The Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta is 70 kms away from Mysore, en route Bandipur National Park and Ooty. One can visit Nanjanagud, some 40 kms down the road from Mysore on the same route, a famous Shiva Temple on the banks of river Kabini.
The road till Hangala being a Highway, from where you have to take a right deviation, is very good. Next 11 kms which is a gradual uphill, is motorable even for a bus. Even the ascent is a spectacular display of Bandipur range of western ghat landscape. There is a check post, to collect the entry fee (Rs. 50/- per car) and all the plastic bags and containers. The officials even checked our car luggage space for any plastic articles. And the deadline for returning (an hour and a half) is also mentioned in the ticket.
Once at the top it is a visual treat. The ranges of Bandipur can be viewed with scattered clouds doing a hide n seek. There is a cute temple dedicated to Lord Krishna and the place is covered with mist for most part of the year. hence the name Himavad (Misty) Gopalaswamy (Lord Krishna) Betta (Hill).
I visited during October 2011, the rainy season almost ended. But this place was full of clouds. People used to trek 2 to 3 kms from the temple to reach view points around here. Now the trekking is not allowed and a police man is posted here, as elephants often spotted straying here. Yet, the view from around the temple and feel of mist even during the summer itself is enough for people to throng here for a short visit.
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