Jyoti Raj is an Indian free solo climber from

Chitradurga Chitradurga is a city and the headquarters of Chitradurga district, which is located on the valley of the Vedavati river in the central part of the Indian state of Karnataka. Chitradurga is a place with historical significance which is locate ...

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 ...

. Known as "Kothi Raju" or "Monkey King", Raj is famous for scaling the

Chitradurga Fort Chitradurga Fort, or as the British called it Chitaldoorg, is a fortification that straddles several hills and a peak overlooking a flat valley in the Chitradurga District, Karnataka, India. The fort's name ''Chitrakaldurga'', which means 'pictur ...

without safety harnesses. He does not climb for sports, but to entertain the visitors to the fort. He is also the only person to have scaled Karnataka's highest waterfall, the 830-foot

Jog falls Jog Falls is a waterfall on the Sharavati river located in the Western Ghats running between Uttara Kannada and Shimoga districts of Karnataka, India. It is the third highest plunge waterfall in India. It is a segmented waterfall which depend ...

, climbing against the flow. On 13 September 2013, he free soloed the clock tower at Moorusavir Math in

Hubli Hubli, officially known as Hubballi, is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. The twin cities Hubli–Dharwad form the second largest city in the state by area and population and the largest city in North Karnataka. Hubli is in Dharwad distr ...

in just over 15 minutes. He did not use any harness, but used chalk for grip. He made his debut as an actor in

Sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...

with the 2014 film ''Jyothi aliyas Kothiraja''. He has been called upon numerous times to rescue or retrieve the bodies of people who have fallen down

Jog Falls Jog Falls is a waterfall on the Sharavati river located in the Western Ghats running between Uttara Kannada and Shimoga districts of Karnataka, India. It is the third highest plunge waterfall in India. It is a segmented waterfall which depend ...

, and on a rescue operation in 2018 he got stuck in a gorge overnight.

References

External links

Jyohi Raju scaling the Chitradurga Fort

Living people Indian stunt performers People from Chitradurga Sportspeople from Karnataka Indian rock climbers Free soloists 1988 births {{India-sport-bio-stub