One of the more offbeat places you should visit during your Telangana tour is Bhuvanagiri Fort. Also known as Bhongir Fort, the magnificent structure sits atop a massive rock formation and was built in the 10th century. The fort is a popular place to visit near Hyderabad, the state’s capital.
Here’s all you need to know about Bhuvanagiri Fort.
Erected by Chalukya ruler Tribhuvanamalla Vikramaditya VI, the Bhuvanagiri Fort was initially called Tribhuvanagiri. The structure extends across 20 hectares and stands at a height of around 152m over the top of what resembles a gargantuan stone egg. The fort has two main entry points protected by huge rocks so it was considered practically impregnable by invading armies. The fort is encircled by a moat—rumour has it that there once was an underground corridor that connected Bhuvanagiri Fort with Golconda Fort, 64km away.
The inner courtyards of the fort include stables, granaries, armories, trap doors, military houses and tools of historical interest. In addition to this, there are many stone sculptures, floral decorations and Kakatiya-style sculptures depicting the Chalukyas in the fort.
Inscriptions in the Kannada and Telugu languages have been found on the structure. The inscriptions, architecture and sculptures collectively indicate that the fort was ruled by the Chalukya dynasty for a long time and then by the Kakatiya dynasty.
A trek to Bhuvanagiri Fort is well worth it. On the hilltop is a Shiva temple, a Hanuman temple, a statue of Nandi and a monastery under the hill. The citadel on top of the fort provides panoramic sights of the surrounding area. Getting to the fort involves traversing many hundreds of steps that have been cut into the rocky hillside—the climb generally takes around 40 minutes.