Nagara Fort

Nagara — earlier Bidanur or Bidnur — was the last capital of the Keladi Nayakas, and its hill fort near Hosanagara still shows moats, ramparts and gateways.

Nagara Fort, Hosanagara
Practical guide

Plan Nagara Fort

Who's going?Tailor Nagara Fort to your trip
Typeheritage
Nearest baseHosanagara
DistrictShivamogga
Best timeOctober to February
Time needed1 to 2 hours
EntryFree
Places to visit2

Within and around the fort are the ruined Neelakanteshwara temple and tanks, set in the green Malnad hills.

What to expect

Highlights

  • The Keladi-Nayaka fort ramparts and moats.
  • The ruined Neelakanteshwara temple.
  • The quiet Malnad hill setting.
Getting there

How to visit

  • At Nagara, about 20 km from Hosanagara; reached by road.
  • The ruins are spread out and lightly maintained — wear sturdy shoes and carry water.

Distance by road

  • Chikkamagaluru90 km
  • Udupi120 km
  • Mangaluru185 km
  • Hubballi200 km
  • Bengaluru275 km

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

Timing

Best time

October to February.

Weather in Nagara FortSeasonal guide

Live forecast loads in your browser.

Today at Nagara Fort
Sunrise6:21 am
Sunset6:09 pm
Golden hour best light5:09 pm–6:09 pm
Blue hour after sunset6:09 pm–6:34 pm
Sun sets toward compass bearingW · 260°
Moon tonight🌓 First quarter · 48%

Sunset is in about 2 hours.

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

  • An open, lightly-kept ruin — mind uneven ground and old steps, and do not climb on the walls.
Stay · eat · do · rent · see · shop

Stays, food & things to do near Nagara Fort

Verified hotels, homestays, restaurants, experiences, sights, shops and rentals around Nagara Fort — commission-free, with direct contact. Filter by what you need.

Verified inventory is being added here.

Verified places are being added. The category filters will fill in as approved stays, restaurants, experiences, sights, shops and nature listings go live.

List your place
Ranked guides

Top experiences around Hosanagara

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

trekKodachadri

17.8 km · ~30 min by cab

A forested peak of about 1,343 m in the Mookambika range, among the highest in the region and a well-known trek, linked to the Kollur Mookambika temple and topped by the Sarvajna Peetha shrine.

Roampedia is commission-free — own or know a stay, eatery, guide or shop near Nagara Fort? List it and it appears here once verified.

Add a nearby business
Before you go

Nagara Fort — at a glance

TimingsDaylight hours
Best timeOctober to February

Entry: Free

Getting here

How to reach Nagara Fort

~20 km from Hosanagara; road

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 Nagara 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 Nagara 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 Nagara Fort

heritageKavaledurga Fort

A ruined hill fort near Thirthahalli strengthened by the Keladi Nayakas, with concentric stone ramparts, temples and a palace site reached by a forest climb that opens up wide Malnad views.

14.7 km · ~24 min by cab · straight line
trekKodachadri

A forested peak of about 1,343 m in the Mookambika range, among the highest in the region and a well-known trek, linked to the Kollur Mookambika temple and topped by the Sarvajna Peetha shrine.

17.8 km · ~30 min by cab · straight line
viewpointKundadri

A monolithic hill near Agumbe topped by a 17th-century Jain temple and two small ponds — a popular sunrise and monsoon viewpoint reached by a motorable road and a short climb.

32.6 km · ~54 min by cab · straight line
templeIkkeri Aghoreshwara Temple

A large stone Shiva temple at Ikkeri, a later Keladi-Nayaka capital, built in a distinctive Vijayanagara–Hoysala hybrid style with a granite Nandi pavilion and carved outer walls.

35.0 km · ~58 min by cab · straight line
hill stationAgumbe

A small Ghat village nicknamed the "Cherrapunji of the South" for its very heavy monsoon rainfall and surrounding rainforest, known for its sunset viewpoint over the coastal plain, king-cobra research, and as the setting that inspired R. K. Narayan’s fictional Malgudi.

35.3 km · ~59 min by cab · straight line
backwaterHonnemaradu

A spread of islands and calm backwaters on the Sharavathi (Linganamakki) reservoir near Sagara — a long-running base for kayaking, coracle rides and camping amid forested shores.

43.2 km · ~72 min by cab · straight line
templeKeladi Rameshwara Temple

The 16th-century Rameshwara temple at Keladi, the first capital of the Keladi (Nayaka) dynasty, blends Hoysala, Dravidian and later styles with finely carved pillars; a small museum of Keladi history stands nearby.

44.9 km · ~75 min by cab · straight line
wildlifeMandagadde Bird Sanctuary

A small river-island bird sanctuary on the Tunga near Thirthahalli where egrets, cormorants and darters nest in large numbers, best seen from the watch-tower in the breeding season.

46.8 km · ~78 min by cab · straight line
waterfallJog Falls

One of India’s highest plunge waterfalls, where the Sharavathi river drops about 253 m in four separate cascades — Raja, Rani, Rover (Roarer) and Rocket — over a sheer cliff on the Sagara–Siddapura border. The flow is fullest in the monsoon and is regulated upstream by the Linganamakki dam.

51.4 km · ~86 min by cab · straight line
wildlifeSakrebailu Elephant Camp

A forest-department elephant camp on the Tunga river near Shivamogga where captive and rescued elephants are bathed and fed in the morning, open to visitors at set hours.

51.9 km · ~86 min by cab · straight line
wildlifeTyavarekoppa Lion and Tiger Safari

A safari park about 10 km from Shivamogga on the Sagara road where visitors ride through fenced enclosures to see lions and tigers, alongside a small zoo and deer park.

53.5 km · ~89 min by cab · straight line
museumShivappa Nayaka Palace

A restored teak-and-stone palace of the Keladi-Nayaka ruler Shivappa Nayaka in Shivamogga, now a government archaeological museum displaying sculptures, coins and Hoysala and Nayaka-era artefacts.

60.4 km · ~101 min by cab · straight line

All 2 places to visit in Hosanagara →

On the map

Where Nagara Fort is

Good to know

Nagara Fort — frequently asked

When is the best time to visit Nagara Fort?

October to February.

What are the entry fee and timings at Nagara Fort?

Entry: Free. Timings: Daylight hours.

How do I reach Nagara Fort?

At Nagara, about 20 km from Hosanagara; reached by road. The ruins are spread out and lightly maintained — wear sturdy shoes and carry water.

How much time do I need for Nagara Fort?

1 to 2 hours.

What else is near Nagara Fort?

Nearby you can pair Kavaledurga Fort (14.7 km), Kodachadri (17.8 km), Kundadri (32.6 km), Ikkeri Aghoreshwara Temple (35.0 km).

Read before you go

Nagara Fort guides, stories & itineraries

We have not published a story about Nagara Fort itself yet. These cover Hosanagara and the wider district, with separate journeys between stops.

Image credits

Photographs: Aravind Nagaraj, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). Wikimedia Commons.