Madhugiri

Madhugiri
—  city  —
Madhugiri Location of Madhugiri in Karnataka and India
Coordinates	13°40′N 77°13′E / 13.66°N 77.21°E / 13.66; 77.21Coordinates: 13°40′N 77°13′E / 13.66°N 77.21°E / 13.66; 77.21
Country	India
State	Karnataka
District(s)	Tumkur
Population	26,351 (2001[update])
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 787 metres (2,582 ft)

Madhugiri is a Taluk Head Quarter in Tumkur district in the Indian state of Karnataka.

At 3930 feet elevation, Madhugiri is a single hill. It is the second largest monolith in Asia.^[1] Nestled in its steep slopes is a fort, once credited to Hyder Ali. Antaralada Bagilu, Diddibagilu, and Mysore Gate are the three gateways of the fort. A series of doorways leads to the hillock. The ruined temple of Gopalakrishna is located at the top.

Madhugiri is not so commercialised place; Tourists should not have any problem finding light food. It is much better to carry food and lots of water.

Madhugiri, or also known as Maddagiri, is located around 43 km north to Tumkur town. Madhugiri is famous for its giant rock overlooking the town and the fort nestling in its steep slopes. The giant rock is the second largest monolith of Asia. This monolith and the surrounding greenery of Madhugiri are the main attractions. The place has old temples of Venkataramanaswami and Malleshwara built by the Vijayanagara feudatories in the Dravidian style.

The highlight is the rock dome, atop which stands a fort, once attributed to Hyder Ali. There are a series of doorways leading to the top and the climb is steep and exposed in some places.On the top is ruined Gopalakrishna temple.

•MADHUGIRI: (Tumkur dt; tq.hq;) is at about 107 km north-west of Bangalore city and about 43 km north of Tumkur. The town derives its name from a hillock, Madhu-giri (honey-hill) which is to the north of the place.

•There are two large temples dedicated to Venkataramana and Malleshvara in the town, standing side by side. These two temples stand in line, facing east and are built in the Dravidian style of architecture with lofty towers.

•The Mallinatha Jaina Basadi adjoining the fort wall has a good manasthamba.

•At the Veerashaiva Gurrammana Matha there is a tomb of a guru named Shivalingaswamy. There are some fine caves near the matha.

•The erection of the fine fort at Madhugiri is ascribed to a local chief named Raja Hire Gauda. The fort was greatly improved by Haidar Ali who also improved the trade of the place. Haidar Ali, after the conquest of Bednur, had kept the Rani of Bednur imprisoned in this fort until its capture by the Marathas in 1767 A.D.

•Several gates such as the Antaralada Bagilu, Diddibagilu and the Mysore Gate lead one to the top of the hill which has many springs.

•The place is famous for the manufacture of handloom cloth and blankets. A superior variety of rice called chinnada-salakki (golden stick) is grown in this taluk.

•MIDIGESHI: is the headquarters of the hobli of the same name is about 19 km north of the Madhugiri town known for its fine hill fort. The place is said to have been so named by a local chief Nagi Reddy of Vijayanagara times, after his wife Midigeshi who was so called because her locks (kasha) were so long that it touched her feet.

•The Venkataramana temple here is said to have been built by the chief Nagi Reddy. But the garbhagriha appears to be of Hoysala times. There is a statue near the southern door of the prakara,described as of Nagi Reddy.

•There is also a Malleshvara temple here.

•The Midigeshi hill is said to have been fortified by Nagi Reddy and it has several gates leading to the top of the hill. On a rock beside the steps to the hill, there is the statue of the woman in relief, and it is identified as of a heroic woman called Chikkamallamma. On the hill are granaries, dome-like structures for storing ghee and oil, powder magazines and springs which are called Musare-done and Kanneramana-done. On the summit is a fine mosque with two minarets at the sides and ornamental parapet all round roof. Close to the mosque there is a shrine of Hanuman. The building has flights of steps on both the sides.

(Source: Karnataka State Gazetteer 1983)

Madhugiri

Geography

Madhugiri is located at 13°40′N 77°13′E / 13.66°N 77.21°E / 13.66; 77.21.^[1] It has an average elevation of 787 metres (2582 feet).

Demographics

As of 2001^[update] India census,^[2] Madhugiri had a population of 26,351. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Madhugiri has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 77%, and female literacy is 67%. In Madhugiri, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Agriculture

The prime crops that are grown in Madhugiri are groundnut, ragi and mango, sericulture,coconutand Kakada ( Flower),It is famous for pomegranate fruit ('daalimbe' in kannada).

Transportation

From Tumkur, there are two ways to reach Madhugiri. First route: Once you leave Tumkur, there is a deviation that takes you via Siddara Betta and Chennarayana Durga to Madhugiri. Second route: The other deviation takes you directly to Madhugiri via Koratagere,It is easy way to reach Madhugiri. From Bengaluru there are tow ways to reach Madhugiri First rute is via Nelamangala,Dabaspete(in Dabaspete take Right Turn),Urdigere, Koratagere to Madhugiri (102 km's)in this rute very well get KSRTC buses every 25 min from Bengaluru (Megestic) from morning 6 AM to evening 7 PM and Second rute is Via Tumkur, Koratagere to Madhugiri (114 Km's)

Tumkur is well-connected to Bangalore via train and bus services. Both government and private buses ply between Tumkur and Madhugiri.

Places of special attraction

Asia's largest monolith is located in madhugiri city.^{[citation needed]} It is the second largest in the world. It looks differently from different directions, such as a lying elephant, Shiva Linga, honey-comb and so on.

Maidana Halli Blackbuck Sanctuary:also known as" Jayamangali BLACK BUCK RESERVE".. It is 25 km from Madhugiri. It is near Kodigenahalli, one of the prominent hobli of Madhugiri. You need prior permission to visit the Sanctuary.

Chennarayana Durga: Located 10 km from Koratagere on the way to Madhugiri via Tumkur, it is one of the nine Durga forts. Inside the fort, there is a small temple and one can also explore ruined and semi ruined old structures.

Siddara Betta: It is nature’s treasure trove. The place is known for its medicinal herbs. A natural spring that gushes out from the top of the hill is also believed to have medicinal value.

Madhugiri Fort: This fort is among the most beautiful hill forts built by the Vijaynagar dynasty. Many Jain Temples are also found at this place. This is an amazing historical place to visit for the tourists.

Timmalapura Forest: It is yet another tourist attraction not very far from Madhugiri. The forest is famous for its peacocks.

See also

• bangalore
• Tumkur District
• Taluks of Karnataka

References

1. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Madhugiri
2. ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01.