Sunday 17 February 2013

The Bald Hill that ia rarely visited

Trekking and Weekend Getaways

This hill is not much known to people. It can be your perfect weekend getaway in case you are looking for quite and peace and you are totally exhausted by City life.
The drive to this hill may be through traffic filled roads and it may give you a stressful ride, but all this will disappear in a jiffy once you see the outlines of the hill.
What is more, the hill is relatively unknown and there would only be a handful of people. Even avid trekkers and Nature lovers are not completely aware of this hill. They tend to head to better known places such as Savandurga, Shivaganga, Deyarayanadurga, Madhugiri, Ramanagar and Kanakapura, giving the hill here a miss.
Perhaps the only company you can get at any time, day time of course, is the many species of birds that have made the hill their home. The hill is a bird watchers delight and it s home to several native birds.      
So if want some solitude and get away from the maddening crowds, head for the Bolu Ramadevara Betta. The term Bolu means bald and it aptly described the hill which looks totally bald from afar. Since there is a Rama temple atop the hill, locals have named it as Bolu Ramadevara Betta or the Bald looking hill which houses the deity of Rama. 
The hill is on the Dobbaspet-Urdigere road in Tumkur district and the nearest village is Narasipura. The hill can be made out from the national highway and it grows on you as you keep nearing it. However, you have to travel several kilometers from the highway to reach the base of the hill.
The drive to the hill is through small hamlets with cultivated lands and Eucalyptus groves. The road is narrow, bumpy and winding.
The climb to the top can be exhaustive. Better be prepared to climb in the morning or late afternoon as otherwise the Sun is likely to make things pretty uncomfortable.
The steps are at several places carved out of the rocky surface and it winds it way to the top. There is a temple dedicated to Rama here and this is a recent construction. The temple is closed most of the days and is generally open on Saturdays.
Look around for monitor lizards, jackals, foxes and birds. The remoteness of the hills and sparse human presence is ideal for such wildlife.
Check out the ruins of a fort and even a few caves. The view from the top is spectacular. Explore the caves, climb up the hill, go bird watching and watch wildlife or just sit back and laze around. This Hill offers you all this and more. 
Carry enough water and food.
The hill is 64 kms from Bangalore. Travel along the Tumkur road from Bangalore and when you reach Dobbspet, look out for flyover, cross it and turn right at the first gap in the median. This is the road to Devarayanadurga.
Continue on the road for three kms till you see a small and narrow road on your left. Just a little distance away is the Bolu Betta.

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