Trek to Kaurava Kunda

If you drive on the Bengaluru Chikkaballapur highway, it is hard to miss the hill ranges on the left side of the road. Many hills like Nandi betta, Skandagiri, Avala Betta, Gudibande adorn the skyline on this stretch. Kaurava Kunda is one of the lesser-known hillocks in the area. This place on the outskirts of Chikkaballapur is gradually gaining popularity as a camping location and trekking with beautiful sunrise and sunset views.

Kaurava Kunda was on my bucket list of places near Bengaluru for a long time. Known for dry weather, the area around Chikkaballapur was not conducive for summer treks. But with rains lashing Bengaluru and its surroundings for the past two weeks, I was convinced that it was the perfect time to trek to this place.

Travel to Kaurava Kunda

Bengaluru (or its people) were still waking up when we started from our home. The traffic was thin, and we came out of the core part of the city pretty fast. As we passed through the airport flyover, I did not understand the need for back to back toll plazas!! We had to cross a series of speed breakers and three traffic signals at Devanahalli. “Why the hell do they collect toll for this?” I thought. A minister talked in the parliament about getting rid of such toll plazas within three months. He still has a month to prove that he is the man of his words.

As we approached Chikkaballapur, two hillocks made their appearance. I showed Chaya that it was our destination, Kaurava Kunda. They looked majestic from the highway. We crossed the town and entered village roads. Finally, we reached Hariharapura village, the base of our trek.

At Hariharapura

We were impressed with Hariharapura, a small village located at the backdrop of Kaurava Kunda. Hariharapura was a clean hamlet, a contrast to other villages near Bengaluru. We parked our car near the pond and started our trek. Villagers were helpful and provided information on the direction of the hike.

Trek to Kaurava Kunda

The trek to Kaurava Kunda can be split into three logical stages.

Stage 1: Easy climb to Harihara temple

We went through the village and crossed the fields to reach the base of the hill. It took some time to locate the steps leading to the temple. Once we found those steps, it was an easy climb. As we climbed up, the views got better. Due to the recent rains, some section of the rocks was wet, and we had to be careful.

Tip: To locate the steps, look for the electric line going to the temple. The steps are present where the electric lines cross the field to the hill.

The surroundings of Harihara temple looked beautiful and serene. We spent a long time enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. Unfortunately, the temple was empty, and we could not get to know the history of the place.

Stage 2: Tricky route to the midpoint

Challenges started as we left the temple. There was no path further up, and we had to use our intuitions to find the way. We started from the left side of the temple. We traversed a steep rocky stretch which gave me goosebumps (due to my fear of heights). Once we crossed this section, we reached a shrub forest and boulder area.

Again, we had to find a way to cross this section. It was tricky, and we had to wade through thorny bushes and rocks. After some struggle, we found something looking like a path to go up. It brought us to a large open rocky area. The view was simply beautiful. We spent some time enjoying the scenery and started climbing the rock.

We climbed, looking in the direction of the top of the hill. Once we crossed the rock, we again reached a shrub forest. A clear path at the entry of the forest welcomed us!!

Stage 3: Steep climb to the top

The ascent further was steep, but the route was clear. We had to climb up some rocky sections. The steep section ended, leading us to a wide area. It was a good place for camping. There were some remains of old construction, but we could not find what it was.

The final climb was short but steep. Once we reached the top, the beautiful views welcomed us. It was already hot but the strong breeze provided respite from the heat.

Return to Bengaluru

The climb down was easy as we just had to retrace the steps. We spent a long time at the temple before climbing down to the village. The drive back to Bengaluru took longer due to midday traffic. We were back home for lunch!!

Information and tips

• Kaurava Kunda is about 75 km from Bengaluru.
• We took about 1.5 hours to climb up and 45 minutes to ascend down with frequent breaks.
• While the place is known for camping, I suggest doing it while trekking in a group.
• The path can be slippery during rains.
• No permissions are needed to trek to Kaurava Kunda (May 2022). I do not know about the permissions required for camping.