Ekaant

Our quest for the most beautiful abandoned places in India and the history behind them took us to Kuldhara - a vast maze-like cluster of roofless homes, bare walls, and a carpet of disjointed bricks are all that remain of what is once said to have been a prosperous village. Sitting quiet in the sand dunes of western Rajasthan, this is just one of eighty-four such abandoned villages dotting the stark landscape. A local myth tells us that these villages were of the Paliwal Bhramins who fled their homes overnight to uphold their honour because the then prime-minister of the Jaisalmer court, man called Salem Singh wanted to marry the headman’s daughter against her wishes. How true this myth is, no one can tell.

Far up in the Himalayas, a couple of hours drive from the border town of Kargil, further north from the grand Srinagar-Leh Highway lie the ruins of what once must have been a majestic fort. Rumoured to be taller and older than its famous cousin - the Leh Palace, the Chiktan fortress is shrouded in many mysteries. Legends of its making, numerous sinister and violent events, magical tales of wondrous creations and a heart-wrenching tailspin of destruction and apathy encompass the story of this fabulous fortress set in an almost fantastical location.

Ross Island is a tiny little Island at the mouth of the Port Blair Harbour. It is, in fact, the entry point into the Andaman islands. At one point in time, it served as the capital of the British in this part of India. It was a township that had everything one may need to live a lavish life in. But today this island lies forgotten, deserted and totally abandoned.

Talakad has a long history, going back to at least the 8th or 9th century when it was the capital of the Ganga Kings. In later years, it was also a prominent city under the Cholas, the Hoysalas, the Vijayanagar kings and the Mysore Wodeyars, with each successive dynasty adding its own architectural stamp to the city. There are 30 temples here under the sand. There is a local myth where people believe that the entire town got submerged in sand because of the curse given by a queen--Rani Almellamma.

The astonishment of why some places lie abandoned and in ruins does not get more perplexing than this. Off the Konkan coast of Maharastra lies the impregnable, unassailable and unconquered fort of Janjira. A fascinating history that begins with a pirate keep from which the Ethiopians carved out a stone fortress. It has held back mighty warriors like Shivaji the great Maratha champion. It lends a distinctive colour to the eclectic social fabric of the region.

Unakoti is a place in the North East of India where carvings of Gods and Godesses lie abandoned on a hill. In numbers these statues are one less than a crore and are in the form of rock cut structures. Nobody knows how and when these carvings were made. With mythological reasoning behind the existence of the statues, Unakoti is a discovery in itself.

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.