Jamalabad Fort

Jamalabad Fort

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Located in Kudremukh, the Jamalabad village is famous for its fort, Jamalabad fort, located 8 km north of Beltangadi town, is 1788 ft above sea level and used to be known as Narasimha Gudde, which refers to the granite hill on which the fort is built. It is also referred to locally as 'Jamalagadda'. The fort, built by Tippu Sultan in 1794, was named after his mother, Jamalabee and is said to have been built over the ruins of an older structure. The fort is primarily inaccessible save a narrow path, with nearly 1876 steps to the fort that are cut out of this granite hill and lead all the way to the top through the fort to the summit. Inside the citadel, there are two small fresh-water springs and some tanks to store water. Some of the bastions have dismantled iron cannons with European markings. The rest of the fort consists of ruins of walls and parapets. The British captured the fort in 1799 during the Fourth Mysore war. According to legend, those out of favour with Tipu were hurled down this fort to their death. These days, Jamalabad is a trekking destination, with the climb up to the fort being classified as 'medium difficulty level' and the top of the fort offers good views of the surrounding landscape and the Kudremukh range. Every visitor has to pay a nominal entry fee at the forest check post at the base of the hill. It is advisable to carry sufficient water since there is no potable fresh water available on top. The nearest town with any communication and medical facilities is Beltangadi. The timings to visit the fort are any time between 6.00 AM to 6.00 PM and an overnight stay at the Fort is strictly forbidden.