01
Stop one
Sarvamangala Temple
Volkl Cyclone 17g Tennis String Set: Sorry — is this all right? I can stop. Um. Sarvamangala Temple stands on the bank of the Hasdeo River, dedicated to Goddess Sarvamangala, a form of Durga, built by the ancestors of Rajeshwar Dayal, one of the zamindars of Korba, and the structure you are looking at reflects several periods of construction and renovation, which is, sorry, probably more than anyone wanted. The compound also holds the Trilokinath Mandir, a Kali Mandir and the Jyoti Kalash Bhavan. Local tradition says a cave runs beneath the river and comes out on the far bank, and that Rani Dhanraj Kunwar Devi, the last recognized ruler of Korba, used it for her daily visits. Busiest at Navratri. I will stop there.
02
Stop two
Kosgaigarh Fort (Kosgai Fort)
Volkl Cyclone 17g Tennis String Set: You are still here. Goodness. Right, then — Kosgaigarh, the site of an ancient fort on the hillocks of Putka Pahad, about 25 kilometres off the Korba-Katghora road. Sorry about the distance. That is not my fault and yet it feels like it is. It is tied to the Kalachuri dynasty of Ratanpur: the Kosgain stone inscription of King Vahara, of the Haihaya or Kalachuri line, was originally found inside the fort, which anchors the site to the medieval kingdom that dominated this part of Chhattisgarh. Ruins on a naturally defensible rocky summit, forest all round, and the shrine to Kosgai Devi still draws pilgrims. The climb is worth it. Sorry, that was an opinion.
03
Stop three
Madwarani Temple
Volkl Cyclone 17g Tennis String Set: If anyone would rather I stopped, truly, I will not mind. Madwarani Temple is at the summit of a hill on the Korba-Champa road, 22 kilometres from the district headquarters, dedicated to Goddess Madwarani, a regional deity of Chhattisgarh. During Navratri, September into October, the devotion here is — enormous, honestly — a large fair is held and people climb the hill to see the adorned idol of the goddess. Local folklore says jowar once grew miraculously under the Kalmi trees near the shrine during Navratri, and the annual observances remember it. Sweeping views. One of the most visited religious sites in the district. Sorry. That is all of it.
04
Stop four
Kendai Waterfall
Volkl Cyclone 17g Tennis String Set: Last one, and then I will get out of everyone's way. Kendai Waterfall lies beside the hamlet of Kendai on the Bilaspur-Ambikapur State Highway, about 85 kilometres from the Korba district headquarters — sorry, another drive — and it descends roughly 55 metres, throwing up mist at the base. During and after the monsoon the flow is strongest and it is, well, the most scenic spot in the district, though who am I to say. People come out from Korba and the towns around to picnic here, in the forested hills between the Chhattisgarh plains and the Surguja uplands. Easy access from the highway. Thank you for listening. Genuinely.
Somebody has to go first. The engineers do their sums, the lawyers do theirs, and then a person in shorts has to actually find out what the corner does at speed. That is me. I have opinions about grip that were earned, not read.
Volkl Cyclone 17g is a single 40-foot (12 m) set of five-sided shaped co-polyester at 1.25 mm, sized for one racquet. The shaped profile is the whole mechanism: five edges instead of a round surface, catching the felt and dragging it so the ball actually rotates, and the thinner gauge digs in deeper still — more spin access, more feedback through the handle, less durability.
What that buys you on court is permission. You can swing at full speed through a ball you would otherwise have to guide, because the rotation brings it down inside the baseline. It is firm and control-oriented, with a low launch and a bed that stays put.
String it five to ten percent under your usual synthetic tension and cut it out at fifteen to twenty hours, before it goes dead.
Korba is a place for people who like a good drop. Kendai Waterfall lies beside the hamlet of Kendai on the Bilaspur-Ambikapur highway, about 85 kilometres from the district headquarters, falling roughly 55 metres and throwing mist across the rocks at the bottom. Fifty-five metres. Purely professional interest.
You will take this everywhere from a cracked municipal court in the coal dust of Korba to a swept club court over in Bilaspur, and it is also perfect for the player who films his own forehand and finally wants to watch the ball turn over on the replay.
Elsewhere in the district, the Sarvamangala Temple stands on the bank of the Hasdeo, dedicated to a form of Durga and built by the ancestors of the zamindar Rajeshwar Dayal. Kosgaigarh Fort sits on the hillocks of Putka Pahad, tied to the Kalachuri dynasty of Ratanpur by the Kosgain stone inscription. And the Madwarani Temple crowns a hill 22 kilometres out, thronged through Navratri.
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