The massive fort of Ballari (Bellary)

If you are in Ballari, it is hard to miss this fort. Located on two prominent hills, it is a dominant structure seen from the city. While this fort is a recent structure, the history of the hill dates to prehistoric times as Neolithic celts, axes, chisels and large varieties of pottery are reported from this site.

Travel to Ballari

We started from Kamalapur near Hampi and visited Sandur before reaching Ballari in the afternoon. With the remainder of the day available for us, we decided to visit the fort. Ballari is known for its hot climate!! We were there in October, and the weather was pleasant. But we did not feel like going out in the afternoon sun. We waited till 4 PM for the weather to cool down a bit before we headed to the fort.

Following the direction provided by the hotel person, we reached the gate of the fort. There was no parking place for our car, but the security person guided us in parking the vehicle. This fort was under the maintenance of ASI and had to pay an entry fee. There was no charge for the camera.

I was surprised with the ASI board mentioning “Tipu Sultan Upper fort”. A local chieftain named Hanumappa Nayaka, a feudatory of the Vijayanagar Empire had constructed the upper fort. After the fall of the Vijaynagar Empire, this fort fell into the hands of the Bijapur Sultans, Marathas and Adoni sultan. Hyder Ali captured this fort in the guise of helping local chieftain. He later restored the fort with the help of a French Engineer. It is said that Hyder Ali found some weakness in this fort with an opposite hill at a higher elevation. It was like a major bug in the source code. In modern corporations, the person may get fired in the worst-case scenario. But Hyder Ali standards were different. The French Engineer was hanged at the gate. It does not look like Tipu did much for this fort apart from inheriting it from his father. It later fell into the hands of the British.

The climb to the fort

Having spent some time reading the information on the board, we started our climb. The sun was on the other side of the hill, which provided shade on the path we climbed. It made the hike a pleasant experience. In a few minutes, we were at the first gate of the fort.

The path was clear, and the steps were well laid. It was narrow at some places where we had to pass through boulders and grasses. At a few places, we had to go under the boulders. Ballari city was visible on one side of our view.

On the way, we noticed some boxes with lighting equipment. It was installed there for the light show some time ago, but they were in a rusty state now. The authorities sanctioned money for installing lighting equipment but did not bother about maintenance. It is a sad state of affairs in Karnataka.

It was a continuous but easy climb, and we reached the gate leading to the entrance of the upper fort. We spent some time enjoying the surroundings. I explained to Tanu about various security aspects of the fort in those days to thwart the enemy attack.

Upper part of the fort

We could see the walls of the fort from the entrance. It was possible to walk on the wall of the fort. I knew it would be a long walk, and my family was not looking for it. The fort walls looked formidable. We decided to continue to the inner or the core part of the fort.

A few more minutes of climb and a large open area was in front of us. The massive gate with the steps leading to it marked the start of the core area of the fort. It looked magnificent, and a landmark of this fort. We decided to spend some time enjoying the beauty of that place. A few local lads were creating a ruckus, but they vanished after our arrival.

The core part of the fort had many structures. It may have been used as the treasury and security commands office. We spent a long time exploring this section of this fort. The walls of this core section were also strong, and we could walk on them. In each direction, we could see the views of the various sections of the fort. It was indeed a large fort.

As the sun started going down, we started our descent. It was one of the most formidable and large forts that we had seen in Karnataka.

Information and tips

• The fort is open from 8:30 AM to 5 PM. You can return by sunset.
• There is a security guard in the fort. But note that it is a huge area. Though there is an entry gate, people could sneak in from various parts. The “shouting people” came from one such entry point.
• The evening is the best time to climb the fort as you get shade from the hillside. It would be too difficult to venture out during mid-day as Ballari is known for high temperatures.
• It requires about 2 – 3 hours in the fort.
• Ballari is about 300 km from Bengaluru. Roads are in good shape (Ballari->Challakere->Hiriyur ->Bengaluru), except for diversions where road widening was going on. We had our breakfast at Ballari and reached our home in Bengaluru for lunch with a break in between!!