Weekend is coming up and you are thinking of a long drive with your family. Let me take you to Doddabalapura today. I have done this trip couple of times.
First time was to explore the area and latter to visit the ancient temples and trekking options. So welcome to “Explore Doddabalapura” friends.
Doddabalapura used to be a small town around 40 kms from Bangalore. Now Doddabalapura is considered with in Bangalore.
Being near to Bangalore, and with some good off-beat options, it provides a quick one day itinerary for outing.
There are few places of interest, so I will cover it in 2 parts. Today I cover
Bangalore -> Doddabalapura -> Ghati Subramanya -> MakaliDurga -> Vidurashwatha (Gauribidanur)
Lets start with quick facts
Distance from Bangalore : approx 130 Kms for complete trip. Doddabalapura is 40 kms from Bangalore.
Travel time (one way) : 1 hour and 30 mins during early morning, 2 to 3 hrs during peak traffic hours
Road Conditions: Very good
Parking available : yes
Food: Many on the way till doddabalapura. Limited after that.
What all to see there : Temples, Hills, Trekking
Below is the itinerary I suggest.
Bangalore -> Doddabalapura -> Ghati Subramanya -> MakaliDurga -> Vidurashwatha (Gauribidanur)
- Leave Bangalore by 7.00 AM and plan Ghati Subramanya as your first stop. It will take around 2 hours to reach there. If you reach early you will much rush.
- You will be able to finish the darshan with in 1 hour maximun.
- By 10.00 AM you will be free, head towards Makali Durga which is around 15kms from Ghati Subramanya. Will take around 30 mins to reach there. It is a hilly area with lot of curves so advisable to drive slow.
- Spend an hour there and come back to Doddabalapura by 12.00 PM
- Have a relaxed lunch at Doddabalapura. There are few options there.
- By 1.30 head towards Gaurbidanur, which is another 50Kms approximately. Reach there by 2.30 PM. Drive slow. Nice road. Enjoy it. Lot of people sell fresh Gauva on the way. Taste the fresh Gauva 🙂
- There are 3 things to see there. One is Nagadevta temple, another one is tree planted by Vidura of mahabharta times and a park which is know as jaliwalan bagh of south India.
- All this will take another 1 to 2 hours. Finish your day by 4.30 and head back to Bangalore
- You will be back in Bangalore by 6.30 to 7 PM and will have enough time for a evening movie 🙂
Enjoy some photos below. Have fun with your trip!
Ghati Subramanya is a ancient temple built in dravidian style, dedicated to Lord Subramanya and Lord Lakshmi Narasimha.
This is also one of the oldest temple in the region dedicated to snake worship.
The idol of the Lord is said to be swayambhu i.e both the idols are believed to have emerged from earth.
The idol of Lord Subramanya with a seven headed cobra is made from a single stone. Idol of Lord Karthikeya faces east while Lord Narashimha faces west.
To ensure that both deities are visible to devotees during dasrshan, a huge mirror is placed behind the idol.
Makalidurga is a hill and is 10Kms ahead of Doddabalapur. It is perfect for weekend trekking. It is a nice serene environment.
Vidurashwatha is  a small village situated in Gauribidanur taluk and relates to an event in Mahabharta.
It’s 6Kms from Gauribidanur city. According to a legend during the period of Mahabharata, an Ashwatha (also called as fig) tree was planted by Vidura. Hence the name Vidurashwatha.
It’s said that the tree fell in 2001. Vidura came here because he was advised by Krishna to go on a pilgrimage as he was remorseful after seeing bloodshed during the war between Kaurva and Pandava.
After visiting many places, Vidura came to this place, which was actually a hermitage of Maithreya Maharishi.
Vidurashwatha is also known as the “Jallianwala Bagh of south India” because a similar incident of smaller scale took place here.
On April 25, 1938, as a part of the freedom struggle of India, a group of villagers had gathered here to organize a Satyagraha.
Similar to what happened at Jallianwala Bagh, police fired indiscriminately at this group, resulting in the death of many people.
A memorial has been erected in this location bearing the names of those who lost their lives in this incident.
I am sure you are going to like this trip. It will be a relaxed one. Not much rush all the locations I have mentioned, so take your time and enjoy with kids!
Have fun!!
Check this out: Explore Devanhalli