"Life is meant for good friends and great adventures"
It was a Saturday evening on the 31st of July, 2021. My buddies and I have been longing for a weekend road trip to someplace new that had good locations, picturesque views, and good food.
“𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘱, 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺"
The estimated route was 450 km, we booked a car for 12 hours from https://www.revv.co.in/
10:45 AM - Early Morning :
We booked the car for Sunday morning, and the Revv executives delivered the car on time at 6:30 AM as scheduled - once the car was with us we immediately started off with the trip. Our plan was to have breakfast when we get on the highway and stop for any restaurants or dhabas we find on the way.
Once we reached the highway at around 7:30 AM - we stopped for breakfast.
8:00 AM - We started again, it was a long drive from Bengaluru to Shravana Belagola about 140 km, we just had one friend who could drive so we decided to take breaks in between so that he could have a comfortable one.
10:00 AM - We reached Shravana Belagola, after finding a suitable parking spot (Parking charges: Rs.30), we went inside the temple gate and inquired about the trek start point - we could see the humongous Vindhyagiri Hill in front of us; carved out steps led the way towards the Lord Gomateshwara Temple. Our group deposited the shoes at the counter near the gate (they charge Rs.5/pair), cleansed our feet, and started with the trek. We had to climb around 500 to 600 steps to reach the hilltop, there was an entry point there and we thought we had reached the temple site and took a right turn, to realize there were another 5-7 minutes of trek remaining to reach the temple. It is a fairly easy trek to the hilltop, brief breaks in between are highly recommended while climbing the steps to avoid fatigue.
10:30 AM - Finally, we entered the temple, we had beautiful views from atop the Vindhyagiri hill, we could see the Chandragiri hill right opposite to us and it was a sight to behold. We entered the temple to take blessings from Lord Gomateshwara - and there it was the massive statue of the Lord, we learned this was built more than a millennium back and were in awe about the architectural prowess our ancestors had back in time, we also visited the other Tirthankara enclosures, paid our respects and went down to the open area where people were clicking pictures and took some group photos, we had a wonderful time there - the experience made the long trek to the hilltop so worthwhile. Finally, it was time to bid adieu to this beautiful temple and continue with our journey. The trek downhill was a fairly easy one.
Shravana Belagola is an important pilgrimage center in Southern Karnataka for the Jain community. The colossal statue is 18m in height portraying Lord Gomateshwara. The statue is considered to be one of the world’s tallest monolithic statues. The construction was done in 981 AD by Chamundaraya, a Ganga warrior, it is carved out of a single block of granite and is located on the top of Vindhyagiri Hill. This massive monolithic statue of Lord Gomateshwara will definitely leave you in awe. The surrounding enclosures have images of all the Jain Tirthankaras. (Source - Karnataka Tourism)
11:35 AM - We started for the Nagesvara and Chennakesava Twin Temples. We reached the location at around 1:00 PM. The lane leading to the twin temples is a narrow one going through some rural huts and if you lose sight you might miss it, so check with the locals once you reach closeby to the temple location. The view around this beautiful temple is quite picturesque and calls for some pictures and video sessions so we got indulged in it, it was quite secluded when we reached there so we had plenty of time to explore the place. We spent a good 01 hour here before leaving. All in all - A must-visit place when you are in Hassan.
Twin temples of Nagesvara and Chennakesava temples of Mosale - They are a pair of twin Hindu temples in the small village of Mosale near Hassan city. One is for Shiva and the other one for Vishnu. This is a pair of highly ornamented stone temples showcasing the Hoysala architecture and dates back to the Chalukya Dynasty era. Going by the architectural designs, it was built before 1250 CE. It is currently protected as a monument of national importance by the Archeological Survey of India. (Source - Wikipedia)
2:35 PM - We left the twin temples at around 2:00 PM and started for Gorur to cover the Hemavathi Reservoir. It is around 20 km from Mosale. The Dam was completed in 1979 across the Hemavathi river. We reached the reservoir entrance point at 2:30 PM. It is a long walk up to the Dam entrance. It took us a leisurely walk of around 10 to 15 mins to reach, unfortunately, the Dam was closed that day and we weren't allowed to go in, so we could only see the part which was visible from our side. The entire area is filled with green pasture which is soothing, with an enormous open area wherein you can come with family and friends and spend some gala time together.
3:20 PM - We started for the Shettihally Rosary Church which is 16 km from Hemavathi Dam, Gorur. By now we were quite tired and hungry so we stopped for lunch at a hotel in the city which is known for its mutton dishes and savored our taste buds. After lunch, we continued with our journey and reached our last destination for the day at around 4:40 PM. We parked our vehicle on the other side of the road and started walking towards the church, after a few mins' walk we reached the location to see the church was about 80% submerged in the water from the Dam. The area closer to the church was completely underwater and so we didn't dare to go further, but it was a wonderful sight to experience, I can only wonder what it would be to feel this magnificent 18th-century relic from up close. To our utmost dissatisfaction, after a few clicks and a brief stroll around the area, it started drizzling and we ran towards our car and ended the much-awaited road trip on a high and healthy note.
8:30 PM - We were back in our beloved city Bengaluru.
The Shettyhalli Rosary Church was submerged during the construction of the Gorur Dam and can only be seen when the water level is low during the summer months. This Church was constructed by French missionaries in the 1860s and has a magnificent structure in Gothic Architecture. In 1960, when the Indian Government decided to build the Dam, this church was abandoned. Coracles are sometimes used during summer, to go inside the church. (Source - Wikipedia)
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