Recently I had visited Alwar, a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. I had the good fortune to visit the Sariska Tiger Reserve and the adjoining Bala Quila fort. The fort is perched on top of a hillock and offers a good ariel view of the entire city.
While wandering around the fort, I wondered about the fact that these medieval forts , in India and abroad, had been witnesses and spectators to multitude of events and incidents.
Rise and fall of kingdoms, births, deaths, suicides, wars, victories, defeats, festivals, marriages, alliances, unspoken love, passion, incest, conspiracies ... and what not; the list is endless.. each and every inch of such monuments is seeped in history; every single brick has a tale to tell.
Generations came and went, emperors rose and bowed out, queens graced and left. These structures had witnessed everything.
We have known many facts about the past through history books but these forts and palaces have "seen" much, much more and many such "secrets" are hidden in their inner receses and those will remain secret for ever.
There was a time, when these forts were hubs of activities and were full of people. Festivities and grandeur were order of the day. If the mornings were earmarked for meetings and discussions, the evenings belonged to the nautch girls and courtesans.
Time has flowed unabetedly. These structures are now a pale reflection of their once glorious past.
The faded colors, the high ceilings, the spacious courtyards, the pillared verandahs, the ramparts, the broken windows - each of them has something to say but those will remain unheard forever..
