If you want a day of history, heritage, temple exploring and a picnic in a fort, plan a road trip to the Devanahalli Fort, which is just about an hour’s drive from town. Located just about five kilometres before you hit the airport, is the Devanahalli Fort, a place steeped in the rich heritage that dates back to the 15th century. Start at the west-facing entrance that features elaborate plasterwork. A stone plaque takes you through the fort’s 500-year-old history and how the current oval-shaped fortification was done at the behest of Hyder Ali.
Walk around the perimeters of the fort to marvel at the architecture and take some great photographs. You will see about 12 bastions at the fort, too, so make sure you walk to the edge of them and pretend to be a warrior looking through the gunports for the enemy. Before you enter the fort, just a minute’s walk, you will find a stone plaque and a large memorial marking the place as Tipu Sultan’s birthplace.
The locals here are sure to regale you with tales of yore and how, within the fort, are actual houses where Hyder Ali and Tipu stayed. When inside the fort, you will find a small township and temples dedicated to various Hindu deities. Large gopuras and elaborate stonework feature prominently on the walls and architecture of temples such as Venugopalaswamy Temple and Siddalingeshwara Temple.
