Skandagiri, also known as Kalavara Durga, is an ancient mountain fortress located approximately 70 km from Bangalore city, and 3 km from Chikballapur in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is off Bellary Road ( NH 7 Hyderabad-Bangalore Highway), and overlooks Nandi Hills, Muddenahalli, and Kanivenarayanapura . The peak is at an altitude of about 1350 meters. It is known as the "adventurer's paradise" and features a beautiful night trek, altitude camping, stunning sunrise, and serene and ocean like clouds.
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The village at the foothill of the mountain is called Kandavara Halli and the hill is called Kandavarahalli Betta (aka Skandagiri and Kalwarahalli Betta). It is in the Chikkaballapura district of Karnataka
Skandagiri is one of the hill forts in the Nandi Hill ranges. The dilapidated walls of Tipu Sultan's fort can be seen even today . This was built to be a sturdy, self sufficient fortress. It was built several centuries ago by a local king. As the story goes (told by the local people of the area), the king along with his soldiers defended the fort from Tipu Sultan for many days. After getting tired of taking the fort in this way, Tipu's generals bribed a couple of milk women who used to carry milk to the fort everyday. For several days after this, the milk women started carrying some seeds which they used to spread in the way so that Tipu's army will know the way in which to go up. On the day of the planned attack, the women added poison to the milk. Lot of the king's soldiers died after consuming the poisoned milk and the rest were killed by Tipu's invading troops.
Tippu used the fort as a military base in his fierce fight against the British. It surrendered to British troops on 19 October 1791 and was later dismantled. It remained in British hands until the peace treaty of 1792, which concluded the third Anglo-Mysore war.
There are 2 caves on the mountain. One starts from the base and as per locals, leads to the temple and fort at peak and another one is somewhere midway which is about 30 feet only. Both are yet unexplored, especially the first one. Locals say that there are pythons in the caves and have swallowed their goats who wander in the carves. Supposedly, there are 6 Samadhis in that cave and thus the area is considered holy.
Skandagiri aka Kalwarahalli Betta. Kalwara means ‘Thieves’, Halli means ‘Village’ and Betta means ‘Hill’. As the name goes, there are people around at night to fool trekkers. If one is planning to visit this beautiful place, watch out for vehicle thieves. and also while climbing be ware of snakes during night.
| Altitude | About 1350 meters above sea level |
| Distance | 70 km from Bangalore |
| Nearest Town/Medical Help | Chikballapur, 5 km |
| Nearest Airport/ Railway station | Devanahalli(Bangaluru International Airport) |
| Co-ordinates | 13°25′3″N 77°40′58″E |
There are two routes to Skandagiri:
Directions:
At Kalawara village ask for Omkara Jyoti Ashrama/Papagni Mutt (13°25′26.6″N 77°41′28″E). There is a Shiva temple near the base of the hill, where vehicles can be parked near the gate. There are two routes up to skandagiri. One route, which can be accessed by taking the path to the left of the temple is quite steep and is recommended for more experienced climbers. The popular route is the path to the right of the temple (Between the Matt and the Ashram).
Level of Trekking : Moderately difficult
Must carry water, first aid box, snacks or light foods. Do not forget to take some warm clothing with you as it can get cold at the top. You might want to take a windsheeter or a waterproof Jerkin as the clouds passing over you can get you wet. Local villagers camp on the peak and sell omelettes, cold drinks, tea, and other refreshments. They even gather wood for you in case you want a campfire and can serve as guides over the terrain.
It is common to trek in the dark, and it's a lot fun on a beautiful full moon night. Trekkers usually start climbing at around 2:00 AM and aim to reach the top by around 5:00 AM to catch the sunrise. You must carry one torch per person if planning a night trek. Sometimes the night trek is banned because of security reasons. One must ensure that the night trek is available prior to trekking. Mid of December to second week of January is the best time to visit scandagiri and witness the beautiful scene of Sun rising over white bed of clouds under you.
This is a moderately difficult trek as the hill is precipitous and high. The trek starts from the Papagni Temple at the foot of the hill. The fortress is in full sight throughout the trek uphill. This steep and fantastic trek through a maze of dense shrub is highly intriguing. Skandagiri is a teaser. Just as you reach the fort wall content that you have topped the hill, you see another ring of fort. There are six such series of stonewalls protecting an abandoned ancient temple on the hilltop.
If you are a geologist and interested in doing some study on the trip, there are a few very old stone sculptures of Hindu deities about 100m before the base camp across a temple. Villagers have also built a modern temple right across the road.
Don't forget to carry your camera to take breathtaking pictures of 360 degree view of surroundings. You can also see Nandi Hills from here.
A local language(Kanada) guide is available at the foothill. He is staying near a small temple at foothill. He can be reached on ( +91 9141743260). You can park vehicle safely with his help.
As of Dec 2011,Skandagiri trekking has been completely banned by Chickballapur police, during night as well as day. All the local guides have been warned as well. Police are very serious about the ban after a recent case of death of a person while trekking. It is a pity that such a beautiful paradise has been banned but any attempt of trekking would end you up in the Chickballapur police station along with your vehicle.
Police guards the base of the hill and they have setup some locals as well to catch anyone who attempts a trek.
The reasons cited by the police for the ban are:
If Skandagiri was in your list of trekking destinations, please omit it.
The beautiful skandagiri sunrises, over the sea of clouds, could only be seen in the internet images from now on.