Gudibande Fort

Gudibande Fort is a circular rock hill fort — the Gummanayaka or Byraweshwara fort — founded around 1350 by the chieftain Gummanayaka.

Gudibande Fort, Gudibande
Practical guide

Plan Gudibande Fort

Who's going?Tailor Gudibande Fort to your trip
Typefort
Nearest baseGudibande
DistrictChikkaballapur
Best timeOctober to February
Time needed2 to 3 hours with the climb
EntryFree
Places to visit2

It has tiered stepped ponds (kalyanis) up the hill and a Byraweshwara temple at the top.

What to expect

Highlights

  • The circular rock hill fort.
  • The tiered stepped ponds.
  • The hilltop Byraweshwara temple.
Getting there

How to visit

  • At Gudibande, about 16 km from Bagepalli; by road to the base, then a climb.
  • An unguarded rock fort — wear good shoes, carry water, start early and take care on the steps and the smooth rock.

Distance by road

  • Bengaluru60 km
  • Kolar55 km
  • Chintamani40 km
  • Tumakuru90 km
  • Hindupur (AP)75 km

Road km to Chikkaballapur; ghat roads and traffic vary — allow extra.

Timing

Best time

October to February; early morning.

Weather in Gudibande FortSeasonal guide

Live forecast loads in your browser.

Today at Gudibande Fort
Sunrise6:10 am
Sunset5:58 pm
Golden hour best light4:58 pm–5:58 pm
Blue hour after sunset5:58 pm–6:23 pm
Sun sets toward compass bearingW · 260°
Moon tonight🌔 Waxing gibbous · 59%

Sunset is in about 49 minutes.

Sun and moon are calculated for this location and shown in IST. Photography windows are the hour around sunrise and sunset; the sunset bearing is degrees clockwise from true north. Moon phase is accurate to about half a day.

Visitor notes

  • A rocky hill fort with open ponds — mind your footing and children near the water tanks.
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Ranked guides

Top experiences around Gudibande

One more place around Gudibande worth a day of its own.

viewpointAvalabetta

11.1 km · ~18 min by cab

A hill viewpoint famous for its overhanging "hanging rock" ledge above a sheer drop, with a Narasimha Swamy hilltop temple and a Lakshminarayana cave shrine, overlooking the Nandi range.

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Before you go

Gudibande Fort — at a glance

TimingsDaylight hours
Best timeOctober to February; early morning

Entry: Free

Getting here

How to reach Gudibande Fort

At Gudibande, ~16 km from Bagepalli; by road to the base, then a climb

Getting back

If you are travelling by bus or ferry, check the return service with the operator before setting out. Leave time to reach the stop or jetty after your visit.

Ask at the bus stand for the time of the last service back, not the next one. If you miss it, an auto or app cab is the fallback — agree the fare before you get in.

Getting around Gudibande Fort

If you need step-free access, contact the site before travelling. Ask about a level entrance, steps along the route, the nearest drop-off point, seating and accessible toilets.

If you need help at Gudibande Fort
112All emergencies (police · fire · medical)The single number to call in any emergency (ERSS).

Emergency numbers are verified against official government and state tourism sources. 112 works anywhere in India.

Nearby

What’s near Gudibande Fort

viewpointAvalabetta

A hill viewpoint famous for its overhanging "hanging rock" ledge above a sheer drop, with a Narasimha Swamy hilltop temple and a Lakshminarayana cave shrine, overlooking the Nandi range.

11.1 km · ~18 min by cab · straight line
heritageVidurashwatha

The "Jallianwala Bagh of Karnataka" near Gauribidanur — the site of a 1938 Satyagraha firing, with a martyrs’ memorial cenotaph, an ancient Ashwattha (peepal) tree and the Ashwathanarayana temple on the North Pinakini bank.

22.0 km · ~37 min by cab · straight line
templeRangasthala Ranganatha Temple

A Vijayanagara-style Vishnu temple about 5 km from Chikkaballapura town toward Gauribidanur, with a black-stone Ranganatha idol and carved yali pillars.

24.1 km · ~40 min by cab · straight line
lakeKandavara Lake

A large tank near Chikkaballapura on the Sidlaghatta road, a birdlife-rich waterbody and a quiet local outing spot.

27.5 km · ~46 min by cab · straight line
P
Papagni Temple, Kalavara
Place
templePapagni Temple, Kalavara

Papagni Temple, also mapped as Papagni Mutt, is a worship place at the Kalavara side of Skandagiri. Temple access and permission to climb the hill are separate; visit without entering a trek route uninvited.

27.7 km · ~46 min by cab · straight line
trekSkandagiri

A ~1,350 m hill on the Nandi range, also called Kalavara Durga, with a ruined hill fort and a famous night-and-sunrise trek through a sea of clouds overlooking Nandi Hills and Muddenahalli.

28.5 km · ~47 min by cab · straight line
museumMuddenahalli

Muddenahalli is the village in Chikkaballapur district associated with Sir M. Visvesvaraya’s birthplace, house museum and memorial. Its appeal is a quiet encounter with the engineer’s public memory in the Nandi foothills, rather than another hilltop climb.

29.5 km · ~49 min by cab · straight line
templeBhoga Nandeeshwara Temple

One of Karnataka’s finest temples, in Nandi village at the foot of the hill — a layered Ganga–Chola–Hoysala–Vijayanagara Dravidian complex from the 9th century onward, with twin Arunachaleshwara and Bhoganandeeshwara shrines and a beautiful stepped Kalyani tank.

31.9 km · ~53 min by cab · straight line
hill stationNandi Hills

The marquee of the district — a Ganga-dynasty hill fortress at about 1,478 m and a former summer retreat of Tipu Sultan, famous for its sunrise and sea-of-clouds views, with Tipu’s Drop, Tipu’s summer residence, the Amrita Sarovar tank and the old fort walls.

33.7 km · ~56 min by cab · straight line
templeYoga Nandeeshwara Temple

The ancient Shiva temple on the summit plateau of Nandi Hills, the "yoga" counterpart to the Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple at the base — a quiet stone shrine amid the hilltop.

33.9 km · ~57 min by cab · straight line
G
Government Silk Cocoon Market, Sidlaghatta
Place
heritageGovernment Silk Cocoon Market, Sidlaghatta

Sidlaghatta’s government cocoon market is a working trading institution identified by the district Sericulture Department. Arrange observer access first, keep loading aisles clear and ask before photographing traders.

35.6 km · ~59 min by cab · straight line
heritageSidlaghatta

Sidlaghatta is a working silk town in Chikkaballapur district. The government cocoon market and the surrounding raw-silk economy make it a place to understand livelihoods and materials, with visitor access arranged around trade rather than a sightseeing timetable.

36.2 km · ~60 min by cab · straight line

All 2 places to visit in Gudibande →

On the map

Where Gudibande Fort is

Good to know

Gudibande Fort — frequently asked

When is the best time to visit Gudibande Fort?

October to February; early morning.

What are the entry fee and timings at Gudibande Fort?

Entry: Free. Timings: Daylight hours.

How do I reach Gudibande Fort?

At Gudibande, about 16 km from Bagepalli; by road to the base, then a climb. An unguarded rock fort — wear good shoes, carry water, start early and take care on the steps and the smooth rock.

How much time do I need for Gudibande Fort?

2 to 3 hours with the climb.

What else is near Gudibande Fort?

Nearby you can pair Avalabetta (11.1 km), Vidurashwatha (22.0 km), Rangasthala Ranganatha Temple (24.1 km), Kandavara Lake (27.5 km).

Read before you go

Gudibande Fort guides, stories & itineraries

Stories & history of Gudibande Fort

Written about Gudibande Fort itself — its history, its legends and the arguments about them.

Karnataka-wide guides & itineraries

Route-level itineraries and practical guides for the rest of Karnataka.

See all 22 Chikkaballapur guides & stories →

Image credits

Photographs: Clicker009, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), solarisgirl (CC BY-SA 2.0). Wikimedia Commons.