SKANDAGIRI HILLS BANGALORE

4-Jan 2009

Another Weekend getaway from Bangalore to the land of Cool and gentle breeze,  and The ruins of the Majestic fort  of Tippu Sultan- just 60 Kms away .

Skandagiri is a hill, located approximately 70 km from Bangalore city, off the Bellary Road (NH-7 Hyderabad-Bangalore Highway), and it  is very close to Nandi Hills which is another trekking Destination near Bangalore and Chikkaballapura. The peak stand at an altitude of about 1400 (Garmin Geko 201) meters. It is an  adventurer’s paradise with beautiful night trek, altitude camping, stunning sunrise.

Skandagiri is one of the hill forts in the Nandi Hill ranges. The walls of Tipu Sultan's fort ruined by weather and baniyan trees can be seen even today. History says this was a small but strong hill fort. It was surrendered to the British troops on 19 October 1791. It remained in British hands until the peace treaty of 1792, which concluded the third Anglo-Mysore war.

There are 2 caves, one starts from the base and as per locals, leads to the temple at peak and another one is somewhere midway which is about 30 feet only. Both are yet unexplored (If Anyone is interested in Exploring that Contact Me, We Can Do it.), especially the first one. Local say that there are pythons in the caves and had swallowed their goats at times. Supposedly, there are 6 Samadhis in that cave.

The nearest town is Chikballapura, there is a Police Station and Hospital. There are buses frequently  to Bangalore which is just 60 Kms Away.

We were a team of 2 Today. me and My Friend Amruth Raj. Amruth Raj V is a Guy Interested in Trekking and Adventure. He is working  at Lucid Imaging, Bangalore. He is from Idukki, the Hilly district of Kerala. We started from Bangalore by morning 8 , reached Majestic by around 9. From majestic we got into a but to Chikmangalore. From Platform 11 of KSTRC bus stand. We reached The Destination by 10 AM, the distance was 60 Kms and Ticket Charge was 36 Rs. From the town we had our food, and took an auto the Pappagni Matt, which is the Foot of the hill, 5 Kms away. The auto charge was 80 Rs. We started trekking slowly up the Hill.

At first it was a bit boring as there was no greenery like the Hills of Kerala. It took around 2 hours to reach the top. The track to the top was clearly marked and so there was no confussion. The route to the top was  a bit dangerous, as our LHS was a trench for a few hundred meters. When we thought, we were almost at the top; we just saw another peak in front of us to be conquered. The hill cheated us three times in this way. At the foot, the wind was dry and warm. But at the top, the gentle breeze was cool and relaxing.  At the top, there was an old fort. The fort was visible from half way up the hill. There was a temple inside the fort. And inside the temple it was like air Conditioned. It was Beautiful.

HOW TO REACH SKANDAGIRI HILLS FROM BANGALORE.

Skandagiri Hills is very near to the ChikBalapur Town, a Rural Place 60 Kms away from Bangalore, and is easy to reach.  Refer the Maps below to get an idea of the Route.

By Bus
From Majestic you will get busses to Chik belapr from Platform No 11 of KSRTC Bus stand. There are buses very frequently, and it takes 1 hour to reach the Destination. The ticket Charge is Rs 36. The bus moves along the NH 7 which is the route to Hyderabad. It crosses the Places Yelanka, and  Devanahalli  (Where the  new airport is Located).

From Chik balapur, You must move to a place called Pappagni matt, which is the Foot of the Hill. The distance is about 5 Kms . You can walk or get an Auto. The auto charge will be between 80-180  Rs.  If you are walking, it takes around 1 hour and you can have a view of the plantations and Village life. There are Papaya, Guava, Roses and many Plantations nearby.

By Car.
You can follow the NH 7 to reach Chik bellapur and from there you can move to Pappagni Matt and you can park your vehicles there and start the Trek.

To the Hills.
From Pappagni matt, which is a dead end, you have to make a right turn and then move along the first left turn. You will moving  along a narrow cut road. After moving along this road for a Kilometer, you will reach the base. From here you can start trekking the Hill. There route to the top, is clearly marked which can be followed safely. It takes around 2 hours to reach the top. 

VIEWS AT THE TOP

Though it is dry during the Climp, the situation is entirely dirrerent at the Top. From the Top of the hills, there is an Old fort and An ruins of an old temple. The fort wall which was protecting the temple is almost destroyed, by weather and nature. Huge baniyan trees grows on the fort walls.

You can have a spectacular view of the Sorroundsing from the top. There are deep ridges around the hill. The peak stands at an Altitude of 1400 Meters Above Sea Level (Garmin Geko 201).

If you are there at the Morning by 6 AM, you can have a  glimpse of the Beautiful sun rise and the Cloudbase. You can stay there on the top.

MAPS OR CHARTS

The Following map Shows the Bangalore City and Chikbelapur Towns. It is very easy to reach Chik Bellapur from Bangalore along Yelanka, Devanaiil. There are Buses to Chik Bellapur Very Frequently from Magestic, Bangalore (Platform No 11 of Kembagouda Bus Stand).

KEEP YOUR SORROUNDINGS CLEAN

This is the Basic Lesson we learn in our KGs, But I Guess the Fellows from Bangalore doesnt Know this. They come here, Make the Place as Dirty as Possible, Scatter the Beer Bottles all Around, Take 10 Photogrphs and Upload To Orkut, Move back. They doesnt Even Keep the Place Clean. I always remember About Naren From Bangalore ( http://www.flynandi.com ), who will be so angry at the Team mambers who does  Anything to Spoil the Nature.

All around the Peak, there were Dumb Yards. It was so Bad to see it. It has Downrated the entire Atmosphere around the Hills.

This was a Perennial Water source at the top of the Hill. This water was suitable for Drinking and Fresh.  The Trekkers From Bangalore made it unfit to use. The pool is like a dumbyard now. All the wastes are thrown into it.. waterbottles, Feaces..Plastic Covers..ever.ything. So I always love the hills to be very hard to trek, so that these kind of Lazy fellows will not reach the top to destroy the Spot. If you wanna trek somewhere do a trek and keep the place clean.

FOOT NOTES

Team

• Amruth Raj V (amruthrajv@gmail.com) (http://www.theidukki.co.cc)
  
• George Joseph ( george@peermade.info )

Total Time

• One Day  ( From Bangalore)

Thanks To

• The team whichJoined With Us.

Related Links

Nandi Hills, Another Hill very near, and more beautiful. Vehicles can reach the top of the Hills,

• http://travel.peermade.info/index.php?page=60&title=Nandi%20Hills%20Photo%20Gallery

Paragliding At Nandi Hills By Xtacee Paragliding Club

• http://www.flynandi.com
  
• http://travel.peermade.info/index.php?page=47&title=Tandem%20Paragliding%20With%20Naren