The idea to start sharing my experiences came to my mind a few months after I moved to Gurgaon - sometime back in October 2017. I was in Gurgaon way back in 2004 and when I moved out of the city in 2006, I had made a promise to myself - never to come back here for another job, no matter how lucrative it would be. But then you can't change what destiny has in store for you and here I was back in the city one hot summer day in May 2017. The first 6 months went by, settling in the new city, getting comfortable with my new job, looking for a school for Kashvi, finding a gym in the neighborhood and getting back to the life I was used to. Thanks to Gurgaon, its infrastructure and my flexible work schedule, I had some time to think what I wanted out of life. From there on it was a trial and error process engaging with multiple people and activities and at the end narrowed down on - a) heritage walks, b) cycling and c) yoga and fitness. These 3 (along with my family) have become an i
his Sunday (Nov 5) a 24km ride from home takes us to a place far from the madding crowd amidst picturesque woods teeming with peacocks and winding hill trails which leads to a beautiful forest temple – destination Bhondsi (mind the spelling) and all this just a stone throw (rather few stones) away from the heart of Gurgaon.
How to get there by Cycle: The Google Map link has the exact route we took to cover the destination. Took Golf Course Road from Global Foyer Mall to Golf Course Extension road (roughly 6km) and took the right to Rajesh Pilot Road (Golf Course Extn. Road) for another 6.5km and took the left exit from Hansaram Chowk. We continued for roughly 4km till we reached the BSF camp on the right side of the road. The mud road adjacent to the camp (1km) takes you to the entrance of the park.
However, we decided to first explore the Devi Maa temple which we could see at a distance atop a small hillock with no roads to reach the same. However, after a few trial and errors, and guided by some local children we managed to find the narrow bylane which led us to a steep uphill climb to the temple. Needless to say, we had to walk the entire stretch which was out of bounds for our Hybrids (Montra Helicon).
We spent some good 15 mins at the hilltop after which we headed back to the BSF camp and Bhondsi Nature Park turned about to be a perfect destination for a chilly Sunday morning cycling ride. Tucked away a kilometre inside the road right next to the BSF camp. A short ride into the road took us to the partially fenced 500-acre wooded area with a small lake and winding trails which is perfect for a day out with nature.
The whole place was literally teaming with peacocks; it wouldn’t be surprising to see peacocks putting up a dance show during the monsoons. It’s a wonderful spot for those looking for some activity and adventure as some of the trails wind up and downhill making it perfect for a pleasantly tiring nature hike, or to do some off-road cycling.
A small hilltop temple of Goddess Bhuvneshwari temple overlooks the woods and is maintained by people in an ashram nearby. Original inhabitants of the Raghav clan of villagers still live and are self-styled custodians of the area, looking after and protecting the forests and its wildlife.
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