[kiki_13]

A ride to temple surrounded by windmills

There are days when you want to head out and ride until you are satiated and in such case, the destination doesn't really matter. On other days, you ride to a destination, and apart from enjoying the ride, you explore what the place has to offer. One such ride was to Mavanuru Malleshwara temple. This temple is situated on a small hill, off the Hassan highway (NH75). A concise travelogue of my solo ride to this fantastic place.



Seeing the large fins of the massive windmills being carried on the multi-wheeled trucks on the road has always fascinated me. The feeling is only elevated when you are almost at the level of these windmills. These windmills can be seen on the way to Hassan for a short stretch before reaching Shantigrama. They like to be inconspicuous, so pay attention before you lose sight of them. Having seen them from afar while travelling on the highway, it was an out-of-the-world experience when I was at Mavanuru Shri Bettada Malleshwara Gudi temple looking at these remarkable things up close.



view from the top

After the not-so-eventful ride on the Hassan highway crossing Channarayapatna, a deviation at Dandiganahally kere and a short 30-minute ride will lead to Sri Mavanuru temple. Turning off the main road, you pass through villages with vast and open fields of agriculture.



The only two hairpin bends will lead to the hilltop where the temple is situated. The temple is dedicated to Shiva. The little longer route, with deviation at this place (5kms before Shantigrama), is a more straightforward route to reach. I found this on my return journey.


view of the temple before the climb

The friendly guard at the entrance was excited to see a solo biker (woman) coming from Bangalore. He chit-chatted for a while enthusiastically. The vantage point gives a spectacular view of the landscape sprinkled with windmills all over. It is a humbling experience to be at this level with the windmills with its humongous fins reminding us that we are nothing but a tiny speck in the vast expanse. Being a weekday morning, I had the place to myself until a couple of bikes started to show up. Interestingly, this seems to be a favourite getaway amongst the college crowd from Hassan and nearby places.


The temple



view from one of the hairpin bends


Ditching the boring highway, I continued on the interior roads, and onwards Channarayapatna and then towards Shravanabelagola. I rode towards Melukote, relishing the nil traffic and fantastic views of the unspoiled rural landscape. A pond en route had a surprise awaiting. The migratory birds were soaking themselves in the water and enjoying the moment. Thanks to the road work near the lake that slowed me down to take in this beautiful scenery. The Shravanabelagola – Melukote goes through some reserved forests with a couple of decent twisties in between.


a lake en route to Shravanabelagola

Getting back on the highway after Melukote and a quick lunch break at Paakashaala in Yediyur, it was time to head home. The interior road from Melukote towards Bangalore, via Huliyurdurga – Magadi, is good. This route was explored just after the lockdown restrictions were lifted, to read more - Toast to easing of lockdown restrictions (A toast to easing of weekend restrictions - Road trip to Melukote). The Yediyur – Ramanagar is picturesque but time-consuming (worth the time and effort). I usually ride on these roads only to enjoy and explore the interior routes and not for the destination.


a lake on the Ramanagara-Huliyurdurga-Yediyur route






For short rides, there are several such discreet temples in and around Bangalore. Once you are out of the city limits, every other hill you see will have a small shrine atop. One lifetime seems short to explore these gems.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues section. Thanks for sharing!

[shancz]

Originally Posted by kiki_13

One lifetime seems short to explore these gems.

True.

I had seen many such windmills visible around the Bengaluru - Pune highway and even on the Tala Kaveri hillside and wondered how could I get closer.
Will mark your route now, Thanks

[NPV]

Lovely travelogue, thanks for sharing!

I had visited the Mavanuru hilltop temple along with other places like the Ramadevara check dam and shettyhalli church a few years back and we stumbled upon the beautiful SH 121 accidentally - if interested you can read more here (Dizzy Drive®: Stress buster - Country roads, Hilltop Temple, Dam and a ruined Church).

[ampere]

Another trick to enjoy these places is to be there on the first stroke of sunlight. It's magical and truly a golden hour. But that means you start driving to these places much earlier depending on the distance.

Same place at 0530-0600







This was later from the Mavinkere.