The Betta Byraveshwara Temple is an ancient temple and is located near Mekanagadde in Sakleshpur. This temple is found atop of the Pandavar Gudda Hill and is considered to be approximately 600 years old. The temple is also known as Bettada Bhairaveshwara Prasanna Temple. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. In Indian mythology, it is believed that the Pandavas from Mahabharata stayed here for a short period of time when they were in exile. At the temple one also gets to see big grinding stones. The temple is surrounded by the Western Ghats and the view from the temple is a sight to behold. There is also an annual Abhisheka which is held here once a year in the month of January where people come to take blessings. Close to this temple, there are beautiful hills where one can go and enjoy trekking.
TRANSPORTATION AND BEST TIME TO VISIT THE PLACE
The Mangalore Airport is the closest to this temple. From there one can take either a bus or a taxi to reach the temple. It is also possible to drive to reach the temple. There are buses that one can take to reach here. If not buses then one can also take either a taxi or an auto-rickshaw. The Sakleshpur Railway station is the closest to this place. From the railway station, one can take either a bus or a taxi to reach the temple. The best time to visit this temple is from the months of October to March.
ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD
There are many places to stay around the temple. The prices too are affordable. Some of the names of the places are Mekanagadde Homestay, Nature's Abode, Gowdahalli Forest, Heaven's Gate Homestay, Karadi Kallu Homestay, etc. There are also many places where one can eat food at. Some of the names of the restaurants are Badriya Restaurant, Pushpagiri Cafe, Hotel Food Land, Anajur Restaurant, Surabhi's Nx, etc.
PLACES TO VISIT
One can visit Ettina Bhuja which is a part of the Charmadi Ghats. In order to reach the mountain, one has to go trekking. The term Ettina Bhuja actually means Ox's shoulder. This mountain is situated at an elevation of approximately 1300 metres above sea level. While trekking to reach the top of this mountain one comes across various flora and fauna such as spotted deer, gaur, brown palm civet, etc and also many beautiful streams. Watching the sunset from this peak is worth the while. It is also possible to camp at this place.
One can also visit the Kaka Bhairaveshwara Temple which is in Devaramane village. Devaramane means Abode of God. This temple is situated on top of a hill. One finds a pond which is in front of the temple and the hill is behind the temple. From the temple, one gets to see a beautiful view of the surroundings. Few metres closeby to this temple one also finds the Devaramane viewpoint from where one gets to see the beautiful surroundings, streams and lakes.
Another place that one can visit is the Annapoorneshwari Temple. This temple is located in Horanadu on the banks of River Bhadra. The main deity here is Goddess Annapurna who is considered to be a Hindu Goddess of food and nutrition. Annapoorneshwari actually means feeding one and all. Thus anyone who comes to this temple is given meals and also offered shelter in the temple premises. It is believed that Hereditary dharmakartgaru started here in this temple for the past 400 years. Thus there is only one family who has preserved and served in this temple since then. Akshaya Tritya is a popular festival celebrated in this temple. It is believed that this day is the birth date of Goddess Annapoorna and this day also marks the beginning of the summer season. Other festivals celebrated here are Rathotsaya, Navratri, Deepotsava and Havi.
The Veera Narayana Temple is located in Belavadi village. This temple was built in the 13th century during the reign of King Veera Ballala II. The temple architecture is based on the Hoysala architectural style. This temple is built in the Trikuta style with three vimanas and is very spacious. The few steps which lead to the inside of the temple have an elephant on either side of them. The shrine which is older is located in the centre of the temple and the other two shrines face each other across a long Mandapa. When it comes to the outer walls of the temple they have running pilasters with beautiful decorative flowers on top. Out of the two shrines that face each other one of them is square-shaped while the other one is star-shaped. The main shrine at the centre has an idol of Veera Narayana who stands on a lotus and this idol is eight-foot tall and quite noteworthy.
One can also visit the VidyaShankara Temple at Sringeri. Vidyaranya is a popular figure in South India because it was he who helped Harihara and Bukka to establish the Vijayanagar Empire. Vidyaranya is also responsible for the construction of this temple over the Samadhi of his Guru Vidyatirtha. Thus this temple came to be known as the VidyaShankara Temple. This temple is similar to an old chariot and the architectural style of this temple is a mixture of general features of the Dravidian style of architecture and Vijayanagara style of architecture. In this temple, there are five shrines. The main shrine of this temple has a Shiva Linga which is over the Samadhi of Shri VidyaShankara and thus this Linga is called the Vidya Shankara Linga. The other shrines are for Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Durga. One also finds a broken idol of Sharadamba here that is believed to have been installed by Adi Shankara himself.
The Sirimane waterfall is a popular waterfall which is located in the deep forest of the Western Ghats. This waterfall is also called as Kigga Falls. The height of this waterfall is approximately 40 feet. One can enjoy a good swim here.
Thus the Betta Byraveshwara Temple is a nice place to visit.
