Bhongir Fort Thousand-year-old and Standing

Why visit old forts and other historical places?

To learn history first hand.

But if I am not interested in history, then?

Then you can marvel at the architecture of a bygone era.

And if buildings and architecture don't interest me then?

Then you can simply take a hike up a hill.

That's more like it! I am game.

That was the reaction of most of the members of an Armed Forces Bicycling Club. Aged between nine and sixty nine, thirty individuals together explored the thousand-year-old Bhongir Fort in Telangana. Being from the defence services, all the hikers loved being outdoors. This story takes you around the fort and its ruins. A companion story will narrate the hike per se.

Where is the Fort

Do Hyderabadis know about it?

How Does the Fort Look Like?

How is the Vegetation on the rocky hill?

For those wanting a quick tour, here is the link to a four-minute video version of this story.

The slopes of the Fort get transformed during the monsoon. You may browse a YouTube video here.

Other Details

Entrance Fee (Jan 2021 prices): Rs 10 per adult and Rs 5 per child

Camera Fee: Rs 50 for DSLRs. No charges for cell phone cameras.

Timings: 9 AM to 5 PM on all days

Guide: No official guide. But local guide available.

Rest Rooms: Available but may not be very clean due to water shortage.

Parking: Outside the main entrance at owner's risk.

Brief History

It was built in the 10th century on an isolated monolithic rock by the Western Chalukya ruler Tribhuvanamalla Vikramaditya VI and was thus named after him as Tribhuvanagiri. This name gradually became Bhuvanagiri and subsequently Bhongir. It has a unique egg-shaped construction with two entry points protected by huge rocks, so the fort was considered practically impregnable by invading armies. The fort is associated with the rule of queen Rudramadevi and her grandson Prataparudra II.

On completion of our hike, we met Vinod Kumar, a local guide who gave us a brief introduction to the Fort. You may browse the video link of his talk below.

Thanks for browsing the story. We end with another PQ- picturesque quote- on ruins.

Hope we have been able to take you on a virtual hike during the pandemic times.

Stay safe and stay connected.

    -   Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 28th Jan 2021

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Naturopathy for Nature

'The earth is healing'. We heard this sentence repeatedly in the first few months of the pandemic in 2020. How did the earth heal itself? Did we hurt the earth? Yes, we humans did for decades by deforestation, by polluting our rivers and lakes, by using plastics and disposing it irresponsibly. But during the pandemic, same humans started behaving more responsibly. No travel, no flights, no cars, no buses for months together. As a result, less noise, less pollution, clean air. Plants, trees, animals, birds, insects- everybody felt healthier. The Earth did heal.

Similarly, Ghumakkad has coined a phrase 'Naturopathy for Nature'. What does it mean? Cure the Nature using Nature's resources. It is like a recursive function definition. Factorial (N) equals NxFactorial(N-1). How can we cure Nature by Nature?

Simple. No rocket science or resources needed. Am sharing few examples of Nature preservation undertaken by me during last 50 years or so. I must admit that I am neither a botanist nor an agriculture scientist. Just a Nature admirer who is concerned about environment degradation caused by human greed.

• Recharge the soil by inter cropping. You may browse the example of Mexican Lilac in our earlier story. 
• Keep the house cool by spreading a layer of coconut leaves on the roof. Use of air conditioners causes global warming.
• Using the bark of a tree as rat poison. Browse the details of the tree here.
• Termite prevention by planting a specific bush along the periphery of your home garden. Pencil Cactus is a common plant. See the picture below.

• Fencing of a farm using dried thorny branches of locally available trees like Babul. Those of us who have travelled across Rajasthan and Haryana would have observed bare Babul trees in winter. The farmers prune the thorny branches and use it for fencing their farm land. The leaves are used as fodder for the sheep and goats. Perfect example of Nature preservation. No metal fencing or cement walls!

• Using fallen leaves to make natural compost and use it to recharge the soil and act as manure instead of chemical fertilisers which are harmful. All natural forests thrive on fallen leaves as manure.
• Rodent prevention by placing thorny branches instead of using chemical pesticides. KBG-50 quizzed you with a picture of a Gazania flower surrounded with thorns.

KBG-50 saw enthusiastic response with several readers giving the correct answer. We use dry thorny branches to protect flower beds or plants from rodents or squirrels as was shown in the quiz picture. In agricultural fields, dried up branches are used for fencing. 

We congratulate the winners. Once again, all women! It shows that women are more concerned about Nature and the Environment. Come on men folk, prove this hypothesis wrong in coming KBG quizzes!

Thanks for your continued support to Kaun Banega Ghumakkad. Special thanks to Dr Chitra Shanker for her research guidance and support.

Unless we all come together to preserve Nature, we may lose its glory. See the questions being raised in pictures below:

If we continue our irresponsible actions towards environment, there is little hope. See the picture blow.

We end with a PQ- picturesque quote about trees.

Hope 2021 will not be as stressful! Stay connected, stay safe.

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 20th Jan 2021.

#nature #naturepreservation #homegardening #virtualgarden #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #KBG #kaunbanegaghumakkad #onlinecontest #powerofobservation #lockdownfunathome #beatthecorona #lockdown #stayhomestaysafe  #funwithflowers #learningfromgardening #naturelovers #gazania #curingthenature