Karnataka restricts pedestrian access to temples in Male Mahadeshwara Hills after leopard attack kills boy

Chairing a virtual meeting of senior forest officials in Bengaluru on Tuesday, minister Khandre said that devotees would henceforth be allowed to trek to the Male Mahadeshwara Hills only during Shivaratri and Ugadi.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre instructed officials to impose strict restrictions on pedestrian access to temples in Male Mahadeshwara Hills.

Chairing a virtual meeting of senior forest officials in Bengaluru on Tuesday, the minister said that devotees would henceforth be allowed to trek to the Male Mahadeshwara Hills only during Shivaratri and Ugadi. The directions came following a 10-year-old boy mauled to death by a leopard in Nagamale area recently.

The incident has once again brought focus to the fragile balance between religious tourism and wildlife conservation in the ecologically sensitive MM Hills landscape.

The minister also instructed officials not to permit the traditional 14-km trek route to Nagamale. “Instead, devotees will be allowed to walk only the final three km stretch under strict supervision. Forest authorities have been directed to provide trained guides equipped with walkie-talkies and other safety gear for pilgrims using the route,” he said.

Khandre also ordered that devotees mandatorily travel by jeep from the ticket counter up to the designated trekking point. The remaining three-km forest stretch will be cleared of weeds on both sides to create view lines, enabling better visibility of wildlife movement and reducing the risk of surprise encounters with animals, he said.

The minister also directed officials to limit access to the MM Hills temple only during Ugadi and Shivaratri. The shrine dedicated to Lord Mahadeshwara attracts lakhs of devotees annually, many of whom consider trekking through the forest a sacred practice. Currently, devotees are allowed to trek the 7-km footpath to the temple throughout the year. “Trekking will be permitted only during Shivaratri and Ugadi festivities, when thousands of devotees traditionally undertake the pilgrimage on foot. During these periods, additional forest personnel and protection squads will be deployed to ensure safety,” he said.

Officials were also asked to install warning boards near the temple steps and ticket counters cautioning visitors about the presence of elephants, leopards, tigers and other wild animals in the surrounding forests. The department plans to intensify awareness campaigns encouraging devotees to use bus instead of trekking through vulnerable stretches.

Over the years, the area has witnessed recurring incidents of human-animal conflict, particularly involving elephants and leopards straying close to pilgrimage routes and settlements. Forest officials have repeatedly expressed concern over unrestricted movement of pilgrims through core wildlife habitats, especially during non-festival periods when monitoring is limited.