The alarm buzzed at 4:30 AM. Before the city could wake up, I wanted to be on the highway — just me, the Royal Enfield, and the open road to Chitradurga.
The NH48 at that hour is a different world. Trucks rumble past, their headlights cutting through the fog. A tea stall opens up near Tumkur — the chai is strong, the air is cold, and the excitement is overwhelming.
By 7:30 AM, the granite boulders of Chitradurga came into view. The fort complex rises dramatically from the plains, its multiple walls climbing the rocky hillside like stone serpents.
The fort of Chitradurga — locally called "Elusuttina Kote" (Fort of Seven Rounds) — is one of Karnataka's most formidable fortifications. Built initially by local chieftains called Palegar Nayakas, it was later expanded and reinforced by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan.
The most fascinating part is the Onake Obavva narrow passage — a single gap between two boulders, wide enough for only one person. According to legend, Obavva, a woman of remarkable courage, single-handedly defended this passage against Hyder Ali's soldiers using only a pestle (onake), while her husband was away.
Standing there, touching those ancient stones, you feel the weight of centuries. History is not in textbooks — it's in places like this, in the grooves worn by countless feet, in the walls that witnessed battles and betrayals.
The ride back through the sunset was pure cinema. The golden light on the highway, the wind against the helmet, and the stories still echoing in the mind.