Knowing the Unknown: A trek to Channarayana Durga

by Ankita Sanghvi (India)

A leap into the unknown India

SLAM! Startled, I opened my eyes and found myself sitting in the passenger seat of a car. As I tried to reel myself back into reality, I heard the door at the driver’s end open. A large man with a curly mass of hair on his head slid in beside me. I knew I had seen him before, but I couldn’t place him anywhere. The rear-view mirror indicated the presence of three other people in the car. “Ready to go?” He asked. “Oh, hell yeah!” They responded in a unanimous scream, so loud, that it shook every nerve inside my brain and slowly rewired it to help me make sense of everything that was going on. 2.04 am He turned the ignition on and I felt a shiver run down my spine. The engine roared in the silence of the night, and the wheels begun to turn as he hit the accelerator. I rolled the window down and felt the chilly midnight breeze hit my face. I saw blocks of concrete fade in the darkness as we left the city of Bengaluru behind. 4.03 am The GPS indicated 5 miles remaining of the 67-mile journey. The roads became smaller and uneven. The clear black sky had started to turn into a shade of space blue, giving away a dark, magnanimous shape that seemed to be growing taller every minute. We reached the location, and got out of the car to see what lay ahead of us. I was excited and anxious at the same time, and felt the same energy emanating from my companions. As we looked around for signs of habitation, we found none. Perhaps, this was simply because the local residents were all asleep and did not wish to engage in the contortions of looking at a massive rock in the middle of the night! We soon realised that we were also the only people who wished to place our feet on this hill-fort, Channarayana Durga, located in the Tumkur District of Karnataka 4.18 am We grabbed our backpacks and began to parade our way to the walls of the fort. The foot of the hill was covered with large slippery rocks, thorny shrubs and cacti. We placed each step with caution. Soon the rocky terrain was behind us and a steep, yet straight path lay ahead. As we continued our climb, we noticed a narrow gully that, although had long dried-up, indicated the existence of flowing water. The sand there, reminded me of the sweet smell of wet soil. Breathing heavily, now through my mouth, I continued climbing, but at a slower pace. My friends felt the exhaustion too. The sky had become a shade lighter than before and the moon had begun to set. The thought of watching the rising sun while sitting on the wall of a fort, 4000 feet above the ground, filled our bodies with new-found energy. As we walked uphill, one of my friends pointed out to a window-like structure. We began to walk in its direction, climbing over rocks that seemed to have been dug out. A common belief of a hidden treasure, buried in the fort by ancient rulers, drove many lusty people in search of it; hence the unceremonious excavation near most entry routes. I held on to one end of the wall while I tried climbing into the structure that was placed high above the ground and saw, that thereafter, the hill had been carved to form a flight of stairs leading to similar entrances. Sooner than expected, we reached the final entrance that led us to the walls of the fort. 6.15 am Walking towards the walls, I felt a wave of joy engulf my body. I was in paradise. Every step I took made me feel closer to the clouds. I climbed over the thick walls of the fort and sat there facing Eastwards. My breath was warm and I could feel its heaviness slide away. It all felt surreal. The sky turned into a light shade of orange as the sun began to rise, and I know for sure that I lost my heart to this beautiful world awakening in front of my eyes.