Ekaant

The legend of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his heroic deeds is so vivid and overpowering in our minds, that the place from where he created an empire is lost in the haze of his personal glories. The capital hill fort of Raigad in the Sahyadris is a stellar example of hill forts in Maharastra and its story has drama befitting that of the conqueror who went about defining the course of history from this flat hill top.

Rajasthan is replete with forts that are seeped in the royal tradition of valour and sacrifice. Amongst the hundreds that dot the martial land of brave warriors is an exceptional one that is its dark knight - the extravagantly large fort of Kumbhagarh. Designed and created by Rana Kumbha, it holds the distinction of having the second longest wall in the world - next only to the Great Wall of China - that charts a serpentine course of 36 kms across the Aravalis! A keeper and witness of key events in the history of Mewar, the soul of Rajasthan is incomplete without the reassuring countenance of Kumbhalgarh.

At the northern edge of the massive Deccan plateau lies a forgotten fort that was once the key to open the doors to the Deccan. A survey by the British, extolled it as the strongest fort in the country and one that was never taken by force - depending on which version of its many histories you feel should be believed. With an antiquity that only grows older every time it is explored, Asirgarh is a treasure trove of fascinating spell binding stories so fantastic in their bearing that history and myth seem dyed in the same vat of riotous emotions.

Roll Roll back a century and visit Indias new capital, Daulatabad, declared by Muhammad Tughlaq. Visit the destination to feel the magantism which continues to enthrall tourists and locals alike.back a century and visit India39s new capital, Daulatabad, declared by Muhammad Tughlaq. Visit the destination to feel the magantism which continues to enthrall tourists and locals alike.

Akul Tripathi visits the incredible city of Bijapur in this episode of Ekaant. Bursting with nuances of bravery, skill, diplomacy, patronage and an overbearing hangover of pathos, Bijapur is a sieve of memories that are destined to be treasured.

The historical southern limit of Hindustan and from where the Deccan plateau would begin is the inconspicuous modern day town of Burhanpur. Inconspicuous, today, yes. But roll back a few centuries and Burhanpur was the second stronghold of the Mughals. And from that time lie undisturbed and forgotten, treasures of history in capsules of time that guard an eye opening past and some unlikely love stories.

It is perhaps the oldest surviving fort in India – with references from as far back as the Mahabharata and a royal lineage that is just as ancient and illustrious. Built of rock and stone, sitting solid on the peak of a mountain that overlooks the grand confluence of Banging and Majhi rivers, it is easy to see that it must once have been formidable. Then why today, does it lie, a shadow of its former self?

Too often, Ekaant (isolation) is associated with ruins. And a place in ruins is heartbreaking, but if anything could be worse, it is a place which still breathes, but no one cares. The Ekaant of ignorance and exclusion. The ousting from memory of a place that was once considered the paanchva dhaam and an unmissable pitstop in the pilgrimage circuit of Uttarakhand. What happened? Human error, vagaries of time or a divine rebuke?

It takes many rivers to make a sea. And many unnamed rivulets plait together to make that happen. And in each rivulet is the sea. In the sea of history, Ramnagar is one such rivulet. Overlooked and undervalued in a corner of the state of Jammu & Kashmir, it holds in its womb the beginnings of the histories that define that region.

The palace in Leh, the capital of Ladakh, is the picture postcard of the region. An architectural marvel, 9 stories high, it sits forlorn as the world around it changes dramatically. A change that was wrought when the will of one man from the distant plains of India caused ripples in history that shaped the folds of geography in this soul grabbing Himalayan region.

In what was once the frontier regions of Hindustan, a silent sentinel traces its history as far back as when Jesus was walking the streets of Jerusalem. A fort that has been the proud host of great names like Mohammad Ghori, Mahmud Ghazni, Prithviraj Chauhan and where the indomitable Sultan Raziya was imprisoned, the Qila Mubarak of Bathinda, once the axe that broke the invaders from the north, seems stuck in a quicksand of time and is fast sinking into memory oblivion.

New Delhi, the capital of India is a city inhabited since time immemorial. The Mehrauli archaeological park is a 100-acre area that has collected within its limits ruins and monuments spanning 1000 years! From a remnant of the Lal Kot - the first fortification of Delhi to the time of the British asserting their dominion, the park is spread like what can only be called, an island of Indian history.