Revanasiddeshwara Betta

What does it take for a good trip? Good location, good company and good time. I think we had all this during our day trip to Revannasiddeshwara betta last Saturday.

Revannasiddeshwara Betta

Traveling to and from office for an hour is pathetic if you do not have a good company in your cab mates. Fortunately our cab has had best team members who are interesting, cooperative and understanding. So to celebrate this one year of bonding we all share during the travel to office, we decided to go for a trekking. 8 of 13 agreed to join on the day fixed.

The village surrounding the Revannaiddeshwara betta is one of our cab mates (C) home. It was extremely nice of him to invite us over. The weather was perfect; sun hid behind a thin layer of moistness throughout the day. We left Bangalore at 8:20 Am in two cars, reached the base of the hill at around 9:45 AM. One has to take a deviation to left soon after Ramanagara town.

Already excited by the drive into the greenery we were all enthusiastic to start the climb. We took off-routes occasionally. It was a beautiful sight from the top, overlooking the mangoe groves and fields.

View from Summit

One reaches the summit first and then walks down to other side to reach main shrine inside a cave. One of my friends KK, chanted the Rudra mantra, which created a magical and pious atmosphere.

I call this picture"Togetherness"

There are totally 3 temples on the hill – At summit is Revannasiddeshwara betta, midway is Bheemeshwari (Named after Bheema) and Renukamba temple at the base. The temple at the base has a noticeably beautiful garden neatly maintained by the villagers.

At the base, is also a matt, which offers lunch to the devotees. Having arrived on a special day with some special offering by a devotee we were served Payasam and obattu.

After lunch we left to a more or less secret place owned by the friend C. It’s a nice patch of green land midst Kappi betta, walled by trees and rocks from all four sides and situated near an artificial lake created by villagers. Water from this lake is used for irrigation and fishing. We requested the fishermen to take us on a coracle ride on the lake.

Secret Place, with a cave behind

A Bulbul in the secret place

After relaxing for a while in what I would like to call a secret place we took off to C’s uncle’s farmhouse. It was drizzling on the way; hence it created a picturesque view. We walked around the farm and mangoe groves; plucked some mangoes, tasted some delicious mangoes at their home and then decided to return back to the city.

Mangoe Grove

Delicious Raspuri Mangoes

It was a beautiful and relaxing trip and thanks to the perfect time. Virginia woolf writes - “I can only note that the past is beautiful because one never realizes an emotion at the time. It expands later, & thus we don’t have complete emotions about the present, only about the past.”

In our cab journeys after the trip, during our recollection of the fun, the moments expanded and became complete.