Trip to Kaivara
Distance: 75 – 80 km from Bangalore
How to reach there: By bus or private vehicle. KSRTC buses are available from Majestic bus stand, Bangalore. One has to unboard at Kaivara cross and from there have to travel again 3 km by auto or bus to reach Kaivara town. If you reserve an auto (Rs 25) or if shared Rs 5 per head from 5 persons.
Route: Bangalore – Hoskote – Kaivara bypass – Kaivara
Journey time: 1.5 – 2 hrs
Where to stay: Yogi Narayanaswamy ashram and a few lodges in Kaivara,
Where to eat: At Kailash giri cave temple – food is provided free of cost. Hotels in Kaivara town is not that good. If you are looking for non veg food, then one should try the dhabas located along Kaivara bypass.
Language spoken: Typically kannada and Telegu. Also, English and Hindi is understood to an extent.
Kaivara in Kannada means a compass. Not sure why the name is so but one can easily get lost around the rocky terrians of boulders and vast expanse of zig zag plains. So people in older days might have required a compass to navigate this place and hence the name Kaivara. It is very small town of around 2 -3 sq. km. Kaivara has religious importance and is historically attached to the epic Mahabharath. Kaivara was knows as Ekachakrapura during Mahabharath time(Dwapara yuga).
What to see:
1. Ambaji Durga / Kailasanatha Kshetra/ Kailashgiri: Here the temple is located inside man made caves in a monolithic stone hill. One can drive till the vehicle stand on this hill. As you start climbing one can have an awesome view of the rugged stone hills and the plains below. Inside the caves one can find Ganesh, Shiva (Chaturbhuj Shiva – Shiva with four face), Lakshmi temple. There is also a big all. If any one shouts then it echos even outside. There are two entrance as of now but they are working on craving out more caves. Construction started around 14 years ago and work is still going on.
Caution: Do not loiter at isolated parts of the hill as there were incidents of mugging my anti-social elements.
2. Amaranarayana Swamy Temple: This is the ashram of the saint Narayanappa who meditated and achieved enlightment here. The temple gives a good view of the boulder filled hills nearby. In fact the temple is attached with one such hill. In one of the top chamber of the temple you will find various small idols, place for homa etc. You can see the cave where Sri Narayanappa meditated.
3. Yogi Narayanaswamy Ashram: This is the ashram of Sri Narayanappa and behind the statue of the saint remains his samadhi (last remains). This ashram is maintained by M.S Ramaiah trust. It also provides free food and lodging.
Just opposite to the ashram is the Bheema Bakana betta(hill) where it is believed that Bheema of the Pandava brothers of Mahabharath killed demon Bakasura on this hill. There is myth that one of the caves even now have the corpse of Bakasura and it ejects blood during Shivarathri.
It is easily an one day tour. If you leave early in the morning, you can even cover Chintamani. From Kailashgiri, Chintamani is around 3 km. from Kaivara bypass, Chintamani is around 15 km.
Note: If you are looking some examplery things then you may like to re-think. But visiting here, I think you will not repent given how myth and history is inter twinged with this place.
nice feed back
We started from Bangalore in car on 21Dec2009 at 0930 hrs from Cambridge Layout. Went via indiranagar and reached hanging bridge of KR PURAM. You have to go over the hanging bridge and continue straight. There is no turning till Hoskote. Just after crossing Hoskote You will find a arch towards left. This road goes to Chintamani. The Highway goes straight towards Kolar. Here We have to enter the arch and take Chintamani road. If you have trip metre put metre to zero at this arch. Exactly at 36.8 Kms on this road You will find an another arch on the left. Few autos will always be standing below the arch for bus passengers. This arch is the entrance to Kaivara temple. Kaivara temple is dedicated to saint and poet Narayanappa whose samadhi is also there just behind the deity in the temple. Every day at 1230 pooja is done to the saint and immediately after that annadana for all the devotees are there. The dining hall is neat & clean and has dining table for all. The place has a clean toilet and bathroom especially useful when you go with family. The phone no. is 08154-239525. If you are going in a big group better to tell them for preparing food which is served at 1230. The adinarayana temple and gopalaswamy temple has nice diety. There is brahmeswara temple. All these temples are normal ancient temples. For the young crowd there is bheema bakasura betta which has got 700 steps to climb and it is quite steep. The scenery on top is good. The elderly and ladies can avoid climbing. From Kaivara mutt, adi narayana temeple is just 100 meters and Brahmeswara is another 100 meters from there. From brahmeswara continue on the narrow road for about 200 meters and you will join the road to Vaikunta or the cave where the saint Narayanappa did tapas. The place has a cave and yagnashala. There are lot of monkeys. Go empty hand to see the cave. From there continue straight towards kailashgiri. You continue on this road for 3 to 4 kms and you will reach a “Y” junction. If you turn right you will hit Chintamani- Bangalore highway after 2 kms. YOu have to turn left to go to kailashgiri. If you travel 3 kms you will reach kailashgiri. This is uphill and there are two “U” turns. The scenery is very nice. The temple is worth seeing. Some Reddy is building the temple. The temple is just 14 years old. The caves are man made artificial recently built. There is Shiva temple. They have made a huge hall in the cave with a stage, worth seeing. Further there is ample scope for rock climbing and trekking. This place is best out of all in this area. Here also they give annadan from 1230 hrs to 1530 hrs. There is car parking etc available. From there again you have to come back to “Y” junction and go straight now to hit Chintamani – Bangalore highway. Once you reach highway turn right towards Bangalore. After 2 kms you will get IBP petrol pump on the left. Next to the Petrol pump there is a road towards left. The road is bad for 1kms. continue on this road for a km and you will get a left road with a signboard as “Alamgiri Venkateswara Temple”. Another km on this road you get Old Venkateswara Laxmi temple which is being renovated. The pujaris are very good and you are sure to get a good Darshan and pious Puja. If you have not had food due to various reason you can also order the temple for prasad in advance and you can get food here. The temple phone no. is 9242622987. Return again you have to come back on the same route upto Petrol pump which is about 2 kms and then turn left for Bangalore. Bangalore is about 65 kms from here. You will again get Kaivara arch on the right side and Hoskote arch wherein join highway to Bangalore. We reached home around 1900 hrs. Throughout road was very good. Interior roads are good. Only Alamgiri road is bad for a km.