[NPV]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

But I have never been to that temple till date.

Just in case you plan to visit the hilltop temple...
If you take SH 121 all the way, before it merges with SH57 near Halekote you will see the ghat road to your right so take that to get to the temple.
If you miss this and get to SH57 at Halekote, turn right and soon you will see an arch on the right, take that as it leads to the ghat road again.
At Halekote there is a Union Bank of India where you can see the arch for the ghat road.

*While driving on SH 121 you will notice a place where there is a bus stop on the left and perpendicular cross roads to right and left. This is the SH 102 junction. At this point you can make a right turn and then a left turn to continue on SH 121 towards Halekote. If you miss this and go straight at this point, it merges again with SH 57 but more towards the Holenarasipura side, so turn right and drive about 10Km or so to get back to Halekote and the ghat road.
In between this junction of SH 57 and the other one at Halekote is the signboard for Stay Simple Resort and turning left here leads to the Sreeramadavara Dam/Katte.

On Gorur, try to make a trip on Independence day - This is usually when they release water and this side of the dam is in full glory.

Can't do this year, will have to wait till next

[earthian]

Good narration and descriptive photographs. That ruined church was fascinating. All alone in the middle of nowhere? Must look it up.
Thank you for a crisp travelogue.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by earthian

That ruined church was fascinating. All alone in the middle of nowhere? Must look it up.

Look up the Travelogues here at Team-BHP, there are some good ones on the Rosary Church at Shettihalli like these:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ettihalli.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...akleshpur.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...wist-plot.html

As you can see BHPians are big fans of this place. A must-see place when the water levels are low and allow you access to the place.

[gadadhar]

I has stayed in Stay Simple resort with a group of friends and families few years and it was a very pleasant experience exploring this part of Karnataka. We could walkover the Katte and cross to the opposite bank since the water level was low.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by gadadhar

We could walkover the Katte and cross to the opposite bank since the water level was low.

There is a gate that leads to the other bank, just past the bridge (the one with steps at the end of it leading to the Katte) so when there's water, the other bank can be easily reached. We saw a small group relaxing on the rocks on the other bank.

[unk9ja]

Hijacking the thread with some pics from my side from the ride which I took. Not creating a separate one and merging with the one from NPV as the directions and how to reach are explained in detail by NPV,

Ever since I saw this thread, I planned to go through this route when I hit that part of the state. The plans for the Ganesha Chathurthi was ideal as I had to travel to Udupi. Made the route clear with NPV.

We hit the highway on 04/09/16 just before dawn and reached the Katte at 0830 with leisure pace. The roads were excellent throughout with sparse traffic given it was a sunday.

The turnoff on the highway are well marked albeit at a good distance of each other. So if you hit the state highway, the bright yellow boards will lead you to the place. Turnoff from the highway and about 400m, after the railway crossing, there is a gate which we opened ourselves and parked the car under the trees. If you don't want the car to get dirtied by bird's dropping, find an open space.

Now for some pics.

At the level crossing



The gates to heaven



The Katte





Sluice gate mechanism





























Next stop was the Mavinakere temple on the hillock. There are 2 temples, one on the hillock and the other in town. We took the hill route. Has some nice hairpins like Nandi.

[unk9ja]

The wait at the temple was over an hour as there were no archaks to open the door. The doors were finally opened at 1000 and we had a quick darshan and started our onward journey to Udupi.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by unk9ja

The doors were finally opened at 1000 and we had a quick darshan and started our onward journey to Udupi.

Excellent, thanks for the update @unk9ja

After visiting the Katte and the hilltop temple at Mavinakere, did you take SH 57 further to Hassan ? How is the road condition ? I did not try this as I'd gone via Arkalgud-Gorur.

Did you notice the long distant "bridge" that is visible from the temple ? Is that the Gorur/Hemavathi Dam ?

[unk9ja]

Originally Posted by NPV

Excellent, thanks for the update @unk9ja

After visiting the Katte and the hilltop temple at Mavinakere, did you take SH 57 further to Hassan ? How is the road condition ? I did not try this as I'd gone via Arkalgud-Gorur.

Did you notice the long distant "bridge" that is visible from the temple ? Is that the Gorur/Hemavathi Dam ?

The road conditions are excellent through to Hassan. Since Gorur or Shettyhalli was not planned, I stuck to this.

Yes I saw the bridge but I am not sure if that is the dam. Next time, when I ride on bike, I will check that out.

[srvm]

Thanks for the wonderful thread NPV. This thread and procrj's thread (Red Dwarf's monsoon diary - Exploring new roads of rural Karnataka in a TUV300) inspired me to make this trip.
We finally managed to go to Mavinakere Temple and Gorur Dam yesterday (10th Aug 2019). Monsoon is a wonderful time to visit this region. The icing on the cake was the release of water from Gorur dam during our visit.


Some pics from our trip. (Sorry to post here since I do not have much new to add to start a new thread).


The beautiful SH-121









Mavinakere Temple
With crowd comes garbage





Fantastic view from Hilltop



Water release from Gorur Dam (Hemavathi reservoir)







Backwaters of Hemavathi reservoir
What a place!

[BackInTheFold]

Just returned from a day trip to Sri Ramadevara Katte, the Mavinkere temple and Gorur dam.

Unfortunately, the surging Hemavathi and the resulting release of water from the Gorur dam have wrecked some havoc. The Katte and the surrounding areas were apparently submerged on Sunday evening and the roads nearby have borne the brunt.

It was a nice drive otherwise. We made great time heading out in sparse traffic during the early morning with misty spray for company. The return wasn't too bad too. All in all, save for the disappointment and sadness about the Katte, it was a day well spent.

Signing off with a parting shot from the small hillock over the temple. Sorry for the grainy click from my mobile.