Channarayandurga

We started right early in the morning, though a bit late than what we had planned and managed to reach Channarayadurga with some difficulty enquiring all the way till there. There was a small village at the base of the hill where the people were kind enough to help us park our car and guide us as to what our trail should be. The fort perched right on the top of the hill was an awesome sight to behold.

The hill seemed formidable, but undaunted and with a firm resolve we started trekking, though with great difficulty, till we reached the entrance and the first terrace of the fort. The climb was steep, slippery and tiring, but highly rewarding with stunning views all around.

On entering, we found a little temple overlooking a beautiful 'kund' or a pond running almost along the curving fort-wall. Enamored by the sight and the serene vibes of the place, we decided to settle down for a quick-bite accompanied by some tea of course. The break was followed by a long photo-session with us clicking (pics) from almost all possible angles, composing, recomposing and when had enough, quietly sat down sketching instead. 

Feeling restless, i got up and started exploring more and came across another gate leading to a higher terrace of the fort. Tall, dense and thorny bushes blocked my way on all sides but didn't dampen my spirit and determined, i cut my way across them only to see a small collapsed gate, some crumbling structures here and there overgrown with all kinds of flora...  seemed the whole place was in dire need of an 'archaeological'  face-lift.

 It's rather disheartening to see that the fort has been a target of vandalism and an easy prey for treasure-hunters seeking that elusive 'something'. But the upside is definitely the fact that there are hardly any visitors around and unlike other places it's a garbage-free zone. Unhindered, one can freely explore the place taking one's own sweet time. But, Alas! short of time i skipped going to the summit and with no delay made my way back, but only reluctantly. Though going down was a bit tricky with only slippery rock ahead of us, slowly and steadily we trekked down to the base of the hill. Already dark by now, we wasted no time and zoomed back to B'lore, carrying with us some fond memories and relishing them all the way back home.