Siddarabetta and Devarayanadurga
Date: 29-Dec-13
We wanted to go for a tough trek this time. So, we decided to go to Devarayanadurga. But, when Thilak was reading about this place, he found that there is a well maintained road to reach the hill top and one can go in bike itself till the top. So, we did not find this place interesting. He also found a place nearby Devarayanadurga, called Siddarabetta. This was matching our requirements. So, instead of Devarayanadurga, we decided to go to Siddarabetta in the morning and Devarayanadurga in the evening.
Siddarabetta
We met Sudheer at Hudson circle at 6.30 AM and started our journey. Ride in the cold morning was beautiful. After having breakfast at Kamadhenu veg restaurant, we took right at Dabaspet towards Koratagere. On the way, we stopped at a reservoir called Neelagondanahalli. The place was very calm and beautiful. We spent around half an hour taking each other’s photos near that serene lake. After that lake, the road till Koratagere was not that good. It was dusty as some road construction was going on. Weather also was becoming hotter and hotter. On reaching Koratagere Taluk, we proceeded towards Madhugiri till Tumbadi and took left to Siddarabetta. We reached our destination at 10.30 AM. The hill was so huge that I got scared that I won’t be able to reach the hill top but my motivator Thilak encouraged me to climb.
We parked the bikes near the base of the hill and started climbing. There were steps to climb (not well carved though). Unlike other hills, there were lots of trees which provided us nice shade. Also, there were many people who were climbing very easily. But, for me, climbing the stairs was becoming very tiring as the hill was steep. As we were not in hurry, we climbed slowly.
We took rest every now and then, took lot of photos. The view was becoming more and more beautiful as we were climbing. After reaching half-way distance, we got a place to sit. There were people selling juice and snacks. We sat there for some time and started climbing again. We reached the hill top at around 12.30 PM. It was too hot at the hilltop.
There were many caves and a shrine of Siddheswara at the entrance. The crowd there made us guess that the temple is very famous. We went inside the cave temple. It was so dark that we could not see each other. It was an amazing moment. People were taking bath in the holy water inside the temple. We just took Theertha and Prasada from there and came back. We explored few caves and trekked on the huge boulders. The rocks were slippery and scary. The view from the hill top was awesome. We could see many small mountains in the surroundings. We spent around half an hour at the hill top and started descending at 1.45 PM, reached the base at 2.45 PM and started our journey. All of us were feeling very hungry, but there were no good hotels nearby. On reaching Koratagere, we went to a hotel in KSRTC bus stand to have lunch.
Devarayanadurga
Our next destination was Devarayanadurga. The place was on our way to Dabaspet. We took a right turn at Bellibattalahalli and reached the top of the hill in bike itself. The ghat section was beautiful. The road was in a very good condition. There were steps also to climb for trekkers. We enjoyed our ride and reached the top at 4.40 PM. After parking the bike in the parking lot, we climbed around 100 more steps of the temple.
There were boards telling that the closing time of the temple is 5.00 PM. We had only 20 more mins left. So, we climbed the steps fast and reached the temple at 5.00 PM. Luckily, they did not close at 5.00 PM. We visited the temple and explored the place for sometime. The ghat road was looking amazing from the temple. By that time, it became 5.45 PM and it was sunset time. So, we waited at the hill top to watch the sunset. There were many people, but we three got a nice place to sit. At around 6 PM, the sun set in the horizon behind the huge mountains. The view was spectacular and all three of us loved the moment.
We returned from there at 6.30 PM and reached Bangalore at 8.30 PM.
It was a very well executed trip. Tiring trek at Siddarabetta, breathtaking view from Siddarabetta hilltop, ride on the curvy ghat road of Devarayana Durga, and the beautiful sunset gave us unforgettable memories.
- Route Travelled: Onward: HSR Layout > Jayanagar > Yashwanthpur > Dabaspete > Koratagere > Towards Madhugiri > Tumbadi > Siddarabetta
Return: Siddarabetta > Koratagere > Devarayanadurga > Dabaspete > Yashwanthpur > Hudson circle > Jayanagar > HSR Layout - Total distance (To & Fro): 270 km
- Mileage (Bike): 47 km/l
- Fuel expense: 448 Rs
- Total expense: 768 Rs
- Photos: Siddarabetta and Devarayanadurga Photos
Route Map: