"Shiva Ganga"- Spiritual trek

"Shiva Ganga" is an 800-year-old, spiritual/Religious abode built by King Vishnu Vardhan. It is 150 km away from Bangalore city, India. This place has an equal mix of spiritual, architectural and scenic views. This place is an intermediate trekker's paradise as it has rock steps, small to medium in size, leading all the way to the top of the hill. For a beginner-intermediate trekker, it takes 3 to 31/2 hours to reach the top. On the way to the top, one can experience breath taking views of the rocky but sometimes steep hill, art, architecture of Bull (Nandi), Water Bed (Patala Ganga), the deities (mostly Shiva and Parvathy) and the rocky caves.
The trekking is made easier as there are vendors selling a range of edible eats and drinks. The monkeys in and around the vicinity entertain us by walking, running, jumping and snatching any eatables or drinks, without any fear or consequence. It is advisable to eat and finish at the vendor, as monkeys never near them.​

The trek begins with big wide steps and then gets slightly harder with medium wide steps and more harder (narrow steps) as one goes up the hill. The level of inclination gets steeper and the steps get smaller to the extent that one has to look for vantage points on the rocks to get a firm grip. The last level of the trek is the hardest as the inclination goes an angle between 70 to 75 degrees, there are no steps except for light man-made step like carvings on the stone. There are rails supporting one's arms but the slightest mistake and a slip can make a person rolling down the hill or sideways. Local people prefer to remove their footwear and climb.​

To quote some personal experiences; my daughter was holding some peanuts covered in a Newspaper. This did not escape the eyes of some naughty monkeys as they came running. They tried snatching the paper from her hands. She was wise enough to throw the paper. They merrily opened the paper and ate the contents. This made me think and smile as in a way the monkeys were aiding the local vendors by making sure "No personal eatables are allowed up the hill".
I made a mistake of holding a soft drink and trek. A monkey chased me. Copying my daughter, I threw the drink away. The monkey grabbed the drink and moved up a tree, sat and emptied the contents of the can.
The trek up the hill gives one excellent view of the mountains nearby and different sculptures. It’s a pleasant sight for young and old to watch the monkeys of various sizes jumping, running and eating.
I was initially sad and surprised at the number of bottles and food packets thrown on the ground. Then it struck me, the monkeys approach people for food and they, in turn, react by throwing the food cans and bottles on the ground.​

As one moves up the hill, there are bull sculptures of various shapes and sizes. A bull sculpted on top of a vertical rock with a setting sun in the background gives a rusty, rock beauty to the place. As one reaches midway one can admire the beauty of art in the sculpting of deities Shiva and Parvathy. There is a huge body of water (Ganga) inside a rocky cave. Squeezing in through a small temple, made from a huge rock is another unique experience. On passing through a couple of dark and long door pathways, one can spot a big hole. There are tales that say "Touching water i.e. Ganga inside the hole brings good luck".
The joy of getting water in my hand blinded my mind for a second, as I stood up forgetting the low cave ceiling. A good bump in my head brought me back to reality. Feeling OK, I explored the temple cave. The sights of beautiful sculptures and paintings were a refreshment to tired eyes.​

The final trek up the hill can be very tedious for an intermediate trekker. Steep inclination accompanied with dangerously narrow steps forces one to place their feet sideways to get a firm grip. Kids or a person with small feet can have much easier experience. Rail in the middle of the narrow trek gives a much-needed support.
Trekking in August or later months can make one feel at ease, with a cool breeze and occasional light showers.​

Finally reaching the top, one can experience the joy of excellent views, a satisfaction of accomplishment and peace. The hushing sound of the wind, scenic views, art and architecture and spiritual experience, on the whole, can heal the mind with much needed positive energy.​