Gingee

On Sunday morning we went to temple and then got the bus to Gingee. The ride was lovely through countryside and fields. I could feel the air getting more hot and humid as we approached. Got a tuc-tuc to the fort, costs £1 for foreigners to enter and 5p for nationals. Some of us decided to climb the biggest of the hills as seemed a waste not to.

The Gingee Fort complex is on three hillocks: Krishnagiri to the north, Rajagiri to the west and Chandrayandurg to the southeast. The three hills together constitute a fort complex, each having a separate and self-contained citadel. The first hill which we climbed is called Rajagiri. The fort was historically considered most impregnable. It is about 800 feet (240 m) in height. Its summit is cut off from communication and is surrounded by a deep, natural chasm that is about 10 yards (9.1 m) wide and 20 yards (18 m) deep.

The climb was hard but worth it with the amazing views at the top. Loads of monkeys on the climb and we had to carry stick to scare them away as if you had any bags they tried to grab them. After fort we headed back to Alangayam for a much deserved rest. Two more days on placement and a quick amendment means we are now going back to Chennai on Wednesday.















Man-made lake in Gingee fort




















Rajagiri fort




















Monkey "guardians"









View from summit









View from summit









View from summit










View from summit

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ain't no stopping us now

Image
Today was our meet and greet sessions in home town Alangayam which involved visiting the Primary Healthcare Centre, Block Development Office, all girls school and separate all boys school. Our needs assessment at the PHC has shown that vector-bourne is disease is an important topic to raise awareness for (mosquito protection) but the main health concerns here are sanitation and nutrition with linked rise in type 2 diabetes cases. Sanitation is a recurrent issue as many people and schools do not have toilets so people will just go, away from main roads, and then return to their routines. However, even places that do have toilets need awareness raising regarding basic good hygiene practises such as washing hands and brushing teeth. Type 2 diabetes is becoming more prevalent across India, there are lots of  high sugar content sweets/snacks/drinks that can be purchased cheaply that are becoming part of peoples regular diet. As a result, people are developing a higher tolerance for sug...
Read more

Through the metaphorical keyhole (in reality, padlock and deadbolt)

Image
Today we had our first delivery session with a class of approximately 30, 10 year olds. It was alot of fun and we concentrated on hand washing, disease spreading using Mr Germ and what they want to be when they grow up. Lots of session planning etc today so not many pictures relating to that so thought I'd give you a break from animal pictures and upload pictures of my home for the next few months.  Living room with PC  Kitchen after a clean, gas cannister for basic hob, purified water bottles (no drinking tap water) and a fridge that is great when there isn't a power cut  Bedroom 1 - Emma, Rochelle, Megan and Me Bedroom 2 - Pavlina, Cara and Danielle Office/Ellis' Bedroom Bathroom 1 of 3 - western toilet buts non of them flush ...
Read more

Some pictures

Image
Woke up this morning and some people are being sick or just generally ill (I'm fine) so just to help with the groups I am going later while we wait for them. Thought I'd use this opportunity to upload some pictures. Lunch on a normal day, we have to wash our own plates and no knifes and forks here but have make sure I'm eating with my right hand or it's rude. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day.  My Dad's old bag from when he was backpacking sadly snapped when I was in Heathrow which made it incredibly difficult to carry. Bought a belt for 40p and did a pretty good patch job I think for possible moving to placement on Saturday. Cheapest things here compared to England are 10 cigarettes for 90p and matches for 1p.  Local Hindu Temple where I am staying in Mangadu. 
Read more