The yellow is almost blinding as I catch my first glimpse of the temple. The brightly-coloured figurines lining the walls of the temple look freshly painted. I’m at the ancient Himavad Gopalaswamy betta temple near Bandipur in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka.

Built by Chola king Ballala around 1315 AD, the temple sits on a hill (hence the term ‘betta’ in Kannada) at nearly a height of 1400 mt, overlooking the Bandipur National Forest.

I notice two flights of stairs as I get to the base of the hill. The bright yellow gopuram draws me, and I try to keep up with my children who run up the stairs. At the end of the first flight, the stairs take a 90-degree turn. I pause to catch my breath before climbing the remaining steps.

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