Rayakottai Fort Trek: A Slow Sunday Ride & Hike to Tipu's Southernmost Fort

Rayakottai Fort Trek Snapshot

• Where: Rayakottai, Krishnagiri district, Tamil Nadu
  

• From Bangalore: ~80 km via Hosur, about 1.5 hours on a bike.
  

• Difficulty: Easy. Stone trail and a short mud path. Fine for first-timers.
  

• Climb time: 1 to 1.5 hours at a relaxed pace
  

• Entry fee: None. Free parking at the base, and two-wheelers can ride a fair way up the trail.
  

• Best season: June to February. Avoid peak summer.
  

• Carry: Water (there is none on the hill), a cap, and shoes with grip.
  

Some treks are about the summit. This one was about sitting down.

We rolled out of Silk Board a little before noon on a Sunday, four of us, Mohan, Abhishek, Christy and me, on two bikes, with no plan grander than "let's go on a hike."

The ride south is easy company. Past Hosur the traffic thins, and once you take the turn off the highway towards Rayakottai you drop onto quiet country roads that do most of the relaxing for you. We reached the base and were on the trail by 1:15 PM.

Calling it a trek is generous, and I mean that as a compliment. The path starts as old stone steps, then settles into a mud trail that climbs gently towards the fort gates. We are all regular trekkers, so for us it was close to a stroll, and we treated it like one, stopping every few minutes for no reason other than the view kept getting better. If you have never trekked before, this is a kind place to start.

Up top, the fort gives you plenty to wander through. We poked around the granaries and the old bastions, ran our hands along walls that have been standing for a few centuries, and generally took our time. We did not make it across to the temple side of the hill. That, we are saving for next time. Consider it a reason to go back.

Then we found our spot. A flat shoulder of rock facing a long line of hills, with a wide opening of sky above. I pulled out PeakFinder to put names to the ridge in front, and the tallest of them turned out to be Bolumalai. The weather was about as good as it gets. Mostly cloudy, the sun stepping out for a few minutes here and there and then politely stepping back. So we sat. And then we kept sitting. We watched the clouds move, watched them not move, talked, went quiet, and did a great deal of pleasant nothing. That was the whole point of the day, and the fort delivered it perfectly.

A bit of history, since we had time to think about it while we sat there. The name says most of it: Rayakottai means "Raya's fort," after Jagadeva Raya, a chieftain of Channapatna who is credited with building it. Later, in the 18th century, Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan held the fort, and it formed part of Tipu's southern defensive line, the southernmost of his fort hills. It was captured by Major Gowdie during the Third Anglo-Mysore War in 1791, and passed to the British under the Treaty of Srirangapatna.

Today it is a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India. Sitting on its walls with the clouds rolling past, none of that feels far away.

We came down around 6:30, all of us properly hungry by then, and went straight for biryani at Reddy's Biryani in Rayakottai town before pointing the bikes back towards Bangalore. A good plate of biryani after an easy climb and a long afternoon of doing nothing is its own small reward.

If you want to go

Getting there. From Bangalore, head down Hosur Road, through Hosur and Shoolagiri, then take the turn towards Rayakottai. It is roughly a 90 km, hour-and-a-half ride on a two-wheeler. The base sits right by Rayakottai town, so you are never far from a meal or fuel.

The climb. Stone steps to begin, then a mud path up to the fort gates and the top. It is short and well defined. There is no water source on the hill, so carry at least a litre or two per person. Footwear with grip helps on the stone, especially if it has rained. When to go. The cooler months from roughly September to February are the most comfortable, and summer is best avoided as it gets genuinely hot. An overcast day like ours is the jackpot.

Fees and parking. No entry fee, and there is plenty of parking at the base. Two-wheelers can ride a good distance up the trail if you would rather shorten the walk.

How long to keep aside. You can be up and down in two to three hours if you are moving. We took the whole afternoon on purpose. This is a fort that rewards lingering.

Wanderophile Tip: 

A few quick answers

Is the Rayakottai Fort trek hard? No. It is an easy climb on steps and a short mud trail, suitable for beginners and families.

How far is Rayakottai from Bangalore? Around 90 km via Hosur and Shoolagiri, about an hour and a half by bike.

Is there an entry fee? No. Parking at the base is free.

How long does the trek take? About an hour to ninety minutes up at a relaxed pace, though it is worth keeping the afternoon free to sit and take in the view.