Devarayanadurga has been a favourite one day trip location from Bangalore. Add Shivagange and unexplored Mandaragiri you have three lovely places. Let us drive to west of Bengaluru and explore some of the lovely hill fort temples.
The city of Bengaluru is surrounded by small hills. When we talk about hills in Karnataka, they invariably have small forts and temples too.
Third in the series of One Day Trips from Bangalore – 24 Exciting Options with detailed Itinerary!, we present the lovely hill fort temples at Shivagange, Devarayanadurga and Mandaragiri.
This one day trip from Bangalore is an easy day out which is a combination of an adventure in the hills, temple visits and nice picnic spots.
If you find covering three places is tiring, take any two at a time and do the remaining later.
The Circuit
Bengaluru – Shivagange – Devrayanadurga – Mandaragiri – Bengaluru
Distance
164 KMs (end to end)
Map
The Plan
7 AM – Depart from home. Hit Bengaluru – Tumkur Highway. If you are in South Bengaluru, take NICE road and exit at Tumkur road. If you are in East Bengaluru, you can take Outer Ring road and enter the highway at Peenya after Hebbal and Jalahalli. For those lucky ones staying in West Bengaluru, it is easier to hit the highway quickly.
8.30 AM – Have breakfast on the way either in Adiga’s Paakashala or Namasthe Bengaluru. If you are departing late, then eat at Agarwal Bhavan after Peenya.
9 AM – Breakfast done, hit the road. Take U-turn towards Dobbaspet. Take deviation from highway before Dobbaspet flyover – look out for Karnataka tourism signage in yellow – and reach the foothills. Park your car and climb steps to cave temple of Gangadhareshwara. After darshan, if you are adventurous, climb the steps to reach the summit of the hill. There are proper steps and signage. The last few steps are tough and if you can’t do it, just stop and enjoy the panoramic view and feel the fresh breeze. If you can reach the summit, enjoy spectacular views! More details on trekking is here.
Climb to the summit, Shivagange (Photo Courtesy – Thanigai Murugan)
11.30 AM – Depart from Shivagange to Devarayanadurga. An hour’s pleasant drive should take you to the foot hills.
12.30 PM – Park your car and climb the steps to reach Yoga Narasimhaswamy temple on the top of the hill. After Darshan, explore the fort and the hill. Enjoy the panoramic view of the surroundings. Walk down the steps and proceed towards Bhoga Narasimha swamy temple which is at the foot hills. Complete darshan and proceed to “Namada Chilume” or natural spring. Walk around the pleasant surroundings and make sure kids enjoy the small zoo next to the spring.
Devarayanadurga – Temple as seen from the top pf the hill
2 PM – You are hungry and it is time for lunch. Choose a nice shaded area in Namada Chilume and have lunch. Alternately – we would recommend this – drive out and select a nice road side place under a tree in the middle of a field and have a picnic lunch.
3 PM – Lunch and rest done, drive out to Mandaragiri – A monolith with a Jain temple on top. Park your car at the foot hills and walk up nicely built steps to reach the temple. A lovely temple and views greet you at the top.
Panoramic view of Mandaragiri (Photo Courtesy – Jain Heritage centres .com)
4.30 PM – Time to return. Stop over at Cafe Coffee day or Kamat’s for a cup of coffee and snacks. Reach home driving safely by 7 PM
Travel tips
- These timings are indicative and is by car. If you are leaving late, then adjust your timings accordingly. The road conditions may change due to various factors. It will be good to join a road trip enthusiasts’ FB group HVK Forum managed by H V Kumar, the doyen of road trip in India. You can get the latest updates on the road conditions in this very active group.
- All the three places require climbing steps, though not tough. If you are travelling with elderly people who cannot climb, they may have to stay in the car which is definitely not welcome.
- Be careful while climbing in rainy season in Shivagange as rocks may be slippery. Beware of monkeys who are spoil sport. Make sure you don’t carry any eatable in open. Carry drinking water when you climb.
- All the three hills offer lovely views from the top.
- The restaurants in Devarayanadurga is rudimentary. It is better to carry lunch from home or pack something at the restaurants mentioned above.
- All these places are photographers paradise. Keep your cameras ready.
- Sunset at Mandaragiri is a lovely experience. If you can stay back, enjoy it.
- Lastly, if you are adventurous and are able to get up early go – like we did – for a Sunrise drive to Devarayanadurga. It was a memorable experience. You can then start your trip from Devarayanadurga – Mandaragiri – Shivagange – Bangalore.
- If adventurous, one can leave very early in the morning and reach Shivagange, climb the summit, then have breakfast and continue to do the rest of the circuit.
- Few extensions to the tour can be done as under depending upon time available
- Climb Nijagal Fort – A lovely fort with a small temple on a beautiful monolith. You would have seen it while driving on Bengaluru – Tumour highway. It is behind Cafe Coffeeday at Dobbaspet. You need at least two hours to explore this place.
Nijagal Fort
- Visit Hoysala temple at Kaidala – The small Hoysala temple at Kaidala has a beautiful Channakeshava as presiding deity. It is five KMs from Tumkur. Allow one hour for this detour. Go to this place from Devarayanadurga and return to highway after driving on Tumkur bypass.
- Kyamenahalli and Goravanahalli – A detour on Devarayanadurga road will take you to a little seen but lovely temple of Lord Hanuman – 5 feet tall idol – and famous Lakshmi temple Goravanahalli. Allow one and half hour for this. Expect heavy rush on Fridays in Goravanahalli.
- Teetha reservoir – A nice place to visit after monsoon. On the way to Devarayanadurga.
- Siddaganga Mutt – A famous mutt with a Shiva temple. In Kyatsandra, On the outskirts of Tumkur on the highway. Allow one hour for this.
- Climb Nijagal Fort – A lovely fort with a small temple on a beautiful monolith. You would have seen it while driving on Bengaluru – Tumour highway. It is behind Cafe Coffeeday at Dobbaspet. You need at least two hours to explore this place.
Hope you are enjoying reading these day trips from Bangalore. Plan for one and do let us know your experience once you go for these trips. We would love to hear from you.
If you are interested in longer road trips from Bangalore with detailed itineraries, you should look at these posts on this blog
Weeklong Road Trips from Bangalore – 12 Exciting options with detailed itineraries! – http://traveltwosome.com/exciting-road-trips-from-bangalore/
Weekend Trips from Bangalore (Covers Saturday & Sunday) – 7 Exciting options with detailed itineraries! – http://traveltwosome.com/weekend-getaways-from-bangalore/
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