GOA ENROUTE CHITRADURGA
Chitradurga
My road trip to Goa started with great excitement. Lucky enough, to venture out in January ,before I knew what COVID was.
All these years of my life, I never felt the urge to visit Goa. Although I had heard about its own charmness and beauty. But somehow could not resist when an opportunity came my way .
It was early morning, we started with two friends and family from Chennai. The drive from Chennai to Bangalore was quite smooth as the highway is one of the best.
In about five hours we reached Bangalore, skipped the city took an outer road and by evening halted at a remote city called Chitradurga.
In fact, it was a town unheard of..but then after a bit of exploration we knew of its historical significance.
THE FORT
The next day we decided to visit the fort, at Chitradurga...and then continue the journey to Goa. We had a fantastic breakfast at a south Indian restaurant.
Chitradurga a very small town did fascinate me. It was a bit of a hilly area with lots of. Windmills around.
At a point when I was treated as a foreigner !!!
It was 9 a.m and the counters of the fort were open. I stepped to the counter to buy the tickets for the entrance. It was rs 30.
We bought the tickets and moved towards the entry point.
To my surprise I was not allowed to enter, because I was told that the entry for the foreign nationals was rs 300. He asked me to to get a ticket of that amount. I refused to do so..I was adamant that I was an Indian..but he did not believe me.I guess my attire and my hair looked westernised.They argued and thought that my husband was married to a foreigner...but all of us enjoyed thier ignorance.
Finally I had to show my identity card and gain entry to the fort.
Me showing my identity at the entrance of the fort ..
Finally we gained entry and started to explore the fort.
It was 9 a.m and the counters of the fort were open. I stepped to the counter to buy the tickets for the entrance. It was rs 30.
We bought the tickets and moved towards the entry point.
To my surprise I was not allowed to enter, because I was told that the entry for the foreign nationals was rs 300. He asked me to to get a ticket of that amount. I refused to do so..I was adamant that I was an Indian..but he did not believe me.I guess my attire and my hair looked westernised.
They argued and thought that my husband was married to a foreigner...but all of us enjoyed thier ignorance.
Finally we gained entry and started to explore the fort.
A brief history about the fort
Chitradurga fort as earlier mentioned is situated in Karnataka away from Bangalore. It is located on the valley of vedavati river. It is an umbrella shaped loft hill . It has huge boulders and is known as a " STONE FORTRESS " (Kallina kote ).
Chitradurga fort as earlier mentioned is situated in Karnataka away from Bangalore. It is located on the valley of vedavati river. It is an umbrella shaped loft hill . It has huge boulders and is known as a " STONE FORTRESS " (Kallina kote ).
Built between 11th and 13th centuries by the dynastic rulers of Vijaynagar Empire.
Hyder Ali who was a great ruler of the times, took over the fort in 1779. Later it was captured by the British forces, twenty years later when they defeated the son of Tipu Sultan .
The great boulders and the walls
According to history of the great epic, Mahabharata, a historical incident is associated with these boulders.
There lived a demon , a man eater and his sister Hidimbi on a hill. Hidamba was a terror to all, while
Once when the Pandavas came there during their exile,they encountered Hidimba and he was killed thereafter. Bhima, then married Hidimba and thier son was Ghatotkach who was believed to have some magical powers. It is believed that these boulders were a part of arsenal and here are found the oldest rocks of the country.
This was one of the stories of the fort I had gathered during my visit to the fort.
Wondered !!!Amazing history !
The second amazing historical tale was of Onake Obavvana a brave women of the times !
Onake obavva was a brave women, wife of a sentry of Chitradurga fort.
During the rule of the last Nayaka, Hyder Ali tried to seize the fort number of times, but did not succeed.
Once, a soldier of Hyder Ali saw a man entering the fort through a small crevice between the rocks surrounding the fort.
The hole was big enough to let on person crawl and enter easily through it to gain access into the fort.
Hyder Ali decided to seize the fort
by sending soldiers through the crevice.
Acting fast she took a long wooden heavy piece of log and started pounding on the soldier, killing him instantly. She hid his body . She did so with the other soldiers who were coming one by one.
After some time when her husband arrived, he was surprised at her bravery.
A war situation was planned the same day. But later part of the day, Onake Obavvana died. The cause of her death was not known.
Great story !!! Onake obavva an epitome of bravery. I wondered if it was just a tale or a reality. But historical facts and evidences make us believe that such incidents did occur .
We went around to find some more
Spots in the fort, we had to hurry up as we had to continue our journey and had planned to reach Goa by evening.
A temple of great interest
Some facts of the fort being displayed for the tourist -
The famous walls
.
It was almost afternoon and we headed our journey to GOA.
The roads were good until we reached the karnataka border. Tough going but could manage. A stretch of about 30 km was aweful.
Around 8 p.m we reached Goa , we were booked at one of the five star hotels and relaxed there.
The best time to visit Goa is December or January.
Goa is the smallest state of India by area. It lies on the western coast. This state was influenced by the Portuguese for about 450 years.
Goa is not only famous for its beaches but for its churches. The churches have been declared as a World Heritage site by the UNESCO.
The Fort Agauda is also a major attraction of Goa.
Mesmerising sunset Chapora Fort
The Agauda Fort
Overlooking the Arabian sea is another popular tourist spot. Build in 1612, a most marvellous citadel and a major attraction of Goa.It is a well preserved 17th century Portuguese work . It also has a lighthouse ,which is one of the oldest in Asia. Below the Fort is a well known Jail known as the Aguada Central Jail.
The light house is surrounded by the Baga beech and the Calangute beech.
The glittery nightlife at Goa
The party lovers can never miss out the fun at the night club and the Casinos.
Goa is not only famous for its beaches,but also the non -stop nightlife. And they are worth the visit.
There are numerous casinos to be visited , each has its own attractions, such as food, drinks and and games like roulette,poker etc. I was quite thrilled that most of them were afloat the waters and we're lit to make it lively at night.
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