Kavaledurga Fort

Kavaledurga, also called Bhuvanagiri Durga, is a fort on a densely wooded hilltop 18 kilometres from Thirthahalli in Shivamogga district. Its first defences may go back to the 9th century. From 1499 the Keladi Nayakas held it, first under Vijayanagara and independently after 1565, and it became the fourth and last Keladi capital until Hyder Ali annexed their lands in 1763. Venkatappa Nayaka strengthened it in the 16th century, Queen Chennamma rallied her forces here in 1677 to win back Nagara, and in 1689 the Maratha prince Rajaram sheltered within its walls from Aurangzeb's armies.

The fort rises in several levels that follow the hill's contours, its stonework merging with boulders and outcrops behind three concentric walls with hidden stairways and paths. Within are remains of a palace: a plinth, numerous columns, a stepped tank shaped like a T, a toilet cut in stone and a firewood stove. A small stone gateway is reached by a stairway, and a linga shrine sits on a rocky outcrop among temple ruins.