Trip to Agraa ~ Fortress in Kuno Wls

During this trip I was fortunate to make an enthusiastic albeit hurried visit to the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary.  While Dharmendra (Khandal) had sort of induced me to take up the trip, could regretfully not ask him to join, this being decided at the last moment on the penultimate date of my stay at Agraa. Naresh was to accompany me and I recalled visiting the place with Aniruddha (Mookerjee) few years ago whom I remembered being fascinated by the ruins comparing them to Hampi.

Beautiful entrance to the Palpur fortress. Palpur, the village that houses the fortress, is one of the villages relocated near Agraa (Sheopur district). Wild growth seems to be challenging the grandeur of the structure after having won the tussle with it's lesser counterparts in the relocated villages.

Close-up view of the fort door. Did those who attacked the fortress take help of elephants? I recalled reading of the Moghul army, during Emperor Akbar's time, sourcing their elephants from around what today is Madhav National Park (Shivpuri district) and wondered how long it was before elephants graced the forests around Kuno - Kuwari rivers with their walks ~

Section occupied by the 'protection force' of the fortress. Even Paira (neighbouring village) used to have machan like structures to guard against possible raids by dacoits. There were peepholes in these thick walls for guns and also remains of a structure that I thought would have been a home to horses.

This Naresh said was the point where the ruler (of the fortress) would sit and shoot wildlife, primarily water-birds. We saw a hook in this 'balcony' from where a seat would have hung in the time gone by; presenting a majestic view of the Kuno river and surrounding forests. 

Bats came out to greet us as we stepped inside the rooms, not in thousands as they did during my visit to the Siju caves in Garo Hills, but the few that did were enough to startle me. While I could not manage to identify the bats I recalled my visit to the Gwalior fort. That too is a sanctuary for them !

View from across the river ~ simply love this.