Just a couple of hours before the clock struck midnight on the new year eve, Guru messaged in our group inviting us to join him and his wife Shalini on a trek to Gudibande fort and then for a visit to Bhoganandeeshwara temple. I confirmed that I’ll join them.
Gudibande is a small town about 100 kms from Bangalore. “Gudibande” in Kannada means temple on a boulder/hill. The name is due to the Rameshwara temple situated on top of the Surasadmagiri Hill. Byre Gowda, a local chieftain, built a fort here in 17th century. The fort is multi-layered (multi-walled) and its several gates lead to different pathways, ruined temples, caves, and multiple sources of water. There are about 19 man made ponds with in the fort!
As planned, on the new year day Guru picked me around 9 am. We joined NH 44 at Mekhri Circle, went past the airport, and turned left at Peresandra cross towards Gudibande. As we neared the town, we saw a board that Byrasagara lake is overflowing and that the road is closed. However, we saw many vehicles making their way on the road flooded with water from the lake. We also waded thru the flooded road and reached the town.
The road leading to the fort was barricaded and there were police guarding the place. To our bad luck we found that entry to the fort is banned ☹️
With a sad face, we continued our journey towards another lake, a local attraction. We stopped just outside the town to click a pic or two of the hill and the fort.
While there, we saw few people climbing up the hill. We asked boys (shepherds) playing there and they showed us the way to trek up the hill. They’re such a fun bunch!
We made our way up the hill thru the bushes, small boulders, and ponds to join the trail of steps leading to the top of the hill.
We took one of the escape routes taken by soldiers back then, according to the locals 🙂
We explored some hidden path, leading to a watch tower/view point and a pond.
We came across many locals and shepherds along the way. Eventually we made it to the top in about an hour.
The views from the top are breathtaking, worth the trek.
The Rameshwara temple was closed. But we did get a bird’s eye view of the town from the top, could see many lakes in and around the place.
We also saw Byrasagara lake, which is shaped like the map of India, according to locals. As it was flooded, we couldn’t make out its exact shape.
Cool breeze on top and hill made us forget all the tiredness trekking up this place. We spent about an hour here and clicked a lot of pics 😀
We started to climb down by the same path we took to go up. We came across more and more people going up.
We continued on the road further for 7-8 kms reach this beautiful lake.
We had packed food. We had lunch by the lakeside and spent some time admiring the beauty of the place.
We bid bye to this beautiful lake and the fort and drove to next destination: Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple.
An adventurous and exciting start to the new year!
How to reach
Location:
Gudibande fort: https://goo.gl/maps/bVhtPYmoZXv3J3PW7
Vatadahosahalli lake (where we had lunch): https://goo.gl/maps/PVGGKUuSi7dHH6N5A
By car: Traveling by car is more convenient as you can cover other places of interest nearby/on the way. If traveling from Bangalore on the Hyderabad highway, turn left at Peresandra cross and continue on the Gudibande-Gowribidanur road for 15 kms. Parking is available at the foothills.
By bus: There are frequent bus services to Gudibande from Bangalore and Chikaballapur. The road to the fort is thru the town, so one can walk from the bus stop.
Quick tips
- Gudibande is about 2 hrs drive from Bengaluru. Consider this in your planning.
- You can have breakfast on the way. Recommended: Nandi Upachar at Nandi cross or Kamat Upachar at Chikkaballapur.
- Trekking difficulty: Easy to moderate. There are steps all along the path.
- Reach early and finish the trek by noon so that you can avoid harsh sun hitting you.
- Carry enough water/snacks. Do not litter, carry back the empty bottles/packets and dispose in the trash bins.
- There are small stalls for snacks in Gudibande town and proper restaurants at Peresandra cross and more along the highway. If you can wait, you can visit the recommended places above for lunch as well.
- You can also carry your own food and plan to eat on the banks of many lakes around this place. Again, do not litter.