The tale of Gandikota fort & gorge | A complete Gandikota travel guide

The blue green Penna river pierced through the ravine
Creating a bewitching scene.
On one end, I stared at the contrast of sorts
While on the other side, I heard the whisper of  ancient Gandikota fort.

Discover Gandikota grand canyon with its heritage fort through this complete Gandikota travel guide.

People refer to Gandikota as the Grand Canyon of India. They said that the topography and scenic beauty are what make this gorge a unique place. The good part is that the distance from Bangalore to Gandikota can be covered in just five and half hours. And even better aspect of it is that not quite touristy. For me, this evoked enough curiosity for me to research Gandikota –one of the tourist places in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. What I found on my Gandikota trip was a tale of not just a gorgeous gorge, but that of the lesser known Gandikota fort !

Gandikota turned out to be my favorite combination of travel – nature, adventure and heritage. It had me spellbound with its visual beauty and engaged with the tales whispered by its ancient rocks. It also promised me a dose of adrenaline with its adventure activities. In short, it had everything that one might need to add to their list of “weekend getaways from Bangalore“.

This Gandikota travel guide has been designed to help you with just that. You will not only get a virtual tour of Gandikota but will also, get tips on how to get here, what is the best time to visit and where to stay. It also has information on Gandikota camping opportunities. I am sure it will have all your questions answered – so go on, read on and don’t forget to pin it later on.

History of Gandikota | Who built Gandikota fort?

“Gandi” means a gorge in Telugu while “Kota” refers to a fort. Gandikota fort history goes back to the early 1120s when the picturesque gorge was brought to the forefront by a subordinate of the Chalukya king. Kapa Raja was the first to build a sand fort. The fort was annexed by the Muslim invaders of Tughlaq dynasty. Later, in 1336 – the famous Vijayanagara kingdom headquartered in Hampi, drove the Khilji clan out and took over the region. Gandikota was given to its commanders who came to be known as the Kamma Kings or the Pemmasani Nayaks. The Kamma Kings ruled for over 200 years and expanded the small Gandikota fort.

The strategic position of the fort by the gorge made it a perfect station for defense. Gandikota was covered with dense forests and water springs. The flowing Pennar river through the gorge allowed the whole region to flourish not just in trade but in agriculture too. When you visit Gandikota fort today, you can see the remains of the various aqueducts, channels and water tanks used to stream the water effectively to farms and various areas of the village.

Today, man-made structures like the Gandikota temple, mosque and other buildings are in ruins. However, the natural beauty around the canyon still remains. A combination of these – the crumbling walls in natural surroundings – is a prime reason for you to visit this place.

Travel Guide to Gandikota

I bet that the Gandikota history has created a wanderlust within you. Let me start this travel guide to Gandikota by answering a few commonly asked questions on how to get here and where to stay. With that out of the way, we can dive straight into the key places to visit in Gandikota and continue our virtual tour.

Places to visit in Gandikota

The fort has tons of viewpoints and interesting ruins for you to explore. Let me share the same with you in the form of a tour of Gandikota.

Through the gates of Gandikota Fort

The dry, arid terrain of Gandikota started off before we hit the bridge across River Pennar. It was almost as if we were breezing on roads cut out within the canyon. I expected this to continue until we reached the fort but was quite surprised to see the flat red lands. I suppose I did not take into account that we were traveling on the ground while the canyon was a cut into the ground.

Nevertheless, as we reached civilization, we saw them. The looming walls of Gandikota fort left no doubt of how formidable this historic structure must have been in its heydays. Adding further proof were the large gates of the fort, laid out in a zigzag manner – like how every top-notch defense structure should be.

Single laned and narrow, we drove past the huge doors with sharp spikes. The doors stood erect only ‘coz they were held up by a log.  A huge tower – the Charminar, greeted us into the once-grand citadel of Gandikota.

The Charminar & Jail of Gandikota Fort

Quite unlike its namesake in Hyderabad, this Charminar was a single structure with 4 minor minarets atop its roof. My first guess was that this was some kind of a watchtower. I could not have been more wrong for this was actually a pigeon tower. The tiny holes along its windows were doorways for the pigeons, which these flying creatures still used. Right at the entrance, this was the only well-maintained structure in Gandikota fort.

Right next to it, is an old jail of the fort. I could not go and explore it from the inside. In fact, there inside for the jail is actually underground. From the windowless façade and meager air vents, it was evident to see how dreary the place might have been.

Jamia Masjid at Gandikota | Gandikota mosque

Right next to the unofficial parking of the fort, is the gorgeous Jamia Masjid. The classic Islamic architecture with its intricate domes and large arched gateways will definitely mesmerize you as soon as you set your eyes on it.

The main gate of the Jama Masjid forms a very pretty frame for the main structure in the center.  If you look carefully around the entrance, you will see remnants of delicate carvings which might have had some color in it.

I spend a while checking out the artistic entrance, only to be distracted later by the minarets of the mosque. The domed towers rose elegantly and beckoned me to have a closer look at them. The arched windows enhanced by the pretty floral patterns created a lure that made me look for a staircase to the top. Somehow, I could not manage to find it. 🙁The main mosque within Jama Masjid, Gandikota

The prayer courtyard surrounds a raised platform with the Mihrab on it. Mihrab is basically a curved alcove in a mosque that indicates the direction in which the prayers have to be held. You can walk right up to it to see the delicate carvings present within. As you do that, remember to glance up to the ceiling.  It might seem like a simple dome design now but the central floral patterns suggest that their original designs might have been even more elaborate.

Right in front of the Mihrab, you will see a sunken pool. This used to be a fountain, the water for which came in through the ancient aqueducts connecting the River Pennar and the fort.

Kattula Koneru, a Tomb & a Granary

Right opposite to the Jamia Masjid, is an ancient water tank called Kattula Koneru. Technically, you are likely to pass it before you enter the mosque but this frenzied friend of yours (aka me) chose to capture it after I exited the mosque. Kattula means sword and as I gathered, this was a water tank used to clean weapons, especially after a battle. The water tank, as I understood, was one of the largest ones in Gandikota fort.

On the other side of the Tank, across the Masjid, you will see another Islamic structure. No one seemed to know what that was. A little asking around told me that it was a tomb or a Mausoleum of an unknown person. The structure was falling apart but despite that, one could not deny the beauty of it all.

Another large structure beside the Jama Masjid was the storehouse of the fort. The granary held provisions for the entire citadel. It did seem quite huge from the outside and also, appeared to have multiple entrances and floors. All I could see it various openings and an external staircase. How I wish the way in was not locked! Sigh!

Ranganatha Swamy temple – the oldest Gandikota temple

The systematic arrangement of the stone pillars against a backdrop of boulders is what distinguished this structure from its background. A signboard outside it told me that this was the Ranganatha Swamy temple – a place whose simple exteriors belied the beauty within.  An exquisite mantapa with carved pillars is awaited as I walked through the unassuming doorways of this temple.

A lot of the carvings have succumbed to the mindless plundering of the invaders. However, they have survived enough to tell you a tale of its grandeur. Take for example the elephants that outlined its short staircase. While on one side, I could spot only the elephant, the inner side of it hid a hunter or a soldier.

The guardian Yellis (lion-faced creatures) peeked out of every pillar in the outer shrine while the ones leading to the sanctum sanctorum were simple cylindrical ones. At the base of each of the exterior pillars were carvings from the Indian mythology.

The inner shrine was devoid of the idol of Ranganathaswamy, Most likely, the idol within must have been destroyed or stolen. I am glad that I did not resist the urge to peek into the empty shrine – else how could I have spotted the lovely ceiling.

As I walked around the deserted Ranganathaswamy temple, I observed a few lone carvings along its exterior walls.  The surrounding temple buildings were missing a roof and seemed to be quite dilapidated. However, that turned out to be advantageous for you could capture the secular nature of the fort at one go – with the Jama Masjid in the foreground and the Madhavaraya Swamy temple rising in the backdrop

The temple had a lot of elements similar to the Hampi temples like Virupaksha Temple. The basic layout of the temple, the similarity in the carved pillars – it all seemed intriguing. Later when I did some digging around the facts, I realized that it was built around the reign of the famous Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara. Possibly that maybe the reason for its resemblance.

Do check out the exquisite architecture of the Virupaksha Temple in Hampi

Pennar River View Point | Gandikota view point

Remember the whole backdrop of boulders that I described earlier. Well, that is where the hero of this entire tale lies. The very reason for Gandikota to get its name and for the place to host a fort. Those boulders were the edge of the cliff that sloped down to form the famous Gandikota canyon. This is where you get the view of the lovely Pennar River flowing through the Gandikota grand canyon.

Frankly, this viewpoint is the highlight of this entire trail. The serene beauty of the river amid the rugged rocks of the Erramala hills creates a mystical aura. All you ever want to do is climb over the rocks and settle down to stare at the landscape. We spent quite a bit of time here watching the rocks change color with the movement of the sun behind us.

Sunset over Gandikota grand canyon

The sunset did not take place over the Gandikota Penna River View Point. It was actually over the Jama Masjid and Ranganathaswamy temple. It created those perfect silhouettes of these monuments. The orange ball of fire struck poses between those mantapa pillars of the temple and over the flat boulders that lay along its path. It was hard deciding whether I turned towards the sunset or away from it – the west showcasing a play of shadows while the east with Penna river displaying a fascinating array of color tones.

Madhavaraya Swamy temple in Gandikota

The majestic gateway of Madhavaraya temple kept luring me from various points and I knew that this visit to Gandikota would not be complete if I did not explore this monument. The path leading to this grand Gopuram is beside the Jail. It turned out to be quite an interesting trail for on it I found abandoned water tanks, aqueducts and ruins of some of the other palatial buildings, which I wish I could have paused to check out. However, with the evening growing darker. I did not want to miss the seemingly pretty Gandikota temple – the Madhavaraya temple. I am glad that I did for from the moment I reached the gate, I was dumbstruck.

Every inch of this Gandikota temple’s gate had beautiful carvings. From pretty damsels to the tales from the Indian Mythology, there were myriad stories in pictures. Upon entering the temple, it was the elaborately carved pillars of the shrines that had me in a frenzy. As expected, the shrines were empty and the corridors quite deserted. Despite that, the place seemed alive. Each of those sculptures looked as if they were breathing.

Even with the dark shadows that came with the time of the evening, I found enough of the craftsmanship. Even here, there was no missing the similarity of the Hampi temples. I turned out to be right again for this was also, built during the reign of Krishnadevaraya.

Other things to do in Gandikota

With the sun down, I had to miss out on Rayalacheruvu Lake.  Located at the far end of the Gandikota fort, this lake was the source of drinking water. In fact, it said to have been established by Krishnadevaraya himself. I was keen to head here for two reasons – one to spot the birds that I had seen flying around and two – do some kayaking. Guess maybe this time it was not to be. However, there is no reason for you to not include it in your things to do in Gandikota.

• Tour the Gandikota Fort
• Catch the Sunrise and Sunset over Penna River
• Try some rock-climbing
• Camp under the stars by the banks of Rayalacheruvu lake.
• Go hiking along the canyon
• Attempt kayaking in the Rayalacheruvu lake.
• Spot some migratory birds around the Lake
• Visit Belum Caves. 

The last point about the caves is not a mistake. I know that I did not mention these earlier. Two reasons for that – one is that these are actually one and a half hours drive from Gandikota & so technically, they are not in Gandikota. The distance from Gandikota to Belum Caves is just 62 km. The second reason being- I wanted to keep it as a cliffhanger for you. The 2nd longest caves in India deserve a post of its own. Here is a teaser in the form of a picture. 😉

While you wait for my next post, pin this up on your board. I am pretty sure you are all geared for this Gandikota trip – one of the best places to visit in Andhra Pradesh.

Before you go, pin this

Travel and Photography tips

• There is no entrance fee to Gandikota fort and canyon.
• Wear trekking shoes if possible. Else flat shoes will do. There is plenty of boulder climbing and walking to be done here.
• If you are camping, keep a mosquito repellent handy.
• Carry a cap and sunscreen when heading to Gandikota.
• While you can do Gandikota as a day trip from Bangalore, I recommend an overnight stay so that you can see both Sunrise in Gandikota as well as Sunset. . Also, this gives you an opportunity to visit Belum Caves.
• There are very few places to eat on the roads to Gandikota. The few places are just small road-side dhabas where you will get only basic food. Having said that, you can stop for some dry snacks along the way as there are plenty of grocery shops.
• The only decent restaurant that we found for lunch was Sannidhi Multicuisine Restaurant in a place called Kadiri.
• There are public restrooms near the fort. However, they are not as well maintained.
• Carry a wide lens as well as your telephoto lens for photography. Birding enthusiasts will definitely enjoy the morning hours by Gandikota reservoir.

Booking Resources

• In case you are looking for Gandikota hotels other than Hotel Haritha, then your next option are the ones in Proddatur. Though these are around 45 minutes from Gandikota fort, they can be booked online through Booking.com.
• You might need to buy your hiking or travel supplies. In case you are using Amazon for the same, do consider using this link. Remember you do not have to pay anything additional but the affiliate income will help me maintain my website.

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