The resolute Fort silently beckoned us,
Through its ravaged ramparts,
To uncover its mysterious history.
Its majestic walled entrance,
Impregnable, despite stray canon hits,
Sculpted family deities on rock,
Defaced, yet beautiful, symmetrical,
A serpent engraved to guard the door,
Intrigued, we stepped in, and saw,
The walls of the Fort extending to eternity…
What was the story of this Fort?
A valiant King, a beautiful Queen?
Treachery, treasure or tumultuous invasions?
A steep climb uphill, so worthwhile,
Saw a beautiful pillared temple,
with a spacious courtyard,
Reminiscence of festive, colourful gatherings,
Of songs, dance, gaiety and piety,
A tall undeterred pillar stood afar,
A beam that had a bell, perhaps?
An altar where the King presided.
A steep path downhill, on the opposite side,
Took us to a serene rain filled lake,
Boulders on both sides of the bushy steep path,
Stood in mute testimony to the treachery.
At the fag end of this path, was a cave,
A cave with its mouth pen.
We crouched inside and saw darkness.
This was the secret path,
Accidentally discovered by Hyder’s army.
One day, the guard at this cave, went off duty,
To have his lunch.
And invaders crept in,
The guard’s wife so alert, brave heart,
Obavva was her name,
She didn’t disturb the guard,
Instead, with a large stone pestle, as weapon,
Smashed off each creeping invader.
But they came in large hordes,
She was overpowered, killed,
So was her husband.
The Impregnable Fort finally fell,
To the hands of the invaders!
But Obavva still remains eternal,
As the heroic woman who defended The Fort!
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