Friday, April 11, 2014

Abandoned Places: Kalavantin Durg

Photo credit to Rohit Gowaikar and used under the linked agreement.

Rising up to 2300 feet, Kalavantin Durg is older than it is tall. The fort is not much more than a cave built on the pinnacle of the jutting stone that gives a spectacular view of the surrounding lands, which is probably what it was built for. It's said, though, that it was built for a princess or, possibly, a queen: Kalavantin, but there are no historical records to back that up. The only up to the fort is the "Climb to Heaven," narrow, hand-carved stairs that take hours to climb.
Photo credit to [selvin] and used under the linked license agreement.

As an added bonus, the ghost town Kolmanskop:
Kolmanskop is located in the Namib desert much in the same way as the diamond that caused it to spring into existence: it was just lying there. A railway worker found it in 1908 and turned it over to his German supervisor, leading to a flood of German diamond miners and a quickly flourishing town. But the field was mostly depleted by the end of World War I and completely abandoned by the 1950s. Since then, it has been featured in a number of films and TV shows.

19 comments:

  1. Wonder if Tolkien knew about Kalavantin Durg--kind of reminds me of the climb Frodo and Sam took to get to Cirith Ungol.

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  2. Don't think I'd be taking those stairs up.
    The shot of sand filling the hallway is wild.
    Do you follow Pat Tillett? If you dig ghost towns, he's always posting pictures.

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  3. I have to say, I think this is the coolest/most interesting place you've posted thus far. While Alex doesn't want to take a trip up the stairs, I'd love to!

    By the way, I just want to thank you so much for all of the comments and support you've left! I have been bad about responding to comments lately, and I want you to know that your words are greatly appreciated!!

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  4. This is cool. Man-built you say? It seems like a natural formation. Interesting. I love the photos. It reminds me that there is lots of mysterious places here on Earth (as opposed to those featured in Hollywood movies) I have yet to explore.

    Thanks for this post.

    Best regards,
    Elizabeth

    PS: Visiting from the A to Z Challenge

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  5. I would think that would have been some kind of lookout post wouldn't you?

    Fancy picking up a diamond like that and giving it to your supervisor.

    Did you get my email about the Hatteras Lighthouse move?

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  6. Wait, WHICH TV shows? You're going to make me do my own research? Not fair. Not cool, man.

    How tall is that first tower? I would love to go up to it and see it but that stairway... there is a church near us that we used to go to as kids, called "Holy Hill", and the towers have stairways that you can go up to look out large, 10' in diameter round windows that have no glass in them. I loved it and was terrified by it as a kid.

    Those stairs, though, might be more than I could take, although I would try it. You can't give in to your fears.

    Unless those fears are spiders.

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  7. I won't be climbing those stairs for sure.

    It must have been a big job to keep the building clean in the diamond place. A broom wouldn't do now--more like a bulldozer.

    Lee
    Wrote By Rote
    An A to Z Co-host blog

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  8. Magic. Absolute magic. I'm freaking over those pictures. I would LOVE to be there!!!! So adventurous!

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  9. Kudos to you for a couple of unique K finds. :)

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  10. More than 2300 feet old? You've gotten my attention. That is seriously stunning.

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  11. JeffO: That's a good question.

    Alex C: I don't think I know who that is. I'll take a look later.

    randi: I'd love to go up those stairs, too. That would be an amazing view.
    And no problem :)

    Elizabeth: Well, the fort is man-built. The tower of rock, not so much.

    Jo: It was indeed a lookout post.

    Yes, I got your email, but I haven't had a chance to check the thing out, yet.

    Briane: I hope there are no spiders on those stairs. You'd go right over the edge. :(

    Pat: Yeah, my wife and I were talking about that earlier. Can you imagine getting take out? Of course, with Amazon's drone program, it might work out.

    Lee: Maybe one of those yard blower things?

    Morgan: They are pretty cool, huh?

    L.G.: It was nothing compared to my search for Q.

    Rusty: It is! That's a cool way of saying that.

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  12. Oh wow these are fascinating! I can't believe I have never heard about or seen pictures of either of these places before...What a wonderful world we live in.

    They say the trip up the Kalavantin Durg isn't so bad, it's coming down that's difficult - no rails. I wonder if anyone goes up and just decides to stay. Forever.

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  13. Wow. That would make a great supervillain lair.

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  14. Just stopping by from A to Z. Your posts are really putting me in the mood for an adventure!

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  15. RG: Well, if you could get drone pizza delivery, it might be a cool place to live.

    Jeanne: Well, if the villain could fly.

    lisa: Well, good, then!

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  16. That Durg is awesome! How cool! I also love the photo of the sand filling that one room below. This really is an awesome theme, Andrew. :)

    Alex Hurst, fantasy author in Japan, participating in Blogging A-Z April Challenge.

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  17. Alex H: Yeah, I'd really like to see that place for real and climb the stairs.
    Thanks :)

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  18. Nilesh: Thanks for letting us know. I hope if anyone is wanting to climb those stairs that they contact you!

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