Malethirike | Hidden Bells of Coorg
A Mysterious Temple of Lord Shiva residing at peak of western ghats coorg.
This is a small temple dedicated to Lord Shiva surrounded by thick forest residing at top of the hill.
Localities believe this was bulit by Pandavas.
We can find more than 500 Bells around this temple and actually there is no temple built for the Self-Arise 5 small Lingas of Lord Shiva resided at the roots of the Trees. Its completely open to the Nature. That’s what it makes one among many unique temples of Lord Shiva.
Malethirike
What is this place
This is a small temple dedicated to Lord Shiva surrounded by thick forest of western ghats in Coorg range. We can find more than 500 Bells around this temple and actually there is no temple built for the Self-Arise 5 small Lingas of Lord Shiva resided at the roots of the Trees. Its completely open to the Nature. That’s what it makes one among many unique temples of Lord Shiva.
Where it is located: Located near to Palangala village in Virajpet town of Coorg/Kodagu.
How to reach
By Road 🚘- Bangalore to Virajpet is around 240 km via Mysore and many government KSRTC and private buses are available for Virajpet from Bangalore/Mangalore and from other cities of state too, Between Virajpet to Talakaveri road after 14 km a small village Karada is the junction to take left at the arch stating Malethirike temple. Till this junction Bus/auto or private jeeps available. Further 5 km to the temple at top hill.
From this junction/Arch 2.5 km to Palangala village by normal road and from here 3-4 km narrow uphill drive with few hairpin curves reaches to the temple. Bikes & Cars can drive up to temple at tip of the hill but big vehicles like Tempo Traveler / Buses are difficult to drive in this uphill road, it is not advisable too to try out.
NOTE: This temple is available on Google maps & easy to navigate. But after Palangala village a small right turn might confuse, Sign boards are available. Asking directions from localities is always the better way.
Temple can also be reached by trekking from Palangala village, which takes around 2 Hours to reach, this will be the ultimate trekking paradise on thick forest of western ghats.
By Train 🚊– No direct trains available for this place, nearest railway station is Mysore. Virajpet is 100 km from Mysore.
By Air ✈️- Nearest airport is Mangalore, Virajpet is 170 km. Mysore also has domestic Airport facility.
Best time to visit
Summer - Feb to May: Summer season, not much chilling weather experience.
Rainy - June to September: This will be good for people who love to explore the place in rain, as this place receive rain continuously in monsoon. But be aware of leeches everywhere.
Winter - October to January: Best time to visit, fully covered with green and peaceful climate.
Accommodation: There is no accommodation facility at the temple and no one allowed to stay after 3 pm at the temple, as this area is thick forest and elephants is very often on this uphill road.
Temple timings ⌚️: On normal days temple open at 10 am and closes at 2-3 pm. On Special festival occasions timings varies.
Food : There are no hotels/stalls near the temple, Plan your diet accordingly. But everyday after pooja around 11 am, the temple priest will prepare Payasam Prasadha, you should never miss to have when you visit.
Special Attractions
A few steps from the temple makes way to the speculator view point of Western ghats. Every year worshipers come here and offer Bells to fulfill their wishes. Its a unique temple amenity you will never find any where else.
Precautions
As said the last 3-4 km uphill drive is too risky and we have to be very care full and staying late noon is strictly prohibited because of wild animals.
TRAVEL PLAN
Malethirike is located in Coorg
Detailed travel plans for coorg with various options are explained on the Guide page.
Check the link below for more information.
My Travel Story to Malethirike
History:
I have visited 3 times to this unbelievable place and the most interesting visit story among all is - “So i decided to go back”😱😱 😰😰😰…. its just a brief… short story,,, not much big,, 😘
I got to know about this place from a group in Facebook, somebody posted a photo… as a traveler-small information is enough to dig more and reach the place. As its in Coorg, few km inside the Virajpet and Bhagamandala highway, i was traveling to Coorg later & had time to visit this place for the first time, i was speechless after reaching, the next moment i felt is i should bring my friend’s here! That’s it. 😈😈😈 wait!! how was this place then ??/ 🧐🧐🧐
Story - ufff,, cant wait more.. not lucky enough to see the temple, let’s go back..”
Usually its very often to go out with friends for a trip after marriage, you know what i mean if your married ! 🤣! No comments please!
So even if the trip is fixed, the choice of places will be a nightmare! where everyone should get satisfy/enjoy and make a worthy trip. In this scenario, i brought this place into picture with my friends on a Friday night 1 week before the trip. You know what!!! 🤬🤬🤬.. convincing friends to go to a place where they never heard of it and that too its a temple…. 😕🤐… what else you need, to withdraw this place.!! uff! 🤯🤯.. In every friends group there will be 1 person who has convincing capacity or making a trap..,, is so easy for him to fix a place and he succeeds always…. This time also,, after a fine dinner party..,, plan fixed… 🤩🤩.., he thinks in that way, and his name is none other than Guide G**n*u. 🤣🤣! But morality is,,, except him all other friends already decided that wherever this GG shows his finger, we are ready to go with him…. why because they TRUST HIM, (Don’t think too much about finger !!! 😅) !!!# yet, they take a chance to tease him, make him pay the bill, etc.., etc.., YUP, i never want to fail my friends in my plan. So, lets go to Malethirike.
The next Friday night we left Bangalore and reached Virajpet by morning 5 am, with 3-4 tea breaks, only tea friends. in night drive in winter season (nothing else)! 😉!!!! since i have already visited this place, i knew the route, and only 17-20 km left and decided to reach as early as possible in the morning to make my friends feel refresh with thick forest,,, hair pin curves filled with misty fog,,,, pin drop silent,,, ( wait!🚩 how come pin drop silent in the middle of forest with too much noise of wind ,,, drizzle🌧🌧,, & insects, right?? ), just forget that pin drop word folks! which word i can use then ????? 🤔🤔,, yeah,, got it, its Majestic human gas release silence (you know which gas, no need to explain), in every group there must be some one who release gas very often…. i just released some, when i was writing this blog too., don’t worry 🙃.. So we reached the entrance gate after driving up in the hill, yet another 2 km ahead. but!!!!! the gate is closed 🔒,,,,,, .. what??? yes…, full stop 🚩…. can’t go further, end of the road 🚧, ..,
I was shocked when i saw the gate is closed🔒,,, it was 6 am ⌚️in the morning,,,, (of course am means morning only! i know,,),,, it started troubling to me what the hell happened, is it closed today or what ? then i thought, the last 2 times i came around 10 am and the gates were open, may be we should wait till 9 or 9.30 till the temple priest comes and open the gate, we were also thinking what if we walk the next 2 km, parking car 🚘 here only!!!! it was a dense forest and as said the area is filled with wild animals 🐆 and elephants 🐘 visit very often... so we stayed and waited 🥱🥱, we had a long good sleep in car itself, when i woke up the time was 6.30 only 🕡…🤣. F* word. neither we are getting a sleep nor scared to go out, because of leeches.
But we didn’t worried much, because we were on the top of the hill,,, pure cold oxygen,,,, slight drizzling,,🌧, fog is playing around,,, chilling weather,,,, on the left deep fall,,, awesome…. after 8 am 🕗,,, fog were cleared some what and sunlight 🌤 were coming through trees 🌳🌳🌞, Photography started,, we walked nearby, nature walk, nature call, we enjoyed the moment like anything just doing nothing ! so it is 10 now, we were eagerly waiting for priest, usually he will come by walk from the base of the hill via trekking route of 2-3 km or sometime he will get a lift from the nearest coffee estates workers in jeep 🚙 or may be from devotees vehicle if they knew the priest. time is clicking here ⏳, its now 10.30 no sign, it went to 11 🕚, still no sign, no devotees too for temple on that day. i started worrying now!!!🤔🤔🤔,,
Its Saturday, normal weekend, no kind of any irregularities to close the temple. My friends were started to say, may be bad luck for us we should go back and come some other time, i was completely out of my mind,,,🙄 every minute was struggling to me. what happened! the plan failed 👎🏻.,, disappointment. over confidence. 🎯!!! time is 12 pm🕛. almost 6 hours passed. our hope was lost. especially mine. i started praying to god what wrong i did,,, if we go back then its very difficult to come to the same place with them again at least for next 2 years or may be later. you prepared so much for this, you wanted your friends to see this magical place where you will never find anywhere else in the world, and yet failed….! ‼️
ufff,, cant wait more.. not lucky enough to see the temple, let’s go back..”, 🔚 i went to the gate, i prayed to god and said i will come back with my friends give me another chance, thank you.
i sat on my car 🚘,,, i started car engine, tried to take U-turn on the narrow hill road, when i look left for clearance,,, the priest just arrived 😱…. wait! what!! what did we just saw ? yes,, he was the priest,, the moment i saw him, i went to him and he himself said hello, today had some work at village so i came very late and no others were on the way to come by vehicle, come lets go to temple…… i was surprised🤗, shocked, laughed, inspired, lived a moment of god’s surprise… if it is 2 min difference we would have been went back we couldn’t be able to find the priest at all,,, because he was coming in trekking path. IF YOU DESERVE SOMETHING, YOU WILL GET IT FOR SURE. there is something special in this temple.
The priest came along with us in car, we drove another 2 km on narrow hilly road, (remember from this gate-it is very steep).
When we reached, we stayed around an hour and my friends were so happy that this place is heaven and not easy to know it exists. one more thing is, the temple closes around 2 pm everyday, because of forest wild animals and elephants. so after the pooja the priest asked us to drop back to the base of the hill, to his village.
About this temple and place, i don’t want to explain more,,,,. have a visit. read all the details before plan.
Do you think this story of mine is its just a brief… short story,,, not much big,, 😘 as said in the first line ? 🤣, no????? Then think about how one convince their friends every time on every trip and just think if it fails.