnataka is said to be India’s largest producer of silk. From here, the yarn journeys to the looms in various weaving units, which form the final stage in the making of silk. Although modern power looms are commonplace now, hundreds of weavers across Karnataka still work on heirloom handlooms to create spectacular sarees in varied designs and hues.
The entire trip was an incredible learning experience covering a silk museum and four restored heritage railway stations. “It will be an added attraction, if South West Railways kickstarts activities at all these four restored stations. Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) and other tour operators should also include the Silk Museum in their itinerary to lure tourists heading to the hill station of Nandi Hills,” said Meera Iyer, convenor of INTACH Bengaluru.
While returning from the trip, I pondered over the sacrifice of thousands of silk worms, and the lakhs of people engaged in activities like mulberry cultivation, silkworm rearing, twisting, dyeing, and weaving in Karnataka going through a multitude of problems. Mulberry growers have to bear the brunt of the vagaries of the weather, declining and diseased crops, acute water scarcity in silk producing areas, lack of power for irrigation, death of silkworms due to excessive use of pesticides, etc. When I look at the silken fabrics, I think of the small houses, the one-man units, and the sweat and toil of a large multitude of the rural populace for their proverbial daily bread.
Susheela Nair is an independent food, travel, and lifestyle writer and photographer contributing articles, content and images to several national publications. Her writings span a wide spectrum, which also includes travel portals and guide books, brochures and coffee table books.
Views expressed are the author’s own.