A hill full of mythical magic

Lush dense trees all the way to the top. Credit: DH Photo

Stairs that lead to a temple on the Ramdevarabetta.  Credit: DH Photo

The sacred Rama Thirtha. Credit: DH Photo

To the trill and twitter of birds, we trudge up 385 steps to the Pattabhirama Temple on Ramadevarabetta, one of several hillocks that dot Ramanagara, 50 km away from Bengaluru. While most people would associate the place with the shooting of the 1975-released Hindi film Sholay, locals believe that it has significant mythological connections as well.

The climb to the top of the 3,800-feet-tall hillock via well-laid steps with railings on both sides is a veritable test of our cardiac health. A pair of footprints welcomes us at the start of our trek up. To the left is a small Ganesha shrine, and to the right is a rock-cut figure of Hanuman.

Dense greens in infinite hues blend with the sounds from hidden winged beings, kindling the spiritual in us. It surfaces subtle and sublime, compelling us to go on a soul-searching jaunt as we puff our way up. Past the halfway mark, we come before the altars of Shiva and Hanuman. There are five statues of Hanuman in the region at different points, including two in the main temple.

Much of the present structure of the temple is attributed to the 16th-century chieftain of the Vijayanagara Empire, Nadaprabhu Hiriya Kempe Gowda, most popularly known as Kempe Gowda.

Ramadevarabetta is home to three temples — the main one dedicated to Pattabhirama and the subsidiary shrines of Rameshwara Swamy and Kote Anjaneya.

Rama Thirtha and the two shrines of Pattabhirama and Rameshwara Swamy lie in a triangular formation to each other, at varied elevations. On a higher plane overlooking the Rameshwara Swamy edifice is a lookout point from where we have scintillating views of a sprawling Ramanagara town and its neighbourhood.

Figurines of Vaishnavite acharyas, Ramanuja and Vedanta Desika are present in the chamber immediately before the sanctum sanctorum. Exquisitely sculpted figures of dwarapalakas or guards flank the entrance to the main sanctum.

Entranced by our environs, the idols in the temples and the legends we’ve heard, we brace ourselves for yet another trudge downhill through rocky terrain. We climb down the 200-odd ill-formed, uneven stone steps, about 300 metres from the Pattabhirama structure, to come to the 700-year-old Kote Anjaneyaswamy temple set in the midst of rocks and wooded area.

The sanctum has a roof but is open on all four sides. It is one of five Anjaneya statues we see on Ramadevarabetta.

With 1,000 and more steps to traipse over, we soak in the quietude of the hills accompanied by the melodious symphonies of avian creatures, as we make our way to the base of the hills of Ramadevarabetta.

The temple is accessible through the Ramanagara Vulture Sanctuary gate.