Gudibande Fort & Bhairasagar Lake - History, Timings & Entry Fee

At a distance of 24 km from Lepakshi, 33 km from Chikballapur, and 92 km from Bangalore, Gudibande Fort was is a historical fort situated at Gudibande town in the Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka. It is one of the popular places of heritage in Karnataka, and among the top places to visit near Bangalore.

Gudibande Fort was built in the 17th century, by Byre Gowda, a local chieftain who ruled the place for only three years. It was believed that he belonged to the Tuluva dynasty of the Vijayanagar empire. It can be said as a concise replica of the Madhugiri fort.

The fort has seven levels with interconnecting escape routes which would help soldiers to flee in case of emergency. The fort contains two temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. The Shiva temple is known as 'Sir Rameshwara Temple', and is believed to be established by Lord Rama. The nandisthambha in front of the shrine, which stands on a square base, has sculpted stone images of Nandi, Shanmukha, and Shiva Linga. Besides, there were around 19 rock ponds at different levels of the fort that are linked by dhones and they could hold nearly 3 lakhs liters of rainwater in all.

One can also visit the Lakshmi Venkataramana Swamy Temple in Gudibande town which was constructed by Cholas. The temple is sort of a cave temple hewn out a huge rock and the name Gudibande to the town came from this where Gudi means temple, and Bande means rock. One can also visit a pristine lake called Bhairasagara Lake, somewhat 3 km before the fort and the unique thing to mention about this lake is its shape as it looks like the Map of India.

There are around 500 stairs to trek up to the top from the base of the hill. It takes about 30 to 40 minutes to climb to the very top. Most of the trail is a gradual ascent, but at some stretches where there are steep. Though the trail is not as daunting as the Madhugiri fort trail, the breathtaking view of the whole town, the massive Byrasagara lake and the rocky landscape interspersed with green flats from the top of the Gudibande Fort are worth the trail.

Timings: 6 AM to 6 PM

Entry: Free