Kaiwara Fort Trek

Kaiwara Fort is a hill fort located near Chintamani in Kolar district. It is about 70 km from Bengaluru.

This place had been on my list for a long time, but I kept postponing it. The main issue with places in Kolar district is that I have to cross the entire Bengaluru city traffic, which is never exciting. But one Saturday, the day finally came, and Chaya and I decided to go.

The trek is controlled by the Karnataka Forest Department, and you need to book a slot on their website in advance. I have written about this process in an earlier post.

We started at 6 in the morning and managed to cross Bengaluru before the traffic built up. While having breakfast near Hoskote, I got a call from the Forest Department asking if we were coming for the trek. Apparently, we were the only ones who had not turned up yet! I told them we would reach well before the 10 AM deadline.

Why do people come early?

This is a popular trek, and around 150 people visit on weekends and Sundays. Most people come early to catch the sunrise, especially when clouds hover below the hill, which is said to be the highlight of this trek.

The trek

We reached the entrance of Tapovana, which is the starting point of the trek. After registering at the entrance, we started walking. The first 10 minutes were inside a park. Near the rabbit house, we took the “Gangothri Trail,” which leads to the hill.

The trail was straightforward but involved a continuous climb. The first half of the trek goes through forest cover, while the second half is more open. It took us about 1.5 hours to reach the top, with plenty of breaks in between.

By the time we reached the top, everyone else had already descended. So, for a brief while, we had the summit all to ourselves.

The views from the top are excellent. You can see open landscapes in all directions, and there are a few ruins scattered around, indicating the remains of the old fort. Kaiwara Fort is believed to have historical connections to local rulers and saints, and the hill itself is also known as Kaiwara Betta. We walked around, rested for a long time, and then reluctantly decided to climb down.

Kaiwara Tatayya Cave

Before heading back to Home, we visited nearby Kaiwara Tatayya Cave, where Kaiwara Tatayya meditated and attained enlightenment. It is a nice place to visit.

Information and tips

• This trek gets filled up quickly on weekends and Sundays. Plan and book early.
• There is no real effort to restore or maintain the fort ruins. Entry fees are collected, but very little improvement is visible on the ground.
• There is a toilet near the rabbit enclave, but it is extremely dirty. It looks like there is a rule in Government books to keep public toilets dirty.