KEMPEGOWDA FORT - MAGADI - TRAVEL INFO
Historical
Distance (From Bangalore City Railway Station): 45 Kms
Commonly Visited From: Ranganatha Swamy Temple - Magadi (2 kms)
Trip Duration (From Ranganatha Swamy Temple - Magadi , Including Travel): 1 Hour
Transportation Options: Cab / Auto
Travel Tips: Ranganatha Swamy Temple - Magadi, Kempegowda Fort - Magadi & Someshwara Temple - Magadi are situated near by and are visited together.
At a distance of 240 m from Magadi Bus Station, 12.5 km from Savanadurga Hill and 45 km from Bangalore City Junction, The Kempegowda Fort located in Magadi was originally built by Kempegowda, the founder of Bangalore as a mud fort in 1537. Unfortunately, a large portion of Kempegowda Fort lies in ruins today, with only parts of the fort having survived. This is one of the popular trekking destinations to visit around Bangalore.
The Sultan of Bijapur won Bangalore from the stranglehold of Kempegowda II in 1638. From then on, Kempegowda made Magadi the capital of his territories. For nearly ninety years, Kempegowda and his successors ruled the Magadi region where Kempegowda II built a fort that housed the offices of his administration and the stone fortress of Savanadurga. The Gowda rule ended when the Dalavayi Deva Raja, a general in the Mysore Army captured the last of the rulers. In 1728, the Mysore army breached the weak fort of Magadi and the fortress of Savanadurga and Magadi fell into the hands of the Mysore kingdom.
The original Magadi fort was a mud fort. It was converted by Haider Ali into a stone fort in 1761 and completed by Tipu Sultan in 1791. The fort was seized upon by the army of the British East India Company during the 3rd Mysore War fought between 1790 and 1792. The Kempegowda Fort is believed to have served as a place of refuge to the people of the town.
Inside the fort is the temple of Rameshwara. This temple is built in later Vijayanagara style of architecture and has a Garbhagriha having a brick and mortar Dravida Shikhara. There is a small Ardhamantapa leading to a Navaranga with the Mantapa in the front having square granite pillars. There is Satyanarayana Swamy temple to the left. To the southwest of the temple, outside the enclosure is a fine shrine of Basava or Nandi with a good tower built on a lofty boulder. It is locally called Shikhara Basava shrine and is a prominent structure visible from a great distance around with a plight of 50 steps leads to it.
Timings: 9 am and 5 pm.
