Mahadevpura is a riverside picnic spot on river Cauvery. It is a favourite spot for film shoots. We are combining it with another lovely hill temple – Karighatta hill .
This series of one day trips from Bangalore provide you an opportunity to spend a day visiting places near Bangalore. We encourage you to explore the rich landscape, heritage and beautiful spots surrounding Bangalore.
One Day trip from Bangalore 16 is the sixteenth in this series. If you are looking for places to visit from Bangalore within 150 kilometres or if you are looking for a comfortable one day trip from Bangalore, please take a look at this post on this blog.
20 One day trips from Bangalore – Exciting options with Itinerary
This one day trip provides you an opportunity to explore lovely riverside picnic spot of Mahadevpura and hill temple at Karighatta.
Please be aware that whenever there is a heavy inflow of water in the river during monsoon, do not walk on the barrage or take bath etc. It will be very risky. Always check out local condition.
The Circuit
Route – Bangalore – Kanakapura – Malavalli – Bannur – Mahadevpura – Karighatta – Bannur – Kanakapura – Bangalore
Alternatively you can reach Malavalli from Maddur via Mysore Expressway and continue from there.
Distance – 310 KMs
Road condition – Very good roads.
Google map of circuit – https://goo.gl/maps/F7YvNhfhS3t
The Itinerary
7 AM – Depart from Bangalore. Enter Kanakapura road. You are lucky if you are near NICE road where you can exit at Kanakapura Road and join the highway.
8.15 AM – Breakfast at Vasu Hotel at Kanakapura. Idli first and followed by yummy Masala Dosa. If you want an early breakfast then you can stop at MTR immediately after Art of Living ashram.
9.00 AM – After breakfast cross Kanakapura town and drive towards Malavalli. At Malavalli, take Malavalli – Mysore road. At Bannur, take the deviation to go on Srirangapatna road and reach Karighatta.
11.00 AM – You may either drive up the hill or start climbing the steps to the hill temple. After climbing 400 steps, you reach the famous temple of Lord Venkatesha. If you are driving up, you can drive along a curvy road and reach the top. Have darshan of the lord and enjoy the beautiful vistas of surrounding landscape.
Here is a brief about Karigahtta. (Courtesy – Wikipedia)
The name Karighatta translates to “Elephant Hill” in Kannada. The hill has a Hindu temple devoted to a form of Hindu god Vishnu, called “Karigirivasa”. This deity is also referred to as “Lord Srinivasa” and is also called “Bairagi Venkataramana”. The epithet ‘Bairagi’ for this idol is derived from the fact that when ‘alankara’ (flower decoration) is done to the deity, the deity looks like a Bairagi (mendicant).
The hill stands at a height of 2697 feet above sea level. It supports dry scrub jungle and many tamarind and gooseberry trees are found around the temple. A small river, Lokapavani, a tributary of Kaveri flows by the hill.
The winding road to the top of the hill….
Photo Courtesy of all the four pictures on Karighatta – Hemanthkumar K P
Steps leading to the temple…..
The temple of Lord Karigirivasa or Venkatesha
The panoramic view of the surroundings from the top of the hill.
12.30 PM – Depart the temple and drive to Mahadevpura. After 20 minutes of drive you will reach the place. This is a lovely riverside picnic spot. A small barrage over the river has created a small waterfalls. You can go for a coracle ride at your own risk. Settle down under a tree and enjoy the river.
Quiet flows Cauvery….
The barrage and lovely falls…….
3 PM – Depart the place and drive back to Bangalore.
5.30 PM – You may have some snacks at MTR on the way back near Art of Living ashram.
Travel Tips
a) Make sure you wear a nice hat and carry enough water if planning to walk up the hill.
b) For lunch, there is no option to pack something from Vasu hotel or from Malavalli. You don’t get anything in Mahadevpura.
c) The place is also good for bird watching.
d) The local fishermen will entice you for a coracle ride in the river. We don’t advise it as it is unsafe without life jackets.
e) Carry a binocular to enjoy the panoramic view of the hill and also to see birds.
f) Don’t forget to carry a carpet or durrie of Jamkhana (rug) for spreading out to sit on the banks. Also carry camp stools/chairs.
g) Carry a change of cloth if you are planning to play in water. Walking or bathing under the waterfalls during rainy season is dangerous due to heavy current. Even during summer when the water level is less one has to be very careful as the stone will be slippery.
h) One can also use the regular Bangalore – Mysore highway and turn towards Karighatta and Mahadevpura just before Srirangapatna. We have recommended the route via Kanakapura to avoid the misery of driving on Mysore highway on weekends.
We will continue to add more to this series. Till then plan an outing to Mahadevpura and Karighatta on one of the weekends! Please share your experience of the place which will help us update this post.
What has been your experience of visiting Karighatta & Mahadevapura? We would like to hear from you. Please share it in the comments below.
We encourage you to explore more around Bangalore! Do check these posts below.
10 Wonderful Weeklong Road Trips from Bangalore with Day Wise Itinerary! – http://traveltwosome.com/exciting-road-trips-from-bangalore/
7 Wonderful Weekend Trips from Bangalore (Covers Saturday & Sunday) with Day Wise Itinerary – http://traveltwosome.com/weekend-getaways-from-bangalore/
