Koongal Betta

 This off-beat trail is a convenient day-trip hardly 60 kms. from Bangalore. We took the Mysore highway and reached Ramanagara, crossed a level-crossing next to the railway station and drove past thick vegetation and paddy fields till we reached the village of Koongal. As you enter the village, a peculiar rock formation resembling the beak of a bird greets you which has an interesting story going behind it.

Devarayandurga

This popular hill-fort is about 65 kms from B'lore and takes roughly 2 hrs. to reach. We took the Tumkur highway (via NICE road) and turning right under the Dobbaspet flyover reached our destination with all the accompanying thrill and excitement. To our dismay, we discovered it was more of a hill-station and pilgrimage with hundreds thronging the temples that dot its landscape.

Channarayandurga

We started right early in the morning, though a bit late than what we had planned and managed to reach Channarayadurga with some difficulty enquiring all the way till there. There was a small village at the base of the hill where the people were kind enough to help us park our car and guide us as to what our trail should be. The fort perched right on the top of the hill was an awesome sight to behold.