One of my friends visited us recently and after the usual sight seeing of tourist places we were looking for a place where we could get away from the tourist crowd and have a quite morning-afternoon outing. Pyramid Valley, a meditation center near Bangalore had recently featured in the news after being adjudged as one of the seven wonders of Bangalore. We had never been there and decided to give it a try.
Pyramid Valley is situated on the Kanakapura road – about 35 kms from the Bangalore city. We started from Bannerghatta road and took the NICE road towards Kanakapura. After taking the Kanakapura Road exit, take a left i.e. towards Kanakapura. If you are coming from Koramangala or East part of the city, I’d still suggest you to come on Bannerghatta Road and then take the NICE road. For folks staying in or near Jaynagar, you can directly go to Kanakapura road.
After you take a left on Kanakapura Road you need to travel for about 20 kms (25-30 mins). Keep looking for signs for the Pyramid Valley – it will be towards your left. Near Harohalli a small road cuts from the Kanakapura road and the valley campus is about 2 kms from the main road. See the map below for directions.
Route to Pyramid Valley from Bannerghatta Road
The campus is in a hilly area and is full of green cover. There is some construction activity happening in the campus, they seem to be building rooms for folks that wish to stay in the campus for meditation practice. There is ample car parking available. Its a short walk (400 m) from the car park to the main attraction of the place i.e. Maitreya Buddha pyramid. The first thought that comes to your mind after seeing the pyramid is that its really BIG, I never expected to see such a big pyramid in the middle of nowhere. And it looks beautiful, very similar to the pyramids of Giza. The pyramid is about 100 ft high – that is almost as tall as a 9-10 stories building. It is said to be the largest “meditation” pyramid in the world.
Maitreya Buddha Pyramid (Pic courtesy http://pyramidvalley.org)
On the way from parking to the pyramid is a nice little pond and an amphitheater on its banks. A statue of Buddha greets you at the base of the pyramid – a good sight to take pictures of the pyramid’s facade. From here you have to climb a small flight of stairs to enter the pyramid. Note that you must observe complete silence inside the pyramid and therefore children below the age of 6 are not allowed inside. Also note that photography is not allowed inside the pyramid.
Pyramid and Buddha Statue
You appreciate the size and expanse of the pyramid much more from the inside. The pyramid floor is raised above the ground level and is carpeted. In the center of the pyramid there’s a raised platform (called King’s chamber) with a spiral staircase reaching about 1/3rd height of the pyramid. You can sit and meditate on the pyramid floor or climb up the stairs and meditate on the raised platform. You definitely get a feeling of calm, peace and relaxation inside the pyramid and it is a unique place for meditation. On your way out you should visit the hall below the pyramid floor, here you can see a sleeping Buddha statue and various other murals.
Inside the Pyramid (Pic courtesy http://pyramidvalley.org)
Overall, there’s not really much to do in Pyramid Valley but if you have a spiritual side or if you want to see a unique architectural wonder then a visit is definitely worth it. You can go there and come back within half a day, pack some snacks or lunch and you can also picnic there. They also have a kitchen that serves vegetarian food and dormitories where you can stay if you are so inclined.
For details of pyramid valley you can visit their website at: http://pyramidvalley.org/home.htm
Here are some more pictures:
Buddha Statue
Sleeping Buddha
Maitreya Buddha Pyramid
Buddha Statue outside the Pyramid hall
Around Bangalore 