Savandurga Hill, one of the largest monolith hills in the State, is a historical as well as an adventurous destination. B V Prakash describes the natural and man-made attractions found here.
The vast spread of southern plateau in Karnataka is marked by a chain of rolling hills rising to moderate altitudes. As such, we can find an array of rocky hills all over the southern plains, more so around Bengaluru. These hills have also become abodes of temples and fortresses and of late, as adventure spots as well, attracting trekkers and climbers. One such place, which lies close to Bengaluru, is Savandurga Hill near Magadi.
Located at about 60 km west of the City, amidst the hilly tracts of Magadi town, Savandurga beckons people all through the year. The tall and wide hill, one of the largest monoliths of Karnataka, is actually a rocky massif soaring to an altitude of 4,024 feet. However, a chasm at the top has divided it into two hills with a couloir in between. The hill to the west with heaps of boulders and shrubs is referred to as Kari Gudda (meaning black hill). The other hill with bare rocky slopes is the Bili Gudda or the white hill. The latter is the popular one with streams of visitors climbing to its top to get a glimpse of the scenic surroundings. Travellers should get permission from the Forest Department to trek Savandurga.
Artistic structures
Though the hill has many multi-pitch climbing routes with bolts embedded on its face for serious rock climbers, the trail on Bili Gudda, leading to the top from behind, is more popular with trekkers. The climb is daunting, but exhilarating with great views. So, when we headed towards Savandurga on a warm Sunday morning, we felt the excitement anew even after several previous visits. Driving on the Mysuru Road, we took a break at Manchanabele to get a brief glimpse of the vast blue reservoir.
A little further from here is a vantage point providing a complete view of the entire hill of Savandurga that rises gradually from the surrounding fields. This place is also strewn with large boulders of artistic shapes with some of them looking like men in conversation. Appreciating these little-known natural wonders, we drove further to the base of the hill.
Savandurga is known for two temples and both are popular among devotees. We reached the temple of Veerabhadraswamy first. The 70-feet tall deepasthambha in the temple premises has a square base with figures carved on its sides. On the side facing the temple is an image of Daksha with folded hands. The other sides have images of Bhairava, Daksha’s consort and Nandi. Nearby is a white statue of Veerabhadra complete with four hands holding a bow, arrow, sword and shield.
The main temple is ancient with a Dravidian style tower and a vast courtyard. The entrance is flanked by dwarapalakas along with a smaller image of a saint. The sanctum has the five-foot image of Sri Veerabhadraswamy. The prabhavali is decorated with metallic images of birds with elephant tusks and animals. The adjacent sanctum has the image of Bhadrakali. The Savandi Veerabhadra temple, as it was called earlier, serves free food to devotees everyday. Paying our obeisance, we drove further to the temple of Lakshminarasimha. This is another artistic structure said to have been constructed in the 17th century. The sanctum is a cave with a rustic image of the lord.
The Lakshminarasimha Temple is where the road ends and the trekking trail begins. The rocky slope goes up gradually for a hundred metres or so when the first fortification is seen. This was once the strong wall of the fort that existed here.
The earliest reference to Savandurga was made in 14th century when Hoysala Veera Ballala III referred to it as Savandi. Later, the fort became a stronghold of power for Magadi Kempegowda lineage for nearly a century from 1638 AD. It was captured by the kings of Mysore in 1738 and was taken over by the British in 1792. However, one of the best accounts of the fort seems to have been made by Colonel Mark Wilks,a British officer and a historian, who authored a few books including Historical Sketches of South India. In this book, he describes that the fort had walls and barriers all around. The area was also full of bamboos and other trees and the fortress was insurmountable.
Climbing the formidable slopes of the hill, we felt it is so even now. The path led to a watch tower where we rested briefly, enjoying the breathtaking views. Further ahead is a mantapa of stone pillars and a dhone, a pool of rainwater in a depression, nearby. The trail continued through narrow passages between boulders to a steeper rock with steps cut into it. Soon we were at the top, which is crowned with an image of Nandi. The sweeping vistas of lakes, temples and fields from the top made the tough climb meaningful.
Climbing down, we visited the Kempegowda Nature Park, a fine picnic spot. With a variety of trees and plants, it is home to many bird species. Taking a stroll, we passed by pergolas and benches to reach a lovely lake with the hills in the background. The short boat ride enlivened our spirits as we left Savandurga after an adventurous day.
Places around Savandurga
Savandurga is about 60 km from Bengaluru and is close to Magadi town. Driving towards Magadi, one has to take the road to the left at Magadi cross, about 48 km from Bengaluru. One can also reach there, taking Mysore Road which goes to Savandurga via the Big Banyan tree and Manchanabele dam. As such, the latter route is preferable. There are direct buses to Savandurga from Bengaluru.
The Big Banyan tree is at about 28 km from the City when we go to Savandurga via Mysore Road. The single banyan tree with a large canopy of three acres is a popular tourist spot. Also called Dodda Alada Mara, it is a 400-year-old tree with thousands of aerial roots spread around. Fifteen km further from here is a vast lake, the backwaters of River Arkavathi and Manchanabele Dam. The dam supplies water to Magadi and nearby towns. It is also a fine picnic spot with facilities for water sports like Kayaking. The town of Magadi, which once was the capital of Kempegowda rulers, has the famed temple of Ranganathaswamy on a high elevation called Swarnadri Parvatha. The remains of fort walls and the temple of Someshwara on Kunigal Road are also worth visiting.