Chitradurga Fort

The Chitradurga fort is a massive and striking fort about some 200 odd kms from Bangalore. The name itself is derived from Kannada word which means picturesque. It is a perfect destination for a one-day outing taking you close to India's rich history.

At Chitradurga fort

For quite sometime, visiting the Chitradurga fort was in my mind but since the place was not such of a popular spot, it used to go down the list everytime. Infact Chitradurga was the place where my bike first broke down while returning solo to Bangalore from Mumbai back in Oct 2008 and since then name had been in my mind. Finally in April 2011 I made it to the fort. 

As usual I had planned a weekend ride along with Arun. Our plan was to ride to Pondicherry for the weekend. However, it got cancelled at the last moment. While we were about to leave for Pondicherry at about 7:00 am, it struck us that there were elections in Tamil Nadu and the last thing what we wanted was a Dry-day in Pondicherry. To avoid that disappointment, we made a last minute plan to visit Chitradurga fort.

One of the entrance of the fort, strategically made in
zig-zag fashion so that armies cannot stomp in with full momentum

We started off via Nice road then onto Mumbai-Bangalore road. The fort is located in Chitradurga town also know by the locals as 'Durga' which is about 170 kms from Bangalore. A trip from Electronic City should make it to 200kms.On our way we stopped for some snacks near Tumkur and then continued till Chitradurga. The town being small the fort is easy to locate. Some help from locals should make it an easy task. The fort is around 10 mins drive off the highway.

There were a few carts selling snacks and lemon juice at the gate entrance. Since the fort is a protected monument, it is under the ASI. There is a nominal entry charge after which we were approached by a guide. Just by looking around we could guess that the place was very vast and to know about it's historic significance, we hired a guide. The guide charged us Rs.150 and took us around the fort showing us the various strategic points and places of importance. It was a pleasant experience to listen to him. However, carrying all the biking gear along made it tiring in the hot sun.

There was a small temple on an elevated rock which was a beautiful point to get a 360 view of the place. Also there was a place near the fort where you need to trek up a steep rock which looked really good. But with all the gear with us we opted not to cover it. 

On our way back we met this guy known as 'Monkey Man'. Got a chance to see him conquer the steep walls of the fort without any safety gear. A humble man, never asks for money, performs his feats. If one is happy and offers money, he takes it after a bit of hesitation. Spoke to him for a while and he narrated his story. Seem this man now called Kothi Raj came from Salem in search of work. Earned his living as a daily wage worker. Unable to find job he sat idle near the fort in frustration. That is when he saw a group of monkeys climbing the fort walls. After watching them move around so easily, Kothi Raj himself tried to do so. A tourist around saw it and was happy and offered him money. That is when he realized what he wanted to do for living. Now he scales the wall like an expert, learning it by watching nature's experts- the monkeys.
There are certain times every weeks he performs for the tourist. When we went there we just saw him by chance and requested he to perform. Without hesitation he obliged. He did hesitate when i offered him money!

The pillar was hit by lightning about 10 years back

Mud walls

Temple with secret room

Hidden room to hide away treasure

It took us about 3 hours to look around the whole fort and surely this last minute trip which we made was worth it.

Myself With Kothi Raj

Things to carry:

Light snacks and water is available at the fort entrance.
The walk around the fort is quite much and it is advisable to carry Relispray just in case one has joint pains 

Route Map:


View Larger Map