Hutridurga, also known as Uttari Betta is a fortified hill in the south-east of Kunigal taluk, rising to 3708 feet above the sea level that is located 15km south-easterly to Kunigal, the Taluk centre. Hutridurga is situated about 65 km west of Bengaluru in the state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, in

Kunigal Kunigal is a town in Tumakuru district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Kunigal taluk. As of 2011 census, the town has a population of 34155. Kunigal is famous for stud farm established by Hyderali and Tippu Sultha ...

taluk,

Tumakuru district Tumakuru District is an administrative district in the state of Karnataka in India. It is the third largest district in Karnataka by land area with an area of 10,598 km2, and fourth largest by Population. It is a one-and-a-half-hour drive fro ...

. It is situated off the

Magadi Magadi is a Taluk headquarters located in Ramanagara district. The town is situated at a distance of 51 km from Bangalore. The founder of Bangalore, the great Kempegowda was a native of Kempapura, Magadi taluk. Magadi, having a rich cultur ...

state highway (SH94), at a distance of about 7 km from it and 10 km from the Anchepalya industrial area on the Bengaluru-

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ke ...

National Highway (India) The National highways in India are a network of trunk roads owned by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. National highways have flyover access or some controlled-access, where entrance and exit is through the side of the flyover, at ...

- NH48 near

. Hutridurga was built by

Kempegowda Kempe Gowda I, locally venerated as Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda, or commonly known as Kempe Gowda, was a chieftain under the Vijayanagara Empire in early-modern India. He is famous for founding the present-day southern Indian city of Bangalore. ...

in the 16th century. Ruined

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

s are still visible on the two hillocks surrounding the village. Historically, Huthridurga Fort was the military bastion of

Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He i ...

against British, which was conquered by the latter in 1791. It is believed to have been a seven tiered fort and is considered one among the nine "Durgas" (fortified hills) around Bengaluru ("Nava Durgas"). It has a small temple dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

known as the Shankareshwara temple, a Nandi idol on the top of the hill and an

Anjaneya Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine ''vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and one ...

temple, midway. Aadi Narayanaswamy and Veerabhadra temples are situated in the village. The Pooja to the deity is done only on Mondays and Fridays. It saw use as a center of administration during summer and there are structures that housed the war commander, soldiers and a stone umbrella that is said to have been used by

himself. The hill fort has eight gateways from the foot to the summit in addition to several outer gates. On the summit known as Sankarakumbhi is situated a small Shankareshwara temple with a spring called Dodda done or big spring in front of it. From the summit, we get an extensive view of the surrounding landscape dotted by a large number of tanks and hills. Hutridurga derives its name from Hutri, a village situated about 3 km from the foot of the hill. The village immediately at the foot of the hill is known as Santhepet and that situated on the first elevation as Hutridurga. The Hutridurga village has several temples of Adinarayana, Veerabhadra and Anjaneya etc. Near Hutridurga is the village of Sondalagere, home to the Kambada Narasimha Swamy (Pillar Narasimha Swamy) temple. The village is situated on Kunigal - Magadi road via Kempanahalli at a distance of 12 km from Kunigal town and connected by bus service. The village has views of Hutidurga hill. It is a day hike for enthusiasts showcasing the nature at its best and is located close to the state capital of

, Bengaluru. Wildlife includes a diversity of insects, birds and mammals, including bear, leopard and wild boar. As available infrastructure is basic, there have been discussions about initiating work to build a museum to showcase Kempegowda particularly as it is the only place that has monuments connected personally to the founder of Bengaluru. There have also been demands to improve public transport services to this

hobli A hobli, nad or mágani is a cluster of adjoining villages administered together for tax and land tenure purposes in the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, India. This clustering of villages was formed mainly to streamline the collection of t ...

cum village.. the whole hike is 5 km in distance and can be completed by beginners. Hutridurga 7.jpg, Hutridurga - long view Hutridurga 8.jpg, Uttari Betta Hutridurga 6.jpg, Hutridurga Hutridurga 5.jpg, Uttari Betta Hutridurga 4.jpg, Hutridurga Hutridurga 3.jpg, Hutridurga Hutridurga 2.jpg, Hutridurga Hutridurga 1.jpg, Uttari Betta Hutridurga 9.jpg, view of nearby fortified hill from Hutridurga Hutridurga 10.jpg, Uttari Betta Hutridurga 11.jpg, Hutridurga Hutridurga 12.jpg, Hutridurga Hutridurga 13.jpg, Uttari Betta Hutridurga 14.jpg, Hutridurga Hutridurga 15.jpg, Uttari Betta Hutridurga 16.jpg, Hutridurga

Bloglinks

Huthridurga Trek - LoapersSave Huthridurga Fortress - by Summiters Adventures

References

Hills of Karnataka Geography of Tumkur district {{Tumkur-geo-stub