[Fauji]

Sometimes weekends are boring too. Why not Look for opportunities to get out for short breaks - may be a drive or a weekend break. This time we headed for a quick drive to Devarayana Durga ( Durga in Kannada meaning "Hill fort") to witness the sunrise.

Devarayandurga is not new to me. I have been there as a kid many times when i used to go to my grandma's place who lived in Tumkur. That was a different experience as we used to go in "Jatka" as "Tonga" is called in Kannada in these places. Driven by horse on non existent roads, it was back breaking as well as fun. Then we used to climb the hill, have darshan of lord, finish the lunch packed from home in a nearby field and get back home. The trips were more of a pligrimage than "Sight seeing". I am not sure whether anyone had visited Devarayana Durga in sixties to see sunrise!!!

We do now and we now club pligrimage with sight seeing. Sunrises and Sunsets are always fabulous when you watch from the hills and Devarayana Durga was the choice as we did not want to go to Nandi Hills which i heard is flocked by drinking/dancing boisterous crowd these days.

Devarayana Durga is situated at a distance of 88 KMs from Bangalore and the road condition through out is fantastic. Our idea was to reach there in time for sunrise, watch it and come back home for breakfast after visiting the Yoga Narasimhaswamy temple which is on the hill.



We got up at 3.30 AM and hit the road at 4.30. The sunrise time in Bangalore is 6.47 AM. We reached the place around 5.55 with leisurely drive. There was no one except us in the parking area. The place was pitch dark and had an eerie feeling. The place was so quiet and full of mist that it reminded me of the classic song of Rafi for Dev Anand in "Tere Ghar Ke Samne".

Tu kahan ye bata - YouTube

I have experienced mist in North India and for the first time i was experiencing the layers of mist floating around you closer home. It was just lovely and pretty cold as well. The hill is part of Devarayana Durga Reserve forest spread across 49 KMs and is home to wild animals like wild boar, Sloth bear and leopard as well. We could see many wild rabbits in the brightness of our head light. It was still dark when we reached and we did not want take a chance of venturing out for a walk fearing sloth bears.

At 6.20 Am we started climbng the hill towards the temple. The temple was closed - it opens only at 8 AM - but we were able to get to vantage point. We kept our fingers crossed as the mist was very dense and we were afraid that we won't see the sunrise at all. But we were lucky and witnessed beautiful sunrise. The sun was playing hide and seek and my wife - who is the official photographer on all our tours - waited for moments when the mist cleared and sun shone.

For more on the place and pictures.......

Devarayanadurga - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The rocky hill. Notice the form of a "Human face" in the second picture





The steps leading to temple. The steps have been well laid out. One can take the vehicle to the top of the hill and then climb steps to the temple. If some one is interested in climbing all the way from foot hill, they can do so. Steps have been nicely laid out from the foothill. The mantapas add to the beauty of the landscape.





Misty surroundings







The sun is faintly visible in the horizon



........Becomes more clear whenever mist gives the way



























Tree of Life!!





The lovely bird - The only one we could click




Some tips

a) We reached early. We could have got some more sleep. It is a 1hour and 15 Mins drive. Keep ten minutes to climb 100 odd steps before you chose a vantage point.

b) The place is excellent for bird watching and i could see atleast ten species through bino. Since the temple opens only at 8 AM, it will be worthwhile to hike in the forest watching birds. Check out this link

Birds and Bees: Devarayana durga II

c) You can make this as an excellent day trip by combining visits to

Kaidala (Excellent Hoysala temple on the outskirst of Tumkur) Temples of Karnataka - Kaidala - Sri.Channakeshava Temple,

Madhugiri (nice fort on th largest monolithic hill) Madhugiri - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia,

Siddara betta known for cave temple, medicinal plants Sandeep 's World >> Siddara Betta Trek

Shiva Gange (Famous Shiva temple),

Basadi Betta ( A jain shrine on a hill) PAYANIGA | Mandharagiri (Basadi Betta)

Nijagal Durga ( Fort on a hill - behind CCD).

d) If you are religious minded, then you can also visit famous Mahalaxmi Devi temple at Goravanahalli and beautiful Hanuman temple at Kyamenahalli which is close by.

e) Can also visit Teetha Reservoir - a small reservoir on Suvarnamukhi river. Good place after rains.

We did not stop to visit the temple and headed back to Bangalore after around 7.30. On the way we stopped over at CCD for a hot cuppa and back in Bangalore by 9.30 AM.

A morning well spent amidst nature......

[whitesquall]

Thanks for the informative post Fauji. You were lucky to witness the beautiful sunrise. Yeah, morning very well spent indeed!

[NPV]

@Fauji sir - Nice pictures & good suggestions for the day trip itinerary, Thanks for sharing !

I had been to Savanadurga couple of years ago, now I've added Devarayanadurga and other places to my list of places to visit, hopefully sometime soon.

[Fauji]

Adding two more pictures which i had missed out.

The view of the Bhoga Narasimha Swamy temple from the top of the hill when mist cleared



Sunrise again - Viewed through a bush!!

[hvkumar]

Sir ji, now you qualify to be the editor of the book titled Weekend & Weakened Drives from Bangalore.

I guess you turn off NH4 at Dobespet at the second right (first right going to Dodballapur) - I always wondered where that road went - now I know!

[mazda4life]

Dear Fauji,

What a day to post the travelogue...sitting here in Arizona , I can imagine the thrill viewing the sunrise atop the betta/hill ..there are many legends associated with this great place and sloth bear is very much a danger in this forest ...one of the legends with this place ( and as a amateur snake catcher I love ) is about the snake which supposedly comes to a specific spot near the temple tank every day.

Also, if you had planned for monday it would have been the 'rathasapthami' and one of the most important day dedicated to the sun god.

Another very interesting place to visit on your way back is the Hanuman temple in Kyamenahalli.

[airguitar]

Originally Posted by Fauji

It was still dark when we reached and we did not want take a chance of venturing out for a walk fearing sloth bears.

You did a good thing there esp at dawn and dusk - areas around this place are infested with sloth bears with an attack recently reported off NH4 a few kms from Dobespet and- IMO, bears are more dangerous than leopards and tigers. Bears and elephants - stay away from them :

The bird you have there is a rufous treepie.

Oh how I wish I can get back to driving Fauji for these little morning drives - its been close to 3 months since I last drove for even a km :(

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by whitesquall

Thanks for the informative post Fauji. You were lucky to witness the beautiful sunrise. Yeah, morning very well spent indeed!

Thanks Whitesquall. Sunsets at this place is also spectacular.

Originally Posted by NPV

@Fauji sir - Nice pictures & good suggestions for the day trip itinerary, Thanks for sharing !

I had been to Savanadurga couple of years ago, now I've added Devarayanadurga and other places to my list of places to visit, hopefully sometime soon.

Welcome Narayan. I advise to go there on Saturday than Sunday as it will be crowded not for the sunrise but later during the day when temple opens.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Sir ji, now you qualify to be the editor of the book titled Weekend & Weakened Drives from Bangalore.

I guess you turn off NH4 at Dobespet at the second right (first right going to Dodballapur) - I always wondered where that road went - now I know!

LOL!!! No sir. This is just sharing our experiences.

Yes, as you near Dobbaspet, you will see a road going down to the left with proper signage (Thanks to Karnataka tourism who have excellent signages across the state similar to what you find in Kerala as well). When you enter the road, it will hit a junction under the flyover with road to the left going to Shivagangge - Magadi and beyond (A very pictureque road with samll hills etc). If you turn right it will take you to Urudugere - Koratagere- Madhugiri - Pavagada and then onwards to Hindupur etc in AP.

Originally Posted by mazda4life

Dear Fauji,

What a day to post the travelogue...sitting here in Arizona , I can imagine the thrill viewing the sunrise atop the betta/hill ..there are many legends associated with this great place and sloth bear is very much a danger in this forest ...one of the legends with this place ( and as a amateur snake catcher I love ) is about the snake which supposedly comes to a specific spot near the temple tank every day.

Also, if you had planned for monday it would have been the 'rathasapthami' and one of the most important day dedicated to the sun god.

Another very interesting place to visit on your way back is the Hanuman temple in Kyamenahalli.

Thank you sir. Kyamenahalli Hanumantha temple is a quiet and serene place. We had bumped into this three years back when i took my parents to Goravanahalli. It is a five feet tall beautiful idol. The purohit in the temple told about a legend of the Idol facing the Lord Narasimha on the Devarayana Durga hill. In fact, Rathasapthami day also happens to be the day when car festival is held here.

Some more information in these links

A quaint little village - Deccan Herald - Internet Edition

KYAMENAHALLI ANJANEYA SWAMY - YouTube

[quote=airguitar;2664311][quote=Fauji;2663525]
It was still dark when we reached and we did not want take a chance of venturing out for a walk fearing sloth bears.

You did a good thing there esp at dawn and dusk - areas around this place are infested with sloth bears with an attack recently reported off NH4 a few kms from Dobespet and- IMO, bears are more dangerous than leopards and tigers. Bears and elephants - stay away from them :

The bird you have there is a rufous treepie.

Oh how I wish I can get back to driving Fauji for these little morning drives - its been close to 3 months since I last drove for even a km :(

Thanks Arun. The place looks great for birding. As a birder, you should take off one day to this place

Thanks for identifying the bird. There were many but being still misty, we could not capture them.

[DieselDestiny]

Whoa!! That was a neat weekend trip. Been wanting to make it to D'Durga for a while now, guess will wait for Pubba nakshatra (normally falls on Holi hunnime) and go for the annual car festival that is held there.

Besides bears and leopards, there have been sightins of tigers in this region too.

Did you guys trek up beyond the Yoga Narasimha temple for the sunrise?

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by Fauji

Sometimes weekends are boring too. Why not Look for opportunities to get out for short breaks - may be a drive or a weekend break. This time we headed for a quick drive to Devarayana Durga ( Durga in Kannada meaning "Hill fort") to witness the sunrise.

A morning well spent amidst nature......

Fauji sir, you are truly an inspiration for people like me. It's been a while since I went on an actual outing (not counting the new year trip) and now I see your travelogues by the dozen. This trip of yours has made me realize that I can do short trips around Bangalore and still attend to whatever work I have.

Devarayanadurga, here I come!!! (don't know when, but I'll come)

Originally Posted by airguitar

You did a good thing there esp at dawn and dusk - areas around this place are infested with sloth bears with an attack recently reported off NH4 a few kms from Dobespet and- IMO, bears are more dangerous than leopards and tigers. Bears and elephants - stay away from them :

The bird you have there is a rufous treepie.

Yep, I would agree. The most dangerous of all the creatures in the Indian jungle are bears and elephants. Apparently, there were some tiger sightings too some time back. Some more info in this link.

80 Feet Road : News Bytes From Crazy Media Analysts: Tiger Mystery In Devarayanadurga

[ampere]

My contributions:

A TL which Chethan road and I added some more.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...yanadurga.html

After getting a DSLR: A lake at the foot hills
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post2637054

A brilliant place for a morning drive. We also had bhp meet once.
If one wants to exercise the photographer in you, start by 3:30 to 4AM from Bangalore, to be there at the top by 5/5:30.
Spend 2-3 hours snapping all possible things. Return back, spend some at the lake at the foot hills and hit Kamat at Dobbaspet.

If you want to continue further, as @Fauji mentioned, you drive can on the same SH, go past Koratagere, go to Madhugiri and visit the fort.
Beyond Madhugiri, there is Maidanhalli, which is a black buck sanctuary.

A deviation on this highway (before Madhugiri) also takes you Siddarbetta. The road to this place goes via the fort of Channarayanadurga. Many options galore!

The whole of these places have their own charm after monsoon as the place is a brilliant green.

[Fauji]

Originally Posted by DieselDestiny

Whoa!! That was a neat weekend trip. Been wanting to make it to D'Durga for a while now, guess will wait for Pubba nakshatra (normally falls on Holi hunnime) and go for the annual car festival that is held there.

Besides bears and leopards, there have been sightins of tigers in this region too.

Did you guys trek up beyond the Yoga Narasimha temple for the sunrise?

Thanks Sandeep. Plan and go ahead one morning. It will be beautiful. Yes, i have also heard of sightings of tiger in these forests.
No, the gates to the temple was closed and opens only at 8 AM.

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

Devarayanadurga, here I come!!! (don't know when, but I'll come)



Some more info in this link.

80 Feet Road : News Bytes From Crazy Media Analysts: Tiger Mystery In Devarayanadurga

Thanks Addy. You should plan it this week itself. Thanks for sharing this link. Very useful.

Originally Posted by ampere

My contributions:

A TL which Chethan road and I added some more.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...yanadurga.html

After getting a DSLR: A lake at the foot hills
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post2637054

A brilliant place for a morning drive. We also had bhp meet once.
If one wants to exercise the photographer in you, start by 3:30 to 4AM from Bangalore, to be there at the top by 5/5:30.
Spend 2-3 hours snapping all possible things. Return back, spend some at the lake at the foot hills and hit Kamat at Dobbaspet.

If you want to continue further, as @Fauji mentioned, you drive can on the same SH, go past Koratagere, go to Madhugiri and visit the fort.
Beyond Madhugiri, there is Maidanhalli, which is a black buck sanctuary.

A deviation on this highway (before Madhugiri) also takes you Siddarbetta. The road to this place goes via the fort of Channarayanadurga. Many options galore!

The whole of these places have their own charm after monsoon as the place is a brilliant green.

Thanks Ampere. I had not seen the thread by Chetan but had seen your picture of the lake. The lake was half full and looked very serene as we exited. A great spot for camping. You are absolutely right and one can mix and match destinations to cover in one day. Of course, the place looks exteremely beautiful after rains.

[airguitar]

Hmm, Also Namada Chilume, left deviation from Urdigere - is a nice drive. The deer park and the source of a river aside, the drive itself is very nice that gives a distinct forest feel - peaceful and green - continue on that road it'll put you back on the Madhugiri road - worth a few minutes definitely.

OT: Surprisingly one doesn't need to travel 200+ kms to see forests. Devarayana Durga is one such place. Another place, I was recently told by an acquaintance, the road from Harohalli- Thattekere - Mantapa village stretch gives a nice forest feel and if you're lucky, you can sight some elephants. Anyone done this road / is it in good condition ?

More OT : Couldn't find the bear attack article yesterday : http://articles.timesofindia.indiati...est-land-sloth

[ampere]

Adding one snap of the temple from the top.

[zenx]

And here's a view of the place around from a trek we did up one of the hills in the area :