Narayanadurga fort, Sindaghatta, Mandya

       On a hot summer morning, we set our journey towards "Sindaghatta", located near K.R.Pete Taluk of Mandya District. The place originally known as Siddhaghatta underwent modifications and came to be known as Sindhughatta which later became Sindaghatta as it is called now. The place derived its name as Siddhaghatta from the Siddhas who meditated here and resided in the nearby caves. With a couple of inquires, we reached this place comfortably. On further inquiring about the caves, we realised that we had to travel a little more to reach the hillock near Rayasamudra village. The final stretch on road towards the hillock from Rayasamudra is difficult.

Narayanadurga

    The Hillock is named Narayanadurga, but commonly known as Kailaseshwaradurga. We inquired about the caves but the locals denied of any existence of the same though the legends mention about it. On the top of the hill is a temple dedicated to Lord Kailaseshwara and remains of an old fort built by a local Chieftain. There are many legends associated with this place suggesting links with the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. This was a major reason our guides made sure we climbed the rocky hill bare footed.

First Tier

Initial Stretch

The Climb

       The Fort has been built on one side to prevent an attack from the enemies while the other is steep, acting as a natural mode of defense. It is a seven tiered fort, with every fort wall having an entrance each. All of them are equally artistic though only their ruins remain. The fort walls follow a zigzag pattern and one can get easily lost if venturing alone.

Gateway

Amazing Views

Skillful Brick Masonry

Ruined Gateway

Stairway To Heaven

         There is a beautiful temple on the hill top originally dedicated to Lord Narayana (Vishnu). His idol was stolen and the later king worshiped Lord Kailaeshwara's (shiva) in Lord Vishnu's place. The temple currently houses a Shiva Linga and Nandi, but the most interesting feature was a pair of life sized Dwarapalakas which very few temples carry. There is a ruined mantap by the side of the temple and a few natural water ponds which are believed to have been originated from Bhima's toe, thumb, knee and mace and are named accordingly. We had heard the same story about this place from another priest (Mt Karinja).

Nandi Kambha

Religious Mark

Fort Entrance To The Temple

Temple Complex

Life Sized Dwarapalakas

Garuda Kambha

Inner View of Temple

Kailaseshwara Temple

Natural Water Pond

 

           We suffered sunburns on our feet as we had to climb the hill bare footed. Our guides were two local boys who were also climbing the hill to pay a visit to Lord Kailaseshwara .

Silk Cotton

Well Just Like Oasis

Lovely View

Sky Watch

To Be Continued .............