Yet another destination driving past Devarayanadurga we saw a sign that read ‘Madhugiri’ in that direction.
Madhugiri Fort OR Madhugiri Betta is approximately 110km from Bangalore. You can drive out to Tumkur on NH4, turn right and drive for another 40+ kilometers to reach Madhugiri. Alternatively another route towards right at Dobbspet, about 20km after the toll gate at Nelamangala you will fine a road leading to Madhugiri.
It takes up to 2 hours to get to the top and an hour to get back. Sections of the climb are steep and can be difficult. Do Carry food and water, as there is no food available on the way.
Looking up from the base of the hill, Madhugiri Fort looks like a maze of randomly built series of strong walls on the slopes. Adding another 20 minutes to get back and another 10 to move on the top, we expected to be back in less than an hour and a quarter. It was 12.30pm, which means we could be back before 2pm and then look for a place in town to have lunch.
A section of Madhugiri Fort
We climbed slow and easy, went up through grassy slopes in the first five minutes and soon found us going up on steep rocky surface with nothing more than small etchings that served as supporting footsteps. The climb wasn’t exactly a skilled and adventurous activity, but we were occasionally forced to crawl up through slippery sections.
A fort bastion
People tend to become blind to their surrounding when they do not see what they are anticipating. As I was climbing up the slope, I was already becoming aware of the landscape around the fort, with hills dotting the surroundings and wide sprawl of lakes between them. Assisted by patches of clouds that blocked the sun, light and shadow alternated on the peaks.
I continued further up, past a steep section that required some careful climbing, arriving at the highest wall we saw so far. I anticipated a small plateau that would open up to a range of hills on the other side, villages and lakes equally beautiful or perhaps even better. As I walked through the gates of the high wall, my tired body looked up and groaned as I realized we had not even come half-way and were deceived by the walls that blocked our view to the highest point.
View from Madhugiri Fort
It takes us more than 2 hours to reach the top and go through the last of the fort wall. Located on the top are shelter built of stone that could house a few hundred people, perhaps meant to house the soldiers who guarded the fort. Standing on the top of one of those shelters, I was blessed with the views that made up for the effort of the climb. A series of hills marked the western landscape, dominated by a narrow and rocky peak projecting nearly as high as my platform.
Hunger and thirst drove us back and we descended down quickly in next 45 minutes, making our way for the nearest tender coconut vendor. It was about 4.30pm when we finally ordered our lunch that afternoon.
The hill is at an elevation of 3930 feet and is the second largest monolith in Asia. The first work on the fort dates back to Ganga Kings, while the walls remaining today are credited to a local chieftain named Heere Gowda, a feudal of the Vijayanagar Empire. Since the collapse of the empire, the fort was administered by Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan and later by the Mysore Wodeyars. The fort is currently managed by Archaeological Survey of India.
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