Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta, is a hill (betta in Kannada) located in the Chamarajanagar district of the state of Karnataka,at a height of 1450m and is extensively wooded. It is also the highest peak in the Bandipur National Park. It lies in the core area of the Bandipur National Park and is frequented by wild life including elephants. Dense fog predominates and covers the hills round the year and thus gets the prefix Himavad(in the native language of Kannada) and the temple of Venugopalaswamy (Lord Krishna) gives the full name of Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta
It is approximately 220 km from Bangalore and 75 km from Mysore on the Mysore Ooty road -10 km away from Gundlupet, which is 60 km away from Mysore. There is a motorable road all the way to the top of the hill. Entry fee is collected at the forest department check post at foot of the hill. Materials used for pooja (prayers) alone such as flowers, fruits, Incense sticks etc. are permitted. Other food items are not permitted to be carried in. All these materials should be carried in non-plastic bags. Entry fee has been revised w.e.f. February 1, 2011. Entry fee is Cars (Rs 50), Buses (Rs 200), Bikes (Rs 10). You have to report back at the entrance after 1 hour 30 minutes. Visitors are allowed from around 8:30am till 4pm. Overnight stay on top is not allowed.
Reaching there:
Start from Gundlupet, continue in the Ooty-Mysore road towards Bandipur. Nearly 8Kms after
Gundlupet, at a place called Hangala, take right turn to proceed towards Gopalaswamy betta.
There is a motorable road all the way to the top of the hill. Just before starting of the hill, there is
a check post. Entry fee is collected at the forest depeartment checkpost at foot of the hill.
There are not many public transport options to reach Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta, except few seasonal KSRTC services to this hilltop.
It is approximately 220 km from Bangalore and 75 km from Mysore on the Mysore Ooty road -10 km away from Gundlupet, which is 60 km away from Mysore. There is a motorable road all the way to the top of the hill. Entry fee is collected at the forest department check post at foot of the hill. Materials used for pooja (prayers) alone such as flowers, fruits, Incense sticks etc. are permitted. Other food items are not permitted to be carried in. All these materials should be carried in non-plastic bags. Entry fee has been revised w.e.f. February 1, 2011. Entry fee is Cars (Rs 50), Buses (Rs 200), Bikes (Rs 10). You have to report back at the entrance after 1 hour 30 minutes. Visitors are allowed from around 8:30am till 4pm. Overnight stay on top is not allowed.
There is a forest department guest house at the top of the picturesque hill, which is not available for public, only public servants on official duty are allowed to use it.
The original temple is some 700 years old. It is generally attributed to the local king Chola Ballala of Terakanambi . During those days the place was of significant political importance as it was located in the tristate border of three territories ruled by three dynasties – the Gangas of Talakkadu, Cheras ( kerala ) and the Kadambas.
Start from Gundlupet, continue in the Ooty-Mysore road towards Bandipur. Nearly 8Kms after
Gundlupet, at a place called Hangala, take right turn to proceed towards Gopalaswamy betta.
There is a motorable road all the way to the top of the hill. Just before starting of the hill, there is
a check post. Entry fee is collected at the forest depeartment checkpost at foot of the hill.
There are not many public transport options to reach Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta, except few seasonal KSRTC services to this hilltop.
From Gundlupet,it is better to hire a private vehicle ( negotiate the rate for around Rs 200 for a return trip ).The road is open for traffic only during the daytime. Carry food and water. There are no shops near the temple. The nearest place for overnight stay is either Gundulpet town
No comments:
Post a Comment