Heritage walk

HERITAGE WALK TO BETTADAPURA TEMPLE
 Introduction
 Temple. Bettadapura is famous for its temple. Bettadapura has a temple on top of the hill
after which the name of the town is derived or named. On the summit of the hill, there is a temple
dedicated to one of the Hindu trinity deities, Lord Shiva, in the form of Mallikarjuna.
Hilltop temples hold a special fascination for us, especially those that can only be accessed on foot.
The changing Flora, fauna, and views as you go higher, paths steeped in history, and the stories that
lie hidden around every bend, All add intrigue to weary steps. One such hilltop gem is the Sidilu
Mallikarjuna temple of Bettadapura.
Bettadapura is a small town en route Madikeri from Mysore. Here, rising 1600 feet from the
s0rrounding plains, and standing at over 4350 feet above sea level, is a forested hill crowned by an ancient stone temple built during the Chola era, almost a millennium ago. Over 3000 steps lead up to this temple dedicated to Lord Shive. It is believed that when lightning strikes the hill, the bolt enters the temple and circumbulates the deity; this is how it goes the name ‘Sidilu’, which means lightning in kannada. During Deepavali, hundreds of people from the local villages walk around the hill and then climb up to offer prayers to the diety, all while carrying traditional fire torches of teak or rosewood .The rest of the year, the hill is rarely visited, and remains shrounded in mist and mystery. 



Objectives:
1) Location: Bettadapura Hill is located between Mysore and Madikeri, and is part of a small
town called Bettadapura. The hill is over 4,350 feet above sea level and rises 1,600 feet from
the surrounding plains.
2) Temple: The hill is crowned by the Sidilu Mallikarjuna Temple, which is dedicated to Lord
Shiva. The temple was built during the Chola era and is reached by climbing over 3,000 steps.
The hill's name, "Sidilu", means "lightning" in Kannada, and is said to come from a belief that
lightning strikes the hill and enters the temple.
3) Biodiversity: The hill is covered in greenery and is home to a variety of bird species,
including robins, bulbuls, babblers, and fantails. The rocks are also covered in lichen, which
adds a range of colors and textures.
4) Deepavali: During Deepavali, hundreds of people from local villages climb the hill to pray to
the deity while carrying traditional fire torches.
5) Geography: Bettadapura is situated on State Highway 21 (Karnataka), 15 km north of
Periyapatna. It is located 82 km away from the district headquarter Mysuru and 217 km from
the state capital Bengaluru. Nearest railway junctions are Hassan Junction and Mysuru
Junction located at a distance of 70 km & 81 km respectively. Nearest international airports
are Mysore, Kannur, Mangaluru and Bengaluru located at a distance of 95 km, 113 km, 194
km & 259 km respectively.





History :
Bettadapura is famous for its temple. Bettadapura has a temple on top of the hill after which the name of the town is derived or named. On the summit of the hill, there is a temple dedicated to one of the Hindu trinity deities, Lord Shiva, in the form of Mallikarjuna.
Here, Shiva is worshiped in the form of a murti (statue) and is referred to as Sidilu Mallikarjuna.
Sidilu or Sidlu (Sid+ilu) is a Kannada word meaning lightning, while Mallikarjuna is another name for Lord Shiva. Legend has it that a couple had a cow which was not tied and left free to roam. All of a sudden, the cow started giving less and less milk to its owner.
The owner got suspicious of this and followed the cow wherever it goes. To his astonishment, the
cow started climbing the hill. He too followed without getting noticed. It reached the summit and was pouring its milk as Abhisheka on a Linga. This Linga was replaced by a human-like figure later.
One legend says that if at all any lightning strikes the temple, the bolt circles the Shiva's murti or
statue for a few seconds. Another legend says that a lightning struck through a hole in the back of the temple to the completed statue of Mallikarjuna and made a dent on the scalp's occipital area/portion, which can be seen on statue even now.
Large cooking utensils carried up the hill a long time ago can still be seen, and the base of the hill
has some Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protected monuments. There is also a Sidilu
Mallikarjuna temple at the foothills, in the village of Bettadapura, which is small and plain . 



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