Kaiwara is a small town in Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka located at a distance of about 67 kms from Bangalore. The town also has a history, known as Ekachakra Pura from Dwapara Yuga. The Pandavas from Mahabharata are believed to have lived here during their exile.  The hill of Kaiwara is also called as the Bhima Bakasura betta where Bhima is believed to have slain Bakasura.  The town has some very beautiful temples like the Amara Narayana swamy temple, Kaiwara tatayya temple, the Bheema lingeshwara temple, Vaikuntha- the cave where Kaiwara Tatayya meditated and attained nirvana.

Kaiwara has been one place which I have visited a countless number of times since my childhood. In spite of multiple visits, I had not climbed the Kaiwara hill. I had only visited the temples in the town.  I m glad that I  finally climbed the hill during my last visit in the month of October. The first thought in my mind as I stood on top of the hill and looked down was “Wow… why the hell did I not climb this hill all these years!” The view was just amazing…. I never knew that the surrounding landscape looked so beautiful. It is true that even the mundane can get quite attractive when viewed from a different perspective.

we started our trek at around 4.00pm. A  small walk in the alley opposite to the Amaranarayana Swamy temple led us to the foothills of Kaiwara betta. The initial part of the trek had laid steps which were covered by a green canopy. It was a beautiful sight!

The initial climb has a few well-laid steps

We had to climb about 500 steps to reach a flatland beyond which there were no steps and the trek got more interesting. We could see the whole of the Kaiwara town from there.

The view of the kaiwara town from the steps

The steps walk us through multiple boulders and caves

Below are some of the many rock formations on the hill.

Our first halt was at the Lakshmana Tirtha. It was a small pond on the boulders which is believed to be formed by Lakshmana to quench the thirst of Sita. There was a small Chamundeshwari temple overlooking the pond.  I was told that the pond never dries up- even during the peak summer season.

As we continued our trek, there were no longer any steps. After some boulder hopping and walking through small grasslands, we made it to the top of the hill. It was 5.00pm and the weather was pleasant. The cool breeze caressed as we sat there doing nothing. The view was so alluring. I had never expected the area to look so calm and beautiful.

View from top of the hill

The boulders on the hill- They make excellent spot for rappelling

This guy was our companion throughout our trek

The best part of the trek was to sit on top of the hill and relax enjoying the view

As the sun descended to the horizon, the small lakes in the landscape sparkled like crystals changing their hues with the setting sun.  Least did I expect to witness one of the most enchanting sunsets from the hill.

The view of small lakes surrounding the Kaiwara town

The enchanting view of sunset from the hill

We wished to stay for some more time on the hill. But we had to return soon as the trail leading to the hill was not lit-up and we did not want to have any unexpected encounters in the dark.

This hill has all the traits to get listed among  the best weekend getaways near Bangalore. If only, the visitors keep the vicinity clean. It was very disheartening to see a lot of litter on the hill and the beautiful stone formations and boulders painted with all sort of nonsense.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed climbing the hill. Do let me know your feedback.

Happy travelling…