“Except on Sundays and holidays, there are hardly any visitors to this historic fort,” says Prema, an elderly woman who runs a tea stall right in front of the main gate of Bidanur fort at Nagara in Hosanagar taluk of Shivamogga district. On weekdays, few travellers stop at the fort for a peek inside before continuing on their journey.
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Otherwise, regular visitors are college students and residents of Nagara, a hobli headquarters. “I earn a decent sum only if there are a good number of tourists at the fort. And people can come here only if they are told about the significance of the place,” Ms. Prema points out. Like Ms. Prema, many residents of Nagara believe that there has been no effort to popularise the magnificent fort, once the seat of administration of the Keladi rulers.
