It is one offbeat destination one can cherish being with nature and heritage trail. There are no trails on the net regarding this destination. We ( Mazhar, Sridhar Anna, Ketan Doshi, Azam )took off from Bangalore towards Hassan on a Swift ( 23/3/2012 ) enroute we dropped in at Shravanabelgola. After lunch we took a steep ascent of 626 steps to reach the historic Gommateswara statue on Vindyagiri hillock. Even though it was summer the evening climb was not so tiring, thanks to the cloudy weather and increased fitness levels. After seeking the blessings of the Lord we proceeded towards Sakleshpur town via the Hassan bye pass. After 4 kms on NH47 at Sakleshpur, a right turn leads towards Hanbal village and from there we proceeded towards the resort Hills, which around 8 kms. The total distance from Bangalore is 260 kms. We were pleasantly surprised by the serene forest type of atmosphere in the resort. After having a nice tasty buffet dinner, we hit the deck in our elevated
wooden Indonesian cottage
After a nice hot water bath we dressed up for a trek to Pandavara Betta. This is located 7 kms away from the resort where we stayed. The road is rugged in patches till one reaches the destination of Betta Bhaireswar temple. The road is steep in pockets and requires a special driving skill lest the vehicle stalls. It is better to travel in first gear on this steep hillock route. One needs to park the vehicle at the Betta Bhaireshwar temple complex and take a trek of a kilometre to reach the Pandavara Betta. It is speculated that Pandavas during their exile spent some time in the forest surroundings. The view point from the peak covers the beautiful western ghat consisting of Bisle ghat, Chikmangalur and Shiradi Ghat. The trek transgressing the two hillocks takes around half a hour with good fitness levels. After clicking photographs we returned to Betta Bhaireswar temple.
Betta Bhaireswar temple appears to have been built during the Vijaynagar times by local chieftain. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva during his fiery avataar. Since the temple was originally located in the forest atmosphere it seems to have lost it sheen. We can safely speculate that people around the region used to sacrifice chicken, goat etc to the Lord, to gain his blessings. There is a separate enclosure for the serpent goddess too. This temple has been renovated by the tourism department after its long neglect. It has been handed over to a priest family, who was nowhere to be seen. The dept. would do the tourist a favour by at least displaying the priests cell number on the gate or door. There is neatly built toilet facility for the tourist to freshen up. Eventually I am sure some sort of accommodation for priest in the vicinity of the temple will be in place citing tourist inconvenience. A water falls is located near the Hills for adventure seekers to soak in.
During monsoon the entire environs maybe more welcoming but trekking up the hillock may be a little risky. Tourists can cover this destination from Mudigere which is connecting point for Chickmaglur, Hornadu, Sringeri or Belur. It is worth spending a night in forest like environs and be with nature.
