CHITRADURGA

Before March 2015, I had never heard the name of Chitradurga. When I got elected as the National Vice President of Inner Wheel Clubs in India, I got a call inviting me for the Golden Jubilee of the Club a year later. My curiosity about the place evoked.  That one year was the most challenging yet enjoyable and enriching period of my life as I travelled all over the country, to known and unknown places. The comfort of having Inner Wheel members to provide hospitality, care and affection, removed any nervousness of new places.

I took a flight to Bangalore on June 24^th from Kolkata. On researching, I found out that Chitradurga, located in the heart of the Deccan Plateau, is recognized as the land of courage and chivalry.  From Kolkata, it was a three-hour ride southwards. It was evening and the sunlight was giving way to the beauty of dusk and mysterious darkness. I paid divided attention to the conversation within the car and the scenery outside!

Before we entered the town, we could hear it (you must be wondering how can one hear a town). But you can hear this one! It has 1500 windmills. The whirr of the huge fans welcomes you to the town. Chitradurga is known to experience wind currents throughout the year making it a suitable place to set up windmills and wind farms. There are several wind-power based power plants located around the town and most of the hills are embellished with windmills which can be seen while entering the city.

The town is named after the Fort Chitrakaldurga, which means ‘picturesque fort’ in  Kannada. Such is the charm of Chitradurga Fort in Karnataka that tourists gaze upon the beauty of the compelling architecture of the relic with awe. Once home to Tipu Sultan, the fort has various passages to several parts like its warehouses, mosque, ancient temples and water reservoirs. Originally built by Chalukyas and Hoysalas and later expanded by the Nayakas of Chitradurga, the fort houses 18 temples in its upper territory. We started for the Chitradurga Fort at 6 a.m. As we neared the fort, we passed through two huge gates. The fort has 7 levels of fortification (hence the name ‘aelu suttina kote’ in Kannada) and each of this gate is the entrance into a level of fortification. The old city of Chitradurga is located within the first two levels of fortification. Hence, in reality, we enter the third level of fortification when we enter the actual Fort entrance that is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.  It was a morning of revisiting history.

At the entrance of the fort, we could see the curved serpent marked on one of the stone blocks of the left wall. Obavva was the wife of a guard of the watchtower in Chitradurga fort. During the reign of Madakari Nayaka IV, the city of Chitradurga was besieged by the troops of Hyder Ali. Hyder Ali, from his spy network, had come to know of a secret entrance into the fort. The guard on the duty of the watchtower – Obavva’s husband, was on his usual break to eat food at his home and he had assigned his wife to guard while he was away. Obavva, during her watch, noticed soldiers entering the fort from the secret entrance. Without getting perturbed, she swung into action by positioning herself next to the crevice which was just big enough for one soldier to crawl through, with an onake (pestle) in her hand. She killed each soldier as his head appeared out of the crack and dragged the body towards the wall. She had killed many soldiers by the time her husband and others came to her aid. Obavva’s bravery and quick-thinking saved the fort that day.

We looked forward to seeing the monkey man, Jyoti Raju, but could not. We heard that he earned himself the title ‘monkey man’ by climbing the tall stone structures and walls at Chitradurga Fort, Karnataka, without the help of ropes with a technique he learned from monkeys. He does not climb for sports but to entertain the visitors to the fort.

At a distance of 4 km from Chitradurga, lies a natural marvel called Chandravalli Hills. An archaeological site formed by three hills – Chitradurga, Kirbanakallu and Cholagudda, Chandravalli was once ruled by Chandrahas and thus the name. There was a time when several belongings were discovered at Chandravalli during excavations which included coins, earthen pots and painted bowls from the time of Vijayanagar, Hoysalas and Satavahana dynasties. Surrounding rolling hills with a stream in the of this archaeological site, lie the Chandravalli Caves, also referred as Ankali Mutt. These caves take you 80 ft. below the ground where you get a chance to witness the great ancient wall art, consisting of carvings and paintings. Adjacent to the cave is Chandravalli Cave Temple which houses a Shiva Linga under a massive stone.

The next place I was taken to was Sri Jagadguru Murugharajendra Brihan Mutt in Chitradurga. Adjoining it is a beautiful garden. For children, the garden is a treasure house of education and entertainment. Huge mouths of whales and gorillas are installed in the garden and the kids enjoy walking through them. The tabloid depicting the evolution of human beings is pretty impressive. You can also get a first-hand experience of villagers and their daily life through statues depicting them. Every aspect of their lifestyle, from their attire to hunting expeditions, to their daily life is represented in great detail. The tableau of tribals with their dwelling and distinct costumes and activities is imaginative and catches your eye.

For a natural touch, you can head to the giant lotus plants and mushrooms. The garden also has natural rocks that have been carved into cave-like structures and this excites the little kids. If you are tired by all the walking around, take a breather sitting on the benches.

The small town is based on agriculture and agriculture-based industries related to groundnut, betel nut, maize and cotton. I remembered my Geography lessons in school, Deccan plateau soil suitable for these crops. It is fascinating when such incidents help you recall your bookish knowledge of 40 years ago.

 The world’s best computer is our brain. The delete button is rarely used and the recycle bin too can bring back memories.

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