One day trek to Nijagal betta and Devarayana Durga

We decided to go for one weekend trekking this time. So my friend Naveen forwarded the link on, the place called Nijagal betta..So on Sunday we decided to go and started at around 6:30am from JP nagar,we 6 ppl with 3 bikes headed towards Nijagal betta..We went by NICE road..it was chilling weather in the morning with the cold breeze blowing. When we crossed half way we got to see sunrise. We knew Tumkur highway is always busy with trucks..somehow we managed to overtake the trucks and reached one small city. We had thatte idli and tea there as a morning breakfast and continued our journey. Reached dabaspet at around 8.30am and went further away and stopped our vehicle near to Reliance petrol pump and started walking towards the betta.

Sunrise and reuined temple at Nijagal

About the destination:

Nijagal Betta is not popular, it’s got a Dargha on top with a temple in ruins at the base and a twin-kalyani. The climb to the top was not tiring at all.

Nijagal Betta is a hillock of ruined temples, forts, caves and striking rock formations. However, much of all this, save for a portion of the fort wall, is not visible from the road. It’s believed that Hyder Ali and Peshwa Madhav Rao fought a war here.

Though the hill is accessible from a nearby village, the nearest path is from the highway.

But the path becomes rocky as you climb, thus giving a better foothold.

can see NH-4 and Mysore railway track,Carving of Hanuman
Half way up the hill, the two outer layers of the fort come into view. The fort is believed to have been built by Chikkadevaraya Wadiyar in the mid-17th century.

There are plenty of abandoned structures worth exploring. The path has many sculptors from the Hoysala period and also has rock etchings that appear to be pre-historic, but this hasn’t been authenticated.

This path finally leads to a set of adjacent caves that nestle a small Sri Siddeshwara (Shiva shrine) and Dargah, which are popular among local villagers.

We finished our Nijagal trekking by 10.30am and we had enough time so we thought of visiting Devarayana durga which is the nearest fort.

Located 80 Kms from Bangalore (Bengaluru) on the way to Tumkur, this beautiful countryside of Devarayana Durga is dotted with hill top temples and is an ideal place for trekking.

Yoga Narasimha Swami Temple: The temple, built in the dravidian style of architecture, faces east and is said to have been constructed by Kanthirava Narasaraja I. From the inscriptions numbered Tumkur 41 and 42, we learn that the enclosure and tower were repaired in 1858 by the Mysore king Krishnaraja Wodeyar III.

Outside the temple is a small pond and beside that is the way to go right to the top of the hills. We ventured on the pathways, no steps here and went towards the top, we had to navigate through some rocks, narrow pathways before reaching the top. The top of the hill has some building structure which I am unable to say what.
It looks like a place where the person keeping watch would rest.

Yoga narasimha temple,Devarayana durga
This place offered splendid view of the places around and it was quite a wonderful experience to be able to stand there with the cold breeze blowing. It took me to a totally different world all together. It was an experience which cannot be put down in words. People say what do you get by going up the hills, I say you have to climb one and see the view from the top to really understand the true feeling.

How to reach:

Tumkur Highway(NH-4)-->Dabbaspett-->Reliance Petrol pump(opp)

Distance

80kms from B'lore