JOIN USOnce the bastion of several powerful dynasties, Magadi today is confined to the pages of history. Chitra Ramaswamy visits this nondescript town, which has also become an adventurer’s haven.
We were on our way to Magadi to savour a slice of history and enjoy the scenic Savandurga Hills and Manchanabele Dam, which offer an ideal weekend getaway from Bengaluru for picnickers, aqua sports lovers and serious rock climbers.
Proceeding on Mysuru Road, we first came across the Dodda Alada Mara or the Big Banyan Tree. With its multitude of long, twisting tresses, it stood majestic against the backdrop of backwaters of the Manchanabele Reservoir and the Savandurga Hill.
We marvelled at the 400-year-old tree with its host of aerial roots. Amid the sounds of birds and the chatter of monkeys that threatened to decamp with food packets of visitors, we walked along pathways formed by the roots of a tree that is considered to symbolise the trinity of deities Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva in its roots, stem, and branches. After paying obeisance to Lord Muniswara for whom a temple has been built in the Banyan Tree complex, we proceeded towards Magadi.
We drove along serpentine roads to reach the nondescript town encircled by huge granite hills. Once the bastion of several dynasties, including the Cholas, Hoysalas, Vijayanagara rulers, and home to Kempegowda II following his ouster from Bangalore, Magadi today is confined to the pages of history, and lives in obscurity, its scattered ruins barely revealing a fraction of its past glory. A couple of ‘patches’ of brick walls stand in poor testimony to the mud fort built by Kempegowda at Magadi.
Traditional sculptures
On the outskirts of Magadi is the Ranganathaswamy Temple built by the Cholas. Constructed on Swarnadri Parvata at an elevation, the Temple has a vast circumambulatory area, an entrance and a towering rajagopura.
The sanctum sanctorum is an amalgam of Dravidian and later-Vijayanagar styles of architecture. The deity in the sanctum is believed to have been installed by Mandavya Rishi.
It is in a standing posture (contrary to the usual reclining posture of Vishnu as Ranganatha), characteristic of Vishnu in Vijayanagar style, holding the shankha, chakra, gadhe and abhaya in his four hands. A relief sculpture of a reclining Ranganatha, however, is seen on the wall behind the sanctum sanctorum. The deity is referred to as Beleyuva Ranganatha, meaning ‘ever-growing’ Ranganatha.
Further down, in what was once the fort complex, now are two small Vijayanagar-style temples dedicated to Rameshwara and Someshwara, built during Kempegowda’s reign. We then drove about 10 km from Magadi to arrive at Savandurga, a huge granite hill range formed by two hills known locally as Karigudda (black hill) and Biligudda (white hill). Savandurga, known at different time periods in history as Savandi and Savinadurga, meaning ‘fort of death’, rises 1226 m above the mean sea level and forms a part of the Deccan Plateau.
Terracotta pots, megalithic burial urns and copper coins excavated in recent times from the ruins of the fort at Savandurga indicate human habitation dating as far back as 2000 years. Historical records date the Fort as having been first built in 1543 by Samantha Raya, an officer in the Vijayanagar Empire. The region later came under the sway of Kempegowda, who had his headquarters at Magadi. Two temples, one each dedicated to
Veerabhadraswamy and Lakshmi Narasimha, dot the foothills. Kempegowda Vanadhama, a leisure spot for visitors, is also in the vicinity.
Onto some adventure
As we were not equipped for serious trekking, we comforted ourselves with some elementary climbing activities before visiting the temples. However, for serious trekkers and rock climbers, Savandurga is a haven with many trekking trails. An ideal way to explore Savandurga Hills and its surroundings is to join a team of trekkers and enjoy adrenaline-pumping rock climbing, exploring along the way caves that dot the granite-laterite hills. While rock climbing equipment and a permit are required to climb the steeply rising Karigudda Hill, the trails, divided into four levels, are well marked on the Biligudda trekking route, although it too involves a near-vertical climb in the midst of craggy rocks. Once on top, you can take in lungfuls of fresh air and enjoy enchanting views of the vast expanse of green below.
Our final halt was at Manchanabele. The Manchanabele Dam itself is a small one with only three gates, set in picturesque environs at the foot of the rocky Savandurga hills and surrounded by deciduous forests. It was constructed across River Arkavathi for irrigation purposes and to serve as a source of water for Magadi. Manchanabele is a popular camping site for team outings with several adventure activities being organised by various adventure tour operators.
Rappelling, zipline across the dam, rope walking, kayaking, coracle riding, canoeing, swimming, fishing and bird-watching are some sports one can indulge in while at Manchanabele. We also spotted the ruins of an old temple near the tranquil backwaters of the dam. We finally wound our day-long trip after witnessing an exhilarating sight as the fiery red orb of light slowly sank beneath the horizon, casting multiple shades of red, orange and yellow on the shimmering waters of Manchanabele.