Ride To Devarayanadurga (DD Hills)

Destination: “Devarayanadurga (DD Hills)” is a hill station located near Tumkur in Karnataka. The rocky hills are surrounded by forest and the hilltops are dotted with several temples including the Yoganarasimha and the Bhoganarasimha Temples and an altitude of 1204 metres

Rider Details:

Vikram (Myself) – Hero Impulse [Instagram ID: monk_at_peace]

Santosh Athreya – Yamaha FZ [Instagram ID: Santhosh.athreya]

Travel Distance: Approximately 75 KMS from Bangalore

Date: 15-September-2019

After BarjiBetta, I had not been on any rides for a long time. My last ride was a 400 kms Solo Ride to my hometown regarding which I have not blogged. There were couple of rides which were planned by my friends. But I couldn’t be part of it for various reasons. With that being said, it was high time to go out and collect some memories and explore some new place. Devarayanadurga had been on my list for some time and I thought of striking it out from the bucket list this time.

I called up a friend to know if he would like to join for a ride. He denied as he had already made plans to Kudremukha with his other friends. Checked with my nephew who said he has other work planned for that weekend. Called up Bharath (AKA “Malnad Rider” on Instagram) who could not make it too as he had just returned from 400kms ride the previous weekend. One last friend that I had to call was Santhosh Athreya and check if he would like to join. “Bro, I am in for the ride” was the instant response I received from Santhosh. I am glad that he could make it as I had thought of riding solo if nobody turns up. Now that Santhosh agreed to join, we both decided that if someone else would like to join, they are welcome. If not, we both will hit the road and not wait for anyone. As always, I was unable to sleep the previous night although I was too sleepy and yawning continuously. The moment I close my eyes, I would see myself at the view point of Devarayanadurga. Also, the excitement for the ride mixed with worry of missing the alarm next morning kept me awake till 2:30 AM as I remember checking the time. Post 2:30 AM I am not sure when I fell asleep. Luckily, I woke up with the alarm at 4:30 AM.

Santhosh had a personal work planned that afternoon so he asked if we can return soon and still cover Devarayanadurga and Mydala Kere (Do read the blog on MydalaKere ride). Mydala Kere was not in plan earlier. It was only Devarayanadurga that was planned. But, since Santhosh wanted to visit Mydala Kere, we planned to cover that while riding back if time permits. We decided to meet at Gurguntepalya signal at 5:15 so that we can pin the speed between 60-70 kms/hr and still try to cover both the places. Ideally Devarayanadurga is famous for beautiful sunset. However, we wanted to visit this place early morning to enjoy the cool breeze as Bangalore weather starts getting humid as the day pass by. As per the plan, we both were punctual to reach the meet up point on time. Greeting each other and without wasting any time, we started our ride sharp at 5:20. The traffic was less so it didn’t take much time for us to cross Nelamangala and stop for a short chai break. After 10 mins of pitstop, we continued our ride towards Tumkur.

The weather was very pleasant and cool breeze was gushing through our face. Like we say (perfect weather to ride) 😊. I personally do not believe in just twisting the throttle to reach the destination early. Instead I would leave a little early and ride slow. Not just for safety reasons but also to enjoy and feel the ride. What is the point in riding fast and not enjoying the views around you while riding, isn’t it? Anyways, let’s go ahead now. We continued to ride towards Tumkur until we reach Dabaspet where were we had to take a detour from the highway. We took the service road as we had to head towards the other side of the town. This is the same route which we took while we rode to Mandaragiri Hill/ Mydala Kere. To reach Devarayanadurga, we got to go further from the point where we need to take a left towards Mydala Kere. The ride was awesome as it was empty road and pleasant weather. We soon reached the arch on the left side which is the entry point for Devarayanadurga. We saw that there were barricades with the board which said the road was closed. 

At one moment we were disappointed. However, we could see that there was a small space left for the bikes. Without thinking what is ahead, we just entered and continued riding towards the hill. It was a blissful ride on those beautiful small curvy roads covered with trees on both the sides. It was a bit foggy and the roads were good. And since there were no four wheeler allowed, we were just enjoying every moment of the ride on an empty road

After reaching a point we saw that the road was closed. Once again, we were a bit disappointed seeing it from far off. But, when we reached close by, we noticed that a small off road would lead us ahead. Without any delay we just took the narrow diversion off the road and continued our ride. We had similar encounters multiple times. But that did not stop us from riding further. After crossing all the hurdles, we made to the main entrance of Devarayanadurga on the top. I had seen few moto vlogs so I knew the way. The curvy roads started as we started riding upwards on the hair pin bends. Although, it needed lot of downshift, the ride was just awesome. Every time we cross a hair pin curve, we could see better view of the horizon. Within no time we reached the top. After reaching the top, we realized that it was not the view point we were looking for. Yes, you heard it right. Most of you would have seen the pictures or personally been to the famous viewpoint of Devarayanadurga. That’s what we were looking for. We asked few people who were walking by and finally got to know the route which leads to that view point. You just need to follow the small lane behind the main temple, and it will take you to the famous view point. It was around 6:30 when we reached the view point. As it was cloudy, foggy and cold, the weather was just like icing on the cake. One more advantage of reaching early was that there were not many people there and it was pretty quiet and pleasant. We just stood there, enjoyed the view and clicked few pics by when people started arriving and the place started getting a bit crowded. 

The peaceful and quiet place soon started turning chaotic. Before it gets more crowded, we decided to leave from there as we planned to cover Mydala Kere as well. The Lakshmi Narasimha temple opens at 10 AM and hence, we decided not to wait till then as we had to return soon and had one more place to cover on the way back.

We had not had breakfast and I remember having yummy breakfast during my last ride just before taking a detour towards Mydala Kere from the main road. So, we decided to have breakfast there. Saying adios to the majestic Devarayanadurga, we started riding downhill and soon reached the place from where we had to take a right to reach Mydala Kere. Since we were not that hungry, we decided to have breakfast while returning from Mydala Kere. We loved riding through those narrow curvy roads cutting through the villages. There was so much freshness in the air and the wonderful fragrance that you get while riding beside the fields is just amazing and cannot be put into words. The early quiet morning, the smell of wood fire, manure, watching the livestocks and the laid-back lifestyle of village is so beautiful to experience. One who visits such places definitely doesn’t feel like returning to our chaotic busy lifestyle. It was the same though that was running in my mind. Something that I often feel when I visit my hometown in the western ghats. But the jobs and responsibilities force us to return and once again get along with the busy lifestyle of the city. We soon reached the foothill of Mandaragiri Betta. However, our destination was only Mydala Kere this time as I had a bald rear tyre and was a little worried riding off-road for long. As I had mentioned about the route to Mydala Kere in my previous blog, we took a right from the Arch below on the path that leads to the lake. Although this off-road stretch is not too long, it is pure fun to ride on that gravel road followed by the rocky surface.

We reached Mydala Kere and were happy to see that there was nobody around the lake. It was once again a peaceful place to sit and watch the ducklings swim in the lake, feel the cool breeze, admire the lotus flowers, huge mountain view, beautiful horizon and the pleasant weather. It was cloudy that day, so we were not scorched by the sun. After spending some time at the lake and shooting a time-lapse video, we decided to leave the place and head back to Bangalore. On the way back from Mydala Kere, we stopped by for some photos and then rode to the small shack on the main road for breakfast. 

We were saddened to hear that the breakfast got over and there was nothing left to eat. So, we had no other choice than having breakfast on the highway. We rode till Bangalore-Pune Highway and reached Dabaspet. Found a small hotel on the main highway which did not have any name. We had Tatte Idli and Bajji there which was average. I was missing the breakfast at the shack. I am not claiming that the food is amazing there, but the hospitality and the friendliness of the elderly couple who own that place is definitely worth being there. You can check the picture of that small shack in the Mydala Kere blog. Just because we were hungry and with not many options, we had breakfast at the hotel in Dabaspet and started riding towards Bangalore.

As always, the ride while returning from such wonderful location is never peaceful and we were riding with a heavy heart. As we rode back, we were getting more closer to the concrete forest. We could feel the dust, traffic, unnecessary honks and pollution. Our lungs had started abusing us once again 😊. We did not feel like taking a pit stop as it was getting humid and traffic had started piling up. We rode in one stretch nonstop till Kanteerava Studio on Ring Road. We stopped and thanked each other for accompanying the ride and headed home. Although, it was a short ride, it was a much needed one. With that being said, I will end this blog now.

“Go out and create some good memories. It’s the only good thing which you can see whenever you turn around and look back at your life” 😊

Enjoy the pictures below while I signoff until the next blog