Temples in Bandipur

Overview

Bandipur, Karnataka, is best known as a premier tiger reserve—declared in 1973/74 as one of Project Tiger's founding nine sites on the former hunting grounds of the Mysore maharajas—yet it also holds quiet spiritual landmarks. At Gopalaswamy Betta, the reserve's highest point (~1,450 m), a centuries-old Venugopalaswamy temple offers sweeping views over the dry deciduous and moist forests that form part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The Moyar River's deep gorge marks the southern boundary with Tamil Nadu's Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, while the forest department runs jeep safaris in fixed morning and afternoon batches from the reception centre near NH-766, the Mysuru–Ooty highway that cuts through the core and is closed to night traffic (9pm–6am) to protect wildlife.