Devarayanadurga Hills – Greenery Redefined 23/08/2014

Place: Devarayanadurga betta a.k.a DD Hills, Namada ChelumeTumkur
Distance:
75 x 2 = 150 km
Route: Vijaynagar -> Nelamangala -> Dabaspete -> Devarayanadurga
Type: Temple, Sightseeing, optional short trekking
Ideal for: Friends & Family
Crew: Vinay, Sukesh, Arun, Abdul, Praveen, Sagar
Bikes: Bajaj Discover 150, Honda Trigger CB, Pulsar 135
Budget: 300/head

 
I was really frustrated because of some issue at the office just wanted to spend some time away from this mess. Checked theloapers blog for a perfect destination. The far side of Bangalore is a nature’s bounty in full swing. Just 70 kilometers away from the hustle-bustle of Silicon City is a powerfully quiet countryside with breathtaking views, century-old temples and rocky hills. The destination is, Devarayanadurga in Tumkur district. 
 
Brief about the place: The rocky hills are surrounded by forest and the hilltops are dotted with several temples including the Yoganarasimha and the Bhoganarasimha temples and an altitude of 3940 feet. It is also famous for Namada Chilume, a natural spring considered sacred and is also considered the origin of the Jayamangali river.
 

 

Saturday morning: Woke up at 4.15 am and hit the road at 4.45 am. All assembled at Maruti Mandir. After a formal greeting, we headed towards our destination. Vinay and Sukesh were already waiting for us at NH4 Tollgate, Nagasandra. Had a hot cup of tea and soon we left. 

 

 
The Ride: We rode at a normal pace, reached Dabaspete from where you have to take a right turn. Another 20 km for our destination. The road changed from Highway to an interior road with peaceful surroundings. Saw the sunrise on the way. The road is zigzag and the dense greenery surroundings make ride memorable.
 
Sunrise on the way
 
Finally, we reached the destination at 7 O’clock. The view from the hill was breathtaking the mist covered the hills, the cold breeze made a wonderful morning. 
 
The first view from the hill
The first view from the hill
We parked the bike and followed the stairs which lead us to the temple. A lot of monkeys welcomed us, doing mischievous things. The gate of the temple was closed, a signboard displayed it will be opened at 8. 
 
              
Parking space
Stairs leading to the temple
           
A well-furnished stairs
Monkeys welcoming us
 
We could see a building at another peak, thought of exploring unexplored places. Went there on the bike but disappointed because nothing was there its just a guest house, no viewpoint nothing. Took photos to kill the time.

 

The building we thought of exploring 😛

 

 
 
 
 
  
 


It was almost 8 so we came back to the temple. There were two shops, I asked if any breakfast is available they said no so had to fill the empty stomach with Lays, Biscuit, and Banana. After 2 minutes of climbing the stairs, we reached the temple. Thought of visiting temple while coming back so we moved on.

 

 
Shop near parking space
Pushpakarni


The Trek: It’s a short trekking which includes kaccha path and crawling like soldiers. It had rained the previous day so the path was a little slippery. We reached the peak in 15 minutes. Enjoyed the view, fresh breeze, calmness. Though many people visit the temple no one comes till the peak only our group was there no one else. So it’s a traffic-free calm place, unlike Shivagange where a lot of people will be there. Its a well maintained clean place where too many devotees visit not many people for trekking.

 

 
 
 
 
Crawling at some places
Open place, the midpoint
The highest peak “the bell” you can see

 

Took a power nap for 10 minutes, The sun was already up and hitting like a high beam light. The climate was fluctuating as the sun was playing hide and seek behind clouds. 
 
View of temple from the top
 

 

 

 
 
After spending a good time for 30 mins we left the place at 9.45 am.

 

Visited the temple, had a nice darshan of Rudranarasimha swami.
 
There is a Namada Chilume  3 km away. We chose to visit Namada Chilume. 
 
 
Driving back to Bangalore

We saw the place sit for a couple of minutes and headed back. Reached Bangalore at 1 pm.
 
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9 Comments

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  1. Nice place to travel, thanks for sharing this wonderful post in this blog. Loved to read this blog. It really helps people to plan for their trips. want to travel those place then book your bus tickets in advance from Bijapur to Bangalore to enjoy your trip.

  2. Hi Sagar, nice blog. I was reading a lot about Devarayandurga Hills as I'm planning to go there with my wife n 8yr son. Can you please tell me how much is the trekking part in this and what are the milestones? I'm getting little confused.
    The milestones as per my understanding are:
    1. Reach Devarayana Durga Hills base
    2. Visit Bhoga Narasimha Temple at the base
    3. Climb stairs till Yoga Narasimha Temple (How many steps? Hote much time does it take? I believe one can reach there by car as well.)
    4. Visit Yoga Narasimha Temple and the pond (Pushkarani/Kalyani)
    5. Trek to hill top/fort/the bell (how much time this part of trek takes? Are the 3 places same? Is fort in good condition? Any view points there? Any temple at this highest pt? I believe var cannot reach this pt, right?
    6. Trek down to base
    7. Visit Namada Chelume/Deer Park/Botanical Garden/Medicinal Park (how many kms fr base? Are the places same or they are different?)
    8. Any other place to visit nearby?

    Thanks,
    Deepak

  3. Hi Deepak,

    1. Reach Devarayana Durga Hills base
    Manjunath: You can reach base by a car or bus. Public transport available.

    2. Visit Bhoga Narasimha Temple at the base
    Manjunath : Yes, you can visit the temple at the base.

    3. Climb stairs till Yoga Narasimha Temple (How many steps? Hote much time does it take? I believe one can reach there by car as well.)
    Manjunath: It might take 20-30 mins time to reach the top through steps. Not sure of the number of steps. You can reach the top by car too.

    4. Visit Yoga Narasimha Temple and the pond (Pushkarani/Kalyani)
    Manjunath: Yes, you can visit the top temple and there is a pond too.

    5. Trek to hill top/fort/the bell (how much time this part of trek takes? Are the 3 places same? Is fort in good condition? Any view points there? Any temple at this highest pt? I believe var cannot reach this pt, right?
    Manjunath: At the top only you find Yoga Narasimha Temple. Currently not sure of the fort condition. You can walk around to get some good view points. Car goes till top of the hill.

    6. Trek down to base
    Manjunath : Yes.

    7. Visit Namada Chelume/Deer Park/Botanical Garden/Medicinal Park (how many kms fr base? Are the places same or they are different?)
    Manjunath: Devarayana durga(DD Hills) and Namada Chelume are two different places. On the way to DD Hills you will find Namada Chelume where deers can be found.

    Hope your queries are answered.

    Regards,
    Manjunath

  4. Thanks manjunath for adding the answer. Sure it will help Deepak and lot of other cotravellers. I wanted to update point no 5. I heard going to the peak (near that bell) is restricted now . You can't go till there but the temple atop is pretty and the scenery from there is magical as well 😊