Hello everyone - hope everyone is doing well and looking forward to the long weekend - wishing everyone a Happy and Prosperous Diwali in advance! I know I have been away for quite some time now - was a little busy with sorting out some personal things and hence there was no travel in the last 2 weeks of October 2020, but here I am now with another blog and a new place for you to explore during the Diwali break!
Located at Nalgonda District, the Devarakonda Fort - once home to the Padmanayaka rulers, this is a must visit place in Telangana. The fort was constructed in the 13th – 14th century and is an emblem of prosperity established by the kingdom of Padma Nayaka Veluma Rajas - it was ruled by Padma Nayaka Veluma Raja since the year 1278 to 1482 AD.
With winters seeping in, I started my ride around 5:45 AM - a little late for a change. The Devarakonda Fort is located at a tiny village in Nalgonda - Devarakonda - around 119 kms from Hyderabad and a perfect weekend getaway far from the madding crowd of the city. I stopped for a quick fuel break within 10 min of leaving my place and moved on towards my destination - for an city like Hyderabad, the streets seemed to be a little more crowded than usual in such early hours of the morning.
One hour into the ride and I was finally out of the city and into the beautiful State Highway 2 that greeted me with vast stretched of cotton farms, palm trees and cotton bills along side the vast stretches of the cotton farms - it was indeed a sight with the first rays of the sun also coming up across the horizon.
I had covered almost half the distance within a span of an hour and hence decided to slow down my ride and increase my stops to capture the beautiful sights that the road had to offer. Another hour of ride and just before taking a right towards the Devarakonda village, and I could see a series of hills and boulder coming up and going all the way towards the fort.
A few kilometers further on the Nagarjunasagar Road, you will come across the Mallepalli Cross Roads from where you need to take a left - as I rode through the narrow lanes, I finally came across a towering gate like structure which was possibly the entrance towards the fort road once upon a time - I could get a glimpse of the fort atop the hills in what looked like a long way to the top.
📍 Nalgonda | Telangana | India
Distance (from Hyderabad): 119 kms
Google Map Link:
I reached the base of the fort around 8:30 AM, and as I expected there was hardly anyone around except for a few children playing cricket in a nearby open space. The parking space was good - by good I meant stable for two wheeler, but there was no shade. I put in all the unnecessary things into my Top Box and took along only the things that were required as it was a long way to the top and the sun was also starting to come up in all its glory.
My first impression on reaching the gates was that like most of the historical places in Telangana that I had come across, this was also not well maintained and as usual one could see litters across the place. Although the climb to the top looked quite challenging from far, I only realized that it was not tough after all because the stairs were very well planned and then laid making the climb a lot easier than it looked.
As I reached midway, I realized that it was not going to be easy for me at least with the complete riding gear on and the sun blazing away in all its glory and fury. For a moment, I felt like giving up until I came across another gate like structure - third on the way to the top and also the one that looked like the final gate. I decided to take a quick halt here to re-energise myself before taking the final steps to the summit.
I reached the summit finally after a trek of 40 min and the view that greeted me left me in awe - all my tiredness and feeling of dehydration and hunger seemed to vanish for a moment - the climb was definitely worth it - don't believe it, have a look at the pics below!
As I reached the summit, there was a cool pleasant breeze that gave much needed respite to the body. For miles there was nothing but silence with occasional chirping of the birds to complement the breathtaking view - this definitely called for a quick power nap before I head back to Hyderabad!
After a quick power nap, it was finally time to bid goodbye and take back with me all the lovely sights and sounds that I came across and share with all my readers so that they could also plan out their quick weekend getaways from Hyderabad.
A final look down at the beautiful view before my descend and ride back to home to relive this trip until I come back again!
So, the next time you're wondering if there is a weekend getaway right around your corner, dab on some sunscreen, pack some water bottles and come here!
As usual before I end this blog, I would request everyone not to litter and leave every place better for our future generations to be also able to enjoy the beauty that these places have to offer.
Travel Tips: Carry plenty of water - and ensure to carry a garbage bag to ensure that you do not leave the waste and litter behind. Also try to carry food preferably fruits like banana or have it just before you reach this place as there are no eateries nearby.
#leaveeveryplacebetter #ridewithjp #royalenfieldhimalayan #telanganatourism #incredibleindia #hyderabad #devarakondafort #fortsoftelangana #weekenddestinations #kogoplaces
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