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| Rangasthala Sri Ranganatha Swamy |
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| Devanahalli Fort |
It was a cloudy Sunday and I told my friend Manjunath that we should enjoy the climate by going out for a ride and after having a little bit of discussion about the nearby places, we decided to go to a beautiful temple of Ranganatha Swamy - Rangasthala near Chikkaballapur Town in Karnataka at 11:00AM. It took one Hour Forty Five Minutes to reach this place due to heavy city traffic.
Rangasthala (Temple with Yali Pillars)
Location:
Chikkaballapur District
Karnataka
Distance:
Bangalore to Rangasthala - 60 Kms
Route:
Bangalore Banashankari II Stage - New Airport Road - Chikkaballapur - Thippenahalli (6 Kms from Chikkaballapur on the way to Gouribidanoor) - Rangasthala
Best Time to Visit:
Any time during the year. Every Year in the month of December, Bramhotsavam will be celebrated.
Stay:
The nearest place to stay is Chikkaballapur/Bangalore
As we reached Chikkaballapur, we were very hungry and after having lunch in one of the hotels we reached Rangasthala and saw the astounding Gopuram of the temple which was under renovation.
The Vijayanagar style of architecture gives a warm welcome to the visitors. It is believed that the idols of Ranganatha Swamy (Lord Vishnu) in Rangasthala, Srirangapattana & Srirangam were installed on the same day and at the same time. It has 4.5 feet long Ranganatha Swamy idol with Bhoo Devi & Neela Devi sitting near the leg of Ranganatha Swamy.
The temple is magnificently carved in the Vijayanagar style. The idol of Ranganatha Swamy is very beautiful and annually "Bramhotsavam" will be celebrated in the month of December.
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| Yali Pillar |
The Yali pillars in the temple is yet another attraction for the visitors. Yali is a mythical creature that can be portrayed as part lion, part horse and part elephant. These are mostly seen in the pillars of South Indian Temples.
There is a board in the temple indicating the prices of different Sevas to the God.
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| View from the backside of the temple |
We have spent about forty minutes in the temple and left to Bangalore. On the way in the National Highway, we stopped for snacks and to our surprise we got down before Devanahalli Fort.
Devanahalli Fort & Tippu Sultan Birth Place:
There is a small board on the highway showing the directions to Devanahalli Fort. Fortunately, this is the birth place of
"Tippu Sultan". This place is about 35 Kms from Bangalore and is constructed by
"Malla Baire Gowda" in the year 1501 A.D.
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| Directions on the Highway |
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| History of the Fort |
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| Front entrance to the Fort |
From the outer view of the fort, we thought that the inner parts of the fort might be ruined. However, its a shocking experience as it still protects the live Devanahalli town by its tough walls. The fort is roughly oval east oriented and has about 12 semi-circular bastions at regular intervals.
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| Paths along the Fort Wall |
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| Paths along the Fort Wall |
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| Town inside the Fort |
It has the entrances in the east and west and nicely decorated with cut plaster work. The bastions are provided with gun points built in lime and brick. With the help of these, soldiers can shoot the enemies through the gun points without getting noticed by their enemies.
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| Gun Points |
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| Gun Points |
There is even a small Venugopala Swamy Temple inside the fort. However, the temple was closed when we went.
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| Entrance to Venu Gopala Swamy Temple |
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| Dhwaja Sthambham |
Tippu Sultan was born in this place and his birth place is preserved in his memory. This was his favorite hunting place.
In the Year 1791 A.D. when British captured Bangalore Fort, the soldiers at Devanahalli Fort lost their courage and abandoned this place. After about one week, the British took over this fort without war.
The evening was very pleasant and was about to rain. So, we decided to leave early to avoid getting caught in the rain. The return journey was very cool with nice breeze and to our luck it did not rain till we reached home.
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