Channarayana Durga, Koratagere (Tumkur District)

Are you an explorer at heart? Ever wondered what it feels like to walk down history?
Then Channarayana Durga (ಚೆನ್ನರಾಯಣ  ದುರ್ಗಾ) is the place for you to quench that thirst for adventure. 👇

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This enormous structure stands out from other forts around Bangalore by its sheer size, expanse and architecture. Channarayana Durga was a strategic fort built in the 1600s by the local chieftains (palegars) of Madhugiri and is situated on a hill at a height of 3734 ft.

The fort is believed to be built by Channappa Gouda, a chieftain from Madhugiri. It was later was occupied by the Marathas, Mysore Kingdoms and finally the British who were the last to take over the fort.

This fortification offers history buffs different styles of fort walls and brick constructions within the same perimeter.

The climb to the top requires moderate effort. The fort has three stages (Tiers). The climb at the beginning is a bit hard with relatively steep rocky patches. Once you enter the fort i.e. cross the first tier, you come to a water body with an abandoned temple by its banks. As with most hill forts, this water body would have served as the water source for the fort.

It is approximately a two -hour drive from the junction of NICE Road and Tumkur Road 

(I have chosen this as the starting point central location but your travel time will vary depending on which part of Bangalore you stay, the traffic and your speed of travel)

The Entrance:

This fort has two entrances. The one that is commonly used by trekkers is small and not very grand. However, later we discovered a second entrance with overgrown bushes but it had steps cut out and seemed more like the main entrance. Please scroll below to see the pictures                                                                         👇

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As you can see, the entrance is rather subdued and does not have any leading steps. Also, as mentioned in the beginning, this face of the hill had a slightly steep ascent. This leads me to believe that the second entrance was the main one 

The Alternate Entrance: I believe that this may have been the main entrance owing to the fact that the climb to the top is not very steep. There are proper steps cut out to ease the ingress/egress of forces and it has a small criss-cross entrance seen in many forts 👇

Inside the Fort: Crossing the First Tier 

Once inside, you will come across many structures – many in ruins but many standing still having withstood the test of time, weather and human intervention. 

There were few structures that were probably used for the storage of ammunition and food grains. At the peak of the fort is the final tier that was heavily fortified. Though most websites refer to it as a Labyrinth, I’d like to believe that it was the Keep of the fort – the final frontier so to speak.

I was not able to figure out this structure. Clearly, the roof has collapsed but what bewilders me is the purpose for which it was built. There is no main door. This leads me to speculate that it must have been for some kind of storage purpose 👇

Another one of those enclosed structures. (Alas, I was not carrying my torch). This was completely sealed except for the elevated entrance that you can see. My friend Shree is standing next to it to show the scale of the entrance to a human 👇

The Battlements:

Channarayana Durga Fort has long winding walls with bastions at regular intervals. 

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I love the way these trees have conquered the walls 

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I am not able to figure out what this structure is. ☝ Can anybody help? 

Slits in the wall for firing  👇

A majestic Bastion 👇

If you observe the pictures, you will see that the walls have a smooth top with slits to fire. Only the bastions have merlons and embrasures.  i.e. the 'cuts' (a bit like a square wave) 👇

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These 'walkways' that you see along the walls are called Banquettes ('Parapets' in some parlance). 
These facilitate speedy movement along the walls 
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Special Mention: Cannon Mount

At Channarayana Durga you will see some independent structures such as these. My educated guess is that these may have been cannon mounts or some heavy artillery fire area. They have an inclined plane (no steps) to go to the top.  👇

Fort Temple and Water Source: 

Every hill fort requires an ample supply of water. Also - as we have seen in other forts, temples are a must. This fort has both next to each other. The temple is not in use but clearly has a history to it. 👇 

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Like neighboring forts of Bhasmangi and Medigeshi, this fort too was a target of Treasure hunters who dug it up in their quest for hidden treasures. Needless to say – none was found 

Carvings:

I have taken some random shots of carvings found across the fort 👇 

And finally - The Keep (Final Frontier) 

This huge edifice is what fascinates me. It is the last frontier of the fort. It is the last tier and is heavily walled with slits all along the walls, showing that they were willing to put up resistance to the very last. It stands out because of its architecture. It is totally different from any existing fort structure that I have seen to date. The pictures themselves will tell you how different it is from standard fort architecture 

(It's the tallest structure in the background touching the sky) ☝

It gets bigger (and grander) as you approach it ☝

And then we enter it👇

The entrance is slightly convoluted as in - there is no direct entry. ☝

Once you are inside, it is essentially the size of a football field with fortified walls all around. 

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☝ Yup, that's me posing with the fort in the background 👇

A view from the summit 👇

If you are an avid explorer, you would require an entire day to explore the fort so make sure you reach early in the morning

 Miscellaneous information

• Nearest Petrol Bunk & Puncture Shop: Koratagere (20 km away)
• Nearest Hotel: Plenty of Eateries on Bangalore-Pune highway (aka Tumkur Road). Koratagere and Madhugiri towns have only limited options. 
• Nearest Police Station(s): Madhugiri (10 km) and Koratagere (11 km)  
• Local Hotels for Stay: Madhugiri

Pros:

• Easy to approach with ample parking place at the foot of the hill.
• Safe: I have been there only once and have not encountered any hostility. 
• No commercialization: Simply put – no ‘parking or entry’ fees, No solicitations for donations.    

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/Z1uSGLR6wp8XDNzP9