'Kothi' Raju to attempt climbing Gadaikallu hill on Sunday

Mangaluru: Jyothi Raj, a free solo climber who is known as 'Kothi Raju' (Monkey King) has announced that he will be scaling the Gadaikallu hill (NarasimhaGudde) near Belthangady of Dakshina Kannada district. Kothi Raju, from Chitradurga was given the moniker after he scaled many rock formations and buildings without the aid of harnesses or ropes for safety.

He is renowned across the world for his free solo climbing prowess as he has scaled the 830 foot high Jog Falls against the flow. He is also famous for free solo climbing the Moorusavir Math clocktower at Hubli in a little over 15 minutes. He also climbs the walls of Chitradurga Fort with no harness attached in a matter of seconds.

This time, Kothi Raju has set his eyes on the prize right in Dakshina Kannada. While it takes a trek for people up the 1800 odd steps carved into the Gadaikallu hill, Kothi Raju will be climbing his way to the top.

A team of eight members along with Jyothi Raj has already reached and preparations are under way as he plans on performing the feat on February 12. According to him, he will be scaling this mega rock formation which is estimated to be 1,788 feet above sea level.

According to sources, necessary permissions have been obtained from the Wildlife and Forest Departments. For his safety, a rope will be tied around JyothiRaj's waist while he scales the hill.