22nd
August 2018.
This visit was not
aimed at Forts alone, but we came across these forts on the way to the Chola-period temples.
NANDI HILLS FORT
Nandi Hills
obtained this name since the hill looks like a sleeping Nandhi, which is 1480 meters high above MSL. The Fort top may be accessed through an 8 km stretch of tar-topped road with 40 hairpin bends from the base. The Fort is also called Nandidurg (Nandhi Fort). Sri Yoganandheeshwara Swamy Temple, Tippu
Summer House, Amrutha Sarovar, Basara mandapa, Andhra Ganga, Arkavathi River
origin point, Tippu drop, Sri Gavi Veerabhadra Swamy Temple, Nallikayi
Basavanna, Brahma Ashram, Palar River origin point, and Horse steps are inside
the Fort. Some of the temples/structures within the fort were built by the Banas,
Cholas, and Vijayanagara dynasties.
The Fort was constructed by Tipu Sultan,
covering all the above structures, and ¾ of the circumference is inaccessible.
Tipu built a Palace and used to stay there during summer. The fort came under the
control of the British after the First Anglo-Mysore War on 17th October
1791 CE, commanded by Cornwallis. British officials used to stay there during the summer, and Francis Cunningham built a residence for Sir Mark Cubbon.
The Amruth Sarovar was built during the period
of Sir Mirzan Ismail K C I E O B E, Dewan of Mysore, and opened on 22nd
February 1936. The "Tippu Drop" is a place where his enemy soldiers were thrown from a high altitude to death, as a form of punishment.
Tippu
Sultan's Summer residence
Fort
entrance
BEGUR FORT
When we were in
search of a Cave temple with Jain statues in Hulimavu, a part of Bengaluru, we happened to see this Fort. This circular fort was built on plains using mud for the rampart. As per the experts, since
the rampart was constructed with mud, it might have been supported by stone slabs to
prevent mud from sliding down. As time passed, stone slabs were taken away
by the villagers, leaving a mud layer at the centre. The entrance was built with a stone structure like a mandapa. There is a moat excavated around the fort. It was
learned that the fort must be 400-odd years old, to house a few families inside
the fort. From the mandapa inscription, it was learned that Tondabbe, the daughter of Nagattara - the chief of
Begur ( then known as Vepura) in the late tenth century, died performing the
Jain ritual of Sallekhana (Fast unto Death). (This detail was taken from a website. Since the fort is 400 years old, how could be possible that a 10th-century inscription can come here? Was that stone brought from a Jain
monument..? It was said that there was an underground secret tunnel which is now closed.
The inside fort land
was encroached on by the miscreants, and cultivation was also done. After stiff
resistance from the public, the encroachment was vacated. At present, the 17th-18th century Sri Kashi Vishwanath and Venugopala (Krishna)
Swamy temples are there, renovated in recent years. It was also claimed
that the original Venugopala statue is kept at Vishweshwaraiah Museum.
Moat around the fort
VIRUPAKSHA FORT.
Originally called “Guttahalli,” it turned
into the present name of Virupakshapura or simply Virupakshi. This place is about
2 km from Mulbagilu / Mulbagal. The
Virupaksheeshwara temple, with strong walls built by the Vijayanagar King
Devaraya II, was also within the fort complex. The present Village and the
temples were once protected by the strong Fort walls. The stones of the wall are
missing in many places, reminding us that a fort existed once. The gateway or entrance
of the fort was also found in three places in the Village.
The Virupaksha temple entrance
DEVANAHALLI FORT.
The refugees of
Kanchipuram, belonging to Morasu Wokkalu, settled at this place, Devanahalli, under the
leadership of Rana Baire Gowda’s son Malla Baire Gowda, at the end of the 15th
century. The founder of Bengaluru city, Kempegowda, belongs to the Morasu Wokalu
group (This group offered their forefinger to Sri Kalabairava at Sitti Betta). This place, Devanahalli, was under the Gangas; the power shifted to the Rashtrakutas,
Nolambas, Pallavas, Cholas, Hoysalas, and lastly to the Vijayanagara Dynasty.
During Vijayanagara
rule, Malla Baire Gowda constructed a mud fort in 1501 CE with the consent of
Devaraya II at Devanadoddi ( Devanahalli ). During the changes to the fort, in the
hands of many rulers, the fort walls were strengthened and reconstructed with
granite stones. In 1747 CE, the fort was passed on to the Mysore Wodeyars under the
command of Nanja Raja. The fort went under the control of the Marathas many times
and finally came under Haider Ali and his Son Tippu Sultan. Tippu renamed Devanahalli as “Yousefabad”.
The Fort finally fell into the hands of the British after the First Mysore War, under
the command of Cornwallis in 1791 CE.
The fort is spread over
20 acres, east-oriented in oval shape, and has 12 semi-circular
bastions. The bastions have provisions for locating the cannons, which will not
be visible from the ground. The entrance has 2 bastions on the left and
right. The arch was plastered with lime and mortar. The passage is just enough
to pass his army and horses. The houses of Tippu and Hyder Ali still
exist in the Fort. The house of their high-profile officer Dewan Purnaiah also exists in the Village. A memorial mandapa was constructed at the place where
Tipu Sultan was born in 1751 CE, which is about 500 meters away from the Fort
Entrance. We could see remains of the Fort Wall in many places in this village, including the original gateway. The Village expanded exponentially outside the fort, breaking the walls. The remains of the Fort are maintained by the Archaeological
Survey of India (ASI)
semi-circular bastion
A
Memorial mandapa of Tippu Sultan's birthplace
---OM SHIVAYA
NAMA---
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