Tourism department explores ropeway, winch to facilitate access to Anjanadri hills

Tourism department officials said the project aims to make travel to Anjanadri Hills easier for millions of tourists who are unable to climb the 575 steps to the top. | Photo credit: File photo

The Karnataka tourism department is currently studying the possibility of installing a ropeway or winch in the Anjanadri range, similar to the one in the Palani hills in Tamil Nadu. Tourism Department officials said the project aims to make travel to Anjanadri Hills easier for millions of tourists who are unable to climb the 575 steps to the top.

The official said, “A private consultancy firm is studying the geography of the area to prepare a heritage impact assessment report to be submitted to the state government, Archaeological Survey of India, UNESCO World Heritage Center and others.”

He added: “Since Anjanadri Hills is revered as the birthplace of Lord Hanuman and is located in the buffer zone of Hampi, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we have to be careful. The team is investigating the layout of the cable cars, which mainly involves identifying the physical route that the cable car system can take.”

“The area beyond the hills is being studied for installation of either a ropeway or a winch so as not to compromise the panoramic view of the Stone Chariot, Vijaya Vittal Temple, Bhajan Mantapa and other monuments in the zone,” an officer told The Hindu.

“The ropeway or winch system consists of three separate tracks to transport a large number of devotees safely. The ropeways used in the ropeway can carry four passengers and take them to the hill in five to six minutes, depending on the distance. Each option will be implemented under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. Once the project is completed, children, senior citizens and women who are unable to climb the 57 steps will easily reach the 57,” he said.

Impact on the ecosystem

As Anjanadri Hills is located close to the Daroji sloth bear sanctuary, environmentalists have criticized the proposal.

AN Yellappa Reddy, an environmentalist and former officer of the Indian Forest Service, said, “Sloths are native to the area because of the natural environment found there. Installing a cable car or even a train will disrupt their natural habitat. When they enter human settlements, there will naturally be man-animal conflicts. As the number of devotees and tourists increases, they will certainly pollute and pollute the garbage and garbage in the entire region. The vehicular traffic will also increase on roads connecting the sanctuary.

Published – 23 Jul 2026 19:03 IST