Ramadevara Betta and Revanasiddeshwara!

My wife P and I were joined by my cousins and their friends for a trek to two hills in Ramanagara on the 2nd of April. We left home at 6:00 AM and reached Revanasiddeshwara Betta base by around 7:00 AM and started climbing the hill immediately. While driving from Bangalore to Mysore, take a left turn at Ramanagara, soon after Mini Vidhanasoudha.

The trek is pretty easy and short. I had trekked here before in 2009. We reached the top by 8:00 AM where some devotees were waiting for the priest to arrive and open the temple doors. The monkeys bothered the visitors by dragging away the food they were carrying; hence we decided to have our breakfast at the base. We walked down; stopped at a nice place by a lake filled with lilies and enjoyed our packed food. A care taker of a nearby Mango groove traded few raw mangoes for some pickle we had. I reckon he would relish it later, along with some alcohol. 

Next, we drove to Ramadevarabetta near the town (When driving from Mysore towards Bangalore, take a left turn soon after Ramanagara town. If you are driving from Bangalore, then look for an arch on your right, soon after Gausiya college). It’s a nice drive till the foothills of Ramadevarabetta and around 500 steps lead you up the hill. On our way, we spotted this cool place exactly similar to the rock in the movie 127 Hours. We tried some experiments like Aron Ralston.

After climbing up the stairs, you reach an open area with two temples (dedicated to lord Rama and lord Shiva) and a lake. The location is surrounded by huge boulders in all directions. We climbed a rock which had well defined trail. It was a steep climb at the summit. The view from the top as usual was mesmerizing.

I was thrilled with the thought of climbing the rock on the left, as it did not seem to have a well defined path up to the summit. My cousin N and I began this adventure as the ladies relaxed by the temple. We found a trail that ended some midway and then, we experimented with the route to get to the top. The rocks lay there hugging each other. This place reminded me of the adventures of Aron Ralston. We found a trail to return and followed it to the temple.

We had a good lunch at Hotel Kamath near Ramanagara. Karavali Otta was a treat with several Mangalore dishes like Pathrodey and Sheme Dadde. Next to the hotel is a cultural museum with some ancient artefacts. It also has good collection of photos and models depicting different art forms from our state. A video was being shot there. Some village musicians had gathered. 

Next, we drove to Dodda alada mara, which is a huge banyan tree spread across a vast land, now converted into a park. We took a stroll around the park and then drove to Manchebelle dam.

The dam is closed for visitors but we hoped to drive by the backwaters to watch the sunset. But unfortunately, on that day and on national holidays, even the road to the backwaters is closed. Two police constables stood guard. So, we had to return back home. 

It was a great day and I was happy to have covered a lot of places around Bangalore.