Chitradurga
Seven rings of granite walls around a boulder-strewn hill
A Chitradurga tour climbs the seven-walled Stone Fort with its 19 gateways and 18 temples, then adds Obavva's legendary hole and the Chandravalli ruins.
Overview
Granite boulders pile up around Chitradurga in central Karnataka, and a fort of seven concentric walls has been wrapped around them. The town is the headquarters of Chitradurga district, about 200 km from Bengaluru by road on the NH48, and the cooler months from October to February, when temperatures stay between roughly 15 and 28 C, are the right time to climb on foot.
Locals call the fortress Kallina Kote, the Stone Fort, and Yelu Sutthina Kote, the Fort of Seven Circles. Its gateways number 19, and about 2,000 watchtowers once stood along the walls. The site covers around 1,500 acres. Chalukya and Hoysala builders began it, but most of what stands belongs to the Nayakas of Chitradurga, whose last ruler, Madakari Nayaka, lost it to Hyder Ali in 1779. Inside are 18 temples, among them the Hidimbeshwara, and a chain of tanks cut from rock, including the pair known as Akka-Thangi Honda, that kept the garrison supplied through sieges.
A small hole in the rock wall holds the best-loved story of the place. Onake Obavva, the wife of a fort guard, is said to have used a pestle to strike Hyder Ali's soldiers as they tried to slip through the gap, and the opening is called Onake Obavvana Kindi, or Obavva's hole. A statue of her stands in front of the district commissioner's office in the town.
About 3 km from the town lie the Chandravalli caves and the ruins around them, in a valley between three hills with a lake beside the cave temple. Excavations there turned up Satavahana-era coins and pottery, and Roman coins of Augustus were found as well, signs of trade in ancient times. Archaeologists, including Mortimer Wheeler in 1947, have dug at the site. Karnataka Tourism also lists Jogimatti Peak and a tall monolithic Ganesha at Holalkere among the district's sights.
Chitradurga has its own railway station, and Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, about 210 to 220 km away, is the nearest airport named by the tourism board. Climate here is dry. Summer highs reach about 42 C, and annual rainfall averages around 576 mm. Half a day covers the fort, and a full day lets you add Chandravalli.
Known for
Seven concentric walls and 19 gateways, built up over several dynasties
Quick facts
Dry steppe climate, with summer highs up to about 42 C, a mean temperature around 25 C and about 576 mm of rain a year.
Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR), about 210 to 220 km by road (Karnataka Tourism gives both figures on different pages)
Chitradurga railway station, in the town (distance from the fort to be supplied)
About 200 km from Bengaluru, taking 3.5 to 4 hours on the NH48 (Karnataka Tourism), with KSRTC and private buses.
Give the fort a half day on its own, as it covers about 1,500 acres with seven walls and 18 temples
Ask for Onake Obavvana Kindi by name, since it is the gap in the rock where Obavva's legend is set
Plan Chandravalli for a separate half day, as it lies about 3 km from the town and has a lake and forest beside the caves
Location
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