Places: Ramadevara Betta and Sri Revana Siddeshwara Betta (a.k.a SRS Hills), Ramanagar, Karnataka.
So it was my 6th back to back trip, as I mentioned already Vinay had got new Gixxer recently, his first service was done so the beast was all set for a spin. Me and Vinay called our friends to check if they are interested to join the ride surprisingly the response was overwhelming, 11 friends turned up for the ride. Whenever we planned for these two places i.e SRS Hills and Ramadevar betta, we started with only 2-3 people but ended up with 10+ people turning up for the ride. Same thing happened 2 years back (1/02/2014) where 10 people joined the ride.
Sunday morning: We all assembled in front of R V College gate as planned at 5.30 am. Within 10 minutes everyone joined and we were good to go. Mysore road offered a decent ride with minor traffic. We rode at normal pace as to make sure everyone is OK. The first destination was Ramadevara Betta, as soon as you enter Ramnagar you need to take 170 degree right turn, use Google maps for convenience. It's hardly a km through rough terrain after which you reach main entrance to the hills.
The second entrance, during open hours you can bring vehicles till this point.
Most of the visitors return from this point thinking this is the last end but path to the left of the temple leads to the summit where the most stupendous view can be seen in all directions. The trail is short and path is clear. Finally we hit a big vertical hill which seemed to be impossible to climb at first look but because of steps carved in the hills and supporting railings it is easy to scale this stretch. Once on the top we were greeted by the view with a lake guarded by rocky outcrops and the horizon marked with a band of blue hills the panoramic vistas were a treat to the eyes. You can sit there and observe the vultures flying over your head. As it's a reserved forest for eagles you can see a lot of eagles flying over your head. If you are a bird photographer then pull out your your zoom lens and freeze moments through the camera.
View from the summit, looks like one of those scenes from Hollywood movies..
We had another destination for the day SRS Hills so we didn't spend too much time at this place. We walked back to the place where our bikes were parked. We met an old man who claimed that he was there during Sholay film shooting. He said he acted as one of the villagers. He told some more exciting tales from the movie shooting as well.
We had tasty breakfast at Ramnagar town. It was just 11 in the morning but the sun was high upon us, we bought cold drinks and water to keep hydrated during the next trek. We headed to our next destination of the day which is around 12 km from Ramanagar. After 2 km we took left turn which leads to the base of the hills, the rest of the stretch is through country side road. It was peaceful riding through this stretch.
As soon as you start climbing you feel shelter upon your head is ruining the look of the hills but as you go up you will realize its importance when the sun rays hit your skin on a really sunny day. You see a beautiful lake guarded by rocky outcrops to the right which makes your day. The hill is really steep which makes it difficult to climb but thanks to the temple authorities who took initiative in carving rough steps to help one climb with ease. As I already mentioned this place is extensively visited by devotees, you can see aged persons scaling the stretch. It's usual practice for devotees to climb the hill on bare foot but it's up to individuals how they want to proceed. As you climb you can feel cool breeze kissing your face, the panoramic scenery across becomes more lively.
Finally when you reach the top there is Rudra Muneshwara and Siddarameshwara mantapa on either side with a bell at the center. We then need to climb down a little bit to the other side to reach the Revana Siddeshwara temple. The moment you reach the top the monkeys would start attacking from all the directions make sure you don't have any eatables or offering to the God in hand. There is a water tap outside the temple where you can quench your thirst and wash legs before proceeding to the temple. Lord Revana Siddeshwara idol is installed in a cave and is beautifully decorated and worshiped. We spent some time sitting resting there at the peak watching monkeys doing mischievous things.
It was nearly 1 o'clock in the afternoon by the time we left the place. The descend was easy and fun. Had tender coconut water at the base to hydrate ourselves and cucumber to eat. We visited the lake at the base, its safe to take a dip in this lake but we didn't had extra pair of clothes upon that we were too much tired, getting into water and driving would make it worse.
The drive back was smooth everyone reached home back by 3 pm.
Need I not mention helpful also.
do they have any timing to enter SRS hills?
which one out of the two places will you recommend?
You can cover both in a single day. SRS hills is better but ramadevara Betta is off beat.