Our coastal Karnataka roadtrip had entered its final leg. While we had spent a wonderful time exploring both the pristine beaches of Mangalore and Udupi and took a slice of history along with us at Hampi, it was indeed time to return to base at Bangalore. However, enroute Bangalore falls the town of Chitradurga - famous for its fort. Hence, we decided to spend the entire day exploring the fort as the last leg of our trip. Chitradurga is around 140 Kms from Hampi and the brilliant stretch of NH50 makes the journey possible in around 2.5 hours. After having a quick start to the day, we left Hampi and swiftly proceeded to Chitradurga.
A quick recap of our Coastal Karnataka trip for fellow travellers: (A tad less than 1300 Km’s for the entire trip)
Day 1 – Bangalore to Mangalore & explore Mangalore (Night stay)
Day 2 & 3 – Mangalore to Udupi & explore Udupi (Night stay)
Day 4 – Udupi to Murudeshwar & Jog Falls to Davanagere (Night stay)
Day 5 & 6 – Davanagere to Hampi & explore Hampi (Night stay)
Day 7 – Back to Bangalore exploring Chitradurga on the way
Chitradurga gets its name from Chitrakaldurga (or Picturesque castle), an umbrella-shaped lofty hill found here. Chitradurga was also known by the names Chitradurg, Chitrakaladurga, Chittaldurg. Chittaldrug was the Official name used during the British rule. Chitradurga features bold rock hills and picturesque valleys, huge towering boulders in numerous shapes. It is known as the "stone fortress" (Kallina Kote).
Chitradurga Fort was built between the 10th and 18th centuries by the kings of various dynasties during that period which are Rashtrakutas, Chalukyas, Hoysalas and Nayakas of Chitradurga. After Nayakas lost it to Hyder Ali in the year 1779, the fort was given its finishing touches by Hyder Ali along with his son Tipu Sultan. It comprises a series of seven enclosure walls in Kannada. On the upper part of the fort Eighteen ancient temples can be found and in the lower part of the fort there is one huge temple. Among these temples the oldest and most interesting is the Hidimbeshwara temple. The masjid was an addition during Hyder Ali’s rule. The fort's many interconnecting tanks were used to harvest rainwater, and the fort was said to never suffer from a water shortage. This seemingly impregnable fort has 19 gateways, 38 posterior entrances, a palace, a mosque, granaries, oil pits, four secret entrances and water tanks.
Legend of Onake Obavva
During the reign of Madakari Nayaka, the town of Chitradurga was besieged by the troops of Hyder Ali. A chance sighting of a woman entering the Chitradurga fort through an opening in the rocks led to a clever plan by Hyder Ali to send his soldiers through the hole. The guard on duty near that hole had gone home for lunch. The wife of that guard, Obavva was passing by the hole to collect water, when she noticed soldiers emerging out of this opening. Obavva was not perturbed. She was carrying with her an Onake (a long wooden club meant for pounding paddy grains). She killed Hyder Ali's soldiers one by one as they attempted to enter the fort through the opening and quietly moved the dead. Over a short period of time hundreds of soldiers entered and fell, without raising any suspicion. Obavva's husband, upon his return from his lunch was shocked to see Obavva standing with a blood stained Onake and hundreds of dead bodies of the enemy around her. Together both wife and husband beat up most of the soldiers. The opening in the rocks still remains as a historical witness for the story. Obavva, like Kittur Rani Chennamma remains a legend, especially to the women of Karnataka.
Time taken? Chitradurga fort is not like any other historical temples or structures with limited boundaries. This is a huge area. Of course, there are major marked attractions which every tourist visits. It would take around 3-4 hours to see all those places. Again, one can easily spend the entire day as well exploring the fort!
Wandering over a vast area of 1500 acres guarded by 7 circles of walls is as adventurous as beautiful it is. But for any first-time visitor it’s not an easy job. Here's some snippets for assistance:
There is one main entrance to the fort from which the tourists are allowed and procced further climbing the steps on your way. You will get a small junction with destination marked Yenne Kola (The well, used to store oil). Take right and proceed inside the fort.
Once you walk further from Yenne Kola, you will get another entrance after about 300mts. Before entering in, go little right to witness the hidden mandapa popularly called ‘Bombe Mandapa’ where you can see the idols from ages of History
Once you enter this circle of fort, witness many delicate carvings along the fort walls with each symbolising a hidden meaning. Proceed along the way until next circle of fort, which has a Ganapati Temple at the spot, carved out of a huge boulder. The view of the city from here is impressive.
Proceed further through another two circles of Fort to come to the exact center place of the fort which marks the destination for Ekanatheshwari Temple, the main goddess for Chitradurga Kings. Opposite to the temple is the Uyyale Kamba and Deepa stamba.
From Ekanatheshwari Temple area, take left to proceed towards Gaalimantapa. Behind the temple is actually the most spacious, adventurous and serene part of the fort. There are 2-3 different hills in the huge grassland area with many old structures & ponds in between, proving that all those places were an integral part of the fort once up on a time.
To the right of the foothills, you will come across Sampige Siddeshwara temple which is rich in historical carvings with many inscriptions of centuries old. Right next to it is old Muruga Mutt.
Opposite to Siddeshwara temple is Gaalimantapa & Hidimbeshwara temple which in itself is again an architectural delight. The 360° view of the fort area from Hidimbeshwara temple is worth capturing..
Hiking further from the Hidimbeshwara temple and cvering the entire premises of the Chitradurga fort is a story for another time. Since we already were at the end of the coastal roadtrip, we decided to call it a day and return back to the entrance, which in itself is another long walk down.
Some tips for the best experience:
The guides are only for one-way of the journey from Main entrance to Obavvana Kindi. The places of Hidimbeshwara temple, Sampige Siddeshwara temple, Gopalaswamy honda are not covered with guided tours too.
It’s a long walk inside the fort. One way of journey through main attractions alone would be around 2 KMs. Travel accordingly.
Sunscreen lotions are must. It’s a rocky area and the temperatures are usually high in this part of Karnataka. Take enough care of your skin and eyes.
And finally, beware of monkeys!
We made our way back to our base by the evening. Bangalore is at a distance of 200 KMs from Chitradurga and the distance can be covered in around 4 hours via NH48. (Do expect heavy traffic once you cross Nelamangala and proceed towards Bangalore). The entire coastal roadtrip journey was invigorating, to say the least. We made some great memories, have a fun time driving through some of the best roads and views Karnataka has to offer and experienced multiple emotions. This is one family trip that should be done by everyone, is how we would love to sign off.
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