1. Devarayanadurga Trek:
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Devarayanadurga is in Tumkur district of Karnataka, the word Devarayanadurga translates to the fort of gods. It’s one of the best weekend trek from Bangalore. According to the history its believed that Lord Brahma meditated here for thousands of years to please Lord Vishnu. Then later the Mysuru king chikka Devaraja wodeyar captured this hill in the seventh century and named it the Devarayanadurga. This place can be visited from November to February. On climbing the fort you get to see the temples of yoga Narasimha and bhoga Narasimha Swamy temple. There are natural water spring called as namada chilume which is the source of the Jayamangali river. .There are two more springs known as Ramatirtha and Dhanushtirtha. YOu can also see a large cave near the statues of Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana.
2. Skandagiri Trek:
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Skandagiri also called as Kalevala Durga is famous for its sunrise and cloud beds. This place is 61 kms away from Bangalore and It is also close to Nandi hills. According to history its believed that the fort in skandagiri was owned by a local king and later was defeated and conquered by the Tippu sultan. The trail is quite diffcult for trekking. You can reach the fort as there are two routes from the base of the hill. One is from the Nandi hills and another from chikballapura town. It starts from the Papagni temple from the base and continues with the green dense shrub. There is even an ancient, abandoned temple that Is protected by 6 strong walls. It’s best for a night trek but unfortunately night treks are banned. You’ll get two caves on the top which are amazing to explore. You can trek here by purchasing entry tickets from My eco trip.
3. Channrayanadurga trek:
Image Courtesy: Trawell
Channarayanadrurga fort is in the Tumkur district of Karnataka and an 100kms drive from Bangalore. This is one of the historic forts with many interesting stories. This fort was built in the 17th century by the ruler chikappa Gowda. Many battles happened to the place to conquer it. It’s a very easy-moderate type of trek and you nearly need half a day to know about the fort over there. It’s best recommended to visit during the winter season, but also ideal during the monsoon but have to cautiously go over the slippery rocks. You can start the trek from the base village and has e stages to reach the fort. The first stage has a lower level of rocks that are steps. You can get through dense forests and shrubs with a pond filled with good water on the second stage and the third stage.
4. Kuntibetta:
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Kunitbetta is 122 km from Bangalore and 30 km from Mysore and it is located in pandavapura taluk of Mandya district in Karnataka. The pandavapura got its name when the Pandavas has stayed here during their exile. Kuntibetta is marked by the two rocky hills which are surrounded by many coconut trees, paddy, and sugarcane. It’s a very short trek but is still challenging reaching there. There is even a pond and a temple at the base of the mountain which is easy to visit by the pilgrims. the trek starts from the right side of the pond and walking a few meters there a slope and need to reach the edge of the rock. It takes around 2 hours to reach the top.
5. Shivgange hills:
Image Courtsey: bangalore trekking club
Shivagange is also one of the most visit places in Bangalore during weekends and it’s just 50 kilometers from Bangalore. There are 2 temples one at the base village called Shiva Ganga temple and another is located on the top of the hill which is called Gavi gangadheshwara temple. It’s also famous for its structure, when you look from the east the peak looks like a bull and as a form of Ganesha from the West and linga from the South and like a cobra from the north. the temple is very historical which was built in the 13th century by the hoyslas. There’s even a spring called pathala Ganga which is a freshwater spring on the way on the hilltop and it’s considered to be holy. There are also small forts located on the base of the mountain.
6. Ramnagara hill:
Image courtesy: trawell
Ramanagara hill also called as Ramadevara betta is hardly 50 km from Bangalore and it is one of the best weekend treks to visit. This hills is famous because of movie Sholay. According to history, it was built by Sugriva when lord Rama had helped him to defeat sukasura. There are around 400 steps to the top. You get a lake named the Rama tirtha. It’s a difficult level of the trek and you get an amazing view once you reach the top of the hill. You can also visit the nearby hills like Yatirajagiri, Shivaramagiri, Somagiri, Revannasiddeshwara Betta, Krishnagiri, Sidilakallu Betta, and Jalasiddeshawara Betta which are the other major hills in Ramanagara. If you’re lucky enough you can spot vultures, bulbul, and a variety of rare species of the eagle in the wildlife century in the Rama Devara betta.
7. Antaragange caves :
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Antaragange caves is 65 km from Bangalore and it is near Kolar. These caves are the part of shathashrunga mountain range. Its also known as Kashi of the south. there are around 500 plus steps to visit the top temple Kashi Vishwanath temple. There is also a km route through volcanic rocks and caves. The best time to visit is from August to February and during monsoon it will be slippery and gets difficult to trek. you get wonderful once you reach the top. It’s ideal to start the trek early in the morning and return back in the evening. You can also encounter different species of snake and sloths on the way to the top. There are many shrubs with thorns on the way of the trek and please wear full sleeves, you may end up have some minor scratches on your body.
8. Hulukadi betta :
Image Courtesy: wanderophile
Hulukadi betta is in the dodballapur district of Karnataka which is 70 km away from Bangalore. You get the best view of sunrise and sunset with beautiful lakes on the side. It has a great history and mythology story. There is Veera Bhadra temple on top of the hill with 4 feet tall statue which said it was built thousand years ago. According to mythology Lord Narasimha and Veera Bhadra fought to live here. Then lord Narasimha moved to Andhra Pradesh. Its also believed that during a religious festival held there a large snake appears and surrounds the statue of Lord Veera Bhadra. You can go to the top with the pilgrimage route. It’s the difficulty level of the trek. It gets steeper when you start your trek. You have many mysteries surrounding the area. Keep an eye while trekking there are man-made caves and boulders around. You can watch out for the Nandi statue inside the cave.
9. Makalidurga:
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Makalidurga is in dodaballapur district of Karnataka and it is 60 km away from Bangalore. According to the stories Makalidurga got its name by a woody climber named Makali Beru where its roots was used to prepare a special drink which was further used as a medicine to purify the blood. And second, was by a king named Makaliraya who used the fort here as his granary. It even believed that Markandeya rishi had performed penance here in the hill. The fort was later held by the Vijayanagara empires and was later controlled by Chhatrapati Shivaji. It’s an easy trek with starting from a railway station with a trek distance of 2 kms one side.
10. Madhugiri:
Image Courtesy: Madhugiri
Madhugiri is in Tumkur district of Karnataka and this place is 98 km from Bangalore. It is considered to be the second-largest monolith in Asia after Savandurga. The fort was built in 1678. Then later on it was fortified by Hyder Ali and then again by the Tippu sultan. It’s adventurous when you are into the steep section just below the small ledges which are used as footholds. On the top, you get the temple of Gopalkrishna which was used to store oil, ragi, and ghee, where which, are still intact now. You get an amazing view on the top and look around for other hills and mountains.
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