A journey into the past
The Basavakalyana Fort in Bidar district, with its rich historical
past, stands majestically as a legacy of an era gone by. B V Prakash
offers a closer look.
Situated
in the outskirts of the town, the fort has a simple yet strong
arch as its entrance with balconies reached by flights of steps
on either side. The periphery of the open courtyard is lined by
a series of cells, probably for the security guards. An empty
pond with the pillar of a fountain stands in the centre. On the
platform to the left, which used to be the place of gathering
during Muharram, now runs a school. The path winds to left through
another door which is under lock and key of the Archaeological
Dept. and snakes up through two more doors to an open ground.
Actually, there are seven entrances to the fort as usual, but
presently five of them are intact. All along this path large stone
cannon balls are kept like a decorative arrangement. But in the
days of kings their purpose was to be dropped from above on the
enemy forces. The openings above the doorway were used to pour
boiling oil on invaders. One cannot miss the well carved images
of Yalis, the lion-like creatures on the fortwall.
The main fortification with palaces and halls stands on a high
ground in the centre. The fort wall which runs around is interspersed
with many bastions. Each of these has two sets of stairs with
a cannon at the top. Some of the cannons are small and simple.
A few are ornate with scriptures in Arabic calligraphy engraved
on them. All these strong bastions overlook the deep moat that
runs along and afford good views of the surroundings. In the northeast
and western sides are two deep wells with a downward sloping passage
for the oxen or horses to pull up water from below. The square
pond which somehow does not look to be very old was the bath meant
for royal ladies. Beside some bastions, secret narrow passages
lead to open chambers down below and must have been kept as escape
routes in times of emergency. Coming to the southern wall, a long
cannon sits on a not-so-high circular battlement. And from here
the central fortification with its windows and balconies looks
imposing.
To understand the significance of the fort and its history, a
tour with a guide is a must. And Mr Mehboob Gilani, a staff of
the ASI, is a good one at that. According to him, it was as long
ago as 1047 AD that the Chalukyan king Someshwara I, after a win
over Rashtrakutas at Malkhed, shifted his capital here and built
the fort. Later on, as the control of the fort was taken over
successively by Kalchuri dynasty, Yadavas, Gayasuddin Khilji,
Mohammed bin Tughlaq and the Nizams, additions and embellishments
were made from time to time. As Gilani says, though the fort was
built in 11th C, the cannons were added in 15th C.
The
interiors of the fort have a lot more to tell the visitor. The
door itself, called the Akhand Darwaza, is made up of only four
huge slabs of redstone not found in the area. Climbing up the
steps, the passage leads to an open hall with the Rajamahal palace.
The 3 adjacent doors are ordinary but the ceilings inside are
designed tastefully in colourful patterns. Also, the wall in the
centre has the shapes of vases and urns and looks like a showcase
of the olden days. Next to the palace is an empty temple. The
hinges of its entrance have vertical stone columns with intricate
sculpture. The foreground of the temple has a square pond. Behind
the temple to the west is the Rani Mahal with a separate path
for the queen to reach the temple.
Beyond
these structures, the path leads to a plain mosque and a record
room after which on the right is the Durbar Hall where the king
used to conduct gatherings. The arched pillars enclosing a small
platform served as the dancing hall too. The durbar hall once
had a series of wooden pillars all along which have worn out now
and only the bases can be seen. At the eastern end of the hall
is a waterflow channel with sharply carved images of fish. Theres
also a 694 cm gigantic cannon popularly known as 'Navgaz thopu'.
Beside this is a steep well, called Charaka Mota, with high steps
to its top. The way passes through the Haider Mahal and leads
to Rangeen Mahal. The finely done artwork, sculpture and paintings,
make Rangeen Mahal easily the most interesting spot in the entire
fort.
The
four stone pillars that stand mutely once supported the ceiling
which covered the whole place. Now without a roof they are left
to the elements. The pillars along the wall are endowed with beautiful
floral motifs in limestone. Even here the walls have decorative
depressions in the shape of vases and jugs. The abandoned room
has very colourful patterns on pillars and ceiling. With a pond
and fountain in the centre and a stone bench, this was a place
of relaxation for the royalty.
Finally,
the path going back to the entrance passes by the Talim Khana,
a cellar used as a gymnasium and the second bastion with a cannon
called the 'Khadak Bijli Thopu, culminating a walking tour
of this historic fort. With so many interesting details to be
learnt, it is not just a walk but a journey into the past.
Outside
the fort, the museum that is being renovated in a big way, has
a good collection of artefacts of the 12th and 13th C gathered
from nearby villages. The excavation process and the upkeep of
the place is being pursued vigorously under the leadership of
Sri K V Rao, a retired ASI official. However, improving the surroundings
of the fort and providing better facilities for tourists need
to be taken up on priority.
TRAVEL
TIPS
How
to reach: Basavakalyan is approximately 650 km from Bangalore.
It is 90 km from Gulbarga which is well connected by road and
rail. There are frequent buses to Basavakalyan from Gulbarga.
Food
& Accommodation: There are many hotels on the main road.
Other
places of interest: Basavakalyan is also a pilgrim centre for
the Veerashaivas. Basaveshwara temple, Parushakatte, Anubhava
Mantapa and caves of Akka Nagamma and Arivina Gavi are all worth
a visit.