Chitradurga is one of the finest fortresses in South India. It is impregnable, historic, legendary, mighty, formidable, photogenic, etc all at the same time. This fort is locally known as Elusuttina Kote (meaning fort of 7 fortification walls). The fort originally had 19 gateways, 38 postern-gates, 35 secret entrances and 4 invisible entrances. Built between the 15th - 18th CE by Nayakas. Chitradurga literally means "pictursque fort". And we assure you that it is more than that. Some of the highlights of the fort are: the impressive successive gates which are non-collinear; an ingenious gun-powder manufacturing unit; large monolothic baths to store oil; an ornate gymnasium where many a warrior was born; several rocks having the natural looks of an elephant, rabbit, crocodile, etc; a crevice in the western wall of the fort glorifying the valour of a soldier's wife (Onake Obavva); a temple dedicated to Hidimba, Bhimasena's wife with a stunning view of the landscape from there; & so on.