Madhugiri Fort Trek

Madhurgiri trek is a one day trip from Whitefield, Bangalore. The trek lasts for approximately 2 hours to 3 hours.

• Geography
• Logistics
• Single day trip
• Two days or weekend trip
• Meera Velankar
• Recommended Trek gear
• Mom's on Scooty experience
• Silk Cocoon cultivation
• Evening near the Madhugiri Lake
• Madhurgiri trek difficult parts
• Photo session and fun spots in the trek
• Things to do on the top
• Stay options near Madhurgiri
• Can we do the trek on our own without trek group?

Geography

Madhurgiri is a small village in Tumkur district. It lies to south Eastern Karnataka. It gets the name from the monolithic rock hill named Madhurgiri. Madhu means honey and giri means mountain. It is around 130 km from Whitefield Bangalore.
The Madhurgiri hill is second largest monolithic rock in Asia. Monolithic means single rock structure.

Logistics:

There are two options available

Single day trip 

In case, you are short of time and have a day to spare then start early in the morning at around 5 o clock. Have an awesome breakfast on the way near Hebbal.Reach Madhurgiri village by 9 am.  The trek would get get over between 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. Leave Madhugiri and have an wholesome lunch a late lunch at Kamat on the highway.

Weekend trip or two days trip 

Start early morning, reach Madhurgiri by noon. Check in hotel in Madhurgiri and relax. After lunch, stroll around the lake near Madhurgiri village. Enjoy karokle ride if available. Spot some migratory birds nesting near the lake. Next day start the trek early morning by 6:30 am. The trek would get over around 10 am. Head back to Bangalore. Enjoy lunch at Kamat on highway.

I was fortunate to experience the trek two times. First time, in September 2018, we were group of four ladies on two wheelers, a Scooty Streak and Activa.
Myself, Meera Velankar, Deepa Pawar and Madha Joshi. We stayed over night and did the trek early morning.

Recently, in Nov 2019, I visited again Madhurgiri in a day trip, with an enthusiastic group of trekkers from Prestige Shantiniketan appartment complex in Whitefield Bangalore.

MeeraVelankar

Meera Velankar of pedalmummy.com is a well known cyclist and sports enthusiast. She arranges treks and cycling one days tours around Whitefield for adults and kids. Meera along with Swarna Prabhu from Prestige Shantiniketan had arranged the Trek to Madhurgiri on Nov 2019 first week.

Can we do the trek on our own without a trek group ?

Yes. The trek can be done on your own without a trek group. It is recommended that you form a small group of three to four people either friends or family and visit the place.  It's always advisable to hire a local guide. The Hotel Manjunath Comforts at the base of the Madhugiri fort can be contacted few days before the trek. They can arrange a local guide. This guide is usually a local resident, who knows the fort well. There are few difficult patches in the trek where you would need some expert help for the first time. Also as the name suggests, the fort is infested with honeybee nests and spotting of bear is possible. I have seen few videos on YouTube where solo travelers have climbed the fort on their own.

Recommended Trek Gear

• Comfortable sports wear or trek gear.

• Sports shoes. I would recommend not to wear treking shoes or the one with plastic sole. I had a bitter experience first time as I slipped at spot. It had rained the earlier day and some parts of the monolithic rock had small streams flowing downstairs. My shoes slipped in one such area and I was about to roll down my way to the base of the mountain. Luckily I held myself to the railing and our guide Siddhu came to my rescue.Half way through the trek, it's recommended to remove the shoes and walk bear foot as the hill becomes stiff and bear foot gives a good grip.

• Bag - carry a small sack bag with minimum one litre water, snack bars, chocolates, some light snacks.

• Sun protection - cap and sunglasses are recommended.

Mom's Scooty experience:

I had earlier done a Scooty trip to Masinagudi forest with my husband. Females only Two wheeler trip was on my wishlist for a long time. In September 2018, along with the Dare Devil girls gang, we decided to achive this feat on one of the weekdays. It was fun to ride the two wheeler on Highway and gave us much needed adrenal rush. It also allowed the four mother's to break free from our day to day activities for two days and just be on our own. I would definitely recommend others to do a small trip similar to this once in a lifetime.

 

Silk cocoon cultivation

Karnataka state is famous world wide for cultivation of good silk fabric. The silk thread is produced from silk worm cocoon. Once you take a left on the National Highway at Tumkur,we were able to spot few silk cocoon breeders near Madhugiri town. These are usually circular baskets of 1.5 meter diameter. The villagers sometimes keep them outside their house. The moths are spread around on the circular basket to form the cocoons. Once the cocoons reach a particular size, they are removed from basket and the tread is detached. The old lady was courteous enough and showed us the process.

 Evening near the Madhugiri Lake

In our first weekend trip, we decided to explore the local area and reached the lake near the village. There was no concrete road leading to the lake and we were skeptical of exploring the area. We could spot some fishermen fishing in the karokle. We dared to venture in the wild. The fishermen had just pulled back their nets and finished collecting  their days  catch in a karokle.  We could spot some nesting birds on the other end of the lake. We  were also able to hear a lot of frogs crocking in a shallow pond. It was a perfect time for sunset. The mirror image of the Madhugiri fort in the lake at the sunset was cherry on  top of the cake. What a perfect way to end the day. Later we went to the village did some shopping at local shop, loaded our self supplies for next days trek - fruits, milk and bread butter etc. We had dinner at local joint and crashed into bed.
Note - Madhurgiri being a small village do not expect high end shops and restaurants. The village will meet your basic needs.

 

 

Madhurgiri trek difficult parts:

To begin with the trek is sort of easy with stones steps. With 25% of the trek over, the monolithic rock begins. For the next 25% of the rock has steps carved in it and is supported with railing. The first difficult section come the mid way when person has to lean on both the hands and walk sideways. It is as good as doing push up and walking sideways on a steep. The second difficult section lies almost at the end where the rock is inclined at and angle of 70 degrees. This puts your calf muscles and quadriceps at test. If you do not exercise regularly, you are bound to experience major pain next day. After my bitter slipping experience, I always prefer going with the guide no matter what someone thinks of myself.

Things to do on the top :

Once you reach the top, one can sit and relax for half hour or so. The fort remains are in dilapidated condition however kept clean. You can sit in shade and enjoy the snacks. There are no shops or vendors, you need to carry snacks and water. There are no toilets, one has to answer nature's call in open. The scenic view of the Madhugiri town and near by villages will keep your camera lenses occupied for sure.
As per locals, people carry raw food and cook on top of the hill and have a one day picnic.

 

 Photo Session and fun parts in Madhugiri Fort:

A picture says million words. There are many places at the Madhugiri Fort where you can pause and take picture along with a breather.

 

 

 

Stay options in or around Madhurgiri:

If you opt for two days trip then it's advisable to stay at Madhurgiri near the base of the fort. As it will help you kick start the trek early in morning. There are two basic hotels available Manjunath Comforts and Akshay comforts. Both of them are at walkable distance from the start point of the trek. We stayed at Manjunath Comforts, during our  scooty trip in September 2018. Otherwise there are multiple hotels near Tumkur on the highway. However it's an hour's drive from the Madhugiri fort.This would probably delay the trek early morning.

Picture Credits :
Moms on Scooty - Myself. Deepali Pawar, Medha Joshi, Meera Velankar
Group Trek - Myself, Nayana Dongre, Prakash Upadhya, Satya Chekuri, Khusboo Jain and Team.

Kumbha Mahal, Chittorghar

Kumbha Mahal ruins stand still welcoming you near the entrance of the Chittorghar Fort, Rajasthan. Palace is named after Maharana Kumbha who made serveral alterations and additions to the existing Palace. The Palace is approached by two Gateways to the East - Badi Pol and Triploia. These gates leads into open space to the south of the palace and to darikhana. A small doorway to the back of the darikhana gives access to main appartments, the Surya Gokhra, Zanana Mahal, Kanwar Pade ka Mahal, other residential structures and open courts. Build of dressed stone, the exterior walls have decoration. It includes sculptured bands serving as string course and large flower head bosses.
From the windows and doors of the Kumbha Mahal, one can get glimpse of the Chittorghar Fortress Walls.

Rani Padmini Mahal, Chittorghar

Rani Padmini Mahal is the residence of Rani Padmini the Queen of Chittorghar. She was wife of King Rawal Ratan Singh. The Mahal which is mentioned in the famous historic epic, still exists in the Chittorghar Fort and is major attraction for tourist.

It is belived that Rani Padmini was epitome of beauty. One of the main intentions of Alauddin Khilji, Ruler from Turkey, to attack Chittorghar was pechant for Rani Padminis beauty.

His attempts to capture the Fort of Chittorghar were futile. Then he sent word to Rani Padminis husband Ratan Singh to meet her and he regards her as his sister. On being persuaded by her husband, Rani Padmini agreed Alauddin to see her in mirror. On seeing her, Allaudin decided to secure Rani Padmini for himself. He later kidnapped her husband and attacked the Fort.

When there was no way out, Rani Padmini committed divine sucide, called as Jauhar. A huge pyre was lit and the Queen followed in. Later all women jumped into same fire to save themselves from the lustful army waiting outside the fort.

Video Of Rani Padmini Mahal Chittorghar, Fort

Vijay Stambh

Vijay Stambh or the Tower of Victory at Chittorghar, Rajasthan, India is one of the major attractions in the Chittorghar Fort. It was built by Rana Kumbha to celebrate his victory. The tower is build with Red sand stone and White Marble. It has many images of Hindu God and Godesses, Musicians carved on the exterior and interior of the tower. You can gimick in a snap as holding the Vijay Stambh towers top in your hand by an easy Camera trick.


The Tower stands 9 stories tall. The visitors are allowed to reach the top of the tower by climbing the internal steps circumferencing the tower internally. Towards your way to the top of the Tower terrace, one can get magnificient view of the Fort Chittorghar and City of Chittor.


Vijay Stambh Tower:

Interior of Vijay Stambh Tower :

Chittorgarh Fort

Chittorgarh Fort is main attraction in the city of Chittor, Rajasthan, India. The major attractions are:

1. Vijay Stambh
2. Kirti Stambh
3. Gaumukh Reservior
4. Rani Padmini Mahal
5. Rana Kumbh Palace
6. Fateh Prakash Palace Museum
7. Several Gates or Pols
8. Temples(Kalikamata temple, Jain Temple, Meera Temple, etc)

The fort is pride of Rajasthan and attracts maximum number of tourists after the City Palace Fort in Udaipur. The Fort hosts loads of Rajput history and is classic example of Rajasthani architechture.

How to reach Chittorghar Fort:

Chittor city is about 2 hrs drive from Udaipur City. We were based in Udaipur and planned day trip to Chittorghar Fort. We booked Cab from Udaipur city which would take us around Chittorghar fort. The Chittorgarh fort lies at the top of Hill. If one reaches Chittor City by local mode of transport like bus or train, then they have to take local vehicle(cab, rickshaw, motor cycle ride) to the top of the hill.

It will take you about day to visit the fort and the major attractions in the fort.

Chittorghar Fort Video

Vaghator Fort, Goa

The Vaghator Fort, Goa suddenly shot to international fame and became a hot tourist destination after it being featured in the Bollywood Teen hit Dil Chata hai. I had been to Goa several times before to visit our family deitys temple and wonderful beaches of course. But Vaghator Fort was never a star attraction of our trip. Like other tourist I was also attracted towards the Vaghator Fort due to its newly acquired fame.
After reaching Vaghator Beach, one has to walk along the rightside to reach the foot of the fort. The fort is delapidated structure with hardly any maintainace. Some of the walls and other structures of the fort are still existing. However if proper maintainace is not performed it is soon going to dilapidate.

Video of Vaghator Beach from the Fort:

Amer Fort Jaipur

The Amer Fort in Jaipur is one the must see tourist attractions in Rajasthan. The fort lies outside the boundaries of the Jaipur City. On your way to Amer fort one can site the Jal Mahal (Lake Palace) on your rightside. On reaching Amer town, one can see the huge Amer fortress walls being embraced by huge Maotha lake. If you are lucky enough one can see elephants bathing inside the lake. The Fortress walls are built of Red Sandstone. The pulsh interiors are built using white marble. With so much traditional Indian Art and heritage to explore one marches towards the entrance of the Amer Fort.

Entrance of Amer fort

The fort lies on top of small hill. Its rightly said, 'If in Rome be Roman'. Similarly, be a rajasthani and enjoy elephant ride to the top of the hill. The elephant ride costs you around Rs 580 for three people. Otherwise, A small fee is charged to drive the car to the top of the steep hill. You need to park the car outside the fortress entrance. In worst case one has to walk towards the entrance. There is ticket window next to entrance where one needs to buy entrance tickets. Tourist need to declare their Cameras and Video Cams and buy tickets accordingly.