Senior Citizens trekking achievement at Gadaikallu/Jamalabad fort


By Shobha Rao Smilemaker

Jan 7: The new year 2023 started with a new commitment and enthusiasm towards fitness and it was with great excitement that our group of mostly senior citizen friends decided to go trekking from Mangaluru to Jamalabad Fort.

This landmark at Beltangady district was built centuries ago as a vantage observation point by Tipu Sultan and named after his mother, yet this place is popularly called Gadaikallu by the locals literally meaning 'gigantic stone'. The drive itself amidst a misty morning greenery was enchanting. From the roads below, the first sight of this massive granite rock structure jutting out, high above the mountain range, is sure to fill you with a sense of awe.

I love to visit places that have withstood the tests of time and Gadaikallu fort still looks the same even after many centuries have passed by!

We reached the fort entrance gate at the base quite early, but we used up a precious half an hour, trying to do an online registration procedure before buying the tickets from the friendly forest guard. We started the trek at 7.40 am feeling a slight chilly nip in the winter morning air.

The first stretch of climbing the steps among the trees, accompanied with our friendly banter seemed quite doable.

Suddenly we found ourselves in the second stretch, which was a steep open terrain with no trees at all and just magnificent views from every corner. The sight of the morning rising sun and the fluffy clouds nestled in the backdrop of majestic Kudremukh hill range was a sight that will forever be etched in memory. There was a marked difference in the wild jungle area blow us and the inhabited areas with fields, coconut plantations, roads, houses etc. A mosque too was clearly visible from above.

We just has to take our photos and laugh again. I sat still to soak in the combination of the five elements of nature - the sip of the cool water, the sturdy mother earth, the fiery sun, the fresh morning air, and the vast open space around me.

While the others went ahead, with their fast paced energy, I decided to do the climb at my own pace. In the third junglelike stretch I wanted to feel one with the wild unspoilt nature around me. I kept climbing up, just one step at a time, having no clue at all, how far I needed to go or how long this ascent would take.

By now the steps were cut next to the fort walls and I even saw a discarded cannon lying next to the steps. I kept wondering how intense it must have been for the sturdy ancient soldiers to go up and down around the fort ramparts. There were ruins of an arched entrance enclosure next to a beautiful tree with wide spreading roots.

Finally I reached the fourth stretch of the trek where almost vertical looking steps were cut into the sheer massive grant rock. Each step was almost two feet in height and the climb was getting tougher and tougher. At some places there seemed to be natural springs, and I had to be extra careful on thevwet steps. Yet the view was getting better and better, and I slowly made my way to the peak.

The others had made it to the top of Jamalabad fort in 1.5 to 2 hours, though I had taken 3 hours. They went on to discover a small shed like structure and a water body nearby. Luckily we had carried enough water and refreshments because we were the only ones on top in the midst of the expanse of nature. The great all round view at the summit gave an extra filip to the sense of achievement of not giving up the trek midway unlike many others.

There is a jarring bit of history of this place that during the times of Tipu Sultans capture of the place, those who opposed him were hurled down the edge of the fort.

Coming down was an unexpected super challenge especially at our age where we had to be extra careful about not putting extra pressure on our knees. Every step was negotiated with extreme care and the hot rays of the afternoon sun made the descent even more tiring.

I literally came down in a sitting position from one steep granite step to another. We picked up a lot of trash that was thrown by careless tourists and advised other trekkers to be more careful with their plastic bottles.

By the time I reached down to the open section I was literally drained out, wondering how I could ever make it to the base. It was a case of body versus mind, the body wanted to give up and just rest again and again and the mind kept urging to move on.

Somehow I reached the lowest shady section and the best sight for my sore eyes and extra sore body, was when I saw our friendly security guard at the base gate.

A lone stall outside the gate gave us refreshing glasses of lime juice to replenish our salts, still I had a bout of cramps on both my thighs.

In spite of tge numerouse aches and pains that followed later, it was a great sense of achievement for our group of senior citizens to conquer this summit at our ages ranging from 57 years to 67 years.

What a fantastic sense of self achievement to start 2023 with a big smile!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

  

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Comment on this article

  • mohan prabhu, mangalore/canada

    Mon, Jan 09 2023

    Thank you Shobha Rao Smilemaker. Glad to note that you enjoyed the beautiful sight of the Jamalabad kallu and even more glad that you have noted the history of the ancestors of Christians taken prisoners and marching to Seringapatam were ruthlessly hurled down to their death during their captivity in 1784. Many of the trekkers may be reliving history and Tippu's atrocities towards hundreds and thousands of Christians.

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