The fort in the hills

On our return from Sariska, we decided to pay a visit to one of the forts in Alwar. We skipped breakfast to beat the sun and reached the Bala Quila, only to find out that the only way to get to the fort in the morning was by trekking up a few kilometers. We’d have to wait for another hour before the gates at the foot of the hill would be opened for vehicles. Since we had to return soon, we changed our plans and decided to visit the other fort nearby.

For something which was supposed to be nearby, it seemed like we had been travelling forever. We couldn’t see anything but the hills. The long winding path had good and terrible roads in equal measure. The network connectivity was terrible – online maps were not really helpful. There were few houses, and fewer people. The signboards along the roads were the only indication that we were on the right track.

We climbed one hill after another, with each turn slowly revealing the beauty of the misty Arvalli. The fort though, was still nowhere to be seen.

We approached a crossroad where even the signboard seemed confused. As we took a turn, an old man standing nearby waved at us. He must have known where we were headed and pointed us towards the right direction.

After several more minutes, we finally laid our eyes on the thousand year old Dadhikar Fort – now a heritage hotel.

I don’t know how it looks on the inside, but with the amazing hills, little ‘modern civilization’ around and poor network access, it seems like the perfect weekend getaway 😉

Well concealed behind the trees, this is about the best view we could get of the Fort.