For those who want some adventure like trekking, roaming around caves, climbing hills and exploring forests in addition to some spirituality, then Siddara Betta is just the place for you. Located just 110 kms from Bangalore, Siddara Betta as the name suggests is a hill located amidst verdant greenery with mythological, environmental and historical significance.
It is believed that for several hundreds of years, this hillock was the abode of great saints and thus, the name Siddara Betta (mountain of seers). According to Veera Mallaiah, Administrative Officer of the temple trust, over nine crore saints including Rudramuneeshwara, Shankara Deva of Haradanahalli Gosala Siddeshwara sect have lived on this lush hills which is filled with a variety of rare medicinal herbs.
I and my young photographer friend reached the base of the Siddara Betta in the early morning. The village at the base was earlier called Budagavi. From the Survey of India map, it was clear that the ascent of the hill by foot would be roughly 1150 feet. The climb was slow in the initial stages but later got more steeper.
It took us about 45 minutes to reach the natural cave temple of the Lord Siddeshwara Swami. It is dark inside and there are no lights. At the entrance, the mountain miraculously flattens out, providing a natural space for pilgrims to move about easily. A few metres into the cave temple, there is a narrow passageway crammed with pilgrims. After squeezing through this narrow tunnel, there is a more spacious area and at the corner is the statue of Shiva Linga, made of black stone, with a metal snake around it.
Near the shrine is an open pool of water fed by an underground natural spring. The pool, according to the locals, has never been found dry, not even in the worst summers. The water was cool and refreshing after a long trek up the hill. It was an out of the world experience and we felt relieved of the fatigue of the long climb.
Beyond the shrine, we continued further reaching Suvarna Gindi, the entrance of which is next to the Shiva Linga. After crawling through narrow passages, under boulders and ravines, amidst rock and dust we reached a place where a strong streak of sunlight lit up the dark passage. As we moved forward for half an hour or so grappling with thick vines coming down from the rock, we reached a place where the crevices flatten into two platforms on either side. This was where the Siddhis(saints) sat for meditation.
We then began to climb towards the summit of the hill taking the path to the right of the cave temple weaving through the boulders and crevices. We reached a tiny crescent shaped man-made pool, Alasande Kere, filled with green algae. We also came across a ruined fort which according to Veera Mallaiah, was built by King Kurangaraya in the 13th century.
It is also believed that King Kurangaraya vanquished in one of the many wars hid with a small group of his supporters in Siddara Betta which was at that time called Suvarana Giri ( Golden Hill). It is also believed that it was during this period Siddhi Rudramuneeshwara lived in the caves in this hill.
We came across a huge boulder spanning a few acres and several mantapas including another temple of shiva. On the summit which is a flat barren boulder, you get the feeling that the world has suddenly come to a stand-still as you look down at the spectacular scene of the valley peppered by oddly-shaped farms, and covered in lush green trees. The world here is in a meditative peace like in a silent era film. You will not want to trade the moment for anything else in this world.