0 Kundana fort

I read about Kundana fort in a travel blog listed in the blog roll. Kundana is a typical agri based village, it is 10 kms west of  Devanahalli. To the north is Nandi Durga and to the west is Dodballapur.

August 14, 2012

After Varlakonda and Nandi Durga, Kundana would be the third and last fort for the day. Even though the place could be found easily on Google Maps, its not simple to reach the place. Once off Nandi Betta-Devanahalli road, we had to stop a dozen times to confirm if we were heading towards Kundana.

 The hill towers over the village. Kundana hill is a narrow an long hill in plan, it measures about 600m x 200m at the widest. The hill has almost vertical faces on the west and southern peripheries.

We drive around the hill trying to find the way to the top as directed by village folks. We followed the dirt path leading to the north side, the place seemed deserted. The path ended, Sudhakar switched of the engine.. that's when I heard a lamb bleat, we can find a shepherd close by :) A man appeared in the scene. I guessed he might agree to guide me up the hill. Yes, Manjunath was ready to take me up. The path we took was steep for a short distance then it leveled out when the fort walls came into view.

Rock shaped like a humanoid- head, neck an body.

Fort walls seemed to be well preserved. Natural rock formations have been integrated into the defence systems.

That's the fort entrance, seems to be the only entry point. To my left is a sheer drop.

Other side of the gateway. Massive boulders provide good security here.

That's a part of Kundana village. A group of boys were playing volleyball in the school grounds.

On the hill top are two temples, one of them being Chennakesava Devastana.

Behind the main temple is a raised platform. Perhaps this was a stage for special events. Not sure if that pillar is a Vijayastambha or a Deepastambha.

Left to right; Channagiri, Brahmagiri and Nandi Betta.

Though the hill is small, rulers of those days made sure the fort had its own water sources. There were   at least 4 tanks to capture rain water, two small and two large. The pit on the right is one of the larger tanks.

This is one of the smaller tanks. The wall which worked like a dam has collapsed. The other small tank is opposite the Chennakesahava temple.

Beyond the stambha the surface slopes down.

Walls have been to improve defense.

We come back to the gateway, I wanted to inspect the surroundings. this seems to be an important part of this fort.

This is one of the larger pits which serves as a water tank.

The cone top of a boulder which is an integral part of the main fort wall besides the fort entrance. A pit dug by a treasure hunter.

Notice the fish embossed on the cross beam. The gateway is situated right besides a sheer drop.

I asked Manjunath if he's seen any inscriptions on this hill. Answer was no. As we descended I happened to notice this grid on a level surface. Perhaps there was some writing here which might have faded.

This fort might have been constructed during Hoysala or Vijayanagara times. And in recent history it might have been under a Palegar.

Descending was little tricky because of the dirt path. Back at the cab, Sudhakar and Manjunath's father were chatting away. The old man asked us we could have taken the easy path up which starts at the eastern tip of the hill. Oh, somehow we missed it. Anyway, Manjunath was a great guide. They are simple folks eking out a living by shepherding. Life can be so difficult for some people.

Devanahalli was on our agenda but time was running out, it would be dark by the time we reached. We decided to head back home..


Kundana fort coordinates: 13°15'28"N   77°37'48"E
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Detail: Kundana fort

0 Chikkanna & Thimmakka's Saalu-Maragalu

I heard about Salumaradha Thimmakka late 90s. Thimmakka was being mentioned in newspapers and TV. Thimmakka and her husband from a village near Bangalore had planted and grown 300 trees. Thimakka had been honored with the National Citizen's Award in 1995 and then the Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Award in 1997. I never thought of finding out the location of the trees and visit them until I read the article The 300 trees of Thimmakka and Chikkanna. 8 months after reading the article....

Aug 12, 2012

It was past noon when we left Huliyur and we reached Magadi just after 1 'O clock. A case of bad planning- I had not noted the directions nor could I recall the village names. Our inquiries at Magadi was a waste of time. We decided to take Magadi-Solur road. The road was pot-hole riddled, the drive was a real drag. Deepak noticed the tree stumps lining the road. Huge trees were cut down recently. We were driving to see an avenue of trees through a road of dead trees!

We reached Bangalore-Mangalore highway. At a junction we got directions and headed towards Kudur. I realized we should have taken Magadi-Kudur road, we would have saved time and fuel too. Anyway, we stopped three or four times to check if we were heading in the right directions. Finally It was established that the trees were planted on both sides of the road connecting Kudur and Hulikal villages. Actually this road connects to Tumkur.

Here are the trees.

children of a childless couple

That's Thimmakka's house, it was locked. In fact, couple of days earlier Thimmakka was hospitalized at Bengaluru.

This is the Hulikal end of the avenue.

Trying to imagine how Chikkanna and Thimmakka labored to plant, water and protect each of their babies. Today, people here enjoy the benefit of traveling in comfort.

A tunnel created by trees.

Its not just people who benefit. Insects, birds, squirrels, monkeys and other animals have made their homes here.

While traveling on this road one cannot miss the amazing view of Shivagange hill. It looks like a sleeping bull.

A closer look at the sleeping bull Shivagange. It's left to the viewer's imagination.

That's Bairavadurga hill. My plan was to climb the hill to see the fort but for some reason we dropped the plan for the day. I'll be back here one day.

During our inquiries to locate Saalumara, I could feel people's indifferent attitude to Chikkanna's and Thimmakka's contribution to the local ecology and their achievement in life. One of the men even went to the extent that these trees were planted by Forest Department and the childless couple has taken the credit... Aagh, what a comment! Anyway, one needs to ignore such stupid remarks and not react to them. Long Live Chikkanna's and Thimmakka's Saalumaragalu.

I remember reading about two other people who labored to grow trees just for the love of them. One was a man from Kerala who had grown hundreds of trees over several acres, there was even a large pond to store rainwater. The man had his house in the jungle and lived with this wife and children. He was so protective about his forest that nobody was allowed to pick or move even fallen branches. The other man was a some where up in North India. That man had afforested several acres of desert land almost single handed. Of course there are many more people who have contributed to Nature in their own way without expecting anything in return. To know about such people, visit Good News India. The site has a page dedicated to Thimmakka's Saalumara- They raised trees to fill a personal void. Do read it.

Saalumara Coordinates: 13°7'24"N   77°9'14"E

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Detail: Chikkanna & Thimmakka's Saalu-Maragalu