THE COLOUR OF RUINS

The pictures speak about a negligent version of Vijayawada heritage. Kondapalli fort is 13th-century structure located 18km away from Vijayawada. It’s on the highway to Hyderabad.

I had visited the place once when I’m in my 8th Standard. Then our purpose was to collect plant specimens for the herbarium. For the same reason, I went again when I’m in intermediate.

Last summer, after 35 years I had been there along with my camera. The ghat road leading to the fort neatly laid for a comfortable drive. On either side of the road, the twenty minutes ride was spectacularly thrilling.

Enjoying the scenery, taken over by my thoughts, I asked myself, “How I missed this fertile green lushness for these many years”?

I’m told that this is forty kilometer hill-range. Only in few places, I could notice boulders as a part of the hill. The rest is a gigantic canopy of rich, luxurious green spread. Luckily, it is untouched, unexplored by capitalists.

But the fort itself is in a distressed state. That is the theme of my photographs this week. Most of the pictures I took from outside of the fort. The archaeology department people explained to me a strange rule. I can take the camera inside, but I can’t carry my tripod. Camera and tripod go hand in hand. The weather was cloudy and threatening. And I’m in no mood to argue with them. However, I managed with hand-held shots. The results are for you to enjoy.