Shree Renukaa Yallamma Devi Temple — Attraction in Karnataka

Spiritual Experience: The temple itself is a truly divine and powerful place of worship. Visiting the Shree Renuka Yallamma Devi Temple fills you with a deep sense of devotion. The darshan was peaceful, and the energy around the sanctum is genuinely spiritual. I would definitely recommend visiting for religious reasons, especially early in the morning for a more serene experience.

Darshan Timings & Tips: We visited during the off-season and managed to complete our darshan in around 20–25 minutes via the regular line. However, during the yatra season, wait times can stretch to 2–3 hours or even more. At that time, I’d recommend using the ₹100 quick pass or being cautious while dealing with local agents — many attempt to mislead unsuspecting visitors. Be alert and use your best judgment.

Surroundings and Cleanliness: Unfortunately, the surrounding area is in extremely poor condition. The cleanliness is almost non-existent: • Many areas are filled with red stains from tobacco (mawa/vimal) spit. • A strong stench of cow dung, urine, and even sewage is present at multiple spots. • The Yeni Kund water is in a terrible state — it smells like sewage and is not suitable for any ritual use. • There are pigs roaming around, and some corners are literally unbearable due to foul smells. • No proper changing rooms for women — a serious inconvenience for devotees.

Civic Sense and Management: There is little to no civic sense among visitors or locals. • People do not follow queues. • There’s zero security or organized crowd management. • Local vendors often try to trick or overcharge you — whether you’re shopping or trying to get darshan.

Accommodation: We stayed at a nearby government resort/lodge. The condition was just average — the rooms had an unpleasant odor similar to the surroundings. It’s manageable for one night, but I would not recommend staying overnight unless absolutely necessary. Carrying a room freshener is highly advised.

Roads and Travel Info: • Roads leading to the temple are in excellent condition. • CNG is not available in most of Karnataka, so plan fuel accordingly. • Petrol and diesel are available at the base and along the way, but don’t rely solely on CNG.

Other Tips: • Carry a mask, ample sanitizer, perfume, drinking water, snacks, extra clothes, and a change of footwear (in case you step in anything unpleasant). • Odomos or mosquito repellent cream is a must, especially if you’re staying overnight. • Carry cash, as UPI payments often fail due to poor network connectivity. • Airtel works moderately, • Vi and BSNL are more reliable, • Jio has almost no signal in the area.

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Final Verdict: The temple is spiritually uplifting and worth visiting, but the surrounding environment and management need serious improvement. If you plan well and take precautions, your visit can still be fulfilling. Ideally, plan for a short day trip: take darshan early and return...

At Yellama gudda, the conditions and ambience were pathetic. The area around and approach to Yellama temple was extremely dirty and very unhygienic. It was an awful experience. At every step, there were people asking for money. Two sets of our footwear were stolen. I learned from other devotees that footwear stealing is a common practice. Authorities collect money for parking at the entrance to Yellamma gudda without provisioning any proper parking facilities. The road while climbing the gudda is bad but I feel they may repair it as they are constructing culverts at many places. At the temple complex, Trans genders stop the queue and permit move ahead only after paying them some money, pujaris / such people authorized to remain inside the temple complex keep asking for money in their hands and they do not want us to put dakshina in hundi. These people are commercializing deity Darshan by taking money. The general area around the mandir stinks with garbage, bathroom, and kitchen waste water flowing on the roads and pathways at many places. Plastic bags, cane baskets (butti) are thrown in hundreds everywhere, road median on the approach road was filled with trash, there are women reselling already used flowers and vermillion by mixing them. An awful experience. That feeling of Darshan, pious, godly was missing. There were no arrangements for very senior citizens or differently abled people. Devotees and shopkeepers are dirtying the area. Awareness needs to be created by appointment of marshals by Govt and also mandir volunteers. It is a very complex situation to handle. Along with the emotions of devotees, there are factors to be considered like the standard of living habits of devotees thronging to the place and provisioning facilities accordingly, building of infrastructure like water, parking, camping grounds, hostels, toilets to curb open defecation, drainage system, good roads, hawkers /shop management, keeping in check the prices of items sold ( shops sell about 20% more than MRP), regulation of donations to ensure devotees put the offerings in hundi only and not giving in the hands of pujaris, provision of basic requirements of devotees while standing in queue (toilet, water, rest area), devotees can be made to sit on benches and chairs in gropups of 200 to 300 persons and can be staged forward in batches for darshan, creation of additional facilities for senior citizens and differently abled...

i wanted to contact the authorities of this temple through mail or number anything, but I am not able to find any source anywhere to reach them. the reason is, my family and myself from Maharastra went to witness this holy place of Renuka Yallama Devi Karnataka, and mine was the first time, we do goddess Pooja and trust the divinity of her mother power and purity she posses, we get to know through her story, but it's very saddening part that the cleanliness they posses is pathetic, we say cleanliness is next to godliness., and this place is actually place for many pilgrimages and considered one of the finest pilgrimage, of cource with no proper maintainence. Shri Renuka Yellama is so strict goddess, and around her place we see numrous dump not at one place but between meters, and also the development around, or the proper way for devotees to reach to main place, it's speechless, with no proper arrangements, no security, no proper traffic control just nothing, i wonder where all the charity goes. even inside the temple they don't even let us wait for a sec to say a prayer they simply push as soon as you enter, and if not that, women's bringing out sarees and other stuff for Devi, they snatch it and directly replace it -without even showing (giving blessings) it to the Devi. it's so disheartening experience, we have a rich and strict culture to devote but couldn't do it, and many who came. And most importantly, many may not know, before visiting Yellamma Devi, we visit JogalBhau to take the shower, their is connection and story behind, if anyone visit you could actually feel so wasted, all the waste material you find every half meter 'its so SHAMEFUL', with no changing rooms or water treatment or proper dumping place, We may go for own greedy wishes to come true and pray but neglect the soul of us and eyes of Devi and ours too neglecting the cleanliness around, i have been the witness.atleast it's our whole responsibility or atleast people marketing out to keep the temple clean, or not to sell anything around. if anyone, i request, knows any contact to Karnataka pilgrimage or authorities or managers or privileged contact source or any way I can or you can reach this to them though they know, please drop it below....