THE GRAND CANYON OF INDIA

GANDIKOTA: The Grand Canyon of India

Isn't the place just stunning!

About

    A lot many wouldn't know about this glorious destination mainly due to its unpopularity. Let me give you a slight glance. The picture you see just above is a view from the top of Gandikota Fort where you see the river Penna calmly flowing to infinity. The place greatly resembles The Grand Canyon of Arizona, USA. Although the difference in areas of both places is large. They tend to have similar climatic conditions. Largely barren with weather highly humid, make the place a special destination.

A gorgeous view from the top of the fort

    Located in Kadapa district of Andra Pradesh, India, the place is one of the major underrated destinations of the country. The place consists of two major structures other than the fort; Ranganatha Swamy Temple and the Fort Mosque, which aren't functional. 

Journey

    

    Personally, I've visited the place three times in two years(2018 and 2019), wherein I'd different experience each time. From my base location, Bangalore, it's about 280KMs. The route is within the southern parts of Deccan Plateau where most of the places are barren and empty. 

    Although, there are a few spots where you could stop by and fancy the beauty of the place. One of such is the bridge that comes along which lies under huge rocks. There's a temple that's built above the rocks as well.

To drive along the roads that connect is one of the major fascinating adventures. With minimal traffic and enjoyable sceneries, the journey to the destination is made memorable.

Major Structures

The entrance of the fort. The path leads to a high tower named 'Charminar'(not to get confused with one in Hyderabad). The tower closely resembles the Charminar, only to differ in its height and glory.

The Fort Mosque

Ranganatha Swamy Temple

The Fort Mosque

The Nonfunctional Prison

Camping Site

    

Adventures

    Since my first visit during the summer of 2018, the place has developed a lot as a tourism spot. During then I realised that not many people know about the place. However now, the aspects of the place have changed for the good. Major activities include hiking down the fort to the banks of the river Penna, kayaking and also camping above the valley looking over the sky at the stars. The place is pleasant, so as to set up a campfire at night to have a memorable time with family or friends.

    The hike towards the cliff to have a proper look at the valley is quite adventurous.

    Needless to say, it is dangerous, only if you try to walk on the edges, though there's plenty of safe space to hike. 

    The fascinating feature about the cliff is that the sound could be echoed against the opposite wall more than a couple of times.

    There's another path to trek down the fort towards the bank of the river. Kayaking services are provided by local experts. 

    Trekking down to the fort and spending peaceful time in the valley could be worthwhile.

Additional Gallery

The place to be; the sight to see 

Such a delight to float across the river 

    A sunset sight from Mylavaram Dam which is about 18KMs away from the fort.