Rocks which tower above you.
Rocks which teach you balance.
Rocks which have stood for 2.5 billion years, dating back to the Archean age.
Rocks where you feel miniscule.
Rocks which you would love to climb.
Rocks which leave you speechless.
Rocks which truly rock!
Where are such rocks?
Just 25 kms south west of RSI Secunderabad.
We, a group of about 20 armed forces veterans and families hiked around the hill top at Khajaguda Hills. Each rock formation left us speechless.
Sharing below few pictures and videos of the hike on 27th Sep 2026.
The Dawn
We crossed the iconic cable stay bridge well before dawn. See the 15-sec video below.
We were a bit late to catch the sunrise. But the silhouettes of the hikers convey the magic of dawn.
Towering Rocks
There are multiple rocks which tower above the hikers. The rocks look formidable. But with bright morning sun and a blue sky at the rear, it makes a perfect frame!
The Burger Rock
A set of huge granite rocks which have horizontal chams in multiple layers. The rock looks like a huge burger or a sandwich. You need to crawl between the layers to climb the burger rock. Few pictures and a video below.
Chimneys and Caves
There are multiple chimneys on the hill. A chimney is a narrow vertical chasm between two rocks. Some chimneys are so narrow that a pot-bellied person can not go through. Pictures below.
Get a feel of being inside a narrow cave in the video below.
Hiking through Thorny Shrubs
There are stretches on the hill with thorny vegetation. Hiking through it needs adequate clothing and caution. Sharing few pictures below.
Visitors deface the walls of our monuments with graffiti. They don't spare granite rocks also! Littering is another irresponsible behaviour. See the pictures below.
Sanjeevani Shrub
Our guide Rabet had shown us the wildly growing Sanjeevani plants. He told us that the leaves will spring back to life when immersed in water for few hours. Our hiker Shyamala shared the picture below with her comment, 'What Rabet said about Sanjeevani is correct. I put it into water and few hours it's opened up and dark green like he said it'. Readers familiar with Indian Epic Ramayana, would recall that Lord Ram's brother Lakshman had been brought to life by Sanjeevani leaves.
The Tortoise Rock - shaped like a tortoise. A similar rock in Mt Abu in Rajasthan is called the Toad Rock.
Destructive Quarrying
Over the decades, Khajaguda Hill has been quarried indiscriminately on all sides. Tell-tale marks of the holes for blasting the rocks are still visible. Rock surface has developed man-made cracks all over. Pictures below show the destructive tale.
Lakeview Point
On the western edge of Khajaguda hill, a flat space has been created by using the soil excavated during the construction of the parking lot. One can get a clear view of Khajaguda Lake or rather the remains of the lake. Most of the lake has been encroached upon for construction of high rise buildings over decades.
Society to Save Rocks
Society to Save Rocks aims to preserve and protect the spectacular ancient granite formations of the Deccan Plateau, India - a natural wonder of stony ridges and hillocks shaped into picturesque balancing forms. Volunteers of the Society accompanied and guided us on our hike. Readers may browse the Society's website for more details. We thank Dr Sudheer Bhan, Mr S Rabet, Mr Dinayat and Mr Sreecharan for giving us such a wonderful experience.
Special thanks are also due to Rama Thoopal, Pranav, Dr Maneesh, Ansh and other members of the PBC for sharing their pictures.
We had done this hike five years ago during Covid in March 2021. A picture of that hike was the subject of an online Caption Contest titled Kaun Banega Ghumakkad. You may browse the picture story and the winning entries of the Contest by clicking the link below.
Hiking to Rediscover Yourself - Hiking in Khajaguda Hill area.
Palmette Bicycling Club (PBC)
Palmette Bicycling Club was formed in RSI Secunderabad in Apr 2019. Since then, it has conducted 172 events (including 10 treks). There was a long hiatus during the Covid period.
PBC regularly organises bicycling and hiking outings on weekends. Credit for PBC's sustained activities goes to Gen Naozar B Patel. This 75-year-old Veteran is a fitness enthusiast and a great organiser. Thanks Naozar for yet another great outing and an excellent YouTube video linked below which summarises the hike.
Other Hikes by PBC
Am sharing below the links to two other hikes by PBC. Just click the link to browse the picture story.
Devarakonda Fort - Built across multiple hills, it stands firm even though partly in ruins. It is maintained largely by volunteers from the community.
Bhongir Fort 1000-year-old - A picture story with videos of a fort built atop a 1000-feet high monolith.
Like the dessert which is taken after a meal, our two best shots of the hike follow. Both were shot inside a cave. Enjoy.
Thanks for browsing.
Did the Rocks of Khajaguda rock you? Will the rocks remain intact for the future generations?
Do leave a comment. It encourages us.
Stay connected.
- Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Ansh Bhargava/ Secunderabad/29th Sep 2026
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And a 75 years young climbed so effortlessly
ReplyDeleteAmazing and very interesting
ReplyDelete