Savandurga

Savandurga rises to 1,226 metres about 60 kilometres west of Bengaluru, off the Magadi road, and is described as one of the largest monolith hills in Asia. It is made of two domes known locally as Karigudda, the black hill, and Biligudda, the white hill. The name appears as Savandi in a record of the Hoysala king Ballala III from 1340.

The hill served as a secondary capital for Kempegowda and the Magadi chiefs, was held by Mysore from 1638 to 1728, and was captured from Tipu Sultan's forces by Lord Cornwallis in 1791. Robert Home, whose 1794 book of Mysore views pictured the hill from afar, called it Savinadurga, the fort of death. Today pilgrims visit the Veerabhadreshwara and Narasimha temples at the foot, while trekkers, rock climbers and cave explorers head for the rock itself. The Arkavathi flows nearby, and Manchanabele Dam is used for water sports.