Sunday -
Waking up, my eyes have been quite irritated and feeling puffy in the morning. I hope it subsides.
After breakfast, Ronnie took Debbie and I straight up to Penukonda Hill. Getting through Penukonda was more of a hike than the actual Penukonda hill! There was a political rally in Penukonda on top of the usual Sunday market mayhem.
Once we got through Penukonda itself, we travelled some roads having construction on them to near the top of the Penukonda hill, until we could not pass any further past all the construction vehicles.
We found a bend in the road where we could park, then continued via foot, determined to meet the top. Arriving at the top of Penukonda Hill, we were greeted by beautiful birds and the remains of the fort which rest across the hill.
The Penukonda (Penu refering to gold or made of gold, konda refering to hill) once served as an ancient tactical lookout, as well as the residency of the same king who ruled over Hampi. The king of Hampi would often return to Penukonda during the hotter, summer months as Penukonda is apparently much cooler than Hampi. With the altitude and strong wind almost blowing me off my feet numerous times, I could understand why the area is much cooler.
One thing Hampi and Penukonda certainly share are its beautiful and colossal boulders scattered all along the land.
However, unfortunately the beautiful fort has endured not only general erosion from battering weather, but some locals believe there is gold hidden amongst the ruins and dig at and below the foundations. These diggings have dramatically increased the rate of erosion and destruction of the fort. Hare Krishna's have also recently attempted to build a temple on top of the hill and over the historic fort, however the attempt to build the temple was overturned and the historic site was left in relative peace.
However, the fort and landscape still very much held its beauty and awe. We hiked partly to another point on the hill, where the King would normally reside, however due to some time restrictions, we had to turn back.
Returning, we noticed that the workers conducting the construction were on break and our concern was confirmed. One of the diggers had been left entirely across the path, completely blocking the road. So after some horn tooting and patience, one of the workers returned and moved the digger for us. We thanked him and continued home.
At SEDS, Manil gave me some eye-drops for my eyes to help with the irritation, which feels like it started to work almost immediately.
Feeling better, I helped change a door handle and lock mechanism. It was nice drilling wood with the smell and activity reminding me of home.
Tonight we eat delicious casserole made by Debbie.
It also rained quite heavily at SEDS for the first time we have been here, which has been wonderful for the drought and hot weather.
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| The first lookout, at the base of the hill |
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| Indian style graffiti |
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| One of the old kings watersheds and some fort lookouts |
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| Twisty Roads |
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| Our road block for the day |
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| The empty carapace of a centipede |
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| The view |
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| Animated View |
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| A writhing mass of centipedes, initially confused for a snake coiled around the thorn tree |
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| A cactus budding over the beautiful view |
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| Dumping excess rock back down the mountain |
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| The first peep of the old fort |
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| Fort lookouts and shade covers |
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Remains of the largest part of the fort on this side of the hill
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| Budding beauty from the fort |
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| I can only hope that one day, my ass leaves such a lasting impression upon this world |
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| The remains from where ancient door hinges once rested |
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| Lookout with a view |
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| Ronny exploring |
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| Me needing to take advantage of the amazing lighting and scene - taken by debbie |
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| Inside the main section of the fort |
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| Debbie captivated by the sights inside |
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| The fort's stepwell |
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| Ronny and I enjoying the view |
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| Stepwell with a view |
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| A large skink like lizard |
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| a bowl left behind |
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| Hanuman - A godly boulder problem, v1? |
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| Some local boys from Penukonda, taking an interest in the area. Even offering to guide us - however Ronny is an expert of the hill, exploring it for 40 years |
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| More of Ronny's caramel treats |
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| Leaving Penukonda Hill Fort |
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| The winding road to Penukonda |
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