What is "madhugiri"

Madhugiri is a Taluk headquarters in Tumkur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. The town derives its name from a hillock, Madhu-giri (honey-hill) which is to the north of the place.

Madhugiri has been declared as Educational District by karnataka state educational department. It includes Madhugiri, Sira, Koratagere and Pavagada Taluks.

At elevation, Madhugiri is a single hill. It is the second largest monolith in Asia. Nestled on its steep slopes is a fort. Antaralada Bagilu, Diddibagilu, and Mysuru Gate are the three gateways of the fort. A series of doorways leads to the hill. The ruined temple of Gopalakrishna is located at the top.

The construction of the original mudfort was undertaken by Raja Hira Gowda in the 17th century around 1670 AD. An interesting incident prompted the Gowda family to considering building a fortress. A stray sheep went missing around the Madhugiri hillock only to return late in the night dripping with water. This was music to the ears since a spring would definitely be welcome sign for rain deficient area. A decision to construct a fortress was arrived and the task was completed. The Gowdas started ruling this region based at Madhugiri Fort.

Genesis of the name Madhugiri is derived from the Honeybee colonies which were prevalent in those days towards the northern parts of the Madhugiri fortress. There are two large temples located in Madhugiri one is Venkatramana and other is Malleswara. There is also a Jaina temple on the precincts of the Madhugiri fort.

Madhugiri, or also known as Maddagiri, is located around 43 km north of Tumkur town, and 107 km north-west of Bengaluru city. The 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. There are a series of doorways leading to the top and the climb is steep and exposed in some places. On the top is the ruined Gopalakrishna temple.