Top 14 Historical Forts in Karnataka, Must Visit

(3 out of 14 places to visit in Bidar)

Bidar Fort is situated in Bidar city of the northern plateau of Karnataka, India. The fort, the city and the district are all affixed with the name Bidar. Sultan Alla-Ud Din Bahman of the Bahmanid Dynasty shifted his capital from Gulbarga to Bidar in 1427 and built his fort along with a number of Islamic monuments. There are over 30 monuments inside Bidar fort.

(4 out of 14 places to visit in Bijapur)

The Bijapur Fort is located in the Bijapur city in Bijapur District of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bijapur fort has a plethora of historical monuments of architectural importance built during the rule of Adil Shahi dynasty. The Adil Shahi Sultans who ruled for nearly 200 years in Bijapur had expended their utmost authority, almost exclusively, on architecture and the allied arts, each Sultan endeavored to excel his predecessor in the number, size, or splendor of his building projects. As a result, the buildings seen in and around Bijapur Fort and the town have been rightly called as the Agra of South India.

(5 out of 14 places to visit in Chitradurga)

Chitradurga Fort is a magnificent historical fort located in the Chitradurga city , which is a administrative district of Karnataka, India. The Chitradurga Fort built during the 17th and 18th century have gone through the hands of several rulers and undergone the transformation. Chitradurga fort witnessed history from the period of Chalukyas empire and famous for the legend of Onake Obawa. The fort is built in a series of seven concentric fortification walls with various passages, ancient temples. There are 18 temples in the upper fort and one huge temple in the lower fort. Among these temples the oldest and most interesting is the Hidimbeshwara temple. Its a clean and well maintained stone fort, one of the must visit attractions for the tourists in the region to rejoice the history and picturesque view the top of the hill fort. Chitradurga is located on the NH4, approx 200km from Bengaluru, 300km from Belgaum, 390km from Goa, 527km from Hyderabad, 554km from Chennai, 648km from Kochi, 640km from Pune.

(6 out of 14 places to visit in Shimoga)

Kavaledurga Fort is one of the ruined fort located near Thirthahalli in Shimoga district of Karnataka, India. This scenic fort is one of the must visit places during monsoons and one of the best places for trekking and photography. Not to be missed is a view from the top of the Fort and the ruins of the main Palace building. There are several monuments and temple inside the Fort Complete which are built during the Keladi dynasty. Fort has three lines of walls and at the center overlooking the western sea is a small temple known as Shikhareshvara or Srikanthesvara temple. Surrounded with a lush green forest and hills, it is a paradise for adventure enthusiasts looking for high altitude kicks. Kavaledurga Fort is located at approx 20km from Thirthahalli, 80km from Shivamogga, 34km from Agumbe, 364km from Bengaluru, 329km from Goa, 133km from Mangalore.

(7 out of 14 places to visit in Belgaum)

Kittur is a fort located in the Karnataka state of India, it is the former capital of a minor principality as well as a major archaeological site. It was held by the Desai marathas of Kittur, as well as Rani Chennamma, a lingayat woman warrior of Karnataka who revolted against the British in 1824. Kittur reached its zenith during the Mallasarja Desai. The place has a Nathapanthi matha in police line area, and temples of Maruti [in fort], Kalmeshwara, Dyamavva and Basavanna, the last named a later Chalukyan monument now completely renovated. Kittur presently lies in ruins with the Nathapanthi matha site off limits, and the areas Maruti, Kalmeshwara, Dyamavva, Basavanna and the Chalukyan monument, being completely renovated. The archaeological museum at the location is managed by the state department of archaeology and museums. It has a rich collection of antiquities found in and around Kittur, which include a few of the weapons, swords, mail-coat, shield, engraved wooden doors and windows of the Kittur palace, inscriptions, herostones, Surya, Vishnu both from Kadrolli, Vishnu and Surya from Devarashigehalli, Subrahmanya from Manoli, Durga from hirebagewadi and many more antiquities, as well as some modern paintings.

(8 out of 14 places to visit in Bijapur)

Malik-i-Maidan, considered as one of the largest bell metal guns in the world, is situated around 3 km away from Bijapur District. The nozzle of the gun is shaped like the head of a lion with open jaws. It is 4.45 metres long, has a diameter of 1.5 metres and weighs 55 tons.Another important aspect is that it is cast in Ahmednagar with Arabic and Persian writing’s as one of its main fascinations.

(9 out of 14 places to visit in Hassan)

Manjarabad fort is a star fort built in 1792 by Tipu Sultan the then ruler of Mysore. on the pattern of the military forts developed by the French architect Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban. It is in the Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka.

(10 out of 14 places to visit in Bellary)

Matanga hill is truly amazing hill in Hampi. You need to walk about 30 to 40 minutes. Early morning is the best time to visit this place. There are no safely measure in the hills. So need to very careful while climbing. One of the best place for trekking. Beware of monkeys

(11 out of 14 places to visit in Uttara Kannada)

The Mirjan Fort is located on the west coast of the Uttara Kannada district in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. The fort known for its architectural elegance was the location of several battles in the past. It is about 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) from the National Highway 66 and 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from Gokarna, the famous Hindu pilgrimage centre on the west coast of India. According to the first historical version, Queen Chennabhairadevi of Gersoppa (under the Vijayanagara Empire) was initially credited with building the Mirjan Fort in the 16th century. She ruled for 54 years and also lived in the fort. During her reign, the port at Mirjan, which is 32 kilometres (20 mi) to the south east of Karwar, was used for shipping pepper, saltpetre and betel nut to Surat. Gersoppa, a district annexed to Bednur, was famous for the pepper exported from this region. Consequently, the Portuguese gave the epithet "Rani, the Pepper queen" (“Rainha de Pimenta” in Portuguese) to the Queen of Gersoppa.

(12 out of 14 places to visit in Shimoga)

Nagara Fort is located in historic village Nagara near Hosanagara in Shimoga district of Karnataka, India. The fort is built on a small hill, beside a lake. Fort is easily accessible as it is located side by the main road in Nagara Village. It is one of the picturesque fort in this area, very nice place for photography and visited by tourists frequently. The fort looks beautiful during monsoon due to the green cover. You can spend about 30-40 mins here. This was called Bidnur earlier and was the last capital city of Keladi rulers. View from the top of the fort is amazing, surrounded by lush greenery, lakes and hills at a distance. The fort has a system to circulate water around it for safety. Nagara Fort is located at approx 16km from Hosanagar, 36km from Thirthahalli, 82km from Shivamogga, 238km from Dharwad, 382km from Bengaluru, 304km from Goa.

(13 out of 14 places to visit in Uttara Kannada)

Sadashivgad is a village located in Karwar, Uttara Kannada district, in the state of Karnataka in India. Significant and picturesque, it is now a popular tourist destination located by the Kali river bridge, which has been built at the confluence of the river and the Arabian Sea.

(14 out of 14 places to visit in Davanagere)

Uchangidurga is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Harapanahalli taluk of Davanagere district in Karnataka. As of 2011 India census, Uchangidurga Village has population of 9781 of which 4926 are males while 4855 are females . Uchangidurga, was ruled under Nayakas (Madakari Nayakas of Chitradurga). And it is famous for Uchangemma Temple. On every month full moon day people gather from far places to worship Uchangemma. Festivals of Dasara/ Navaratri Ugadi are celebrated every year and the devotees from all corners of Karnataka gather in thousands to witness the celebrations.