Jolly Miles

Chitradurga which translates to ‘chitra’ meaning picture and ‘durga’ meaning fort is a small town about 200km from Bangalore. As the name suggests, Chitradurga is renowned for its picturesque fort that lies strategically amidst beautiful hillocks and the Vedavati river.

Owing to its geographical location, the fort remained impregnable and served multiple rulers all of whom have left their unique imprint that can be seen across the architecture of the fort. The fort has an interesting architecture that resembles a serpentine and has meandering passages and high ramparts. Multiple anecdotes that add to the fascination of the fort, the most popular being the legend of Obavvana Kindi, the story of a brave woman who slew multiple soldiers of Hyder Ali. The fort is strategically and scientifically built to accommodate granaries, water tanks, oil pits, places of worship, a network of secret passages and water harvesting systems. The fort has both Hindu and Islamic features which were added in course of the illustrious history of the fort between the 10th and the 18th century which spanned across multiple dynasties including the Rashtrakutas, Chalukyas, Hoysalas, Nayakas and later Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. Within the fort, there are 18 temples including the famous Hidimbeshwara temple and also a mosque which was added during the reign of Hyder Ali.

My Journey

Sometimes the desire for a good sleep on a weekend can overcome your love for exploration. The original plan was to go for a 2 day trip to Udupi on the west coast but as it often happens on a Saturday morning, I was just lazy to wake up early and almost in my sleep decided to postpone the trip to the next weekend and as it often happens, you regret your laziness by the afternoon. I decided to go for a short trip the next day but nothing specific was planned. The next morning, I packed for a day trip and headed to the bus stand with multiple nearby spots in my mind; the final plan would be to go wherever I found the bus earliest. It happened to be the bus going to Shimoga through Chitradurga and hence Chitradurga became my destination for the day.

It took about 4.5 hours to reach Chitradurga from Bangalore, a little more than I expected and I reached around noon. I had lunch at a dhaba and proceeded to the fort through the narrow bylanes of the town. There is a ticket booking counter at the entrance and also an option to scan a code for self-booking. The modest entrance of the fort is somewhat incongruous to the splendid fort that lies behind. There is a serpent figurine carved on the walls of the entrance gate which mythical symbolizes protection of wealth and is also representative of the architecture of the fort. As in the case of most of the forts that were constructed in the pre-colonial era, the entrance of the fort is strategically built with a series of perpendicular walls designed to inhibit the pace of charging enemy forces and confine them in closed spaces so that they can be attacked with scalding oil and boulders from the top.

Inside the fort, there are multiple monuments with their unique significance. There are granaries, water tanks, oil pits, armouries, underground passages and lots of other features designed strategically to withstand a seize for a prolonged period. What I found interesting was a modest monument, almost abandoned at a corner of the magnificent fort which was labelled as the King’s palace. For a fort of such grandeur, one would expect the King’s palace to be the proverbial jewel in the crown but the decrepit monument is incongruous and I would imagine, the king perhaps used this place more for his solitaire retreat. The other interesting place is the sanctum sanctorum of the Hidimbeswara temple displays the tooth of the demon Hidimba. There are many beautiful spots within the fort and you can capture some really good pictures. For a fort so beautiful, it is unfortunate that it is not promoted as a prominent tourist destination in the state and is more of an offbeat destination.

Few Tips:

1. There is no proper drinking water facility in the fort and on a hot afternoon, exploring the fort can be an excruciating task. Wear comfortable clothing and carry your water bottle.
2. There are many interesting places and I would suggest anyone visiting to hire an authorized guide available at the entrance to understand the architecture of the fort and the significance of the monuments.
3. Carry a good camera. You will bring back some amazing pictures.
4. If you have time you can also explore the Chandravalli Archaeological Site which is 4km away from the fort. I did not have enough time to visit there since I had to return to Bangalore and I was unsure of the bus timings.

I hope you linked this post. It is amazing how our country has so many unexplored gems and Chitradurga fort is one of them. Do visit there if you are in Bangalore and let me know about your experiences and your views on this post in the comments section below. Travel, Learn and Love!