[balenoed_]

Located in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve at one of the core areas of the national park, situated 1,450 m above sea level on the highest peak of the reserve forest, frequented by wildlife including elephants, this becomes a perfect place for an adventure flavored pilgrimage to one of the mesmeric spots in this part of the country.

Resides here is Lord Krishna, holding a flute under a tree with cows and cow herds around, watching him. Having heard of this place earlier, I was looking forward to an opportunity to visit. While returning to Bangalore from a short stay at Masinagudi, we decided to take a detour to this place. While we were already rejuvenated by the experience at Masinagudi, visiting Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta was just the icing on the cake.

One big overhead sign board at a place called Sri Hangala on the Gundulpet – Ooty highway shows you the way to the hills. It is about 11 km from this junction to the temple.



A spectacular stretch welcomes you once you divert from the highway. One cannot go past this without stopping or slowing down for a while. Shutterbugs would certainly not miss having a break here to get a picture with silhouette of mountain ranges in the background.



“Go for it. Whether it ends good or bad, it was an experience - unknown author”

On to our right was a sea of a sunflower field in blossom. Just could not resist to take a few snaps. The farmer would not mind you getting into the field without damaging the crops, but would anticipate some money (Rs. 20/-) for posing for a selfie with the sunflowers at close quarters. Worth it as the closest association you ever had with these floras would be with its oil in your kitchen.



Got on to the wheels and drove ahead. Even though the place certainly attracts visitors, the road is rather deserted and lonely. A few more minutes on the road, we are at the foothills of the hillocks ahead and had to pull over at the forest check post, where we had to park the car. Private vehicles are not allowed to go up the hill any further. They prohibited it about 3 years back probably in the interest of protecting wildlife and keeping the park unpolluted. Kudos to the authorities for enforcing this rule and wish it stays forever. The ample parking space is a relief, and we’re ready to board the bus that ferries people to the hill temple.


Forest Check post - Entry beyond this is only for KSRTC buses.

We were there at 3 pm and were wondering whether it would get late to go up and come down, but the guard assured us that we will be back in an hour or so. A one way fare of Rs. 20/-, the KSRTC starts off its upward journey. It is a normal bus and family-friendly. Seats are on "first come first serve" basis and generally full towards the end of the day. There looks to be a trip in every 30 minutes. A total of 3 buses shuttle up and down. It is a short, but thrilling ride. As the bus maneuvers through the steep climb, the picturesque landscapes and valley that appears beneath the clouds provides a visual treat and will accompany you to the hill top.


The view of lush green panaromic mystique surroundings is worth the visit any day.


Being part of a jungle, you may get to spot some wildlife.

The road is so narrow that only one bus can pass at a time. A small by-lane is provided at certain intervals for the vehicles to cross each other. As a norm, the bus coming downhill stops and gives way.


A courteous gesture in giving way by the oncoming bus to our climbing bus.

A few twists and turns up to the top, dense fog dominated as we approached the temple premises. Clouds zoom in and out and it looked we are heading for a no man's land above the horizon.



The temple wall with the typical south Indian red and white paintings emerges through the mist and you would instantly fall in love with this place and its breathtaking beauty.

What a place! And the temple name stands up to it – Clad with mist / fog, it gets the prefix Himavad. It is learnt that the fog clings on to this hill and goes off in the morning only to return in the evening.


The bus just about reaching the temple


Heaven on Earth

Almost all of the first time visitors in the bus were overwhelmed and spellbound by the beauty and spectacular weather. Made us shiver with cold and it felt like standing atop clouds. The lashing cold rain and non-stop winds made it all a unique experience. It is said that the weather changes here so suddenly that the sun can break out the very next minute. The breeze was so intense that we had to take shelter in a small room near the temple before we came to terms with the weather. While we were having a hard time coping with this unexpected backdrop of the temple, our one year old kid was pulled into a trance as he has not seen anything close to this in the days that he has seen so far. That was nature speaking without words.



A few steps leads to the temple and it looks like the sanctum is open throughout the day from morning to evening. For those in search of divine pleasure, this well maintained serene place is bliss, taking you back to the history, and for those adventure and thrill seekers, this place gives you more than what you looked for.


The beautiful small temple is an example of fine craftsmanship



With the non-stop violent wind lashing, it was a hard time sticking to the ground and people were running around in amusement clicking snaps at the nature’s photo booth before the bus leaves.


The bus waiting for the next batch of passengers.



The bus was crowded during the return as the guards were urging people to come down because it was getting near the closing time and it was one of the last trips. They ensured everyone had left the hill in the buses by 5 pm. A wild encounter would have been possible if people are let to stay back.



The view of the long spread landscape comes back and I learnt about a small hamlet named Gopalapuram, popular for its vast marigold flower fields is situated somewhere around this valley. It is also from here that truckloads of flowers are shipped to Kerala during the Onam season. Google has it that this place is close to the borders of all the three south states.



A sharp hairpin bend, which the driver negotiated carefully. I was earlier skeptical and worried about the journey downhill through these dangerous curves as the bus was full and overloaded. But the driver was driving extremely sensibly and drove without taking any chance and didn't have an I-am-an-expert attitude.



Back to the foothills after a 20 minute ride. There are small shops if you would like to have tea or snacks. Reminiscing what we just experienced and admiring the way of life at these places, we headed to the city from the city of villages.


Glimpses en-route

A must visit place if you haven’t visited and have a couple of hours while you travel around Bandipur. This place is great for any kind of visitor, whether on a religious or pleasure trip.

[SmartCat]

Biggest attraction is non-stop high speed winds at the top.

The bus drivers drive sensibly these days? The road was a bit rutted and we couldn't shake this monster off our tail -

[dailydriver]

Thank you for taking me back in time.

Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta is an all time favorite place of mine. (Mind you, I live next door to the mighty Western Ghats!) The experience of being atop the Gopalaswamy Betta is an altogether different experience - ethereal to be precise.

The weather here is really fickle - in a good mannered way. It keeps changing through the day. On a clear, sunny day one can even sight an elephant or two in the wild; last time, we were able - through the camera lense - to see a herd grazing far away in the slopes.

(A related Story and Video.)

https://youtu.be/v3bI5MBdUfk

Not allowing private vehicles past the forest checkpost is the most sensible decision that the authorities have taken. It was a free for all race track earlier. Broken roads, narrow curves, jutting rocks, non existent shoulders and steep incline would result in chaos throughout the climb/descent. Underbody hits were common; so were open bonnets with drivers peering inside the engine bay. Another nuisance was that of irresponsible people parking their cars and bikes midway and entering the forest areas for photos, picnic and trekking. Forest guards would find it extremely difficult to control this menace.

KSRTC buses are a better way of scaling the hill, not to mention the environmental good that they are doing by keeping at least ten cars off the forest limits for every trip.

Although most Bhpians would disagree with me, I would be happy to see similar transportation arrangement being made for reaching Mullayanagiri too, in my neighborhood.

[ampere]

First things first. Absolutely great to see this place regain its rightful colors; viz Green. Hope it stays that way. Thanks for sharing!

[bsdbsd]

Truly mesmerizing. Thanks for getting this right: 'Seats are on "first come first serve" basis'. The other version drives me nuts.

[jayakumarkp]

Such a lovely place GopalswamyBeta is. Have been there twice. Both the times, we were one of the first ones there. Back then, we could drive up on our own vehicles.
The ever changing weather from foggy ,to clear, to rainy is really amazing. Once, on our way up, we had spotted an Elephant and her kid few meters away on the road, crossing their way over.

Originally Posted by balenoed_

Attachment 1774669

Off the topic of travelogue, but what is that round thingy on the dashboard of the bus? Anyone knows?

[ARAY]

I loved the simplistic narration of your experience. Monsoon in this Southern part of India has its own charm. Sharing a picture of a recent trip during monsoon. Keep travelling and sharing such beautiful blogs.

[coolmind]

The place really deserves the title.
It reminded me of a temple near vadodara. But I could not recall the name of that place. So kindly excuse me.
Even that temple is on hills covered with clouds, lot of waterfalls. Its a nice place for trekking lovers.
Hope anyone of the BHPians can help me in recalling the name of that place.

[coolmind]

Originally Posted by coolmind

The place really deserves the title.
It reminded me of a temple near vadodara. But I could not recall the name of that place. So kindly excuse me.
Even that temple is on hills covered with clouds, lot of waterfalls. Its a nice place for trekking lovers.
Hope anyone of the BHPians can help me in recalling the name of that place.

The place is pavagadh. Sorry for my bad memory.
Please visit the below link for details on wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavagadh_Hill

I personally recommend to go by walk (even though there is a rope way) over the mountain inorder to enjoy the greenery as well as the beautiful waterfalls. Luckily I visited during monsson, so the waterfalls were in full roar.
If possible, I will try to post some pics out of my vault.

[itwasntme]

Stunning! We have passed by that turnoff at least 20 times but never gone up to the HG Hills. Earlier, the road all the way till the temple was reputed to be in very bad condition. After it was fixed, the 20 km bus ride put us off (family members suffer from nausea from hill driving + bus).

But now very much in the agenda after this beautiful travelogue!

[vgsr]

Thanks for the post. I keep passing this turnoff each time I go to Coonoor from Bangalore and wondered about this place. Didnt realise about the temple and beauty as can be seen from your photographs. I must visit it on my next trip.. Thx once again