Devarayanadurga is a hill station near Tumkur in the state of Karnataka in India. It is about 80km from Bangalore and the hills are surrounded with many temples. It is one of the lesser known tourist place. It is an ideal 1-day trip.
Since we did not know too much about the place we did a bit of research before going. Many blogs had given directions in detail and said there were no directions specified. So we had carried a map and all written directions. We left at about 10:00am in the morning by car. The road towards Tumkur is a NH-4 highway so the ride is very smooth.
NH-4 highway
As soon as we came out of the Nelamangala toll gate we saw a big board of the Karnataka tourism which had a map and a list of all the tourist places around. Sure enough Devarayanadurga was mentioned. There are directions every 5km so we need not worry at all.
Direction boards to Devarayanadurga
We need to take a deviation at Dobaspet. As we near Dobaspet we get a flyover. Go under the flyover and take a right to go to Devarayanadurga. If we take a left it will lead to Shivagange which is a very popular tourist destination. Devarayanadurga is about 20kms from dobaspet. There are directions throughout the way so it is hard to get lost. The next significant place after Dobaspet is Uradigere. Devarayanadurga is 7kms from here. We reached Devarayanadurga at around 1:00pm. All along the way we saw the view of the rocky hills.There is a parking ticket of Rs.15 and the people there also informed us that there is arrangement for lunch at the temple. We had read in some blog that there are no hotels and getting lunch would be a problem so we had a small tiffin at Kamath Upachar just before reaching Dobaspet. So we decided to skip lunch and headed straight to the temple. There were a fleet of cars already parked along the way and fortunately we got parking space near to the Narasimha temple.We had to climb around 100 steps to reach the temple. The place looks like it has been recently renovated so the climb was a pleasant one. We took breaks in the middle to click picture of some fantastic views.
View from the temple
There are no hotels but refreshments are available at the top as well as the starting point of the temple. If you want proper food I would suggest carrying your own lunch.
Refreshments
After Devarayanadurga our next stop was Namada Chilume. It is a natural spring considered sacred and is also considered the origin of the Jayamangali river. It is 3kms from Devarayanadurga. Namada Chilume also has a deer park.
Deer park at Namada Chilume
The natural spring at Namada Chilume
There were many monkeys there and you have to be a bit careful because they can be aggressive. Do not carry plastic bags around them and do not throw eatables to them. A lady was throwing peanuts to one of the monkeys and after about 2 minutes it ran towards her. The lady dropped the peanut bag and ran away. The monkey took the bag and climbed up the tree. Namada Chilume is like a resting place.
Monkeys at Namada Chilume
There are parks for children too and there were many people having their lunch and taking rest.
I would suggest visiting Devarayanadurga first and then proceeding towards Namada Chilume. We took some rest and at around 3:00pm headed back towards Bangalore.
This is a very ideal place for a day trip. The place is becoming popular and looks beautiful after renovation. There are sign boards everywhere but even if you get lost just ask anyone on the way and they will tell you the directions.
That’s it till now. Will give you some more reviews of other popular destinations.