Weekend at Avani Betta; Trek to Seetha Parvati Temple

I am wondering why it took so long to visit the Seetha Parvati Temple on Avani hilltop which is at a distance of just 96.3 km from Bangalore! Thanks to restrictions in travel because of the COVID, backyard tourism in Bangalore is high on my list of travels now. For those not so spiritually inclined it is a good trek to Avani Betta, the path dotted with well laid steps, flat lands, trees and small pools.

Literary definition – Avani means earth in Sanskrit and Betta means hill in Kannada language. Some call it the Valmiki Betta. According to Hindu scriptures Sita stayed in this place. Sage Valmiki provided her shelter during her exile from Ayodhya. Avani betta is the birth place of Lava and Kusha. Hence it is also known by the name Luva Kusha Betta.

Avani Betta Trek to Sita Parvati Temple

Geographical Details – As you trek Avani Betta you will come across huge boulders of various shapes. These boulders in the Kolar belt belong to the Eastern Dharwar Craton, which has been a relatively stable geologic terrain for several billion years. The Dharwar Craton is an Archean continental crust craton formed between 3.6-2.5 billion years ago. It is located in southern India and considered as the oldest part of the Indian peninsula. A Craton is the stable interior portion of a continent characteristically composed of ancient crystalline basement rock.

Boulders, 2 to 3 million years old, along the trek to Avani Betta

Steps up the Avani hill

Avani Temples near Bangalore

Avani village in Kolar district has several temples dedicated to different Gods and Goddesses. It is therefore credited with the name Gaya of the south.

Ramalingeshwara group of Temples – a set of twelve temples in one complex.

Sita Parvati Temple located on Avani hill top, one of those rare temples dedicated to Sita Devi. It is believed that deity Parvati, consort of Bhagwan Shiva, was worshiped by Sita Devi here. Years later Adi Sankaracharya dreamed of Goddess Parvati instructing him to worship Sita Devi here. Thus the temple got the name Sita Parvati Temple.

Sharadamba Temple – there is a Shankar Matt and temple dedicated to Sharada. The matt established by Guru Narasimha Bharathi IV during his visit to the place.

Panchlingeshwara Temple – a new temple is being constructed nearby with five Lingams, hence the name Panchalingeshwara Temple.

Avani Betta Trek

The most exciting part of the visit to Avani is the trek to Avani hill top. There are steps laid in small stretches, some plains, some portions sloping with railings to hold on and the final part is a steep flight of steps that take you to the hilltop. Avani Betta trek isn’t an easy trek, but moderately easy one.

I stopped at the final steep climb to take it slow. It was 12 noon, with sun overhead; the climb almost sapped my energy. (Evening trek would have been better, I thought then.) But once at the top it was an exhilarating feeling with gorgeous views to feast on.

I had read there are monkeys on the way up which snatch food packets, however I didn’t find any. There was one stray dog at the hilltop. Some rock agamas here and there standing still and staring at us. The little pools had good number of fish in them.

Flora and Fauna at Avani Betta

Small Shrines and Caves along the way

During the climb up we came across several caves and small shrines, each having its own spiritual significance.

There is the Valmiki ashram, a cave where Sita delivered the twins, Luva and Kusha, midway of the hill. The Luva Kusha cave is full of holes and beating these holes gives a copper or iron vessel sound. It is believed the vessels used has fossilized and turned into rock.

Just after Valmiki Ashram in Avani Betta

Ascending further you will come across:

Kudure gundi – where the Ashwamedha Horse was tied up

Agni Teertha, Lakshman Teertha – small water pools. Since there was no source of water Lakshman had carved out a pool with his arrow, hence the name. Women seeking boon for children have to take a dip here. It is also called Dhanushkod, meaning end of bow.

Thottila Gundi – where the cradle of the twins was supposed to be attached

Horalu gundi – where devotees roll praying for boons and as cure for body pains. I too rolled under the rock.

Luva and Kusha Puja room – notice some unusual holes on the floor and unique double linga in the room where they are believed to have prayed.

Luva Kusha Puja room with twin linga in Avani

Finally at the top of the hill you can view a beautiful temple of Sita and Parvati.

Spiritual Significance of Avani Betta

For those inclined spiritually will find it interesting to know that Sage Valmiki, the one who wrote Hindu Sacred Book – Ramayana, resided in Avani Hill. This story is according to the Uttara Kanda version of Ramayana or the Valmiki Ramayana, the last chapter.

When Bhagwan Rama, then King Rama of Ayodhya in human avatar, heard rumor from his subjects doubting purity of Queen Sita, who was held captive by King Ravana, he banished her from his kingdom to set an example of being the ideal king. Sage Valmiki, through transcendental vision, saw helpless Sita Devi who was pregnant wandering sad and aimlessly. He gave shelter to Sita Devi in the caves of this Avani Hill. It is here her twin sons Luva and Kusha were born.

Valmiki imparted them all Vedic knowledge and also trained them in the art of war by using divine weapons. When Rama performed Ashwamedha yagna, a white horse was let loose to roam freely. Anyone who dared to stop the horse had to fight King Rama’s army. Luva and Kusha, not knowing their own identity, took the horse captive. They fought Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughna and were on the verge of fighting with King Rama, their father, when Sage Valmiki intervened and revealed their identities.

When Valmiki asked Rama to take back his wife Sita, he said that would be possible only if Sita is able to prove her chastity. Sita Mata then handed over Luva and Kusha to their father Rama and prayed to Mother Earth to help prove her chastity. It is said the earth’s surface cracked open and took Sita into her arms.

And thus Sita, also called ‘AvaniSuta’ (the child of the earth) as it is believed she was found while the earth was being ploughed, went back to the arms of her mother! 

Sita Devi Temple on Avani Betta near Kolar

The purohit at Sita Parvati temple will show you the spot inside the temple where this is believed to have happened. As an act of repentance for fighting with Luva and Kusha, the four brothers prayed to Bhagwan Shiva for forgiveness. The four temples in Ramalingeshwara complex were built by Nolamba rulers in 10th century over the lingas which were installed by Valmiki as papa pariharam (act of repentance).

Tips for trek up Avani Hill

• Entire walk up the hill is not shaded.
• Use sunscreen to protect your skin, wear a sun hat or carry an umbrella.
• Carry enough water/fruit juices on sunny days. Maybe light snacks too.
• No shops are available on the hills. No rest rooms on the way.
• Park bike and cars at hill base, no formal parking available here
• It should take less than an hour to reach the top if you don’t pause for long at the various small shrines on the way for photography.
• Many pilgrims to this place consider the place sacred and they trek barefoot. Please do not enter the shrines with shoes on.

Stack of stones Avani – Childless couples and those seeking boons stack up flat stones in this manner in front of the shrines

Nearby Sites

You can visit several temples nearby like the Mulbagal Temple, Kotilingeshwara Temple.

Other weekend getaway from Bangalore – Unique Jain Temple: Mandaragiri Guru Mandir

Best Time to Visit Avani Betta

The best hiking friendly time of the year are the winter months – Nov to mid Feb. Avoid the rainy season – June and July. Best time of the day to trek up Avani Betta would be early in the morning or afternoon. The sunsets are mesmerizing to view from the hill top I am told.

If you are spiritually inclined, visit during the Maha Shivaratri festival. The temple chariot is decorated and drawn for a procession by local people during the festival.

Location and How to reach Avani

The village Avani falls in Kolar district of Karnataka state. Avani is a good weekend destination from Bangalore. The distance from Bangalore to Avani is 96.3 km and from distance Kolar to Avani is 31.3 km via NH75.

Nearest International airport is Kempegowda International Airport, 51.99 km.

Nearest railway station is Coromandel, 12.39 km.

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