Midigeshi fort trek

Date:	6^th of January 2024
Difficulty	Easy – Moderate for an occasional trekker
Things to look for	Rich history, Fort ruins, Scrambling on boulders.
Distance	The total distance recorded on me was about 1-1.5km to the mosque at the top and then some 500 meters while you roam behind the mosque exploring other places
Basecamp	Google maps link
Weather	Sunny

How to reach from Bangalore?

There are two routes from Bangalore, you can simply use Google maps and reach the base camp (link mentioned above), we went through Doddaballapura as the one via Dobbaspete (near Tumkur) is always messy and crowded no matter what Google maps says when you are starting from Bangalore

*On the way we stopped for breakfast in Doddaballapura – Google maps link*

The food was pretty good, had a single idli and a cup of tea and we continued the drive.

We reached the base of the trek (Age-old very beautiful Venkataramana Swamy Temple) at around 10, it was already sunny. You have ample amount in front and around the temple are to park your vehicles.

We parked infront of Venkataramana Swamy temple

Base and start of the trek

You might see a route on the left of the temple (w.r.t temple and not you) and another one on the right of the temple, go with the right.

*On the right side of the temple is the starting point of the trail*

*Temple view from the beginning of the route*

First entrance

Soon after a short 2 min walk, you willl see the whole temple, and very soon you will reach the first entrance.

After the first door, and a bit of a hike, you will see nice slopy sections, you can choose to climb from your right, where it might be bit easier or choose to climb the slope straight and have more fun 😁.

Don’t forget to take a look at the remains and the for wall itself

*Some more slopes and walk to the main climb*

This slope is interesting as well, a bit of a long stretch but not too steepy and fun to run around. But definitely have to be careful, running around doesn’t mean you can be careless, a simple fall will be fatal for sure.

The 75 degree stair climb

*The steep view after climbing those stairs*

*The steep view after those stairs* with reference

Soon after traversing through the slope and some bushes, you are presented with the stairs. Just the sight of it undoubtedly triggers a rush of adrenaline. But it’s quiet simple, don’t panic or don’t overthink. Trust your food, make sure there is enough gap between you and the person ahead and behind you, so that in case of any issue you are not dragged down because of someone else’s mistake.

No matter what footwear you are wearing, make sure the step you keep is proper and stable. If you have fear of heights, then it’s good to have a pacer behind you or, don’t stop in between the climb and look behind etc. Keep climbing, slowly but continously, if you are in dire need of resting, rest up properly and try not to trigger your fear of height. Once you reach the fort entrance (below image), you can settledown and checkout the view below. You will enjoy it for sure.

The stair section is also tricky while getting down, it might be easier for some people to climb rather than getting down in situations like these. Because you will not be seeing the drop or anything at your back while climbing, you are more confident and not overthinking, but while climbing down, you are able to see everything in front of you, the drop, the scary visuals etc 😅. For some both are not an issue. It differs from person to person.

No matter what the people around you say or push you to do, you stay in your zone and move in a comfortable way, it’s totally fine even if you sit down and get down one step at a time until you reach certain height. If you don’t fear this much, have a better footwork, you might already be moving just like climbing down any other stairs.
Regardless of what your state is, be very very careful, as you are putting you and people around you in danger by doing something unwanted. Take your time, climb down one step at a time or by butt sliding.

*Another entrance and main door to the fort walls*, just after the stair climb

Note: there is a small cave like entrance (most likely a gaurd stay), do enter once and have a look at it too. There is proper structure at the entrance, you can climb around, roam a bit, take nice photos and spend some time here too.

*Literature by illiterates at the entrance* (1 of many)

*Literature by illiterates at the entrance* (2 of many)

Don’t forget to curse these people who have scribbled random stuff on the walls everywhrere, jk or maybe not

Explore around fort walls

Climb around some boulders and explore the area around mosque, there are lots of places behind the mosque, even when you think everything is done, there will be more, I have marked some of the less visible places in the screenshot above, at least whatever is visible in the Google maps, you will also see which looks like the main building (image below).