Our next destination on 13th July,2013 was Kavaledurga fort. It was a forty-five minute drive from Jogi Gundi. The fort was constructed around 9th century A.D. and later reinforced with multiple level fortifications by the Keladi king, Venkatappa Nayaka when he conquered areas in and around Thirthalli during the later half of the 16th century. The driver pulled over under a tree upon reaching there.
We were more than glad to get down this time, owing to the discomfort of sitting in a packed vehicle with wet clothes and backpacks. We started walking towards the fort, with Nitin and Danny guiding us along the way. We passed sprawling acres of grasslands and small fields squared out with makeshift fences consisting of pieces of wood tied together with a worn out rope. Cattle grazed lazily under the grey skies covered with thick nimbus clouds. Soon we saw a stone wall and two turrets towering high up, a good distance away from us. We carefully tread on the stone pavement that lay ahead of us.
One wrong step and we could slip and fall and hurt ourselves badly. All of us concentrated completely on our climb, avoiding areas covered in moss and other slippery spots. A few of us stumbled and a few of us fell but we knew we were safe because each person was on the lookout for the other. We saw some engravings of, ahem, “those kind” on the stone arch at the entrance and made some dirty jokes about it. :P It helped lighten the mood and take our mind off the effort we were putting.
We continued climbing until we reached a temple. The fog enveloped the temple boundary, giving it a more mystical aura. Inside the shrine was a stone Linga and Nandi.
As we walked around the sanctum sanctorum, observing the frescos which were perhaps put there thousands of years ago, we felt a sense of spiritual meaning; an understanding that is neither apparent to the senses, nor obvious to the intelligence. Soon, hunger and tiredness became overwhelming and it was time for us to binge on those buns and dry snacks and revitalize. From the temple, we could see a lone piece of huge rock jutting out towards the left side of the hillock upon which stood another small structure, probably another temple. We climbed up towards that direction and found an awesome spot for clicking group photos. Ideas came pouring in for the different types of poses we could give. All of the photos came out well, courtesy the expert photographers and proud SLR owners (Anindya,JK and Giri) we had amongst us.
The protruding rock looked peculiar with too many ridges and grooves on it and we decided to climb and have a look at the other temple as well. We saw a stone idol of Mahavishnu and Lakshmi when we peered inside with great curiosity. Again, the view from the top of that rock and the surrounding flora and fauna numbed our senses. Since we had time constraints we had to get down quickly and start walking further inside the fort. A few metres away lay a massive hall like section with plenty of beautiful stone pillars along its periphery. Some stood despite the harsh weather that would have weakened the structure over the years and some lay scattered around, crumbling into layers of dust. We let our imaginations run wild. Perhaps thousands of years ago the king enjoyed live dance performances there or his sons played cricket in that open space or it was probably a courtroom where judgements were made, with the commoners watching. We saw two more such open halls.
The architecture was complete with a huge pool (the queen’s bathtub, it was called) a proper toilet and other basic amenities. During those times, maybe these were luxuries that only a king could afford. There was more beyond the point till which we had gone but we decided to turn back. Our descent was even more difficult. We took the support of the massive stone walls covered in creepers and overgrown weeds. Slowly and one by one, we all made it downhill. I turned back to look at the imposing structure for one last time, and wondered how much technical expertise and organizational skill one would require build something that massive and majestic during the ancient times.
After that we all had an intense desire to hold a cup of hot coffee between our hands and to sip and savour its taste. Dheeraj, Malur and Buvi gave voice to our thoughts and discussed this at length. This desire heightened when we drove to a viewpoint at Kundadri. The weather over there was extremely cold. Teeth chattering and constant shivering ensued. Everyone’s “brrr’s” were almost audible. We made our way up pretty fast this time and reached the viewpoint. The visibility was very less, and while we all waited for the fog to clear we jumped up and down and did some funny exercises to warm ourselves up. Then it happened…for a few seconds, the wind drove the fog away and we caught glimpses of the surrounding hills and villages down below. The view was epic. All of us experienced a wow moment right at that time. We couldn’t contain our excitement and all of us shouted in happiness. Our deafening screams came echoing back to us. We then walked to the entrance of the 3000-year-old Jain Temple located there. Hunching, we stepped into the narrow dark doorway and saw the idol of a Jain Thirthankar. The priest carried out a small Aarti and told us strange stories about evil spirits and praised god’s might and glory. We listened in complete silence and with rapt attention. Once he was done, we prayed and came out together. We headed towards our vehicle and we were done for the day. Three beautiful places, all in twelve hour’s time. It felt awesome. We smiled to ourselves in satisfaction.
The desire was coffee was the only thing that wasn’t fulfilled yet, which brought us to a small home café on the countryside. We emptied our bladders and made ourselves comfortable over there. Plates after plates of “goli bhaji” kept coming to our tables and cups of piping hot coffee followed. It was 7 pm when we decided to leave for Mangalore. We sang songs, talked and carried out the Gypsy ritual of relating the whole trek experience during our journey back home. We stopped at Bittu Da Dhaba in Mulki for a yummy dinner and the world’s best lassi. Finally it was time to say our goodbyes and head home. One of the most memorable days of our lives came to an end. “Until next time”, I thought to myself as I waved to the others and walked towards home.
When: 13th July, 2013.
Ascending the Kavaledurga
We were more than glad to get down this time, owing to the discomfort of sitting in a packed vehicle with wet clothes and backpacks. We started walking towards the fort, with Nitin and Danny guiding us along the way. We passed sprawling acres of grasslands and small fields squared out with makeshift fences consisting of pieces of wood tied together with a worn out rope. Cattle grazed lazily under the grey skies covered with thick nimbus clouds. Soon we saw a stone wall and two turrets towering high up, a good distance away from us. We carefully tread on the stone pavement that lay ahead of us.
Up the stone pavement
One wrong step and we could slip and fall and hurt ourselves badly. All of us concentrated completely on our climb, avoiding areas covered in moss and other slippery spots. A few of us stumbled and a few of us fell but we knew we were safe because each person was on the lookout for the other. We saw some engravings of, ahem, “those kind” on the stone arch at the entrance and made some dirty jokes about it. :P It helped lighten the mood and take our mind off the effort we were putting.
We continued climbing until we reached a temple. The fog enveloped the temple boundary, giving it a more mystical aura. Inside the shrine was a stone Linga and Nandi.
The temple
As we walked around the sanctum sanctorum, observing the frescos which were perhaps put there thousands of years ago, we felt a sense of spiritual meaning; an understanding that is neither apparent to the senses, nor obvious to the intelligence. Soon, hunger and tiredness became overwhelming and it was time for us to binge on those buns and dry snacks and revitalize. From the temple, we could see a lone piece of huge rock jutting out towards the left side of the hillock upon which stood another small structure, probably another temple. We climbed up towards that direction and found an awesome spot for clicking group photos. Ideas came pouring in for the different types of poses we could give. All of the photos came out well, courtesy the expert photographers and proud SLR owners (Anindya,JK and Giri) we had amongst us.
Exclusively for the shutterbugs!
The protruding rock looked peculiar with too many ridges and grooves on it and we decided to climb and have a look at the other temple as well. We saw a stone idol of Mahavishnu and Lakshmi when we peered inside with great curiosity. Again, the view from the top of that rock and the surrounding flora and fauna numbed our senses. Since we had time constraints we had to get down quickly and start walking further inside the fort. A few metres away lay a massive hall like section with plenty of beautiful stone pillars along its periphery. Some stood despite the harsh weather that would have weakened the structure over the years and some lay scattered around, crumbling into layers of dust. We let our imaginations run wild. Perhaps thousands of years ago the king enjoyed live dance performances there or his sons played cricket in that open space or it was probably a courtroom where judgements were made, with the commoners watching. We saw two more such open halls.
The architecture was complete with a huge pool (the queen’s bathtub, it was called) a proper toilet and other basic amenities. During those times, maybe these were luxuries that only a king could afford. There was more beyond the point till which we had gone but we decided to turn back. Our descent was even more difficult. We took the support of the massive stone walls covered in creepers and overgrown weeds. Slowly and one by one, we all made it downhill. I turned back to look at the imposing structure for one last time, and wondered how much technical expertise and organizational skill one would require build something that massive and majestic during the ancient times.
After that we all had an intense desire to hold a cup of hot coffee between our hands and to sip and savour its taste. Dheeraj, Malur and Buvi gave voice to our thoughts and discussed this at length. This desire heightened when we drove to a viewpoint at Kundadri. The weather over there was extremely cold. Teeth chattering and constant shivering ensued. Everyone’s “brrr’s” were almost audible. We made our way up pretty fast this time and reached the viewpoint. The visibility was very less, and while we all waited for the fog to clear we jumped up and down and did some funny exercises to warm ourselves up. Then it happened…for a few seconds, the wind drove the fog away and we caught glimpses of the surrounding hills and villages down below. The view was epic. All of us experienced a wow moment right at that time. We couldn’t contain our excitement and all of us shouted in happiness. Our deafening screams came echoing back to us. We then walked to the entrance of the 3000-year-old Jain Temple located there. Hunching, we stepped into the narrow dark doorway and saw the idol of a Jain Thirthankar. The priest carried out a small Aarti and told us strange stories about evil spirits and praised god’s might and glory. We listened in complete silence and with rapt attention. Once he was done, we prayed and came out together. We headed towards our vehicle and we were done for the day. Three beautiful places, all in twelve hour’s time. It felt awesome. We smiled to ourselves in satisfaction.
The desire was coffee was the only thing that wasn’t fulfilled yet, which brought us to a small home café on the countryside. We emptied our bladders and made ourselves comfortable over there. Plates after plates of “goli bhaji” kept coming to our tables and cups of piping hot coffee followed. It was 7 pm when we decided to leave for Mangalore. We sang songs, talked and carried out the Gypsy ritual of relating the whole trek experience during our journey back home. We stopped at Bittu Da Dhaba in Mulki for a yummy dinner and the world’s best lassi. Finally it was time to say our goodbyes and head home. One of the most memorable days of our lives came to an end. “Until next time”, I thought to myself as I waved to the others and walked towards home.
When: 13th July, 2013.
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