'Midigeshi' is a village located on the Tumkur-Pavagadh state highway. There is a lesser known hill top fort nearby this village. The fort is believed to have been built by a local Chieftain named Nagareddi and the fort itself was named by him after his wife Midigeshi, who was called so because she had hair (kesha) long enough that reached her heel (midi). This place was ruled by queens of the same family for a long time.
Chikkappa Gauda (
Madhugiri's Chieftain) conquered this place after he was driven out from
Madhugiri and
Channarayanadurga. Later, this place was captured by Haider Ali, then by the Marthas, again by Haider Ali 's son Tippu and finally by the British troops under Lord Cornwallis who later abandoned it. According to the legend, a beautiful princess named Chikka Mallamma was kidnapped by the Muslim rulers and kept in the hill fort. When she prayed to god for her release, the rock split making a path for her descent and later she entered the fire in front of Lord Malleshwara.
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| First View of the Hill Top Fort |
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| Midigeshi Fort |
Reaching this village was relatively easy as it is located on the state highway. After entering the village, we inquired about the route for ascent. We started our climb hoping to make it to the top before the temperature went up. This fort, like many other forts around the area is seven tiered. The major part of the fortification now is in ruins. The initial climb was very easy until we reached the second gate. Here, we had to overcome a steep slope which was the most exciting part of our climb. After crossing the third gate, we came across a fleet of rock cut steps and thereafter the climb was easy.
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| Initial Climb |
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| First Gate |
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| Second Gate |
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| Well Laid Steps |
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| Cactus |
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| Steep Climb |
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| Third Gate |
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| Fleet of Rock Cut Steps |
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| Closer Look of Rock Cut Steps |
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| View Downhill |
After crossing the sixth gate, we reached leveled ground. The first thing that caught our attention was a water pond which was probably their main source of water. There were narrow canals leading to the pond which were carefully designed so as to collect most of the rain water and increase the level of water in the pond. We then proceeded further to the Mosque like structure, probably built during the reign of Hyder Ali. The minarets of the Mosque were quite interesting. There were many structures in this area including a ruined temple. Finally we reached the seventh gate which probably was an entrance to the erstwhile palace or the place where the king and queen lived. The view from the top was breathtaking.
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| The Final Climb |
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| Sixth Gate |
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| Water Pond |
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| Rain-Water Transporting Canal |
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| The Mosque |
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| Stair to the Top of the Mosque |
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| Water Pond |
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| Ruined Structure |
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| Last Tier of the Fort |
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| Granary Entrance |
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| Light Entering the Granary |
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| Ruined Structures |
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| Ruins Viewed from the Top of the Mosque |
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| View from the Top |
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| Bird's Eye View of Midigeshi |
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| Lord Venkataramana Temple |
There are other magnificent temples of that period in the village along side a Jain temple. There is no witness for the participation of the ASI in maintenance of this place. Altogether, a nice place to visit.
Directions from Bangalore: Bangalore - NH4 - Dabspet - Right turn - Madhugiri - Bypass - Midigeshi
Distance from Bangalore: 120 kms
Places to visit around: Madhugiri,
Madakasira,
Channarayanadurga ,
Pavagada,
Ratnagiri,
Bhasmangi and many more
Trip Date: 30 Jan' 2011
Related Posts:
1.
Bhasmangi Fort
2.
Raichur kote
3.
125 Forts of Karnataka
