A walk-through history - Gingee Fort
On Saturday, 26th of September, a group of the first year Law students, accompanied by Professor Kit and Professor Varshita, made a trip to Gingee fort. Located about 124 kilometres from the university, Gingee fort is one of the few forts in Tamil Nadu that remain standing to this day. The complex dates back to at least the 12th century, and is set across three rocky hills and noted for its large granite structures. The climb to the top of the fort was tedious, to say the least, exacerbated by the hot sun which only further parched the students’ dry throats. Furthermore, the many monkeys created a challenging obstacle both on the climb up, and on the way down, and many students had memorable (although momentarily terrifying) tussles with them.
Kit shared interesting stories and observations throughout the trip. He pointed out that the doorstep in every doorway had a different game engraved on it, and he shared interesting nuggets of fun facts and momentous anecdotes every time the students stopped to rest their weary legs. The students walked past and explored the ruins of temples and granaries along the way.
The tedious climb made the view at the very top all the more rewarding. The beauty of the scorching sun beating down on tanned skin, juxtaposed with the cool breeze looking down on such a vast, verdant landscape felt even sweeter from the ledge that emerged from a steep, dark staircase. The trip down felt shorter than the way up, revisiting the large rocks where some miracle of physics kept the surrounding air so cool that travellers stopped to refresh themselves, and walking down the same steep slopes that had seemed a chore to climb up. The bus ride back to college was quiet compared to the ride to the fort, the exertion having stolen the chatter from the students’ mouths and the dance from their limbs, but having left their minds fulfilled with a new experience to cherish.
