Located nearly 200 kms from the state capital of Bengaluru, is one of Karnataka’s most picturesque fort – the Chitradurga fort. Perched strategically on the western edge of the Deccan plateau, the history of the fort can be traced back to the Chalukyas of Badami.
It was under Nayakas of Chitradurga (1568-1779 CE) that the fort grew to its maximum extent. By the 18th century, the massive fort had walls running over 8kms and enclosed an area of around 1500 acres.
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| The Nayakas of Chitradurga were feudatories of the Vijayanagar empire. After Vijayanagar’s defeat at the Battle of Talikota, the Nayakas declared their independence and ruled from Chitradurga. The last Nayaka ruler, Madakari Nayaka, was defeated by Hyder Ali and the fort fell into Hyder’s hands. When the Mysore sultans lost the Anglo-Mysore wars, the fort and its premises passed on to the Wodeyars of Mysore. Today the fort is a protected monument conserved by the Archaeological Survey of India. |
The Walls
Chitradurga fort is protected by 7 layers of walls. The royal spaces, temples, treasury and large ponds were confined within the innermost wall.
An exquisitely carved snake on the outer wall of the fort. Much like the curved body of the snake, each wall of the fort is set at an angle against one another.
The first line of defense against attackers was a deep and wide water filled moat. If the enemy did manage to cross over the moat, they would have to negotiate a maze of passageways to make it to the inner sanctum of the fort.
The passageways were cleverly designed with frequent sharp turns and narrow doors. And why was this important? Enemy soldiers on elephants or horses would be forced to slow down giving a chance for the defenders of the fort to attack them.
The Watchtowers
Stone mill believed to have been used for preparing gun powder. Elephants would have been employed to rotate the massive stone grinder.
It is said that there are about 2000 watchtowers all over the fort. While many of them have fallen prey to lack of maintenance, the ones that still survive are extremely impressive. The architects of the fort have ingeniously designed the watchtowers such that it fuses into the surrounding rocks.
The Inner Sanctum
The inner sanctum of the fort is dotted with many temples, water bodies and ruins of a long destroyed palace and the treasury.
One of the oldest temple in the inner sanctum, the Hidimbeswara temple, is dedicated to an interesting episode in the Mahabharata. The Pandavas, during their exile, were wandering through the dense forests of the region. It came to their notice that a man eating demon, Hidimbasura, was troubling the local people. The mighty Bheema challenges Hidimbasura to a duel and eventually kills him. It is believed that the giant boulders strewn around Chitradurga are the outcome of that epic battle!
Water is perhaps the most precious commodity when defending a fort against an enemy attack. The architects of Chitradurga took particular care to conserve each and every drop of rainwater that fell within the boundary of the fort. A system of interconnected ponds was established throughout the fort such that spill water during the monsoon would flow from one pond to another. Any excess water would then flow out to the moat thus avoiding any flash flooding within the fort complex.
The Legend of Obbava
No visit to Chitradurga is complete without recounting the legend of Obbava. Celebrated as one of Karnataka’s foremost women warriors, Obbava was the wife of a soldier guarding an entry point to the fort. When her husband had gone for lunch, Hyder Ali’s soldiers tried to sneak into the fort through a small hole in the wall.
An alert Obbava used an Onake (pestle in Kannada) and single handedly killed dozens of the enemy soldiers who were trying to make their way through the Kindi (hole in Kannada). And thus was born the legend of Onake Obbava Kindi. The kindi through which the enemy tried to sneak in is both a tourist attraction and a pilgrimage of sorts for those who visit the fort.
Very well written with lovely pics! thanks for this and now need to get to the fort and see it.
Thanks Shyam, Chitradurga is an awesome place to go to with every wall having a story to tell