"Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta"(Wiki), one of the most favorite spots of Bangaloreans is situated inside the Bandipur National Park of Chamrajnagar district.The word Himavad means Misty. Lately, the hill range is being governed by the forest Dept. with strict rules and regulations owing to the illegal activities that are carried out here. Amongst the many legends associated with this place, an interesting one relating to one of the lakes, the 'Papanasini' (meaning washing away all the sins), as told by the priest is as follows: It is said that, in the hill ranges of Gopalaswamy betta, no crows are found now. The crows that existed took a dip in the Papanasini and on attaining moksha, turned into Hamsa (Swan) birds and reached heaven. We could not sight a crow either. There is a good chance of sighting wild life, especially the spotted deer, gaur and elephants.
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| Journey of Life |
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| Smiling Sunflowers |
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| Hovering Dark Clouds |
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| Curving Roads |
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| Misty Gopalaswamy Temple |
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| Gopalaswamy Betta |
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| Wow! What a View |
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| Go Green |
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| Fern Spores |
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| One of the 77 lakes |
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| Crumbling Fort Wall |
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| An Experience of Nature's Reality |
From the start of the Forest Check Post, the duration allotted to visit the temple and return is only an hour and thirty minutes. A nominal fee is collected at the check post. Overall, a beautiful and serene place.
