Last Updated on 6 April 2026 by Poorna & Brinda
It appeared suddenly.
We were cruising along the Chitradurga bypass, the road stretching ahead in predictable monotony—straight lines, gentle curves, the occasional truck groaning past. Nothing unusual. Nothing memorable.
And then, as the road bent slightly to the left, it came into view.
A huge stone hill!
Not just any hill —but one that looked strangely familiar. Pale, almost white in parts, with rugged textures and a quiet, imposing presence. For a brief moment, it felt surreal.
“Doesn’t that look like Kailash?” Poorna said.
There was a pause.
And then silence—the kind that comes when everyone is thinking the same thing but doesn’t want to break the illusion.
From a distance, it did resemble something sacred. Something untouched. Something ancient.
But as we drove closer, the illusion began to fade.
The sharp edges. The cut surfaces. The unnatural symmetry.
It wasn’t a big hill.
It was a quarry.
A huge hill —slowly being carved away.
And yet, for those few seconds on that curve, it had managed to become something else entirely. Not just rock and dust, but a reminder of how easily the mind transforms what it sees—turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Or perhaps the other way around.
We didn’t stop. There was no viewpoint, no signboard, no reason to pull over.
Just a passing glance.
But long after the road had straightened and the quarry disappeared behind us, the image stayed.
Sometimes, on a road trip, you don’t need a destination.
Just a curve in the road…
and a hill that isn’t really there.
đź“Ť Where This Happened
Chitradurga Bypass, Karnataka — on the highway stretch between Bengaluru and Hubballi.
đź’ A Thought to Take With You
Not everything we see is what it seems. And sometimes, that’s exactly what makes the journey memorable.
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About the Authors
We are Poorna and Brinda from Bengaluru, sharing practical travel guides, one-day trips and road trip experiences to help you plan simple and memorable journeys.