Historical Devanahalli Fort

Devanahalli Fort, located 40 km from Bengaluru, has witnessed the rise and fall of Bengaluru’s fortunes over centuries. The 15th-century fort was under the rule of local chieftains (palegars), various rulers and the British. The intact segments of the wall and bastions are visible from the highway (National Highway 7) itself. The town of Devanahalli has grown beyond the fort now. Houses have been built into the walls and some parts of the wall have fallen into ruin.

Quite well maintained, one can walk over the remaining fort wall. There are a couple of bastions built at a higher altitude for extra security. These are now crumbling away. The Venugopalaswamy Temple located inside the fort is one of the oldest temples here. The main deity is Krishna as Venugopala flanked by Rukmini and Satyabhama. The outer wall of the temple has panels with beautiful relief works of scenes from the Ramayana and Bhagavata Purana.

A few metres south-west of the fort is a place marked as Tipu Sultan’s birthplace. What remains today is a small structure. Devanahalli Fort is for history buffs and offbeat explorers.

You can pay a visit en-route Nandi Hills or on your way back. It hardly takes an hour to explore the remains of this historical fort.