Climb those small hills | Mallikarjuna Durga

This small hill is something we passed to reach an unknown place beside the main rural road on way to Hogenakkal, the famous waterfalls in Tamil Nadu near Bangalore. We did our day picnic at this unknown nowhere place, did not go to Hogenakkal (had not planned to anyway) and on return climbed up this small hill. The views were spectacular, the location and the structures on top were so well fitting the environment - connecting the sky and earth.

On way to Hogenakkal, off Hosur Road
(turn right before Tumkur)

the flat top of Mallikarjuna durga, which we climbed in the evening

(Locations to use in Google Earth are added to the end of the post) The post has 2 parts - the apparently anywhere picnic spot and the Mallikarjuna durga hill climb. The picnic spot was found when we first stopped for our packed lunch, next time it was a trip just for the spot.

Call of Kavaledurga

Here are some sketches I created from memory of some of the places of Kavaledurga, the hill-fort beyond Tirthahalli in Shimoga district. I was lucky to have to have lived on this hill for 5 days during 2008 pre-rain on a measured-drawing trip of the excavated Palace, for the ASI. The submitted report consisted of Photographs and Measured drawings.There are few layers of walls, many gates (small and large) and bastions that I explored deep in the jungles around the main track of Kavaledurga trek to the summit. I will share some pictures in the next post, but I begin with sketches to evoke your imagination.

I also used these sketches in my travel article on Kavaledurga for the Terrascape magazine.

The place... it is for me so far, like no other. It is the perfect world of a LaraCroft game Tomb Raider! Full of surprises - jungle, fortifications and ruined structures.

Peeping out from the southern jungle
towards a layer of fort wall

Exploring Bangalore old city | market area

Early morning | street yet to wake up

Here are some of the pictures of Old part of Bangalore. I went for a early morning walk with my friend to explore the lanes and narrow streets. There is much to be seen there, but this little walk already was enough as a start to appreciate what we commonly miss in our daily life of work and home.

It begins now...

India is out there, even if you are here.
Waiting for you to see it, experience it, learn from it.
Open your eyes, grab the moment and seek to explore the raw and ever enchanting India.

This Blog wants to inspire you, make you desire to go out there, providing the substance to make your exploration and travel even more worthwhile!