Rachakonda Fort - An epitome of History & Adventure!

After a tiring week, finally came the lazy Sunday! These days, weekends seem all lazier due to this cold winter season! Woke up late and then while having morning tea, all of a sudden decided to add some spice to our boring Sunday! Immediately, we started to google for possible nearest destination in and around Hyderabad. We have almost traveled to all possible nearest destinations. Just when we were about to lose hope for an impromptu trip, this place named Rachakonda Fort popped up! We have never heard of this place before. We didn’t have enough time even to research more on the place as we were already late. We called up a friend to join with us. Within barely 1.5 hours, 4 of us (me- my husband –our friend and his wife) got ready and started for the trip to Rachakonda Fort in Nalgonda District of Telangana. We started fromour home at around 11:30am.

Since we started already late and have known in advance that there aren’t any eateries around,so we decided to have lunch first and set out for our trip. Having the car tank filled with Petrol,we stopped by Punjabi Rasoi in Gachibowli to have a quick lunch. After having a sumptuous lunch, we started our journey for Rachakonda Fort. We took the Outer Ring Road route. The route was pretty straight and simple. ORR-Ibrahimpatnam-Manchal-Rachakonda Fort.

The best part is – Road condition was superb hence the road trip was very enjoyable. One will come across barely a stretch of 7-8 km of uneven road near to the Fort. But then, the scenic view will make you feel to ignore that insignificant bad road stretch.

The journey in itself was extremely enjoyable! One will be mesmerized by the beauty of the Deccan! The beauty of the boulders – the lush green paddy field- the hills in the backdrop – all in all was simply breathtaking and very refreshing! The ride to the Fort in itself made our day! Google map guided us to the gate of the Fort. We parked our Car, were looking for the Fort but it was no where visible. Thereafter, we could locate the Fort wall and a young villager pointed us the way to the Fort.

Before I share with you my experience in the Fort, let me just take you through the history in brief. It is pertinent to note that there is no guide, neither any slab nor any pamphlet to explain you the rich history of the Fort. The information I am sharing here is solely collected from the Internet. This territory of Rachakonda was once ruled by the great Kakatiya Dynasty. Later, this Rachakonda Fort was constructed in 14th Century by Recherla Singama Nayak, the founder of new clan of kings (previously served the Kakatiya dynasty rulers as military commanders).Enough of historical backdrop! Now let’s proceed with our adventure!

The real adventure began at the entrance of the Fort! There is no clear cut route to the Fort.One has to trek up through the rocky hill and boulders to the top. The route isn’t strenuous rather very exciting. One has to be just very cautious with every footstep as its very rocky uphill.There are atleast 5-6 gates till the top of the Fort. Each gate of the Fort opens up a new page of history and new essence of unadulterated natural beauty. View from each corner of the Fort is absolutely breathtaking. The Fort in itself doesn’t have much to offer now. After a passage of almost 7 centuries, the Fort is in a very deplorable state and has hardly much to offer. Yet, the masonry wall of the Fort will scream out its glory and story! There is a unique feature about Rachakonda Fort construction. I have read from Internet that Rachakonda Fort construction is of cyclopean masonry (i.e. without using materials like cement) and the whole fort is devoid of any mortar. Yes! We indeed observed that. The astonishing part is even after passage of several centuries, such construction yet stand still to bring us alive the history of the past!

The trek to the top of the Fort was very interesting. Every hooks and nooks of the fort was very fascinating and offered splendid view of nature. We stopped by each of the gates of the Fort and meticulously observed the surroundings. Several stops on our way uphill didn’t make the trip much tiring. Whenever we were thirsty, water bottle came to our rescue! On the top of the hill, we came across a Mandapa. I have no clue what the Mandapa is all about. One won’t find any royal rooms or Chambers or anything of that sort in the Fort. I don’t even know if the Fort at all had any such rooms or they have just demolished with time! The internet source couldn’t help me either with necessary information.

Once you reach the hill top, you will be awed by the beautiful landscape around. Coincidentally,by the time we reached the top, it was almost sunset. The view of sunset from the top stole our heart away. I had never expected that the day would end with such a beautiful note. The breathtaking beauty of the surrounding, the cool breeze of the winter, the silence of the place, the mystery of the Fort – all in all combination was ultimate. A sudden impromptu trip gifted me one of my best experiences of my life. It was so peaceful that one can spend hours sitting on the hill top and enjoying nature. Nothing gives me more joy and peace than witnessing the sun setting down, the birds flying back to their nest, the lush green grasses dancing to the tune of the chilling breeze. The Fort in itself might not have offered much, but the overall experience (the journey to the Fort and in the Fort) stole my heart away. Given a chance, I would have spent hours sitting up there on the hill top. But then, we realized with the dusk, we should start our journey downhill soon, else it would be difficult to make our way in the dark. By the time we reached down to the entrance of the Fort, the nature wanted to surprise us with its beautiful twilight. We loved the place so much that we left the place with a promise to be back again.

From my personal experience, I can share some points which should be noted before the trip:

1. Rachakonda Fort is nearly 80 kms away from Hyderabad and is quite remote. You will most likely not find Internet connection near to the Fort. So, it is advisable to download the map prior to your journey so that the journey is hassle free.

2. There is no water or food or washroom around. Either have your lunch early and start your journey or pack your food and water sufficiently with you.

3. The Fort is rocky and uneven. One has to trek uphill. It is advisable to wear sneakers or any comfortable shoes. Avoid heels.

4. My personal experience suggests- arrange your trip timing in such a manner that you can witness the sunset from the hill top. It’s mesmerizing!

5. Don’t have much expectation from the Fort in itself. It’s all about the journey and the experience. Explore history in the lap of nature.

6. The place is pretty secluded. It’s better and safe to travel the place in group. After the sunset, the area is pitch dark. You won’t even see any light except the headlight of your car.