Channarayana Durga Fort Trek

Details

The starting point of the trail starts from a small temple in the village Channarayana Durga. The trek trail can be divided into 3 parts with lots of surprises awaiting you along the trail.
The start of the trek is a little challenging with a moderately steep climb over the rock surface where you need to watch your step and keep climbing towards your left only to reach a fairly flat surface with a mandapa-like structure at one end. The structure with the blue background and Tumkur district stretched far wide behind gives it a live picture frame moment with slow wind flowing through your ears. You can rest here for a while and capture the moment before you start ascending further. As you start to scale the rock surface further to your right, you think of the trail to be uninteresting, but to your surprise, you will see flowers bobbing their heads to the cool breeze. Little do you know what lies ahead!

First Milestone for a relaxing view.
After 15 – 20 minutes towards the top, you will reach the first stone build entrance and the second stage of the fort – ‘The lost paradise’. After entering the entrance, the top part of the fort is now more visible, stretched wide to wonder where the entrance of the fort might be. Mesmerized by the huge structure in front of your eyes, you walk further to the right and your surprise there’s a calm lake right amidst the small fort ruins reflecting the huge structure of the fort beautifully in the water. This calls for a break! Here you can laze around by the lakeside and immerse your feet in the cold water to relax. You can site a few temples along the trail and there’s one right near the lake. The small ruins of the fort and temples and architectural structures of the mantapas remind us of the glory it held in the past. The trail is not much explored and you can expect guests while lazing around the water to accompany you. The notorious monkeys are fun to watch and it's best to maintain a distance from them. During the rainy season, the fortress becomes a little difficult to climb as the rocks turn slippery and would require good technical skills for one to successfully make it to the top. 

Channarayana Durga is a picturesque place and photo lovers can have a lot of creative ideas for a shoot. 

After the lake, it’s now a final ascend via the ruins. The trail goes around the lake through the trees and bushes surrounding the lake. A left from the huge wall and then right through the stone entrance will take you the right way to the top of the fort, avoid taking a right as the route is slightly challenging with huge grasses and the trail being unclear with rocks in between.

This leads you to the final stage- ‘The top’. The beautiful views and the hills nearby the field keep us company as we make our way to the top. The villages now appear as small dots as you gain further altitude. You start stepping on the grass fields now your eyes towards the top main entrance and wait, you might have company! If you are lucky enough you might find a rabbit hopping around the green field going its way. We were surprised to see one at the top. The main entrance of the fort has steps laid in the front. You climb the steps and victoriously enter the fort to explore the most amazing and breathtaking views! 
After spending enough time on the top, carefully descend the fort having fun along the way to reach back to Bangalore.

The last entrance to the top of the fort. 360 view from the top.
After the descent, you can stop at the Mandagiri Betta in Tumkur, also known as Basadi Betta. It is a hillock that houses several Jain temples and is surrounded by boulders of many shapes and sizes. This is famous for a panoramic view of Pandithanahalli village, and is particularly known for the beautiful architecture, the pinch-shaped 81 feet tall Guru Mandir, where the pinch is a peacock feather fan for the uninitiated. 
So, don’t keep your enthusiasm waiting. Book with us right away for this adventurous escape. If you want to see what other weekend treks we offer, check out our upcoming Bangalore treks! 

Happy trekking to you!