To Bhongir and back

I had the fortune of visiting the ancient fort of Tribhuvanagiri this Sunday which is located in the small village hamlet of Bhongir. So, I thought I would share this information of how to get there and whats in store for the wandering souls who would like to go there. Since I went there from Hyderabad, this will have only information on how to get there and come back from Hyderabad.

First things first, let us not compare the fort with the gigantic and colossal Golconda Fort nor the beautiful and enthralling Bekal Fort. This is a built on a monolithic isolated stone and that is its uniqueness. The way up to the fort is steep and rocky. The fort was built during the times of the Western Chalukya ruler Tri-bhuvana-malla-vikramaditya VI and hence the name Tribhuavanagiri which metamorphosed into Bhuavangiri and eventually Bhongir. The fort is atop a stone about 500 feet high and it covers an area of about 400 acres. There are no proper steps or paths, making the trek better and exciting. Maybe because it was a hot Sunday afternoon, the place was quite vacant, not crowded which gives one ample space and leisure to trek up. The entry fee to the fort is just 3 rupees which is as cheap as it can get.

Bhuvanagiri aka Bhongir is about 50 kilometers from Hyderabad. Getting there from Hyderabad is very easy. There is the Telangana Express which leaves Secunderabad at 8.20 hours in the morning which reaches Bhongir in 50 – 60 mintues. But since it is the Indian Railways, nothing is predictable. Once you alight at the Bhongir station, the fort is about a kilometer and a half. You get enough auto rickshaws which will take you to there, and unlike the city rickshaw drivers, they don't start with 50 bucks for such a small distance, it takes only 15 rupees. For the return journey from Bhongir to Secunderabad, there are trains at 12:00, 13:30 and 16:00. One wouldn't require more than 3 or 4 hours in the hamlet of Bhuvanagiri. The famed temple of Yadgirigutta is about 13 kms from Bhongir.

For all the souls out there who have an irresistible craving to travel, Bhongir is a safe bet and its a photographers delight as the view from the top is breath taking. The whole village of Bhongir is visible from there. For the adventure freaks, trekking up the monolith could be a good experience, it is a unique structure. Over all, its a place worth visiting.