Shiva Ganga is a hill about 50 km from Bangalore, 20 km ahead of Tumkur. It’s a pretty tall hill with two Shiva temples, one very close to the foot of the hill and another, that’s possibly around 5 km uphill! The deities are “Gangadhareshwara”, and his consort “Swarnambha”.
The place is just fantastic, with breathtaking views from the high altitudes. Brilliant are the views of the surrounding city, the nearby `pushkarini’ or pond, from the top of the hill. Most of the place is rocky, with r
ailings to hold on to as you climb, and monkeys to make sure you don’t take any offerings to the deity on top!
Some of the places on the way to the top were reminscent of `Prince of Persia’, where you had to figure out a way which is hardly apparent to the eye (the typical hidden ledge you would climb on to)! In all, it was an experience in trekking as well . Inside some of the rocks (of which even the temple and the deities and sannidhis are a part of!), you could find some small fountains or water bodies, that we were told, never dry up throughout the year! But the most intriguing of all was a tunnel which supposedly led into the heart of Bangalore (couldn’t snap this up though!).
The way back was the same, but more easily traced (without the pebbles of Hansel and Gretel), and more nourishing, with regard to the breaks for a Maaza and some coconut water. Took about 2-2.5 hours to go up I guess and around 2 hrs to get down the hill.
Overall, it appears to be a great place for a quick weekend trip.
The suitable timing shall be morning or evening. On week days better go in a group. On week ends or special days, you can go alone, since the number of tourists/pilgrims shall be more.
Bangalore Weekend trips 