The village at the foothills

A painting of Krishna on a boulder near the lakeside temple.

A view of the painted boulder next to the lake.

A view of the lakeside temple.

The twin towers of the Harihareshwara temple. 

A side view of the Harihareshwara temple.

A view of the lake from the hilltop. 

Having occupied a window seat at the start of an almost empty Bengaluru-Tumakuru passenger train, I found hundreds of people rushing to occupy seats later. My new neighbours were two families with school-going children. In no time, I occupied my time with solving Sudoku and crossword puzzles with the children. We were so engaged that we ceased to notice the train halting at every station.

Our engagement was interrupted when the elders of both families notified the children that the train had reached their station. I was surprised to see that most other people in the coach had deboarded. Presuming that we were at the terminus station, I too decided to get onto the platform.

Only when the train chugged ahead did I realise that I was far from my destination.

I took this turn of events as a call from mother nature, inviting me to the hills nearby. Just a few stops from Siddaganga mutt, I was at Kyatsandra.

After paying a visit to the mutt, I observed many youngsters making a trip to the hill adjacent to the property. Even though they were half my age, and full of energy and enthusiasm, I decided to join them in their venture.

The uphill journey

Climbing from one small peak to the others, I spotted a beautiful natural water body surrounded by hills. Thus began my pilgrimage to Devarayapattana village, which is at the foothill of the betta.

Along the lake bund, I spotted a painted boulder, alongside some ancient gopura-like structures. As I neared the village, the painting on the boulder became clearer, featuring murals of a few deities.

Nearby were the gopuras of two ancient structures. The larger structure was called Harihareshwara Devalaya. It is a temple of great antiquity. The smaller one, with ruined interiors, seemed to be the resting place of some poojaris and devotees.

The main idol is a combination of Vishnu and Shiva, hence the temple’s name. Regular rituals are performed in the temple and vachanas decorate the beams of the structure.

An inscription inside the temple records that a taluk decree was issued in 1913 to renovate this ancient temple. As per D M Satish, president of the temple’s trust, the structures were built by the Yadava Kings during the Chola period. Following renovations have been the responsibility of the trust.

Though the origin of the temple is obscure, Devarayapattana has a history of more than 500 years. According to the Epigraphia Carnatica, Sri Thimmanna Nayaka was the head of the Devarayapattana during this period. His son Kencha Somanna Nayaka became the trusted general of the King.

In 1513, Kencha Somanna granted a village to the local God to seek beatitude for his family. Two villages were rechristened Kenchanapalya and Kenchanakote, in his honour.

The water body near the temple is popularly known as Devarayapattana Kere. The adjacent hill has many challenges to offer to trekkers of all ages. Some portions are very steep, and others are carpeted with thorny vegetation.

There is no well-defined trek route and everyone has to find their own path, circumventing boulders and vegetation.