Mulabagilu Virupaksha Temple and Avani

Date: 1-May-15

There was no electricity, no internet connection, no TV cable connection because of heavy rainfall yesterday. Therefore, we decided to go for a day trip instead of simply sitting at a time. Finding one-day tourist destinations around Bangalore has become a tough task for us now, but after some research, we found an ancient Virupaksha temple in the Kolar district.

The Route

Thilak, Rajath, and I were ready for this trip in spite of the sunny weather. All of us quickly got ready, charged the camera batteries, and hopped into Nano at 10.45 AM. Virupaksha temple is in Virupaksha village in Mulabagilu taluk of Kolar district and is around 100 km from our home in BTM Layout. Thilak knew that there is one Adigas hotel on the way near Kolar and he suggested to have lunch there and then visit the temple. We took K R Puram > Hoskote > Kolar highway and reached Adigas hotel at 12.30 PM. It was the perfect time for lunch. Had delicious lunch at the hotel and started towards Mulabagilu. The road was in very good condition. After around 30 kms, before entering the Mulabagilu town, we took a right towards Virupaksha temple. If not for Google maps, we would have definitely missed this turn.

Mulabagilu Virupaksha Temple

By the time we reached the temple, it was around 1.30 PM. There were hardly 10-15 people. The sun was scorching hot. The temple was built during Vijyanagara empire and has a resemblance to the popular Hampi Virupaksha temple. It was looking amazing from the entrance gate. There is one Kalyana Mantapa with many pillars just beside the main temple. The corridor of the temple is huge. When we went inside the Garbhagudi of the temple, the priest offered pooja. We observed that there were two Shiva lingas. When asked, he told us that the temple is around 700 years old and among the two Shiva lingas, one is Atma linga which changes color three times in a day, blood red in the morning, white in the afternoon and honey color in the evening. He also told us that if we stand in the spot near the Nandi which is facing the Garbhagudi, close our eyes and pray for few minutes by stretching hands straight above our head, we could feel vibrations because of some divine energy. Many devotees were praying like that. Thilak and Rajath also prayed there for a minute.

After praying and accepting prasada from the priest, we explored the temple surroundings for some time. The temple was some what well maintained, but still it depicted some kind of dark past. The Virupaksha village was in a poor state. We felt bad to see the conditions of the people there.

Avani

The place Avani is only 8 km from Virupaksha village. Thilak had been to this place before. He wanted to go again to the temple which was on top of the Avani hill. But, the weather was too sunny and it made me worry about trekking. Later, we decided to visit only the temple which is at the foothill of Avani. The road from Virupaksha to Avani was amazing. Though the road was narrow, on both sides there were lush green fields. At 2.45 PM, we reached Avani. I never expected the temple to be so beautiful. Just behind the temple, there is Avani hill which Thilak wanted to trek. The hill is covered with many boulders of various sizes. The hill was not that steep and not that huge also, but the sun had taken all my energy and made me tell strict “No” for the trek.

Ramalingeshwara temple

The temple at the base of the Avani hill is Ramalingeshwara temple. This temple is believed to be built in the 10th century and is maintained very well by the Archaeological department of Karnataka. This was built in Dravida style and there are mainly four shrines inside the temple premises dedicated to Rama, Lakshmana, Bharatha, and Shatrughna. There are other shrines also dedicated to Vinayaka, Veerabhadra, Parvathi, etc. The temple has a great history. For more information, please refer to Ramalingeshwara Temple, Avani. The carvings, the pillars, the history, everything was very interesting. We spent some time relaxing at the temple assuming that the weather may become cooler and we could climb the hill. But, the sun was still burning even after half an hour of our wait. So, we decided to trek the beautiful hill someday later in the future and left the place.
Thilak wanted to return via a different route which was through KGF (Kolar Gold Field). I had been to KGF once before and had seen a street where there were many old houses built by British people. I wanted to show that street to Thilak and so, I was excited.

KGF

KGF is around 30 km from Avani (through Bethamangala town). The road from Avani to KGF was good, but in one stretch, it was completely a mud road with potholes filled with water. Except for that stretch, the road was beautiful. On the way, just before we reached Bethamangala town Thilak met with a small accident. Luckily, he could drive to Bethamangala where we went to a government hospital. There was no doctor at the hospital, but fortunately, there was a nurse who treated Thilak and he felt better. By the time, we left the hospital it was 5.30 PM. Rajath and I told Thilak to directly go to Bangalore. But, Thilak insisted on visiting KGF. We went inside KGF town, but the place was too crowded. Unfortunately, I could not find the street where there were old British houses. Since it was becoming dark, we did not try much searching the correct route for that street and decided to leave from the place.
After Kolar, we took NH4 to Bangalore. At around 8.30 PM, we reached our sweet home.

Route Travelled

• Onward: BTM Layout > Silk Board > KR Puram > Hoskote (via NH4) > Kolar > Virupaksha Temple
  Return: Virupaksha Temple > Avani > Bethamangala > KGF > Bagarupet > Kolar (via NH4) > Hoskote > KR Puram > Marathalli > Silkboard > BTM Layout
• Total distance (To & Fro): 280 km
• Mileage (Car): 22.5 km/l
• Fuel expense: 859 Rs
• Total expense: 1492 Rs
• Photos: Mulabagilu Virupaksha Temple and Avani Photos

Route Map: