By Shobha Rao Smilemaker

Dec 27: It was time for an early morning outing on the Jharsuguda Belpahar highway, from where we took a deviation to drive through pristine jungle roads to the ancient Ulapgarh hilltop in Orissa. It is also known by the locals as Maheshwar Pahad.

At the base was the small village called Ulap, meaning wet land, because of a perennial stream that flows here.

We had heard about the ruins of an ancient fort called Ulapgarh which was from the Mahabharat times, used by the Naga Dynasty. Their king Kauravya was supposed to have stayed here with his daughter Uloopi. She was one of the wives of the Pandava prince Arjuna when he married her during2 his solo exile days.

There was a small wayside temple from which the steps started to about 1000 ft up the hill. It was good to do this trek on a dry sunny day since we had heard of wild animals of this area.

Once we reached the top, we saw the remnants of the stone shelter which still preserves the ancient stone art. I tried to decipher the ancient geometric rock designs like triangles or zig zag lines and other patterns. Some of the ancient rock engravings were vandalized with graffiti. The harsh rays of the direct morning sunlight and even rainwater seemed to have disfigured some of the original rock art. There were also many holes on the rock surface, probably made by the ancient soldiers who guarded the fort from intruders coming up the hill.

We then climbed on the narrow pathway on the edge of the hill with a beautiful view of the valley below. From the top we saw the dense forests of the Bhaghmura mountain range.

We tried to imagine how the fort must have been from the remnants as we walked on the plateau.
I saw some water bodies from the top and was told that a moat had been constructed around the fort for added protection. I saw a small temple in the distance.

My enthusiastic taxi driver had come here earlier with a client for a photo shoot so he kept taking many pictures of the breathtaking views from many angles.

This extensive plateau on the Ulapgarh hilltop was also the military base for Veer Surendra Sai, a brave local freedom fighter in his guerilla war against the British Raj.

We took some time to soak in the expanse of the Universe around us, feeling humbled and elated at the same time.

Interior India is filled with such unknown naturally scenic places. Just imagine sitting there at the edge of the cliff and smiling from within. So much to discover in our lovely India.

Shobha Rao Smilemaker has a vision of living in a world where people use their ability to find and make smiles in any situation. She is a lawyer by qualification, a soft skills trainer by passion, a motivational speaker, a freelance journalist, a bestselling author, an avid traveler and founder of 'Smilemakers Trainings'. She can be contacted at www.shobhasmilemaker.com.