Sunrise Trek - Veerabhadradurga Fort

The Golden Dawn

Veerabhadradurga Hill Fort 

Our quest to complete the ‘Baramahal’ or the ‘12 Forts’ took us to our next destination, “Virabhadradurga/Veerabhadradurga”. Our first task was to get the location of this fort since not much information regarding the same was available on net or elsewhere. However a few months ago, while glancing through g-maps, we accidentally came across the coordinates of this place. At our next possible outing, we decided to check this place out and reached here without any difficulty. Our concern now was to find out the right hill amongst the many hills around on which the fort was located. The first hill looked quite inviting and we wanted to inquire about the route to the top. The local person, who stopped by to respond gave us the correct location of the hill-fort we were in search of. We reached the place and inquired for the trek route from the locals present around. On getting the required information, we parked our vehicle and started the trek. 

The First Gateway to Veerabhadradurga Fort

Sri Kote Anjaneya Swamy

The trek was pretty straight forward with steps laid all along. The route was comparatively clean due to the regular movement of people. The fort of Veerabhadradurga is 7 tiered, with much of its fortification and gateways still intact. There is a beautiful rock carving of Sri Anjaneya Swamy between the second and the third gateway, which is still under worship by the locals. The second gateway opens into a small plateau where minor agricultural activities are undertaken by the locals. The third and fourth gateways are more for the purpose of defense and devoid of any other structures. The fifth gateway opens into a bigger plateau area. 

The Engulfed Fort Walls 

Intact Fortifications

After crossing the fifth gateway and trekking for a while, our eyes were greeted by two ancient temples, one dedicated to Sri Veerabhadra Swamy and the other dedicated to Sri Chennakeshava Swamy. The temple dedicated to Sri Chennakeshava Swamy is a grand structure, but sadly is in a ruined state now. There were no signs of any efforts towards its restoration. Although both the temples were built under the rule of the Palegars, it is very difficult to ascertain who built them and when.

The Fifth Gateway 

Sri Chennakeshava Swamy Devasthana

The Royal Chieftain's Residence 

As this fort is one amongst the 12 forts constituting the Baramahal, its association with the Channapatna Palegar Sri Jagadeva Raya cannot be ruled out. However, strangely, a local legend goes on to say that Sri Jagadeva Raya who was then a vassal king under Tippu, jumped into the natural spring well present in the fort premises along with his wealth when Tippu was defeated by the British and the fort was about to be captured. It is believed that the spring is very deep and is difficult to ascertain the depth of it. Hence the wealth was never found. Such folklore was documented by the British and spread across many places. This natural spring well is called Rama Lakshmi Jonai (Jonai: natural spring). 

Rama Lakshmi Jonai (Spring) 

Sri Kote Anjaneya Swamy 

Team G Square 

Rama Lakshmi Jonai, a beautiful and serene natural spring well is situated about a 100 meters from the temples. Water here was clean and clear. We spent some time here and decided to explore the top-most tier of the fort. We had to cross the sixth gateway and the route was a bit slippery due to drizzle and the up slope of the hill. We reached the top of the fort (we assumed this was the top most point) and spent some time here enjoying the scenic views and wondered how beautiful it would be to view the sunrise from here.

The Rock-Cut Steps 

Way to Heaven 

The 7th Gateway 

Top Most Tier of Fort Wall 

The Top most Point of The Fort 

The View 

Me 

Coincidentally, a few months later, on the 1st of January 2023 we decided to redo this trek to witness the sunrise. The picturesque sunrise was worth every effort taken by us to reach the hill-top in the early hours of the morning. There was another small peak visible from the sixth gateway, apparently the highest point of the hill which we had missed during our last trek. We managed to complete this peak and reach the highest point this time. This fort is also known by other names such as ‘Itikalldurga’ and ‘Sendirayanadurga’.

The Gang

The Early Risers 

The Sun Rise 

At the base of Veerabhadradurga is a grand temple dedicated to Sri Chennakeshava Swamy which is fully functional. Thus another fort from the Baramahal was captured by us! 

The Harvest 

References: 

1. Madras State Gazetteer - Salem

Related Posts:

1. Udedurgam Fort 

2. Forts of Karnataka 

3. Sunrise trek to Huthridurga 

Night Trek to Doddabetta, The Big Hill Quest

The past weekend, we, in collaboration with RTC Bengaluru organized a night trek to 'Doddabetta' or 'The Big Hill' near Krishnagiri. Our plan was to begin the trek on Saturday evening to watch the early morning sunrise. We had planned to reach the water spring present mid-way which would be our first resting point. Due to the presence of a natural water spring, this location was also to be utilized for dinner preparations so we could proceed further to reach the peak top and pitch our tents for the night, only to wake up to a beautiful sunrise. We numbered 20 in total with Sunil leading as our trek guide.

Periyamalai - The Big Hill

One group who were supposed to join us had booked for a self driven Tata Hexa with Drivezy which  unfortunately was carelessly cancelled by Drivezy without any prior notice. The group then had to book freshly for an alternate vehicle using Ola outstation. This entire process took much time and the group was delayed by more than an hour. After waiting for them patiently for close to an hour and a half, they finally arrived and we started driving towards our destination. After driving for sometime, we received a message about another car having a flat tyre and had stopped by a mechanic for repair. We waited for them at Krishnagiri toll who arrived after a good 45 minutes. We realized that in this process, we were already delayed for the trek easily by more than 2 hours! While we took a small break just ahead the toll, Piyal rode ahead of us on his bike and lost the route. We helped him back track to our location and driving together hereon, we reached the hill base of Periyamalai around 11:30 pm which was our original target time to reach the hill peak! Gosh we were late!

Star Lit Night

After the formalities of distributing equipment for camping and cooking to all the participants, Sunil helped everyone pack their bags right after which we began the trek. By 12:45 am, we reached the water spring and decided to halt for dinner preparations. The menu for the night's dinner was a cup of hot noodles and some tangy Puliyogare (tamarind rice)! With combined efforts from all in the team, the preparations were complete and dinner was served in the background of music. Some even danced to the tunes of music. With much energy restored, we continued our trek further and after halting for a minute or two at regular intervals, we managed to reach the peak by 3:50 am. It was a good 4 hour trek including an hour for dinner preparation time and multiple breaks. While Sunil helped the others pitch their tents, Dr.Anand, Karthik, Sameer, Nilesh, Me, Adhi and Sunil wished to sleep in the open. The weather was favoring as it was less breezy and not very cold as expected.

Pitching the Tents

Peacefully Sleeping

Morning Scenes

While everyone were busy settling into their tents, I and Karthik tried our skills at photographing the wonderful night sky. Though I managed to click a few pictures, I was less happy with its outcome and realised I needed more practice to perfect the art of capturing the stars. Gazing at the star studded sky was just an out of this world experience! All were asleep in sometime except for Sameer and Nilesh. I woke up early to catch the sunrise and was accompanied by Dr.Anand and Karthik. We took our positions to capture the sunrise and patiently waited making sure not to miss even a glimpse of its gorgeousness! Meanwhile Maneesh and Vishwa woke up and the rest were deeply in sleep. We witnessed the gorgeous sunrise and a few whose tents were pitched exactly facing the sunrise caught a glimpse of it from inside. As everybody woke up one after the other, we packed our tents and all the luggage and started our descent. We reached the base of the hill around 9:45am. While a few who had bookings with Ola decided to leave the place without having breakfast, the rest traveled with us to our usual breakfast point at Krishnagiri. After a relaxed breakfast and greetings, all of us headed back to Bengaluru. It was truly an amazing trek experience for all of us! Kudos to the team for completing the trek. 

Here He comes

Gorgeous Sunrise

The Enlightened One

Love is in the Air

Ek Selfie Tho Banti Hey

Yes, We did it in Style!

Plumeria Alley - On The Rocks!

Trek Team:

1. Me, Sunil and Adhi in our Xylo

2. Vishwa and Family had car pooled with us

3. Dr. Anand in his Ertiga

4. Nilesh and Sameer had car pooled with Dr. Anand

5. Maneesh and Family in their KUV

6. Mayank and Friends had taken Ola outstation Innova 

7. Karthikeyan in his Yamaha R15

8. Piyal in his Red RE Bullet 350cc

Related Posts: 
1. Periyamalai Trek Video
2. Channagiri Night Trek with RTC
3. RTC Expedition to Neelakurinji Blooming at Kodaikanal

Sunrise Trek to Huthridurga - Uttari Betta, Treks Around Bengaluru

'Huthridurga/Hutridurga', also popularly called as 'Uttari Betta' among the trekking community is one among the popular trekking trails around Bengaluru. It is rated as one of the easiest treks around Bengaluru suitable for all age groups. It is a great place for beginners who desire to trek. A word of caution for first time trekkers is to better be accompanied by people who are familiar with this place. Huthridurga is about 55 km from Bengaluru and is one of the Navadurgas (nine forts) built by Sri Kempegowda. This fort was built in the 16th century CE and has later undergone a few modifications during the reign of Hyder/Tippu and the British rule. 

This Sunday feb 3 we are going for a Sunrise trek to Huthridurga along with #RTCBengaluru. Interested folks can join us . Huthridurga is one of the Navadurgas (9 forts) built by Sri Kempegowda to Protect Magadi and Bengaluru. @roadtripperclub @WeAreBangalore pic.twitter.com/AkFQ1N2Nkz

— TeamGSquare 🇮🇳 (@TeamGSquare) January 28, 2019

We, from #RTCBengaluru had planned a drive cum trek to Huthridurga this Sunday. Though initially many were interested to join the trek,  the number gradually decreased as the week progressed and after the last minute dropouts, our group comprised of 6 adults and 2 kids. We started our journey on time to Huthridurga and traveled in 2 vehicles. We started from home around 3:15am early morning although our scheduled time of departure was 3:00am. We were a few minutes late as we were waiting for one of our friends to join us. Unfortunately, he failed to pick our call and without wasting any more time we drove to our next assembly point which was Magadi Road. The rest of the group  were already present there. We joined them around 3:45 am and began our drive to Huthridurga, via Magadi.

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Since it was that hour of the day when traffic is the least, we were able to cross Magadi in time and reach Huthridurga crossing at 4:45 am as per our plan. Here on we had to drive on a small section of ghat road and as we drove ahead, we were informed that Ravi Sir's vehicle had a break down. An inspection of the vehicle revealed that the issue was with one of the tensioner pulleys that had given way.  A wise decision of stopping the car was made to avoid any further problem. We were a little ahead of them and had to return to check on the situation. The vehicle was parked by the road side leaving enough space for the movement of other vehicles without any hindrance. All of us now drove ahead in one vehicle and reached  Huthridurga which was about 1 km from here. We decided to complete our trek first and check on the availability of a mechanic after our descent. 

Crescent Shaped Moon

We found a proper place for parking at the hill base and started our trek  at 5:15 am. It took us about 45 minutes to reach the top of the hill including a 10 minute break, under the clear black sky dotted with millions of stars and the lone crescent shaped moon. At the break point, I tried my hand at photographing the stars though I couldn't manage capturing a decent picture of the star lit sky. I realized that I should spend some more quality time to learn photographing the skies! We were greeted by a carving of Lord Anjaneya housed in a shelter a little further from here. We trekked  at a slow pace and reached the peak top comfortably. The weather was quite windy and chilly up there and amidst this, we patiently waited for the sun to rise. There is a temple atop the hill built by Sri Kempegowda dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is Sri Sankeshwara Temple which houses a shivalinga with an idol of Lord Nandi opposite to it. Attached on one side to the temple is a mantapa with pillars and roof covered with stone slabs. While my wife and kids took shelter inside the temple to keep themselves warm, the rest of us made ourselves comfortable and took respective positions so we could catch the first glimpse of sunrise.

Yes! He Finally Arrives!

Lord Surya above Savanadurga Hill

What a View!

It was cold and quite breezy, and finally at 6:50 am the Sun made his appearance just like the description of Lord Surya arriving on his seven horsed chariot! Every Sunrise is a unique experience. For the next 20 minutes we enjoyed the showdown utilizing every opportunity for photo ops. After the sun rose and the weather turned warmer, we decided to explore the other portions of the fort. We spent some time between the boulders that acted as wind breakers for having snacks and chatting. Finally we descended and reached the starting point where we again halted for a short break to bask under the sun. It was time for breakfast as we all were quite hungry and drove down towards the town of Magadi for some hot Thatte Idli's (Plate Idli's) and filter coffee. After satisfying our hungry stomachs, our next job was to find a mechanic to fix the car, but being a Sunday most of the shops around remained closed. A few who were open were quite reluctant and refused to come along as the destination was quite far. Meanwhile Ravi Sir contacted his regular mechanic who agreed to come by and fix the car. We dropped everyone at the required stops and reached home safely. The weather turned pretty hot along our return journey and we were only reminded of how pleasant it was atop the hill amidst nature! We were informed by evening that Ravi sir got his vehicle repaired and reached home safely. He is quite an inspiration for all of us and his stories kept us engaged all through our trek and drive. It was yet another great experience. 

Kempasagar Lake

Team on the Top

Trek, Trail and Tales

The Trek Team
1. Teamgsquare (Me, Amrutha, Adhi and Diya) in our Loyal Xylo
2. Ravi Shankar in Mahindra Scorpio
3. Vishwas Gowda, Natesha and Shiva Prakash, car pooled

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2. 101 Places to Visit Around Bengaluru
3. Channarayana Durga Fort

Moonlit Sunrise Trek to Channagiri

RTC Bengaluru's plan for a drive-cum-trek to Skandagiri to witness the beautiful sunrise amidst the clouds was organized on the 20th of January this year. The event was led by us (teamgsquare), Prateek (Mystic Rider) and Shashank Gowda (localite). After many people showing their interest in joining the drive/trek, around 40 people were confirmed for the trek. While Trigo (Prashanth) along with his 4 friends were joining us from Hyderabad, the rest were from 'Namma Bengaluru'! After many discussions with the leads regarding the trek type and route, we finally zeroed in on the regular Sunrise trek to Skandagiri.  The D-day arrived and bang on! All the participants had gathered in front of Esteem mall, Hebbala by 1.30 am as per the schedule. It was quite surprising and rare to see all the trek participants gather within the said time. From here began our much awaited journey to reach above the clouds! We numbered 37 in total, traveling in 6 cars and 4 bikes.

All Set  to Vroom!!

By 2.45 am we reached the temple of Sri Bhoga Nandeeshwara  at Nandi and were waiting for Shashank's arrival. After waiting for nearly 25 minutes with no fruitful result, we decided to head on towards Skandagiri to secure a place for parking our vehicles. By the time we reached here, we were shell-shocked to see an ocean of people thronging to get the permit to trek. A rough estimate of the number of people would be around 2k,with each one trying to squeeze in and fight in order to secure a place for the trek. Meanwhile, Shashank along with his two friends joined us at the Skandagiri parking lot. Seeing the huge crowd of people assembled and the number of incoming people, the trek leads, without a second thought decided to forgo the scheduled trek at Skandagiri and instead trek the neighboring hill of Channagiri. Although our idea was good, we were now stuck in the parking lot as the chaos at Skandagiri had only started to build up. With the forest guard's denial of permission to trek and the increasing number of people, the parking was jammed with no movement of vehicles on either of the directions. Besides, time was running out as we were bent upon doing a sunrise trek, somehow! Finally Shashank along with a few locals helped cleared the mess and without wasting any more time, we drove towards Channagiri, located about 14 km from here.

Moon and his Reflection on Water

After reaching the hill base of Channagiri, we realised that the members of a car and bike who were supposed to be following us had missed their route. All of us were waiting for them to join us to start the trek. Although the biker was able to locate us, the ones in the car had driven off to some other place. Prateek and Shashank tried their best to trace the car back until they gave up, after Arvind from that car informed them about being run out of fuel and also being quite far away from the destination. Unfortunately, the four from Arvind's vehicle couldn't join us. Once the rest of the team were back to the hill base of Channagiri, the trek began under the moonlight. We were down to 36 plus +3 infants and had to reach the peak of Channagiri before Sunrise. Thus began our conquest of Channagiri hill. Though at the outset it seemed like a small hill to trek, we realized after trekking a while that it was no joke to conquer this peak. Having read about this hill before, I was quite sure that this was going to be one heck of a trek.

 Descent

'Channagiri' is one among the 5 main hill peaks of the Nandi hill-range, the others being Nandi, Bramhagiri, Skandagiri and Kaurava Kunda. Channagiri is the second tallest peak of this range, only after Nandi hills. There are basically two routes to this hill peak. The easier route starts from Sultanpet via well laid steps and is taken during early morning treks so as to catch the sunrise. The less easier route is through the forest via Channapura, which is a longer and steeper trail. Thanks to Shashank who lead us to the second route via Channapura forest. Everybody started the trek and the entire hill belonged to us at that moment! This route was surely a blessing in disguise for us when compared to trekking at Skandagiri. It would've been more like walking in a fair amongst thousands of people had we trekked Skandagiri. It was a decision well-made and in-time, most importantly with the consent of all the participants. Our only goal now was to make it to the peak top of Channagiri. We were now racing against time for the sunrise!

Good Morning

Kalyani

Armed with torches and accompanied by the lovely moon-light, our trek went on smoothly. The terrain was quite steep and rocky mostly, while at a few places we had to pass through thorny vegetation.  The Trigo group were ahead of us while the rest of the team trekked together, until at a point where Ravi sir's wife started to feel a bit uneasy. As the terrain would only get more difficult to climb, sir made the right decision of halting their trek at this point and stayed by his partner. Kudos to you both sir for making it up till here! The rest of us continued our trek amidst laughter, fun, music and halts at regular intervals. We finally reached a point from where it seemed like the trek was complete. But it was a 'so close, yet so far' kind of a situation! We motivated ourselves to keep going and our final ascent to the peak top was quite steep. Slowly and steadily, one by one, all  the participants reached the top and picked up their spots for photography. We were just in time to catch a glimpse of the Sunrise, although coming in a few minutes earlier would've surely helped! Unfortunately for us that day, the skies were clear with no signs of any clouds. A small bonfire was set up to make ourselves warm.

Beautiful Morning Sky

Skandagiri

There is a small beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Anjaneya/Hanuman at the top. After taking his blessings and spending some time enjoying the sunrise, chit-chatting and munching on snacks, we began our descent from behind the peak. However, a few of them decided to stay back for photo ops. Our descent was quite tiring and as we were all extremely hungry, we wanted to make it to the base as early as possible. We met Ravi sir's family along, who were eagerly waiting for us. We finally  reached the place where we had parked our vehicles. A small lake besides our car park made the entire setup look more beautiful. We were now waiting for our breakfast to be served! While Shashank checked upon the breakfast arrangements, we all rested and waited for the others to join us. Though our initial plan was to have breakfast near the village of Nandi, we decided to serve the breakfast at the hill base only as a few of them were yet to complete the trek. While some team mates (Chaluve Gowda sir and family and Vishwa) decided to move on without having breakfast, the others spent time chatting and having fun. I and Shashank left to bring the breakfast. As we brought the breakfast, our last few team-mates had just made it to the parking and their timing was perfect!  The breakfast comprised of Idli, Vada, Chitranna (lemon-rice), Chutney and the famous Mysore Pak. The food was very delicious, especially the combination of lemon-rice and the spicy chutney. We were happy people now and turned pretty lazy and reluctant to leave this wonderful place.

Second Serving (PC : Prateek)

Munch Time (PC: Prateek)

The sad truth was that we had to head back home. We planned to take a small break over tea/coffee in between along the highway. However, due to a small confusion caused by me, we ended up reaching Shashank's farm instead. Prateek and the biker gang decided to ride ahead, halt by a tea shop and wait for us to join. Meanwhile, we dropped the Trigo group at Shashank's place from where they were heading back to Hyderabad. But by the time Prateek shared their location of the tea shop, we were already on the Rajanakunte road towards Yelahanka, much ahead of them! We somehow couldn't make it to our tea/coffee break to bid our good-bye's to the team. All of us headed back to our homes after ending one of the most memorable treks! Kudos to the team for completing the trek! 

Group Photo (Bigger the group, more difficult to organize for a group photo!; PC: Prateek)

The Trek Team

1. Teamgsquare (Me, Amrutha, Adhi and Diya) in our loyal Mahindra Xylo 

2. Abhyuday, Tarun and Arjun in Toyota Etios 

3. Chaluve Gowda and Family in Volkswagen Polo 

4. Satishewara with 2 kids in Mahindra Bolero 

5. Ravi Shankar and Family in Mahindra Scorpio

6. Arvind and his 3 friends in Maruti Alto 

7. Shashank, Rocky and Abhi in Mahindra Thar 

8. Prateek and Shikha in Yamaha R15

9. Gaurang, Maaz and Himanshu in their Bikes 

10. Vishwas and Hiren in Pulsar 150 cc

11. Chaitra, Anuradha, Madhu, Rashmi and Akshata, car pooled with others

12. Trigo Prashanth, Naveen, Sadik, Niranjan and Sachin, car pooled with others

Related Post:
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2. 101 places to visit around Bengaluru 
3. Channarayanadurga