Savandurga Hills : A Weekend Gateway

We always try to find new locations to relieve our stress which we get from our busy and hectic schedule. We try to find those places which are surrounded by nature, are peaceful and are away from the turmoil and chaos of the city. And one such place is Savandurga Hills. It is about 60 km west of Bangalore city and is located near Magadi in Karnataka, India. This place is surrounded by dense forest and away from the city’s chaos, a perfect weekend .

ABOUT SAVANDURGA

Savandurga hills is considered to be one of the largest monoliths in Asia. A monolith is a very large stone that is usually tall and narrow especially; a stone that is put in position by people as a monument or for religious reasons. The hill is 1226 m high from the mean sea level and makes a part of Deccan plateau. The hill is made from various forms of rocks like granite, laterites, basic dykes etc. There is a river which is known as Arkavathi that passes near the hills. It flows from the Thippagondanahalli Reservoir to Manchanbele dam. Savandurga hills are formed out of two hills :Karigudda which means black hill and Biligudda which means white hill. The main deity named, Veerabhadraswamy Virabhadra is located at the foothills of the mountain, where a number of worshipers came from different parts of the South Indian states to worship.

Savandurga is surrounded by extensive growth of flora and fauna. The tarnished forest is full of shrubs and trees of Savanna, which is quite dense. The hill is covered by 59 varieties of trees and 119 varieties of shrubs. Species like Sloth Bear, Leopards, Blue rock thrushes, Oriental honey buzzards are some of the faunas. This place is quite in demand among the trekkers. This site provides a breathtaking and pleasing view to the 

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

It is said that around 2000 years ago, the Savandurga hills were home to some human community. Megalithic burial urns containing skeletons, copper coins and terracotta pots were found from the site in the recent past. There is a fort on the top of the hills named Savina Durga, meaning ‘the fort of death’.

The Savandurga hill fort was built in 1543 by the Hoysala ruler Samanta Raya. It was under the ruler Kempe Gowda until the year 1728. Later it was captured by the Raja of Mysore and the next king Haider Ali. Later in 1791, the British ruler, Lord Cornvalis tried to capture Savandurga from Tipu Sultan, who was the ruling king at that time, in the greatest third Anglo – Mysore war, but later it was abandoned. The rulers of that time tried to preserve the fort but they couldn’t, as not much of the fort is left as it is taken by the 

surrounding forest. There is one more story about the fort that was visible from Bangalore but cannot be visited because there were no steps. The hill was covered with bamboo forming a barricade .

SAVANDURGA FOR TREKKING

Savandurga is a perfect spot for the trekking lover. There are two hills for trekking, the Karigudda and the Biligudda hills. Both the trails  are complicated, because they are vertically up and rugged due to which it is difficult for them to run it through. However the Karigudda is much more challenging and less explored. Only the expert trekkers who have permits to trek can make it through. On the other hand Biligudda trail appears to be easier to climb and mark out. The beginner trekkers can make it through this trail.

The best time to visit Savandurga for trekking is from mid – September to April and should avoid the rainy season. The best time for trekking is before the sun rises brightly, which is,  4 am, as it takes 2 – 2.50 hours to reach the peak which means you will reach the peak by 6 -6.30 am. The best experience one could have while climbing Savandurga hills is witnessing the sunrise.

Apart from trekking there are other adventure sports in Savandurga that can be performed – 

• ZIPLINE

• ROPE COURSE 1 AND 2

• SWIMMING

• TEAM BUILDING EXERCISES

• KAYAKING

PLACES CAN BE VISITED DURING SAVANDURGA TREK

• MANCHANABELE DAM –  It supplies water to the entire Magadi town. It makes a good visit after the trek where you can see Arkavathi river.

• THIPPAGONDANAHALLI RESERVOIR – It is located at the meeting point of rivers Arkavathi and Kumudavathi. It is also known as Chamarajanagar.

• TEMPLES – There are two temples; the Savandi Veerbhhadreshwara Swamy temple and the Narsimha Swamy temple located at the foothills of Savandurga.

• DODDA ALADA MARA – A 400 years old Banyan tree which hold a lot of importance among the people.

CONCLUSION

Savandurga is a perfect weekend getaway either you can plan with your family or with your friends or maybe you can plan a solo trip for yourself where you can spend some of your time with yourself away from city’s chaos and turmoil in a peaceful place where you can  relieve your tension and stress in a place with a pleasing view, participating in various adventure sports and obviously witnessing the beautiful sunset. So what are you waiting for, pack your bag and visit Savandurga hills for a perfect escape plan from all your stress.

Aayushi Dhasmana 

Content Writer(Erakina by RTMN)

03, November, 2021