Thattakkal Fort Trek
It has almost been four years since I went on a trek last. I have been struggling with physical fitness. Daily workout slots have been quietly eaten up by either work demands or late night sleeplessness. Recently, I decided that I will keep sundays for outdoors - I told myself I would go out into the surrounding nature, even if I do not manage to walk or climb much.
The good folks at Kenneth Anderson Nature Society duly proposed a trek to Thattakkal fort yesterday, the 7th September 2025 and I rushed to join, along with five others from Farm Hill.
First, let me show you what was at the top.
The Hanuman is at the entrance to the fort, at the end of the climb. He was almost double life size. See how detailed the carving is, with all the ornamentation, especially the small bell at the end of the tail? Also, isn’t sword-weilding, dagger-carrying Hanuman kind of unusual? This was among the best sights on the trek for me.
This picture of the fort is from the top of another rock that rises above. It was as calm as it looks, and very majestic.
The trek was announced as an exploratory trek and the estimate was about 5-6 hours round trip. We started entusiastically, confident that Parama Shivam and Suman, the two local lads guiding us, would get us there in time.
The lads decided to guide us through the “easy” path, avoiding the steep usual path. This meant we went into the vegetation, cutting a path as we went along. Once or twice, we had to track back and find better approaches but we kept on. What you see above is me ‘powering’ through the vegetation with determination!!
It took us about 4 hours to finally make it to the top. My own slow pace definitely contributed to this. However, there were some real tough, steep sections going up as well as coming down that slowed the entire group.
The fort appeared almost intact. The entrance was marvelously well-hidden. There was a calm in the air. Views from the top were amazing though I was much too tired to take anything in at that time.
It is not like everything went smooth - I struggled quite a bit going up and much more coming down but everyone was ultra supportive. Somewhere midway, my trousers were torn almost into half but I just ignored them. We did not have enough food but we all shared what we had. Coming down, we did not even have enough water. I came home dead tired and have been at half capacity all today.
It was still a wonderful experience. Above all, the satisfaction of finishing the trek, hallelujah, walking on my two feet to the end! The gentle guidance of Munish from KANS, the camaraderie as all of us struggled individually and together, Chandu’s unwavering support, Geethika and Nachiyappan ensuring we are not lost, Chitra’s encouragement, the extra water Sireesha spared for me, the sweetness of the coconuts, banana bajji’s and coffee - everything added to the experience. I am glad I went on this trek and would happily do so again.
My heartfelt thanks to everyone, especially Chandu and Munish who made sure I came down in one piece. Photos are generously borrowed from everyone on the trek from the shared drive, hope no one minds.