Trekking experience of Ms. Vijay Lakshmi, from National School of Business, to Channarayana Durga Fort on October 31, 2017 is shared below:

About Channarayana Durga

Channarayana Durga is a fort on a hill near Madhugiri around 100km from Bengaluru. Originally built by the kings of Madhugiri, it later fell into the hands of Marathas. But in subsequent years control of the fort changed several times between Marathas and Mysore Wodeyers. The British took over the fort during third Mysore war and then abandoned it. All that is left now is the ruins. But still, there is a lot left in the fort for restoration by ASI. But no, there is no treasure left.

Ms. Vijay Lakshmi shares instances from the trip

We wanted to reach Channrayana Durga village early in the morning but could only manage to reach by 9:30 a.m. We took directions from a village and started the ascent. The trail starts from the village and quickly takes us to the base of the hill. This initial stretch is quite tiring as we have to walk on the rock with no shade. The climb was steep and within few minutes we found ourselves gasping for breath. After about 10 minutes of climbing, we reached a small mantapa. A couple of minutes of break and we started our climb again. We could see the fort from here and started moving in that direction. We could see watermarking at several places indicating that the hill had few sources of water. It would be quite a challenge to climb during rains as these water paths can become slippery.

The path I took was the easiest one but still, it was quite steep and tough. You can then imagine the plight of soldiers attacking the fort. Clearly lot of intelligence had gone into building this fort. But now I just had to enjoy the cool breeze and the surroundings!!

The tough part of the trek was now completed. I rested for some time and then started to look into the fort. The fort has three stages and I was at the first stage. Here was a pond which would have served as the water source for the people in the fort. The water has now turned green thanks to negligence but the pond is located at a picturesque location with a backdrop of the second and third stage of the fort. A small Temple next to the pond adds to the beauty of the place.

The place was so serene and silent and I quickly liked the place. There were only Nubians and we were enjoyed a lot.

I just relaxed on the shore of the pond. It was so relaxing the feeling which simply cannot be explained in words. I had no information about the fort and using the surrounding I started making my own storyboards. One intriguing question was in my mind how people in those times managed to bring those huge stones needed to build the fort walls. It looked like the area near the pond was used for quarrying purpose.

From the pond, I could clearly see a path that went to the top of the fort though a couple of doors. So, I started walking in that direction. The second stage of the fort was the most damaged part. Much of this discredit goes to treasure hunters who have dug up and damaged several structures. Signs of looting and vandalism are abundant.

I was now nearing the top of the fort and scenery was getting better and better. The scene from the top was breathtaking.

I can’t explain my experience in words because it was totally beyond my expectations and yes, special thanks to our honorable President Sir for choosing this trekking trip. Just because of him, I had an amazing trekking experience.

He is very cool, calm and friendly person. Just because of him I know the history of this fort, before starting he explained everything and during trekking also he has explained many important things.

I enjoyed a lot on this trekking trip so again a big Thank you to all, who made my day unforgettable and memorable.

And one more thing I would like to say, I am very happy and always feel proud to be a part of NSB family where I had learned many things and yes I proudly say to everyone that I took the right decision of being a part of NSB for the betterment of my future.