Bettada Byraveshwara and Sakleshpur's hilltop temples - timings and how to reach

Bettada Byraveshwara Temple sits on Pandavara Gudda near Mekanagadde, about 35 km and roughly an hour from Sakleshpur via Hanbal. Google lists it open 7 am to 4:30 pm daily, but the sanctum is usually opened for the morning pooja, so go early. A steep road ends at a parking area, then a 15-minute walk up stone steps.

Down in Sakleshpur, the Sri Sakleshwara Swamy Temple, the Shiva temple that gives Sakleshpur its name, needs no climb and is open 7 to 11 am and 4 to 8:30 pm. The Ayyappa Swamy temple at Lake Park is another short stop in town, so of the three, only Bettada Byraveshwara needs the climb. Hours can change on festival days.

This guide covers each temple's location and the road up, how to read the timings, the walk to the famous Pandavara Gudda viewpoint and its best light, Patla Betta and Devaramane, what to wear, and a one-day plan. First, the three temples side by side.

Sakleshpur's temples at a glance

Temple
Where
From Sakleshpur
Open (Google listing, Oct 2026)
ClimbBettada Byraveshwara Temple | Pandavara Gudda, near Mekanagadde | about 35 km, about 1 hour via Hanbal | 7 am to 4:30 pm; sanctum usually opened for the morning pooja | steep road, then a 15-minute walk up steps
Sri Sakleshwara Swamy Temple | BM Road, by the Hemavathi bridge, in town | in town (12.2 km from Ashvana) | 7 to 11 am, 4 to 8:30 pm | none
Ayyappa Swamy temple | Sakleshpur Lake Park | in town (9.3 km from Ashvana) | daytime, in town | none

Hours can change on festival days. There is no entry fee at Bettada Byraveshwara.

Next, what the hill temple is, and its exact location.

What is Bettada Byraveshwara Temple, and where exactly is it

Bettada Byraveshwara Temple is a stone Shiva temple, dedicated to him as Byraveshwara (Bhairava), on top of Pandavara Gudda near Mekanagadde in the Western Ghats. Its full name is Shri Bettada Bhairaveshwara Swamy Temple, and many people search for it as Betta Byraveshwara Temple. "Bettada" means "of the hill".

On the map, its location is near Mekanagadde, at the edge of Sakleshpur taluk where it meets Mudigere, which is why the address reads Maragunda, Mudigere. By road it is about 35 km from Sakleshpur town.

The temple is believed to be about 600 years old and is built of dark stone. Local tradition says the Pandavas stayed on this hill during their exile, and Pandavara Gudda takes its name from that story. The temple's own account tells of the sage Mandavya, to whom Shiva appeared as a lingam on the hilltop.

The hilltop is open, with Western Ghats ridges all around and coffee and forest below, and that view is what the temple is famous for. An annual Abhisheka in January and Maha Shivaratri bring the biggest crowds.

Getting up there takes a drive and a short climb.

How do you reach Bettada Byraveshwara Temple from Sakleshpur

Bettada Byraveshwara Temple is reached by road from Sakleshpur, about 35 km toward Hanbal and Mekanagadde, roughly an hour's drive. The road ends near the temple, and the last part is on foot.

The drive. Leave Sakleshpur on the road toward Hanbal and follow your map to Mekanagadde; save the temple's location on it before you set off. Coffee estates and forest line most of the way. Without a car, taxis and jeeps from Sakleshpur make the trip up.

Coming from Bengaluru, Sakleshpur itself is about 220 km and 4 to 5 hours away, so treat the temple as a morning outing after a night in Sakleshpur, not a day trip from the city.

The last stretch. The last few kilometres climb steeply. Drive them in low gear and in daylight; a 2012 drive report advised first gear so the car does not stall. In heavy rain the slope is harder going, and the checklist further down covers the monsoon.

The walk up. Park near the temple. From there it is about a 15-minute walk up built stone steps through the trees, and visitors describe the climb as easy.

The walk is the easy part; the harder part is arriving while the sanctum is still open.

What are Bettada Byraveshwara Temple timings, and when is the sanctum open

Bettada Byraveshwara Temple is listed as open 7 am to 4:30 pm every day on its Google listing, but the sanctum is usually opened only for the morning pooja. The hilltop stays open through the day; the doors of the sanctum do not.

Online guides disagree. A 2024 guide gives 6 am to 5 pm, and other guides give 6 to 8:30 am or 8:30 to 10 am.

Visitor reports explain the gap. A 2023 visitor who arrived toward evening found the doors shut, and wrote that the priest opens the sanctum once, in the morning, for the ritual worship. A review on the temple's own website puts the open window at 7 to 9 am, and the 2024 guide notes that rituals are not held on a regular schedule.

Plan. Reach by about 8 am if you want to see the deity. If you come later, you will still have the hilltop and the view, but the doors may be closed.

There is no entry fee. The temple's Google listing carries a phone number if you want to check before a festival visit. Hours can change on festival days.

If you are up there early anyway, there is one more thing to do before you head down.

Is the Pandavara Gudda walk worth adding, and when is the best light for photos

The Pandavara Gudda viewpoint lies about a kilometre on from the temple, roughly half an hour's walk, with the Western Ghats ridges laid out below. If you are already at the temple, it is worth the extra half hour.

The walk. From Bettada Byraveshwara Temple, carry on along the same track for about a kilometre and climb the small hill to the viewpoint, about half an hour at an easy pace. No forest permission is needed. From the top, the view runs ridge after ridge across the Western Ghats, toward Bisle and the Chikkamagaluru hills.

The light. Early morning brings mist in the valleys, and it is also when the sanctum is open. One regular visitor suggests the walk first and the temple after; if you arrive after 8, see the temple first, then walk. Late afternoon is the other good time at the viewpoint, and a 2023 visitor wrote of watching the sunset from Pandavara Betta, though by then the temple doors are likely shut.

October to February gives the clearest, longest views. In the monsoon the hills are greener and often in cloud, and the walk turns slippery.

For photos, the famous frames are the black-stone temple against the sky and the view from the steps. Our Sakleshpur treks guide covers longer hikes in these hills, such as Jenukal Gudda.

Back down in Sakleshpur, the other temple keeps a different timetable.

What is the Sakleshwara Swamy Temple in town, and when is it open

The Sri Sakleshwara Swamy Temple is the Shiva temple on the bank of the Hemavathi, by the bridge on BM Road, that gives Sakleshpur its name. It dates from the Hoysala period, between the 11th and 14th centuries, and a large statue of Shiva stands at the temple.

The temple is open 7 to 11 am and 4 to 8:30 pm every day. Between 11 and 4 it is shut, which catches out visitors who arrive at midday. Hours can change on festival days.

Its famous day is the Ratha Yatra, the chariot festival, held each February.

You will find it beside the Hemavathi bridge, close to the bus stand, an easy location to reach; from Ashvana it is 12.2 km, about 17 minutes. Unlike Shri Bettada Bhairaveshwara on its hill, the Sakleshwara temple needs no climb and has no entry fee.

The Ayyappa Swamy temple at Sakleshpur Lake Park is a short second stop in town.

Out of town, people often pair these temples with a few other hills, and not all of them have a shrine.

What about Patla Betta and the other hill shrines near Sakleshpur

Patla Betta is a rolling viewpoint hill, not a temple, off the Bisle Ghat road at Mankanahalli in Sakleshpur taluk. People search for it alongside the temples, so here is where it and two other places fit.

Patla Betta. The last part of the way up is a jeep track, and local jeeps run from Patla village. Go between October and February for clear views. Our Bisle Ghat guide covers the road out there.

Devaramane. Devaramane, a village in Mudigere taluk of Chikkamagaluru district, is famous for its Kalabhairaveshwara temple. It is about 20 km from Mudigere town, up a narrow hill road, so it is a different hill and a separate outing rather than an add-on to Bettada Byraveshwara.

Shettihalli church. If you searched for a Sakleshpur church, this is probably the one: the Rosary Church at Shettihalli, built in 1860 by French missionaries. It stands in the Hemavathi backwaters, flooded in the monsoon and on dry ground in the summer months. From Ashvana it is 41.2 km, about an hour, and our Hassan district day-trip guide covers Gorur and Shettihalli.

Whichever of these you add, a few things to wear and carry make the hill temple visit easier.

What should you wear and carry, and are photos allowed

Both temples are working temples, so dress as you would for any temple visit and keep the hilltop as quiet as you find it.

• Cover shoulders and knees, and leave your footwear at the temple door.
• Wear shoes with a firm grip for the steps and the Pandavara Gudda walk, since both get slippery in rain.
• Photos of the hill, the view and the outside of the temple are what visitors share; ask the priest before you take photos inside the sanctum.
• Carry water and a snack, because facilities at the top are basic.
• In the monsoon, go in daylight and skip the viewpoint climb in heavy rain. A 2012 visitor called the monsoon climb "a little risky", and the steep road turns slippery too.
• Do not count on phone signal in the hills; download offline maps before you leave Sakleshpur.
• Expect crowds and traffic on the hill road during the January Abhisheka and Maha Shivaratri.

With those sorted, both temples fit into a single day.

Can you see Sakleshpur's temples in one day

Bettada Byraveshwara and the Sakleshwara temple fit one unhurried day from Sakleshpur: the hill temple in the morning, the town temple in its evening window. The two famous temples barely compete for time, because one is a morning visit and the other reopens at 4.

1. Leave Sakleshpur at about 7 am and reach Bettada Byraveshwara Temple around 8, inside the morning pooja window visitors report.
2. Have darshan, then take the half-hour walk to the Pandavara Gudda viewpoint.
3. Drive back down and rest through the middle of the day, since the Sakleshwara temple is shut from 11 to 4.
4. Visit the Sakleshwara temple after 4 pm, by the river, before dusk.

Hours can change on festival days, so leave some slack in the plan then.

Manjarabad Fort fits into the same day if you want one more stop; our Manjarabad Fort guide has its timings.

That is the point of a slow weekend here: one hill, one river temple, no rush. The only early part is the 7 am start, and that is easiest when you wake up close by.

Catching the morning pooja on Pandavara Gudda is far easier after a night in Sakleshpur than after a 4 to 5 hour drive from Bengaluru. Ashvana is a design-led resort in Sakleshpur's Malnad hills, 12.2 km from the Sakleshwara temple, and our team shares precise directions once you book.

Close enough for a weekend. Far enough to truly disconnect.

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