Shivagange, it is more than divinity & trekking, but peace!
Shivagange, Dakshina kashi is located at around 50 km from Bangalore towards Tumkur. It is one of the greatest places for trekking in & around Bangalore. The Shivagange hill is around 805 mts and a centre with number of historical temples spread across the hill. It is situated in Nelamangala Taluq of Bangalore Rural area! This serene place is disturbed a bit with low maintenance & human negligence though it is less explored.
Attractions:
Main attraction here is nature itself with huge mountain
peak, small water bodies and temples. Temples are Honnadevi Gangadareshwara
temple, Gavi HaLe matt & PaataLa gange, Olakallu Punya
teertha, Jyothirlinga & Shiva
Parvathi Temple… In these Olakallu Punyateertha is the best where the idol is
placed inside a cave, which is also a water body. You need to walk the place where
water covers your feet & calf muscle. It is a very nice & cool
experience too. So do not miss this place even if you are unable to make till
hill top as this comes much before that. This temple (Olakallu teertha) has
closing hours at noon around 1:30 till 3:30. Please check about it.
There are temples throughout the way while hiking, better climb up to the peak first and
visit the other temples while coming back except Olakallu teertha if that is
open. The steps are carved in many places and some places it is the walking
path on soil. Also steal/ iron rods & railings are installed with the help
of which you can climb up. Steps in some places near the top are very steep so
you need to be extra careful while hiking. One has ‘Phobia of heights’ is
better avoid this place or can rest in the middle where there is Jyothirlinga
situated.
Climb high till top & just look down, it is just feeling of lightness & peace!
We a group of 7 members (4 adults & 3 kids) started
driving from whitefield Bangalore at around 7 am in the morning on 3/11/2019 and reached
Nelamangala at 8:30. Finished our breakfast in ‘New Agarwal Bhavan’ and drove
to Shivagange which takes around 45 minutes in normal traffic. It was 10:15
when we started hiking the hill and reached hill top ‘Nandi idol’ by 1 PM with
multiple short breaks as we had 2 kids of age 4 years and 1 of 9 years. We covered Olakalla teertha (Cave temple)
while going up. We spent 15 minutes on top and started getting down &
exploring other temples. We could finish the trip at 3:30 pm. We finished our
lunch in the parking area with the food we packed from home in the morning as
there are not very good restaurants nearby. Started back home!
Things to note down before going.
What you need:
- Time: In total 5-6 hours needed to climb up and down starting at the base without long breaks.
- To wear: Comfortable clothing which is convenient for hiking, Pair of Sneakers or even floater sandals will also do.
- Food: A water bottle, carry some easy to have salads or cookies if you take kids with you! Also there are multiple shops selling water, buttermilk, sugarcane juice and eatables till the top of the hill.
Best time to visit:
- During winter as it is neither too hot nor cold if you are climbing midday.
- If choosing summer, then try to visit as early as possible. All together you may need 5 hours.
- Try to avoid rainy season as the stones will be slippery.
What is missing here?
- Basic facilities like water & toilets are not found except street vendors selling bottled water.
- You will find a toilet in a place after climbing nearly half, but there are no doors to it.
- There is one facility of paid toilet near Honnadevi temple, after which you cannot expect one.
- Wastes dumped by tourists are spread in some places.
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