Introduction
Skandagiri is positioned in a village known as Kalavara Halli, and as a result, it’s also called Kalavara Durga. At the foothills of Skandagiri lies one of Karnataka’s historical and oldest mutts, the Papagni Mutt.
The path begins off from Papagni Mutt and follows its manner to the pinnacle, in which lie the ruins of a fort that dates again to the 18th Century. Tipu Sultan conquered the fort which belonged to a nearby ruler and later he used it as a stronghold to combat opposition to the British, however, he soon surrendered in 1791 whilst Tipu Sultan became defeated.
The pinnacle gives a wide-ranging view of the 4 neighboring ‘Giris’ or hills and its miles are a sight to behold.
Skandagiri has positioned much less than 60 km from Bengaluru and three km from Chikballapur and is nicely related via means of avenue and railways. Therefore, it’s miles an excellent 12 months-spherical trek for first-time trekkers in addition to the pro ones and may be finished in five hours comfortably.
Places to go to
The huge rock formation which overlooks Nandi Giri
Skandagiri hill has been visited and praised by many well-known personalities on their way to Nandi Hills in the course of the British Rule, such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Sir M. Visveswaraya name a few.
The trail is a unique blend of rocks, boulders, and dust with thick vegetation
Very few treks pleasure hiking thru rocks, hopping boulders, and additionally revel in the muddy path with sun sunglasses or timber in between. Skandagiri gives a lot of these for a trek this is so near our habitat.
The dilapidated fort walls
Closer to the summit, the ruined walls, carved pillars, and stones take us again to the time whilst Skandagiri fort became full of lifestyles and grandeur.
The Shiva Temple on the summit
At the summit, the temple devoted to Lord Shiva remains worshipped by devotees who climb up all the ways to get a glimpse of the idol. This is an extraordinary sight for a citadel press whose surrounding systems are in ruins.
The breathtaking view of the encompassing hills and Chikballapur city from the summit
From the summit, you get a wide-ranging view of the encompassing hills, even 4 of the 5 “Girls” in conjunction with forests, villages, and the city.
Trail Information
The path originates from Papagni Mutt, withinside the Kalavara village. The village is three km from Chikballapur.
The trek itself may be divided into 3 sections – the primary stretch is a flat path stroll from Papagni Mutt until the Forest Checkpost which one wishes to file earlier than beginning the trek. The 2nd stretch climbs up lightly and once in a while steeply through dust trails and rocky sections to the primary relaxation point. The very last stretch is a steep ascent to the summit on slippery muddy and rocky terrain.
Best Time To Do Skandagiri Trek
Skandagiri is one of these treks that may be accomplished every 12 months.
However, because of little or no tree cowl at the path, it’s miles endorsed to put on a cap in summers to keep away from publicity to the sun. Not sporting a cap or a hat will tire you out quickly because of dehydration and severe heat.
During monsoons, convey a poncho or a raincoat in conjunction with a rain cowl on your backpack to hold yourselves dry for your hike to Skandagiri.
But, it’s advisable not to trek in the course of heavy rain because the path turns slippery because of free rocks and dust. This will impede your revel in of the trek.
Difficult Sections On The Skandagiri Trek
-
Slippery path (Monsoon specific):
The path turns into extra elaborate in the course of monsoons because the dust and rocks come to be very slippery and awesome warning should be taken even as traversing. If hiking withinside the monsoons, trekkers have to be very cautious with their preference of shoes and have to test climate charts to be able to keep away from days with expected heavy rains.
-
Rocks and Stones:
There are a couple of components of the trek in which trekkers can be required to scale small rocks or stroll on massive stone slabs. While that is an exceptionally fun part of the trek, one wishes to be cautious. Slipping or falling from a rock can result in severe damage and trekkers should exercise warning even as navigating those sections.
-
Muddy sections:
Since this path is a mixture of rocks and dust, there are a few sections of predominantly dust path which could be very slippery although it has now no longer rained. The chances of slipping and sliding down for some meters are excessive in those sections. Hence, corporation footing is recommended in those sections.
Things To Take On Skandagiri Trek
- Basic First Aid kit*
- Identity Card
- Cap/ Scarf/ Bandana & Sunglasses
- Water (Minimum liters)
- Quick Dry T-shirts are great over cotton tees.
- Poncho, handiest in the course of monsoons
- Plastic sheet to wrap digital devices, handiest in the course of monsoons
- Sunscreen
