Ekaant

Set in the sand dunes of western Rajasthan, Kuldhara is just one of 84 abandoned villages dotting the stark landscape. A local myth claims that these villages were of the Paliwal Brahmins who fled their homes overnight to uphold their honour because the PM of the Jaisalmer court at that time wanted to marry the headman's daughter against her wishes. How true this myth is, no one can tell.

Far up in the Himalayas, a couple of hours drive from the border town of Kargil, lie the ruins of what once must have been a majestic fort. Rumoured to be taller and older than its famous cousin, the Leh Palace, the Chiktan fortress is shrouded in many mysteries. Numerous sinister events and magical tales of wondrous creations feature in the story of this fabulous fortress.

In an age when Buddhism was prominent in Kashmir, Lochava Rinchen Zangpo, set up a world class university a kilometre away from where the famous Thiksey monastery stands today. The lonely walls and silent shrines are mute witnesses to the times when a wondering monk walked the land. There are as many contradictions about its disappearance as there are musings about the wonders it held.

Human life has long been intertwined with the course of rivers and their confluence with the great seas. Situated at the mouth of the Kori Creek from where the Sindhu once met the Arabian Sea, Lakhpat is a fortified ghost town whose walls overlook the desert sands, and within it are the remains of a two-century old trading hub blessed by the holy men and the men of exceptional valour.

In the vast territories of the Kutch, on top of a forlorn hillock stands the fort of Roha. Once the biggest jaagir in the region, it lies neglected and forgotten. A close observer in the tragic death of 120 princesses, the seat of brave rulers, home to famous artists, this is a story of riches to ruins as tempests of fate took charge of Roha and reduced the stone fortress to whispers in the wind.

Why do some places lie abandoned? Off the Konkan coast of Maharashtra lies the impregnable, unassailable and unconquered fort of Janjira. A fascinating history that begins with a pirate keep from which the Ethiopians carved out a stone fortress. It has held back mighty warriors like Shivaji, the great Maratha champion. It lends a distinctive colour to the eclectic social fabric of the region.

This time our quest for abandoned places & their stories took us to two different places in East Rajasthan. One, an erstwhile king's capital reduced to rubble after being ravaged by war, and the second, an unconquerable fort still standing high and proud after being torn by tragedy. Tying the two are valiant stories of a brave dynasty of Rajputs - the Khinchi Chauhans and their poignant history.

While temples still draw pilgrims by the thousands, majestic palaces lie silent. What prompted the Bundelkhandi Kings of Orchha to abandon their capital and move elsewhere? This question throws up a plethora of answers and the most intriguing one tells us of a curse that explains why this town has been abandoned twice in the past and will be abandoned once more in the years to come.

A couple of hour's drive from Jaipur, in the land of a thousand forts, the fort of Bhangarh is known to be one of the most haunted places in India. Not much is known about the fort and the town that lies sprawled in front of it. Rumours of curses abound and all that meets the eye is a town that seems to have been abandoned in an instant. Is there a grain of truth in its many creepy stories?

The sleepy town of Ramgarh in northern Rajasthan is known by connoisseurs as a unique open art gallery. It is the site of several mansions made at a time when it was on the crossroads of trade routes and wealth streamed in from all directions.

Talakkad has a long history, going back to at least the 8th or 9th century, when it was the capital of the Ganga Kings. In later years, it was also a prominent city under the Cholas, the Hoysalas, the Vijayanagar Kings and the Mysore Wodeyars- with each dynasty adding its own architectural stamp to the city. There's a local myth that the town got submerged in the sand due Rani Alamelamma's curse.

A forgotten capital of a forgotten kingdom. Its name today means a ruined city, but at the height of the Hoysala rule in the 12th century, Halebidu enjoyed an important status. Halebidu is home to some of the most iconic structures of Hoysala architecture, yet remains largely unknown in modern-day India. Figures, as with the nearby city of Mysore and the rock-cut temples, Halebidu now lies silent.

Kittur in Karnataka is a place where the story of one of the first women freedom fighters Rani Chennama lies in a silent abandoned fort. All about wars and bravery, this episode unearths the heroic character of Rani Chenamma and the reasons for the ruined abandoned state of the fort.

Its a place where freedom fighters were kept before the independence of India. This place has witnessed the torture and pain given to the people imprisoned here after the first war of independence. However, today it lies forgotten and only when one visits can one realize the importance of the freedom fighters and their stories.

Ross Island is a tiny little Island at the mouth of the Port Blair Harbour. It is, in fact, the entry point into the Andaman islands. At one point in time, it served as the capital of the British in this part of India. It was a township that had everything one may need to live a lavish life in. But today this island lies forgotten, deserted and totally abandoned.

Unakoti is a place in the North East of India where carvings of Gods and Godesses lie abandoned on a hill. In numbers these statues are one less than a crore and are in the form of rock cut structures. Nobody knows how and when these carvings were made. With mythological reasoning behind the existence of the statues, Unakoti is a discovery in itself.

A place from where lies the story of a once- powerful Ancient kingdom of the Ahom Rulers.This kingdom shaped the beautiful north eastern state of Assam. However, despite the stories and the 600 year old important rule, Shibsagar today lies only as a hint of the grandeur before.

Champaner lies in Gujarat, This town has has seen three kingdoms and their contribution to several fortifications.. At one point of time this place was the capital of Gujarat, but today lies only as a silent witness to past glory.

There are precious few monuments and artifacts in our ancient land which have survived the vagaries of man and time. But the ones that do are an insight into an India that was inimitable and marvellous. Few would stand in comparison with the fair Mahajanpada of Vaishali, blessed and protected by Buddha, whose legacy led to the formation of the learning centre of Nalanda.

On the banks of Tungabhadra, flanked by mountains, sits Hampi. Once known as Vijaynagar, it served as the capital of an empire whose wealth and power was envied. Surpassing, if not equivalent to any modern-day urban settlement in scope, scale and vision; it was home to one of the largest populations in the world. The extensive ruins defy the imagination and visualisation of ruined cities.

Standing majestically on a plateau above the flood plains of Kashmir are the stupendous ruins of the Sun Temple of Martand. Described as "a dream in stone designed by Titans and finished by jewellers", the temple is a part of the Karkota dynasty of Kashmir which was once the centre of a mighty empire. The city of smiles is now a site of ruined stones.

Known as the Koh-i-Maran in Persian, the hill of Hari Parbat is crested with a fort of the same name. Originally built by the Mughal emperor Akbar, the fort has been watching the winds of change and the many hands eager to grasp the land fabled as heaven on Earth. Follow the many tales of the various rulers vying for control over the Hari Parbat and wanting to be masters of Kashmir.

Amongst the many scattered battles of the First War of Independence of 1857, none have been eulogised in literature as much as the Siege of Lucknow. The Lucknow Residency was the epicentre of a battle between the British & Indian freedom fighters. Experience the times rife with passion, valour, and determination as the British fought for supremacy, with the future of the subcontinent up for grabs.

Situated in a forgotten part of Bengal is a city that was a proud capital, for over 800 years, of a kingdom whose royal lineage stretched over a thousand years! The only surviving heritage of Bishnupur are some exquisitely constructed and decorated temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu. With generous use of terracotta and influences of various styles, they portray life in medieval West Bengal.

On the Konkan coast of Maharashtra, sits the serene sea fort of Vijaydurg. A rock that has been witness to thrilling times - an era when Shivaji and his empire spread through the Deccan like wildfire. A hotspot of Maratha activity, in its history of daring feats & impossible achievements lies also a tragic tale of greed and power that sowed the seeds of the decline of the grand Maratha Empire.