Closepet: Hills, silks, temples

The hills of Closepet.

A dolmen found on a less-trodden path in Closepet.

A dolmen in Closepet.

Ever heard of Closepet Granites? As per the book ‘Geology of Karnataka’, authored by B P Radhakrishna, the doyen of Indian geology, and R Vaidyanadhan, renowned earth scientist, the Closepet granites belong to the early Proterozoic era, which is approximately 2.6 billion years ago.

Having trekked all around Ramanagara for decades, I was surprised to come across a protected monument in its old bylanes. The inscriptions of the word ‘Closepet’ in English, Persian and Kannada on the monument inspired me to look into the history of the town.

The place was known as Shamserabad during the rule of Tipu Sultan, and was named Closepet, after the British officer Barry Close, during the pre-independence era. The second chief minister of Karnataka (then the Mysore State), Kengal Hanumanthaiah, named the place Ramanagara, probably in reference to the famous Ramadevara Betta.

Next time, while shopping for a Mysuru silk sari, do remember Ramangara too. Raw material for Mysuru silk is sourced from here, and it is aptly known as the ‘silk city’. The town is famous for sericultural activities and is home to Asia’s largest silk cocoon market.

Geological gem

Closepet granite has long been recognised as a unique magmatic body, which means it has been formed from molten rock material. The narrow belt of rocks in Ramanagara, extending around 50 km in the north-south direction, has younger potassic granites and is believed to separate two distinct crustal blocks of the Archaean era. At this time, the earth’s crust had cooled enough for continents to form and for the earliest-known life to emerge.

The western block has belts with iron-manganese ores, while the eastern block has younger metamorphic rock formations of granitic and granodioritic composition with gold-bearing schist belts. Collision of the two blocks and intra-crustal melting at the end of the Archaean era is believed to have resulted in the generation of the Closepet granites along the junction of the eastern and western blocks.

With hundreds of big and small hills spread all over the district, Ramanagara is a haven for scores of trekking and rock-climbing groups, as well as solo explorers like me. Hills like Ramadevara Betta, SRS Betta and Gavi Ranganatha Betta are famous for fascinating mythological tales. Kabbaladurga, Savandurga, Hutridurga and others have forts at the top.

There are a few lesser-known hills like Belagumba Betta, Jalasiddheshwara Betta, Someshwara Betta, Bheemana Kindi and Abooru Betta. These rocky hills of Ramanagara are also 2.6 billion years old. To put that into perspective, Chamundi Hill is 0.8 billion years old, with its igneous rocks.

If you dare to trek solo along the uncharted routes, you may even find some caves and dolmens.

Ramanagara district has something for everyone, from devotees of different faiths to nature lovers, amateur rock climbers and veteran trekkers. There is Channapatna for world-famous wooden toys, Magadi for the tomb of Kempegowda, and Kanakapura for forests and wildlife. Apart from these, each taluk boasts numerous ancient places of worship. It is no wonder Ramanagara was chosen as the ideal place for establishing the well-known Janapada Loka.

Next time, as you drive along Ramanagara, do move on to one of the many highways, towards Magadi, Kunigal, Kanakapura or Muduvadi, and trek to any betta, climb to the top and enjoy being in the lap of Mother Nature, appreciating her free gifts to all of us.