I was in Belgaum for a day to attend the wedding ceremonies of a friend’s daughter. We finished the ceremonies of the ‘eve of the wedding’ and reached our hotel at half past eleven in the night. We were a group of ten. Me and a friend intended to visit a fort at Yellur, near Belgaum, called the Rajhansgad Fort, early next morning. It is situated on a small hill in the middle of a large tract of farm land. Obviously, after the strenuous activities of the evening when everyone was eager for some sleep and were also looking forward to more activity the next morning, there weren't any takers and hence, just the two of us set out for the fort in the morning.
It was half past five when we started and as we were nearing the fort we could see one of the turrets from a bend in the road. We decided to park the car there and climb the hill cross country. It took about half an hour to reach the top. It was a most enjoyable and exhilarating climb. The cool early morning weather, chirping of the early birds, screaming of the peacocks, the sun rising behind the distant hills and the surrounding greenery made it extremely pleasurable and neither the pictures nor my words can describe our feelings fully.
There was an old Shiva temple on top and also a very new statue of Chatrapati Shivaji, installed by the local politician, probably with an eye on the Marathi votes in the region. For its age, (about 800 years) the fort is in surprisingly good shape. We spent about half an hour looking around the fort and started back. We used the road for our walk down, had a doubt if it was the same road on which we had left the car, reached the fork which I had expected, used our rudimentary knowledge of astronomy and went facing the sun. Soon we saw our car and patted our own backs for our navigational skills.
I have posted a few pictures (One ‘drone’s eye view’ taken from the net) which may give a vague idea of the surrounding landscape and the fort. I don't think the pictures need any explanation. If you happen to be in Belgaum, the fort is worth a visit. Go early in the morning and walk to the top, if your body permits. If not, there is a road till the top but it may not be much fun driving !
