Navadurgas, the nine forthills of Bengaluru - Gardland of Hills
Navadurgas or the Nine hills of Bengaluru, they are the fort hill standing testimony to glorious past of empires that ruled us. The trek to each of them is enthralling to discover the ruins and grace of past era. I always desired to conquer them when we started off with treks in 2019. However, as goes by the saying "One step at a time", did cover all of them by 1 year. With Huliyurdurga, I covered all of them and also marked by 50th Trek :)
I have also covered each of these in individual posts also, click on the headings to redirect there.
It is located at a distance of 60 km from Bengaluru has the legendary Byraweshwara temple. We had read about this and the difficultly of climbing it, due to almost 90'c inclined rock climbs. The trail is indeed tough, after some nomadic walk and rock steps, we reach the temple, however after the temple the trail becomes challenging. The steep gorge on one side, and you have to stick to the rocks like a lizard to crawl up.
Avoid taking kids to this trek.
Bhairavadurga
It is one of the small fort hill among the navadurgas, however the trail is tricky and could be challenging at places. Initially it is nomadic walk until the stone steps, and after around 100 steps the temple arrives. Post the temple the trail takes twists, and it is the challenging part, as the trail passes through the gorge and there is vertical climb of around 8 ft boulder. After all these trails the fort can be reached.
History: This is a small fort near to Bangalore. According to sources, the fort was built by the Kempegowda Chiefs in early 17th cent. A.D. The Marathas also added defence walls to this fort in 1750s. Later due to lack of water, Tipu sultan shifted the fortified town to near by town- Kudur a km. north of the fort, in the end of 18th cent. The fort is intact has two lines of fortification walls, built with semi-circular bastions at regular intervals. The citadel is on top of the hill where a long Firangi [Canon] was placed, now it is not available. The hill top also has three granaries and a well for water storage. A temple dedicated to Bairava, snall but is significant for the Bairava cult in the Bangalore region, is found mid-way of the hill. The temple faces east. It is cave-cum structural temple.
- Dr. S. K. ARUNI Bangalore
Grade : Easy-Difficult (Due to 90' rock climb)
Trail Type: Rocky terrain with moderately steep incline & muddy stretch
Savandurga
Alone Nandi sits on top, overlooking vast swathes of fields, small towns, and hillocks at a distance. He is witness to historical events that have occurred here over centuries. The small mantap where he rests marks the end of the trekking trail at Savandurga, one of the largest monolithic rocks in Asia. Situated about 7 miles from Magadi town, Savandurga has become one of the many trekking hot-spots around Bangalore, testing the rock climbing skills of enthusiasts.
History: Named Savandurga by Immadi Kempe Gauda, this hill fortress was believed to be unconquerable until the British took over in 1791; Lord Cornwallis has written a detailed account about its capture. The hill looks imposing as one drives closer to it and it is easy to understand why it is called the ‘rock of death.’ The Nandi mantap looks like a small square on top and all visible sides of the rock look steep and dangerous; only upon reaching the base does one see the rock’s gentle slopes.
Grade : Easy - Moderate
Trail Type: Rocky terrain with steep incline &nomadic walk on fort parapat, Valley cross over on final step.
Nandidurga
Most of them have heard the drive way to Nandi hills to chill out, and a destination for many bikers on weekend. While the ancient stair way, which is now called as Nandi Heritage Trail. It is stair way to the hill stop built during ancient times for the troop movement. It cane be trekked in 30-40 min, you will join the path to pond on climbing to the top. Better attempted in the morning for sunrise, hardly any people will be around, kindly do in groups, solo not preferred.
History: Nandi Hills or Nandi Durga is an ancient hill fortress built by Ganga Dynasty and later enlarged and strengthened by Tipu Sultan in southern India, in the Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka state. It is 10 km from Chickballapur town and approximately 60 km from the city of Bengaluru. The hills are near the town of Nandi. In traditional belief, the hills are the origin of the Arkavathy river, Ponnaiyar River, Palar River, Papagni and Penna River.
Grade : Easy - Easy
Trail Type: Stone steps all along, cross over valley.
Makalidurga
It is located about 60 km from Bangalore, and takes just short of two hours to reach the place. Makalidurga is situated at about 15 km from Doddaballapur. As you reach Makalidurga, you are stunned by the stillness of the place. There are hardly any people around and a partly exciting experience to get away from the traffic and noise. It is best advised to carry your own food and water while coming for a day trek in Makalidurga. The highlight of the destination is the Makalidurga fort which lies atop a granite hillock. While the trekking trail here may not be as popular as that of Savandurga, it is nevertheless worth the experience. And the best part is, you won’t find the trek to the top of the hillock too taxing. It is a moderately difficult trek, and with some effort, you can easily climb the barren rocks and boulders. There are some directions on the boulders itself which you would do well to follow. The top of the hill gets you face to face with the ruins of a fort, which is spread across quite an area. The view you get here of the lake which is located just a few km away from the destination is fascinating. And while at the top, don’t miss out on catching a sight of the train meandering through the hills at the bottom of the hill. The sight and sounds are definitely worthy of being caught in your camera.
Grade :Moderate
Trail Type: Trail starts will passing over a railway track, then nomadic walk, rocky forest trail, and then rock climb. Approach the fort entry at the summit.
Devarayanadurga
A landscape dotted with hillocks and temples is what defines Devarayanadurga in Tumakuru district. Endowed with dense green cover at an altitude of 4,000 feet above the sea level, the pervasive hilly terrain is about 70 km from Bengaluru and 15 km from Tumakuru. The region’s diversity makes it a tourists delight, trekkers favourite and pilgrims sojourn.
History: The place was originally known as Anebiddasari, translating to the place where the elephant fell in Kannada. The present moniker, Devarayanadurga, was obtained in 1696 after it was captured by Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar, the then ruler of Mysuru. It is also called as Karigiri (Elephant Hill) as it resembles an elephant when viewed from the eastern side.
Enclosed in the thick of forests and perennial hummocks that run all through, the hills are dotted with several temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu, including the famous Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple. The other two temples here are Yoganarasimha and Bhoganarasimha shrines, depicting the ascetic and familial forms of Lord Vishnu. The Bhoganarasimha Temple is placed at the base of the hill, while Yoganarasimha Temple is located atop the hill, from where one can get a bird’s-eye view of the serene expanse.
What makes Devarayanadurga further intriguing is the number of tourist attractions located close by. While driving down the hill towards Tumakuru, Meandering through the cuts and curves, and lush green wilderness, one comes across a deer park at Namada Chilume, five km away from Devarayanadurga.
Grade :Moderate
Trail Type: Nomadic walk, rocky forest trail, and then rock climb. Approch the fort entry at the summit.
Kabbaladurga
The peak is home to the temple of Goddess Kabbalamma and had derived its name from the temple and the ruins of a fort at the peak. It is a ruined fort located in Bangalore rural district, Karnataka. It is at a distance of 75 km from Bangalore.
History:Murari Rao Ghorpade, 18th century Maratha chieftain who controlled Gooty was defeated by Hyder Ali in 1776 AD and kept in Kabbaldurga fort till death. Murari Rao surrendered and sent to this fort along with his family members. During British Raj, convicts were thrown off the cliff of this port, as a punishment. Difficulty Level: Easy (Challenging at few places, with curvy stone steps and railes broken) Trail type: Nomadic walk, stone steps and hill climb
Huthridurga It is also known as Uttari Betta is a fortified hill in the south-east of Kunigal taluk, rising to 3708 feet above the sea level that is located 15km south-easterly to Kunigal, the Taluk centre. Hutridurga is situated about 65 km west of Bengaluru in the state of Karnataka. History: Hutridurga was built by Kempegowda in the 16th century. Ruined fortifications are still visible on the two hillocks surrounding the village. Historically, Huthridurga Fort was the military bastion of Tipu Sultan against British, which was conquered by the latter in 1791. It is believed to have been a seven tiered fort and is considered one among the nine "Durgas" (fortified hills) around Bengaluru ("Nava Durgas")
I have done this trek twice, first time it was very early in the morning around 4am, we totally missed the main gate, so we had to go through some thorny bushes and climb fort wall to get to the trail. However the first entrance is clearly visible during day light. It is short trek however it has 7 entry gates, each one tells tale of the past era and wars it has witnessed. Most of the fort structure is visible and intact. It is a good short trek to introduce kids to forts architecuture and at the same time, a good weekend short trek with amazing views.
Difficulty Level: Easy (Challenging at few places, with curvy stone steps)
Trail type: Slopy mountain trail, rock carved steps, bushy vegetation and nomadic walk on top.
Channarayanadurga
It is a hill fort near to Koratagere, Tumakuru district, Karnataka, South West India. It is approximately 100 km from Bengaluru. It was perfect for one of our weekend trek. You can reach early morning and park near the big banyan treek in the village and start trek. The inital trail is all broken, it is kind of occupied by village. It is a good short trek to explore multi layered fort and adventure. While this simple trek became quite an adventure as mid way, we became two teams one took the regular door to door entry at each layer, and other team wend around the fort wall to explore, however the fort is build such a way the entry is actually from back route. We went ahead with regular path and got stuck at one point where it was an adventure even to come back :)
History: The fort was constructed by a local king (Paalegaara) Chikkappa Gowda, who was ruling the Madhugiri and surrounding areas. It is a hilltop fort near Madhugiri in Tumkur district of Karnataka. There are few temples and old structures inside the fort. This is one of the ideal trekking destinations around Bangalore. Channarayana Durga was strategic fortress during medieval times and many battles were fought for its possession. The fort was originally built by Channapa Gouda in the 17th-century, a feudal lord from Madhugiri. Later the fort fell into the hands of the Marathas. But in subsequent year’s control of the fort changed several times between Marathas and Mysore Wodeyars. The British took over the fort during third Mysore war and then abandoned it.
Difficulty Level: Easy (Challenging at few places, with curvy stone steps)
Trail type: Slopy mountain trail, rock carved steps, bushy vegetation and nomadic walk on top.
Hulliyurdurga
It is about 60 km south of Tumkur town and about 22 km south of Kunigal. The hill is a solid mass of rock and has the peculiar appearance of an inverted cup. Huli resonates to Tiger and Durga is fort. Legends say that tigers used to roam and rule this area during the 16th century. As part of our group Nagadurga capture milestone, this was the last one for most of us, as we had done the other 8 of them. So it was obvious choice for one of the weekend. We had read that it is one of the challenging climbs as the trail is trivial due to rocks, however when we started to trek we realized it was really 90' crawling on the rocks. It is evident from the pictures below. It is important to have proper trek shoes as the rock climb requires at most grip to handle.
Difficulty Level: Difficult (Due to 80' rock climb)
Trail type: Nomadic walk, stone steps and hill climb
Leave critics an Comments in the comments section below:
My webpage - http://www.skmanju.com/ Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/manjukrishphoto/
Blog: ManjuKrishPhoto.Blogspot.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Manjunath.Krishnamurthy
Write to me at skmanju@gmail.com
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Disclaimer: "Information provided in the post is as is basis, please exercise caution while using the info for the trek. Author is not responsible for any discrepancies in the information"
 |
| Navadurga on Map |
It is located at a distance of 60 km from Bengaluru has the legendary Byraweshwara temple. We had read about this and the difficultly of climbing it, due to almost 90'c inclined rock climbs. The trail is indeed tough, after some nomadic walk and rock steps, we reach the temple, however after the temple the trail becomes challenging. The steep gorge on one side, and you have to stick to the rocks like a lizard to crawl up.
Avoid taking kids to this trek.
Bhairavadurga
It is one of the small fort hill among the navadurgas, however the trail is tricky and could be challenging at places. Initially it is nomadic walk until the stone steps, and after around 100 steps the temple arrives. Post the temple the trail takes twists, and it is the challenging part, as the trail passes through the gorge and there is vertical climb of around 8 ft boulder. After all these trails the fort can be reached.
History: This is a small fort near to Bangalore. According to sources, the fort was built by the Kempegowda Chiefs in early 17th cent. A.D. The Marathas also added defence walls to this fort in 1750s. Later due to lack of water, Tipu sultan shifted the fortified town to near by town- Kudur a km. north of the fort, in the end of 18th cent. The fort is intact has two lines of fortification walls, built with semi-circular bastions at regular intervals. The citadel is on top of the hill where a long Firangi [Canon] was placed, now it is not available. The hill top also has three granaries and a well for water storage. A temple dedicated to Bairava, snall but is significant for the Bairava cult in the Bangalore region, is found mid-way of the hill. The temple faces east. It is cave-cum structural temple.
- Dr. S. K. ARUNI Bangalore
Grade : Easy-Difficult (Due to 90' rock climb)
Trail Type: Rocky terrain with moderately steep incline & muddy stretch
 |
| Bairavadurga |
Savandurga
Alone Nandi sits on top, overlooking vast swathes of fields, small towns, and hillocks at a distance. He is witness to historical events that have occurred here over centuries. The small mantap where he rests marks the end of the trekking trail at Savandurga, one of the largest monolithic rocks in Asia. Situated about 7 miles from Magadi town, Savandurga has become one of the many trekking hot-spots around Bangalore, testing the rock climbing skills of enthusiasts.
History: Named Savandurga by Immadi Kempe Gauda, this hill fortress was believed to be unconquerable until the British took over in 1791; Lord Cornwallis has written a detailed account about its capture. The hill looks imposing as one drives closer to it and it is easy to understand why it is called the ‘rock of death.’ The Nandi mantap looks like a small square on top and all visible sides of the rock look steep and dangerous; only upon reaching the base does one see the rock’s gentle slopes.
Grade : Easy - Moderate
Trail Type: Rocky terrain with steep incline &nomadic walk on fort parapat, Valley cross over on final step.
 |
| Savandurga cloud valley |
Nandidurga
Most of them have heard the drive way to Nandi hills to chill out, and a destination for many bikers on weekend. While the ancient stair way, which is now called as Nandi Heritage Trail. It is stair way to the hill stop built during ancient times for the troop movement. It cane be trekked in 30-40 min, you will join the path to pond on climbing to the top. Better attempted in the morning for sunrise, hardly any people will be around, kindly do in groups, solo not preferred.
History: Nandi Hills or Nandi Durga is an ancient hill fortress built by Ganga Dynasty and later enlarged and strengthened by Tipu Sultan in southern India, in the Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka state. It is 10 km from Chickballapur town and approximately 60 km from the city of Bengaluru. The hills are near the town of Nandi. In traditional belief, the hills are the origin of the Arkavathy river, Ponnaiyar River, Palar River, Papagni and Penna River.
Grade : Easy - Easy
Trail Type: Stone steps all along, cross over valley.
 |
| Nandi Durga /Nandi Hills |
Makalidurga
It is located about 60 km from Bangalore, and takes just short of two hours to reach the place. Makalidurga is situated at about 15 km from Doddaballapur. As you reach Makalidurga, you are stunned by the stillness of the place. There are hardly any people around and a partly exciting experience to get away from the traffic and noise. It is best advised to carry your own food and water while coming for a day trek in Makalidurga. The highlight of the destination is the Makalidurga fort which lies atop a granite hillock. While the trekking trail here may not be as popular as that of Savandurga, it is nevertheless worth the experience. And the best part is, you won’t find the trek to the top of the hillock too taxing. It is a moderately difficult trek, and with some effort, you can easily climb the barren rocks and boulders. There are some directions on the boulders itself which you would do well to follow. The top of the hill gets you face to face with the ruins of a fort, which is spread across quite an area. The view you get here of the lake which is located just a few km away from the destination is fascinating. And while at the top, don’t miss out on catching a sight of the train meandering through the hills at the bottom of the hill. The sight and sounds are definitely worthy of being caught in your camera.
Grade :Moderate
Trail Type: Trail starts will passing over a railway track, then nomadic walk, rocky forest trail, and then rock climb. Approach the fort entry at the summit.
 |
| Makalidurga Trail crossing through railway line |
A landscape dotted with hillocks and temples is what defines Devarayanadurga in Tumakuru district. Endowed with dense green cover at an altitude of 4,000 feet above the sea level, the pervasive hilly terrain is about 70 km from Bengaluru and 15 km from Tumakuru. The region’s diversity makes it a tourists delight, trekkers favourite and pilgrims sojourn.
History: The place was originally known as Anebiddasari, translating to the place where the elephant fell in Kannada. The present moniker, Devarayanadurga, was obtained in 1696 after it was captured by Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar, the then ruler of Mysuru. It is also called as Karigiri (Elephant Hill) as it resembles an elephant when viewed from the eastern side.
Enclosed in the thick of forests and perennial hummocks that run all through, the hills are dotted with several temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu, including the famous Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple. The other two temples here are Yoganarasimha and Bhoganarasimha shrines, depicting the ascetic and familial forms of Lord Vishnu. The Bhoganarasimha Temple is placed at the base of the hill, while Yoganarasimha Temple is located atop the hill, from where one can get a bird’s-eye view of the serene expanse.
What makes Devarayanadurga further intriguing is the number of tourist attractions located close by. While driving down the hill towards Tumakuru, Meandering through the cuts and curves, and lush green wilderness, one comes across a deer park at Namada Chilume, five km away from Devarayanadurga.
Grade :Moderate
Trail Type: Nomadic walk, rocky forest trail, and then rock climb. Approch the fort entry at the summit.
 |
| Devarayanadurga |
Kabbaladurga
The peak is home to the temple of Goddess Kabbalamma and had derived its name from the temple and the ruins of a fort at the peak. It is a ruined fort located in Bangalore rural district, Karnataka. It is at a distance of 75 km from Bangalore.
History:Murari Rao Ghorpade, 18th century Maratha chieftain who controlled Gooty was defeated by Hyder Ali in 1776 AD and kept in Kabbaldurga fort till death. Murari Rao surrendered and sent to this fort along with his family members. During British Raj, convicts were thrown off the cliff of this port, as a punishment. Difficulty Level: Easy (Challenging at few places, with curvy stone steps and railes broken) Trail type: Nomadic walk, stone steps and hill climb
Huthridurga It is also known as Uttari Betta is a fortified hill in the south-east of Kunigal taluk, rising to 3708 feet above the sea level that is located 15km south-easterly to Kunigal, the Taluk centre. Hutridurga is situated about 65 km west of Bengaluru in the state of Karnataka. History: Hutridurga was built by Kempegowda in the 16th century. Ruined fortifications are still visible on the two hillocks surrounding the village. Historically, Huthridurga Fort was the military bastion of Tipu Sultan against British, which was conquered by the latter in 1791. It is believed to have been a seven tiered fort and is considered one among the nine "Durgas" (fortified hills) around Bengaluru ("Nava Durgas")
I have done this trek twice, first time it was very early in the morning around 4am, we totally missed the main gate, so we had to go through some thorny bushes and climb fort wall to get to the trail. However the first entrance is clearly visible during day light. It is short trek however it has 7 entry gates, each one tells tale of the past era and wars it has witnessed. Most of the fort structure is visible and intact. It is a good short trek to introduce kids to forts architecuture and at the same time, a good weekend short trek with amazing views.
Difficulty Level: Easy (Challenging at few places, with curvy stone steps)
Trail type: Slopy mountain trail, rock carved steps, bushy vegetation and nomadic walk on top.
 |
| Kabaladurga |
Channarayanadurga
It is a hill fort near to Koratagere, Tumakuru district, Karnataka, South West India. It is approximately 100 km from Bengaluru. It was perfect for one of our weekend trek. You can reach early morning and park near the big banyan treek in the village and start trek. The inital trail is all broken, it is kind of occupied by village. It is a good short trek to explore multi layered fort and adventure. While this simple trek became quite an adventure as mid way, we became two teams one took the regular door to door entry at each layer, and other team wend around the fort wall to explore, however the fort is build such a way the entry is actually from back route. We went ahead with regular path and got stuck at one point where it was an adventure even to come back :)
History: The fort was constructed by a local king (Paalegaara) Chikkappa Gowda, who was ruling the Madhugiri and surrounding areas. It is a hilltop fort near Madhugiri in Tumkur district of Karnataka. There are few temples and old structures inside the fort. This is one of the ideal trekking destinations around Bangalore. Channarayana Durga was strategic fortress during medieval times and many battles were fought for its possession. The fort was originally built by Channapa Gouda in the 17th-century, a feudal lord from Madhugiri. Later the fort fell into the hands of the Marathas. But in subsequent year’s control of the fort changed several times between Marathas and Mysore Wodeyars. The British took over the fort during third Mysore war and then abandoned it.
Difficulty Level: Easy (Challenging at few places, with curvy stone steps)
Trail type: Slopy mountain trail, rock carved steps, bushy vegetation and nomadic walk on top.
 |
| Channarayanadurga |
Hulliyurdurga
It is about 60 km south of Tumkur town and about 22 km south of Kunigal. The hill is a solid mass of rock and has the peculiar appearance of an inverted cup. Huli resonates to Tiger and Durga is fort. Legends say that tigers used to roam and rule this area during the 16th century. As part of our group Nagadurga capture milestone, this was the last one for most of us, as we had done the other 8 of them. So it was obvious choice for one of the weekend. We had read that it is one of the challenging climbs as the trail is trivial due to rocks, however when we started to trek we realized it was really 90' crawling on the rocks. It is evident from the pictures below. It is important to have proper trek shoes as the rock climb requires at most grip to handle.
Difficulty Level: Difficult (Due to 80' rock climb)
Trail type: Nomadic walk, stone steps and hill climb
 |
| Huliyurdurga |
My webpage - http://www.skmanju.com/ Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/manjukrishphoto/
Blog: ManjuKrishPhoto.Blogspot.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Manjunath.Krishnamurthy
Write to me at skmanju@gmail.com
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Disclaimer: "Information provided in the post is as is basis, please exercise caution while using the info for the trek. Author is not responsible for any discrepancies in the information"
Comments
Post a Comment
Your comments are most welcome -