“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”
― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
So we set off on a cloudy Saturday morning to the rugged old town of Belthangady, a good two and a half hours by bus from Mangalore city. We had heard people repeatedly making it clear that trekking during monsoon was not very advisable, unless of course you were religious. Those words seemed very distant as we inched closer to the fort we intended to take hold of, the Jamalabad fort. Jamalabad Fort is an old hilltop fortification in Killoor, Belthangady, Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka. It is located in the Kudremukh range of hills, 8 km north of Belthangady town. The fort is 1700 ft. above sea level and is also referred locally as "Jamalagadda" or "Gadaikallu". The fort was built by Tipu Sultan in 1794 and named after his mother, Jamalabee. It is also quite fascinating to know that this fort had a key role to play in the 4th war of Mysore. History as a subject had always interested me, and the place we were about to go to had some really gripping history associated with it.
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| The Jamalabad fort |
We alighted the bus at Belthangady and boarded another local bus that would take us to Manjotty. The attire that we were in along with our backpacks made us very conspicuous to the people around, even the bus conductor was hesitant to give us a one way ticket to heaven. It was time for a full team meeting, one of many we were going to have along the way. Agenda was very clear. Was it worth the risk? After some deep discussion and a heap full of democracy, we came to the conclusion that it was.
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| Entrance to the base of the hill |
From Manjotty it was a two kilometer walk
to the base of the mountain. We crossed a bridge along the way and it was a
delight to see the waters in full flow thanks to the continuous rainfall in
this region. We could see the hill by now and the very thought of climbing to
the top was scary to say the least. At the base of the hill there is a
billboard that displays the entry fee one has to pay, though no one is present
to supervise. They say wherever you want to get to, you have to go one step at
a time and that was exactly what we were to do, seemed simple enough at the
time. With the girls singing old Hindi songs, we started the climb. It was
quite a difficult climb. The steps were more slippery than we had imagined. Due
to the continuous rain in these parts, algae tend to grow on rocky surfaces
which is a nightmare for trekkers. I really thought the rain gods were on our
side that day, for rain while trekking on slippery rocks is the last thing one
would want. It did rain quite a few times but always when we had some shelter
or the other so that we could take a break. We had to be alert as leeches were
a scare in these parts during this time of the year. Many of us did fall prey
to the leeches but we did manage to stay away from them for the most part.
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| The river in full flow |
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| Stairway to heaven |
On quite a few occasions we were confronted
with the same question. Should we continue or just go back while we still can?
We had no idea how the journey as we reached the very top would be. The steps
were already getting steeper by the minute and slippery too. The light showers
now and then just made it worse. Our real shocker came however when we saw a
huge tree fallen on the way. The journey from here, we knew would be quite
difficult. It was time for another team meeting and like an army of ants on a
mission we kept moving.
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| The climb |
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| The Fallen tree |
We found remains of a single cannon on
our way and also a single room at the top. A few more yards and we would be
there, right on top. It was an experience of a lifetime. Standing right at the
edge, where the walls of the fort once stood and looking into the vast expanse
of nature that lay before us, was indeed a divine feeling. Not much of the
fortifications but just the fort falls and parapets still remained. Our hearts
dropped for a few seconds as the clouds covering the region cleared in haste
and we were left with nothing but a light cool breeze and a whole lot of
greenery. We also found an unmanned microwave repeater station at the top. The
Kudremukh peak was faintly visible from where we were standing. We were left
wanting for more and we got just that as we found a tank to store water inside
the fort. It was like icing on the cake. We returned to the top to fill our
tired and empty stomachs and as we were conversing, it came to my mind that
this place was also known for something not so fascinating. It seems during Tipu’s
reign those not in favor of Tipu were hurled from the top of this fort into
total abyss. But then I loved Tipu and that’s with a straight face.
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| The lake inside the fort |
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| Remains of a cannon |
We had set our minds on something and had
achieved it. It was a silly but proud feeling of accomplishment. We had made
friends out of total strangers, had come to know our friends better. Had come
to know ourselves better and for some of us we found where we truly belong.
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| The clouds clearing from underneath us |
In some time the sun came out, in all its
glory and majesty. We had to get back down before dark. We had climbed 1876
steps to the top and we had to climb them all the way down. Something told me
we were going to make it.
Photo credits :
Rajashekar Vasanth and Akash Suresh.
