"The Majestic fort of Karnataka"
Written on : 29 May 2018
Visted During : May 2018 and October 2015
Some more Information
Chitradurga fort is surrounded by huge rocks and is extremely hot during day time. It takes around 2-3 hours to visit all points in the fort and is recommended to avoid afternoons.
Jogimatti Hill station near Chitradurga closes by 5PM, plan accordingly. Taking a guide in Chandravalli caves is a must, without a guide, this place looks just like a small temple in a hill top.
If you have kids in the group or if you have an evening to spend at leisure, do visit the park at Murugharajendra Mutt. The park has over a few hundred life size statues of animals and famous personalities - One of its kind in entire Karnataka.
My Experience and Opinion
Chitradurga is one of those places in Karnataka which has a history of over 15-18 centuries with proof which date back to 3rd century. Also, Chitradurga is believed to be a place which existed even in the mythological era.
Once you know the history of the place, visiting it is fascinating.!
Blistering rain on the previous night of our planned ride to a near by mountain made us cancel the ride. We decided to take the car and go for a drive to same hill. But as we reached near Dabaspet, we changed the plan and decided to drive 150Kms more to Chitradurga and the trip to Chitradurga happened.
It was my third visit to Chitradurga but could not make it to Jogimatti even this time. My personal experience is only about - the fort, Chandravalli caves and the Murugharajendra Mutt's park
Chitradurga Fort
Being an admirer of Indian heritage, Chitradurga fort is one of my personal favorites. The fort is majestically built and spreads across a huge area. Very systematically built fort walls and doors is preserved neatly by the Archeology department of India. However, some areas in the fort are not maintained to the best. It is the responsibility of people who visit to keep it tidy but we continuously fail to do that. There are couple of special attractions in the fort
- Obavvana Kindi (Special only if you know the story of Obavvana!)
- View point (Kudure hejje/Horse steps in the huge rock.)
- Koti Rama or the monkey man who usually climbs the fort wall without any support and does a show during weekend as a regular practice.
Taking a guide is advised since you will not be able to appreciate the fort unless you know the history and special points. (Guides usually charge 350-400 bucks but depends on the demand they have on a given day.)
Chandravalli caves
I add this to the must visit places in Chitradurga. It is about 3-4Kms away from the city. Take a guide and visit the cave and not just the temple. Cave visit takes 15-20 minutes. Guides may charge 150-200 bucks.
What makes the cave so special is it is an artificially built cave and dates back to 4th century! The cave is pitch dark inside. It is not possible to visit the cave without a guide as it is completly dark and has deceiving doors and walls.
Apart from the cave, the lake near the temple is very serene. The backdrop of rocky mountain makes it a perfect spot to try out photography. Spending early morning or an evening here will be a bliss.
Photos
Steps to Ankali Mutt Chandravalli caves
Enroute Chandravalli caves
Temple enterence to the Chandravalli cave
Pitch dark cave inside
Lake near Chandravalli cave
The Signature!
Chitradurga fort - near enterence
'L' shaped entry gates to the fort
Steps in Chitradurga fort
Group pic
Route inside the fort
Near Obavvana Kindi
Kothi Rama - 1,2,3 Start!
Done in 7 Seconds!!!
