Mirjan Fort Entry Fees, Timings, Nearby Attractions

Mirjan Fort

Mirjan Fort, Gokarna – A complete guide. The historical monument Mirjan Fort stands majestically in the village of Mirjan 22 km away from Gokarna. The beautiful Mirjan Fort is situated on the banks of the Aganashini river.

This amazing monument never fails to captivate the visitors by the perfection of the architects who constructed it. This should be in your bucket list of places to visit in Gokarna.

History of Mirjan Fort

This fort reminds us of the Vijayanagara empire as one of the theories that explain the origin of the fort. According to the popular belief, ChennabhairavDevi, who was the queen of Gersoppa, built the fort as early as the 16th century AD.

This is a beautiful fort standing in 10 acres of land. The Archeological Survey of India unearthed many rare medieval structures inside the fort recently. She ruled North as well as South Karnataka up to south Goa and was popularly known as the pepper queen.

She started getting strong blows from Bijapur sultans who wished to conquer the fort after the battle of Tallikota. Knowing the intentions of Bijapur sultans, she made an island in the Sharavathi River base and began operations from there.

She was a powerful ruler who ruled the area for about 54 years. Later, in 1757, this fort was conquered by the Mighty Marathas. During the British reign, they seized it by force.

Also read 6 Popular places to visit in Gokarna in 2 days

The Architecture of Mirjan Fort

As it is constructed for protection against the unexpected attack by the enemies, no wonder, the walls of the fort are huge. This fort is built using laterite stones.

To get access to this fort, one has to climb the wide steps, which will lead you to the inner portions of the fort. It is a moated fort and has four passages that make the access difficult for those who are not aware of the building plan of the fort. One of the passages is used as the main passage, and the other three are used only in times of need.

There are several watchtowers, which they used to observe the nearby areas to know in advance any possible attack from the enemies. If you view from the watchtower, you can see the surrounding areas up to a certain distance.

There are a lot of wells inside the fort that provided water for the inhabitants, and they had a constant supply from the nearby river. All the wells are interconnected through tunnels that will take you from one well to the other.

Related read 10 Popular beaches in Gokarna that you should visit

Mirjan Fort Entry Fees / Ticket Price

This fort that tells the story of past glory is fees for all and doesn’t charge anything. It is under the Archeological Survey of India who is trying to revive the lost beauty of the fort. To promote tourism, the ASI has made entry free to this fort.

Mirjan Fort timings

You can visit the Mirjan Fort any day of the week. It is open on all days of the week. You can go through the entire length and breadth of the Fort from 8 PM to 6 in the evening.

You can lock the beauty of this fort in your camera, and need not pay any photography charges for clicking images of this beautiful fort.

How To Reach Mirjan Fort?

From the city, this fort is only 11 kilometres away, and you can take the bus route or car route to reach this place. This is a small town away from the busy cities, where modern facilities like to book a cab or a taxi is not possible.

The total time taken to travel from the city to this place is 35 minutes, and you have only two options to reach this place.

By Bus From Gokarna, there are plenty of buses plying all the time in the bus stand, which is within a stone throw distance away from this fort. From the fort, it hardly takes 5 minutes to reach the bus stand.

Within 45 minutes, you will find buses that go from and to the main bus station from the bus stand near the fort. The frequency of bus service is fairly good, and the tourists don’t have to worry about finding a means of travel to and fro the Mirjan Fort.

By Car You can hire a car or a bike that runs through the route that takes you to the fort. This is the only other option left for you to commute from and to the fort.

Best time to visit Mirjan Fort

The most inviting time would be from September to February when the weather would be cool to allow you for a romantic getaway with your loved one.

You can enjoy greeneries everywhere, and flowers would be smiling at you from every corner of this place after mid-September. Till that time, one can expect little rainfall that could, sometimes, upset your visit to this place.

Don’t forget to carry umbrellas with you if you plan to visit this fort during the summer season. Sometimes, you may have to endure the scorching sun. Otherwise, the weather is pleasant.

If you want to enjoy the eye-popping beauty of this fort without any disturbance, visit November or December when you can go for long sightseeing in and around the fort.

Places to Eat near Mirjan Fort

Before you realise that your stomach is crying for food, the smell of the scrumptious meal from the nearby eateries would help you to find a place to fill your belly. There are so many places that serve your taste buds with delicious south Indian food near this fort.

Prema

It is an excellent haven of comfort for those who love to eat masala dosa and different kinds of soups. The quality of the food available here is very good, and you will enjoy the food here for sure. It is 12.5 km away from this fort.

Namaste Cafe

This is a restaurant as well as a pub where you can stomach down some food and enjoy beverages in this cafe. This cafe is only 11.5 km away from this fort.

Places to visit near Mirjan Fort

Nirvana Beach

This beach is a heaven for those who are in search of a secluded place to enjoy their picnic with their near and dear ones. This beach is very clean, unlike the normal beaches in our country, due to the fewer footfalls in this area.

You can enjoy water activities like swimming during peak season and go for long walks along the sides of this beach whenever you visit this place. The tourists who enjoy being in a serene atmosphere can visit this place as it is suited to those who love solo trips.

Mahabaleswar Temple – Gokarna

If you are a pious person and wish to get blessings from Lord Shiva, Parvati, and Ganesha, you can visit this temple. This is a Hindu temple dedicated to these three Gods.

The temple is 12.5 km away from this fort and definitely can include in the places to visit within the vicinity of the Mirjan Fort. This temple exhibits Dravidian architectural excellence, and many pilgrims visit this place every year.

Also read: 16 Best Places To Visit in Gokarna – Travel India Travel

Yana Rocks

If you are a globetrotter fond of exploring different parts of the Earth, you would love your trip to Yana rocks. They are a natural formation of limestone rocks deep inside the thick forest along the Sahyadri mountains.

You will love the hike through this dense forest as the green surroundings would give a pleasant feeling in the mind of those visiting this place for the first time. These two rocks are visible when you walk near them. Other smaller rocks are hardly visible like them in this forest.