9 March 2014
I was feeling that it was right time to introduce my
daughter to trekking world. While she enjoys travelling to different places,
she was not into long walks. So, to acquaint her with trekking life, I thought
about taking her to some easier but little demanding place. Siddara Betta was
an ideal place; I had not visited it and also heard that it was an easy trek to
start with.
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| Start of the trek |
Trek to Siddara Betta was simple. Steps are constructed all
the way to the top. Since the summit has a Temple with religious significance,
we encountered people all along the way.
In trekking, the initial part is always tough. The body is
not yet “warmed up” and resists any attempt to push it harder. My daughter was
in that phase and she hated trekking very much. Encouraging words from me
started to pull her up. Breaks were frequent to give her some rest.
As we started climbing up and scenery improved, Tanu started
to get the flow. The walk seemed to be much smoother now though my wife started
falling back!!
At midway, steps end where the rocky area starts. Railings were
in place which made the climb easier. Here was a stretch where we had to walk
on loose stones. My daughter had to struggle a bit but she could manage it. It
was then a short climb to the top.
As mentioned, a Temple is constructed inside the boulders. A
small tea shop and people selling the pujs stuff occupied the limited space in
front of the Temple. My wife found that coconut
there was significantly cheaper than Bengaluru and purchased few of them!!
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| Tea shop |
It is the caves Siddara Betta is famous for. They are really
narrow, dark and deep. A guide and a torch are very much needed if we do not
want to get lost in the labyrinth.
After the Temple the route still climbs up to the top of the
hill. My wife and daughter decided to rest near the Temple while I made a quick
visit to the top and retuned back.
Returning back took more time as the sun was up in the sky.
At the fag end of the trek, I asked my daughter whether she
likes to come for more such trips. Her answer was “Yes”!! Lets see how it goes.
How to reach Siddara betta:
Siddara Betta is about 100km from Bengaluru. To reach the place from Bengaluru, drive towards Tumkur. Take a right turn at Dabaspet to Madhugiri road. Few kms after Koratagere, take a left turn to Siddara Betta. A board is clearly visible here.
The roads between Dabaspet to Koratagere is not in a good condition due to road widening and asphalting. While returning back, we took Koratagere-Tumkur road and reach NH-4 at Tumkur. It is a longer route but roads are much better.
Labels: caves, near Bengaluru, Temples, trek
