Assignment on forts

Submitted to: Dr Anita Rane-Kothare

(Head of Deptatment AIC)
Submitted by: Sakshi Prakash
Uid:188036
M.A part1
Date of submission:19-03-2019
St Xavier’s College Mumbai
 Forts
Forts, fortification and defence walls in India, trace their antiquity to the first few millennia
before the Common Era. The various terminologies that are used alternatively to denote forts
include Durga, Killa, pura, etc all denoting the area fortified by walls.

Durga has been explained as denotative of a place which was ‘difficult to reach’ or ‘difficult
to negotiate’ in Sanskrit lexicons.

The manusmriti says that an archer lodged inside the fort could fight one hundred adversaries
and one hundred such archers could beat back ten thousand adversaries.

The history of fortification I India can be traced back to Chalcolithic age. At Kot-diji, near
Mohenjo-Daro, a pre- historic strongly walled citadel, protected with rectangular towers of
stones and mud bricks, has been discovered.

The excavation at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro suggest that the cities were protected either by
walling or by fortification.

Types

1 Giri-Durga – located at a height, was provided with adequate water supply and was
considered impregnable. It was a popular type of fort.

2 Jala-Durga – it was encircled by water. It used to be of two types- one was like an island
encircled by water on all sides whereas the latter, though encircled by water was built at a
height. It could be only negotiated with boats.

3 Maru-Durga – this fort type was surrounded by sand on all sides. It was of two types- one
was located at the center of a big waterless desert whereas the other one was surrounded by
land, laid barren by saline water.

4 Vana-Durga – it was surrounded by thorny bushes and dense forests. According to the
arthasastra, it was either surrounded by marshy land or by thorny bushes.

Features

1. Building Materials
The materials used for constructing forts differ from region to region. Stone was extensively
used and gypsum was used for plastering buildings. Lime plaster was reserved for places that
need to be secured against water leakage in roofs, canals, and drains.
2. Walls
The walls of the forts were often looked higher from the outside than the inside. The walls of the
forts were very thick. A wall could be an earthen rampart faced with stone on both sides. Lime
mortar was used as a binding material for construction. The walls were also decorated.

3. Gate
The gates of forts were decorated. Gates of Indian forts were often high and wide. The gate of
the fort generally had steel spikes to protect it from elephants.

4. Burj (Bastion)
The shape of the bastion was semi-circular. It consisted of three stories which had solid blocks
of granite firmly cemented together or may bound with iron clamps. The Weight of blocks was
in tons. There were some guns on the bastion which were used for defense purpose.

5. Gardens
Gardens in forts were beautiful creations. It was designed in Mughal style. Large Gardens with
water fountains and canals in north India were laid by many Muslims rulers. These gardens were
placed within a rectangular wall enclosure and divided into four quarters by artificial channels.

6. Mahal
Inside the fort, there were palace or Mahal which were beautifully decorated with relief carving,
floral inlay work with precious and semi-precious stones, and calligraphy. The royal palace was
built for the emperor and their families. Sheesh Mahal, Moti Mahal is some examples of
palaces. The Sheesh Mahal was used as a private temple. Gold and silver leaves and a lot of
mirror pieces were used as decorations. The Diwan-i Khas was a hall of private audience. It is a
highly ornamented pillared hall.

7. Water Supply
Numbers of baolis1 were built during medieval times. It was an intelligent and durable technique
for obtaining water. Baolis had a unique and beautiful architectural style with impressive
appearances. Earthen pipes were used for water supply. These pipes would have been used to
carry water to different places in the palace.

8. Worship places
In forts, there were places of worship. In Mughal forts there were mosques and in Hindu forts
there were temples. The mosque includes one minaret each on the four corners. Temples have
marble halls, pillars, carved ceiling, and roof. The architectural wonder of the medieval period
was built to showcase power and wealth

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Step-wells to obtain underground water.
 Giri Durga – Torna Fort

"Torna" or "Prachandgad" was the first fort captured by Shivaji Maharaj. He captured this
fort and started his journey to build the Maratha Empire when he was just sixteen years old.

When Shivaji Maharaj took over this fort from Aadilshah this fort did not have too much
construction on it. This fort was not given more strategic importance by the Aadilshahas.
After capturing this fort, Shivaji Maharaj started to construct some buildings on the forts and
fortification for the fort. This was necessary to make the fort a secure place which can be
used in the forthcoming war against the Aadilshah and the Mughals. While construction
Shivaji Maharaj found a treasure on the fort. Assuming this to be a good omen, he utilized
this money on construction of this fort and the fort "Rajgad".

The fort has two temples on it. The first one is of goddess "Toranjai" and the second one is of
the goddess "Menghai". The fort has two major wings2 the "Zunzar Machi" and the "Budhala
Machi". The fort also has two gates: the "Binicha Darwaja" and "Konkan Darwaja". The
Binich Darwaja takes you inside the fort, while the Konkan Darwaja takes you to the Budhala
Machi.
This is one of the tallest forts in Maharashtra with an altitude of 1405 meters above sea level.
Torna fort is situated in Pune district in Maharashtra. Torna was an extremely important fort
of Maratha kingdom because of its strategically important position. James Douglas a famous
British traveller described this fort as "If Sinhagad is lions cave then Torna is Eagles Nest"
The fort has a long history. The fort was built by "Shaivas" later it came under the dominance
of the Muslim empire.
When Aurangzeb came to Maharashtra for defeating Marathas, Torna was the only fort which
Aurangazeb captured by fighting an actual battle he renamed the fort as ‘Futulgaib' in simple
words it means "The Divine Victory". But sooner it was recaptured by Marathas.

1. Zunzar machi 2. Bini darwaaja 3.tunnel

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in Marathi "Machi"
 Jala Durga – Janjira Fort

Janjira is the Marathi corruption of the Arabic jazirah meaning an island. Though the whole
area was once called Janjira, the name truly referred to the mighty island fortress in the sea.
The pride of Murud Janjira, Janjira Fort, was built by Malik Ambar, who was an abssinian
minister in the court of the sultan of Ahmednagar. It was once the stronghold of the
Abyssinian Sidis who played an important part in the history of the city of Bombay, in the
later part of the 17th century.

It was built during the end of the 17th century and till date withstood the tests of time. It
reflects the marvel of ancient engineering. The fort stands with an impressive height of 40
feet and is bounded by high walls on all sides. It endures the lashes of the sea waves
through ages and still stands strong.

On several occasions, the Fort of Janjira was attacked by various outside forces but none
of the enemy forces could conquer it. Janjira fort is very well fortified and survived
foreign attacks. The surrounding of the fort is full of coconut and betel nut trees. Over
350 years, the Janjira Fort remained unconquered and survived from the attacks of the
great rulers like Shivaji, Sambhaji and the Peshwas.
There are several towers and turrets 3 in the Janjira Fort, which are used for keeping guns
and cannons. This fort had a total of 500 canons previously but now only a few of them
exist. Inside the Janjira Fort, we can see the water tanks, beautiful tombs and stone
sculptures. At the gate, the sculpture of six elephants by a tiger is very impressive. This
portrays the valor of the Siddis. We can find 19 burj inside the Janjira Fort. Kalal
Bangadi, Chavari, and Landa Kasam are the well-known guns that are found under every
burj. Now in ruins, the fort in its heyday had all necessary facilities, e.g., palaces, quarters for
officers, mosque, a big fresh water tank, etc.

1. Outer view 2. Sculpture of six elephants by a tiger 3. Arial view

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used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall
 Maru Durga- Jaisalmer Fort

One of the oldest and massive forts of Rajasthan, Jaisalmer fort is located in the remote Thar
Desert. In medieval times, the location of Jaisalmer on the trade route made it a prosperous
town. The rulers and merchants of Jaisalmer engaged craftsmen to work on the sandstone
mansions, buildings, and palaces, filling up the front with sculptural filigree, screen windows,
delicate pavilions and beautiful balconies. The Jaisalmer fort is two hundred and fifty feet tall
and reinforced by an imposing crenelated sandstone wall of 30 feet height. The fort has 99
bastions. Jaisalmer fort crowns the Trikuta Hill. Within the walls of Jaisalmer fort lays the
old city, which is nearly a quarter of modern Jaisalmer. Jaisalmer fort houses an entire living
area within massive battlements. Jaisalmer fort is approached through many gates. The
Akshaya Pol is the entrance gate of the fort. Across the road is the Suraj-Pol. The Suraj Pol is
embellished with a figure of Sun. The Hawa Pol is an enormous Gateway, girdled by palaces
and courtyard and was constructed during the 17th century CE. The architecture within the
fort was protected by double fortification walls and circular bastions, key physical components
used for defense and battle. Additional features of the fort include a pitching wall to hold the
clay soil of the hill in place, a toe wall, and the mori, a pathway between the inner and outer
fortification walls that allowed soldiers and horses to move throughout the structure in times
of war. The steeply cobbled pathways leading to the royal palace pass through four gates. The
fort was made invincible by pathways having sharp and twisting turns. Jaisalmer Fort is a
five-story architectural monument embroidered with balconies and windows, exhibiting fine
craftsmanship of Rajput style. Jaisalmer fort has five interconnected palaces. All the palaces
have amazing "Jali" and 'jharokha' work. At present, merchants and shop owners, living
within the walls of the fort, crowd the fort. Small lanes inside the fort are surrounded with
houses, temples, and shops. The fort is deteriorating, and in recent times, human activities,
especially the introduction of modern plumbing, have accelerated this deterioration. The need
for extensive water-management infrastructure could not have been foreseen by the builders
of this desert city. Yet, as tourism has increased and homes have been converted to guest
houses, water drainage has become a real problem. The increase of water at a site built for a
dry, arid climate caused water seepage into the clay-rich soil under the fort, destabilizing it
and setting off the collapse of 87 of its 469 structures. In addition, changing weather patterns
increasingly frequent and severe monsoons are endangering the fort.

1. Carvings 2. Entrance 3. Walls and bastions

 Coastal Fort – Vijaydurga Fort

The impregnable fort of Vijaydurga lies in the devgad taluka of Sindhudurg district in
western Maharashtra. This fort is among India’s strongest marine forts. It is the oldest fort on
Sindhudurg coast constructed in the regime of Raja Bhoj of the shilahar dynasty in 1205.
Shivaji Maharaj won this fort from Adilshaha of Bijapur in 1653 and renamed it as "Vijay
Durg" as the then Hindu solar year's name was "Vijay". Vijay means Victory. The earlier fort
encompassed an area of 5 acres and was surrounded by sea on all the 4 sides. Over the years
the eastern trench was reclaimed and the road was constructed thereon. Presently the area of
the fort is about 17 acres and is surrounded by Arabian Sea on its three sides. Chhatrapati
Shivaji extended the area of the fort by constructing three fort walls on the eastern side.
These three fortifications are of 36 m height and he also constructed 20 bastions of the fort
wall. This is only one of the two forts of the Maratha kingdom, where King Shivaji
personally hoisted the saffron flag.

This impregnable fort has some locational advantages. One such advantage is 40 km long
waghotan/kharepatan Creek. The big ships can't enter the shallow water of this creek and
hence Maratha warships were anchored in this creek. These ships were invisible from the
deep sea.

The Architectural marvel

1) The 200m long, undersea/Under land tunnel from the fort to the Dhulap's palatial house in
the village is man-made. The roof of the tunnel has been pinched to protect it from land-
slides and it is also well ventilated. Now the tunnel is partially blocked.
2) The fencing compound wall constructed at 8-10 m depth undersea, 300ft from the fort is
another architectural wonder. The wall constructed with laterite stones is 122 meters long, 3
meters high & 7 meters in breadth. Majority of attacking ships met their watery grave after
colliding on this wall as this wall is not visible above the sea level.

The naval dock:

1.5 km from the fort in the Wagjotan Creek, a naval dock was constructed by carving the
rocks. This is where the Maratha warships were built and repaired. The ships built here were
of the 400-500 tonnage capacity is one of the major landmarks of Maratha naval architecture.

 Walls: It is a huge fort with three levels of walls & has 27 bastions. The area of the fort
is about 17 acres; it takes around 3 hours to see all the things. The walls are made of
huge black rocks4. The walls of the fort are about 8 to 10-meter high.
 Caves: Few caves like structures are also present inside the Vijaydurg fort. The fort is
covered by sea on 3 sides and offers magnificent views of the Arabian Sea.
 Lake: There is also a big water lake, which was the main source of sweet water for
people staying on the fort.
 Cannon Balls: Some old cannon balls have also been kept inside the fort. Even today,
you can see blow spots of cannon balls on walls of the fort.

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Laterite
  Escape Tunnel: There was also a 200 m long tunnel for evacuation during an
emergency. Another end of this tunnel was in the Dhulap’s palatial house in the village.
 Foreign Attacks: The fort was continuously under the attack of British, Portuguese and
Dutch. However, the fort remained under the rule of Marathas till 1756.
 Fall: The control of the fort was lost in 1756 when British and Peshwas attacked the
fort jointly. Then the fort remained with Peshwas till 1818 when it was given to British.
 Base Station: It served as an important base station for building and restoration of
Maratha warships. It was also used as a harbor and even today it is a working seaport.

1. Bastions 2. Outer view

Sthala Durga- Agra Fort

Agra Fort was built in the year 1573 under the reign of Akbar – one of the greatest Mughal
Emperors. It took more than 4000 workers and eight years of hardship to complete the fort.
Knowing the significance of its location, Akbar built the fort to make it the main residence
of the Mughals. The fort remained as the main residence of the emperors belonging to the
Mughal dynasty until the year 1638. The fort houses numerous impressive structures like
the Jahangir Mahal, Khas Mahal, Diwan-i-Khass, Diwan-i-Am, Machchhi Bhawan and
Moti Masjid. In 1638, the capital of the Mughal dynasty was moved from Agra to Delhi,
causing the Agra Fort to lose its status as the main residence of the Mughal emperors. The
fort is separated from its sister monument Taj Mahal by just 2.5 kilometers. Often described
as the walled city, Agra Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Today, the fort is a major
tourist spot and attracts many tourists from all over the world.
History of the Fort
Agra Fort is known for its rich history. The fort has been owned by many emperors and
rulers in the past, undergoing many changes in its appearance. It all began in the year 1526
when the first battle of Panipat was fought between Babur and Ibrahim Lodi. When Babur
defeated Ibrahim Lodi, he made the fort and the palace of Ibrahim Lodi as his home. He
then modified the fort by building a huge step well inside. The fort soon became an
important monument to the Mughals. In fact, Babur’s successor, Humayun’s coronation
took place at the fort in the year 1530.
In 1540, Sher Shah Suri waged a war against Humayun and defeated him at Bilgram. Sher
Shah Suri took over the ownership of the fort from Humayun and made minor changes to
it, so as to suit his own architectural taste. The fort stayed with the emperors of the Sur
dynasty for the next 15 years. In 1555, Humayun managed to recapture Agra and with it
the fort as well. But a year later, Hemu Vikramaditya, the general and military commander
of Adil Shah Suri captured Agra. He pursued the fleeing army to Delhi and the Battle of
Tughlaqabad ensued between him and Tardi Beg Khan, the military commander of the
Mughals.
Tardi Beg Khan lost the battle convincingly and Hemu Vikramaditya crowned himself the
king. However, on November 5, 1556, and barely a month into the kingship of Hemu,
Akbar, along with his army, marched into Delhi and defeated the forces of Hemu. The fort
once again belonged to the Mughals but was fast disintegrating. Back then, it was known
as Badalgarh and was built with bricks alone. Realizing its historical and situational
significance, Akbar decided to rebuild it with red sandstone.
During the reign of Shah Jahan, the fort was modified considerably and took the current
form. Shah Jahan destroyed some of the edifices within the fort and rebuilt it as per his
own architectural taste. During the early 17th century, the fort was captured by the
Maratha Empire. During this period, the fort saw many owners including various Maratha
emperors and their enemies which included a host of Mughal emperors. In 1761, the
Marathas underwent a massive defeat at the hands of Ahmad Shah Durrani. The emperors
of the Durrani dynasty made the fort their home until 1785. In 1785, the fort was regained
by the Marathas under the reign of Mahadji Shinde. The Marathas then lost their battle
against the British in the Second Anglo-Maratha War and with it the fort. The British then
enjoyed the comfort of the fort until it was handed over to the government of India in
1947.
Architecture
The Agra Fort is enclosed by a double battlemented massive wall of red sandstone. This
wall is about 2 kilometer in the perimeter and is interrupted by graceful curves and lofty
bastions. The walls of the fort are a massive seventy feet high. The fort stretches for almost
2.5 kilometers. It has four gates. Akbar used the Delhi gate as his main entrance and the
gate also served as a security against the invaders. There is also an inner gateway known as
the Elephant Gate. The entrances were built in such a manner that the invaders found it
difficult to enter the fort even with the help of war elephants. The Indian army still uses the
Delhi gate for security purposes.
The fort has various palaces and halls. Among the palaces, the prominent ones are Macchi
Bhavan, Khas Mahal, and Shah Jahani Mahal. The Amar Singh gate leads to the courtyard.
The magnificent Diwan-I-Am is on the right-hand side. At the base of the fort, a secret
passage was dug in an attempt to access it with ease, during times of emergency. Other
 attractions of the fort include a mirror palace, courtrooms and the ruins of Akbar's once
magnificent palace.
Bricks formed the base of Agra Fort's structure. Red sandstone was brought all the way
from Rajasthan and that was laid on the external surfaces. Back then, the entire fort was
built using the red sandstone. This appearance of the fort underwent a major change during
the reign of Shah Jahan. Unlike his grandfather, Shah Jahan was smitten by the beauty of
white marble. Hence, he destroyed many structures within the fort, only to rebuild them
using white marble. Shah Jahan was made to spend his final days in the Musamman Burj
of the Agra Fort, which was built by him. The Musamman Burj is located on the left of the
Khaas Mahal. It is said that Shah Jahan used to view the Taj Mahal from this very place.
When the British took over the ownership of Agra Fort, much more changes were made to
the fort. They destroyed many structures and edifices with historical significances, citing
political reasons and for raising barracks. The structures that managed to survive showcase
the real complexity and workmanship of Mughal architecture. Fine examples of the Mughal
architecture within the fort are the Delhi Gate, Amar Singh Gate, and the Bengali Mahal.
These structures not only represent Mughal architecture but are also fine examples of Akbari
architecture which is also known as Indo-Islamic architecture. Among these structures, the
Delhi Gate is considered as the most prominent for its workmanship and architectural design.
Even today, it is regarded as one of Akbar's masterpiece.

1. Front gate 3. Delhi gate

2. Diwan- I –am 4. Jahangir mahal


 Bibliography

Warfare in ancient India: organizational and operational dimensions: Uma Prasad Thapliyal

Power, memory, architecture: contested sites on India’s Deccan plateau, 1300-1600: Richard
m. Eaton, Phillip b. Wagoner

History of medieval India: L. P Sharma

The forts of India: Rita and Vijay Sharma and Christopher Tadgell