The Ancient Riverine Citadel
If one has to take a peek at the ancient part of the Srirangapatna Fort in Karnataka, the entry from the Delhi Gate side is ideal. Now, how many people know the historicity of this citadel as Murali, our guide, advocate and local temple priest related its roots going back to the 14th century when Vijaynagar kings ruled these parts. The construction of the Srirangapatna Fort started as far back as 1454 and therefore when one moves from one section to another, it clearly takes one to an era where different kings have fortified their kingdom as per the needs of the time.
It was Timmanna Nayaka of the Vijayanagar empire who designed and dreamed of a fortified structure as his kingdom faced frequent attacks from neighbours and other invaders. If you are interested to visit this place, be prepared to climb up and down.
Now, this is a part of the fort that is in ruins and hardly visited by anybody. The structure remains the same as later rulers have not touched or embellished. The fort walls are now completely overgrown by weeds and scrubs and even as we climb on, we get a beautiful view of the countryside.
Local people who are well versed with the history of the place say the credit of such a fortified structure should go to Timmanna Nayaka who planned the fort in such a way that on two sides it had natural protection in the form of River Cauvery. In each of the walls extending from the northern side, Nayaka had incorporated all measures for tackling his enemies where they could be easily sighted and prevented from entering the citadel.
The fort frequently changed hands after the reign of the Vijaynagar kings ended. Fora few decades, the Peshwas, the Arcot nawabs, the Marathashad occupied it. It was only in 1654, the fort was taken over by the Mysore dynasty and they re-built it and further shifted their capital from Mysore to Srirangapatna.
It was during Krishnaraja Wodeyar’s period that the fort was further strengthened and one of his generals in the Mysore army that is Hyder Ali, made some more additions. But my interest is not of this period that is from here to Tipu Sultan as this part of the fort has been studied and highlighted in great detail.
After the fall of the Vijaynagar empire, Srirangapatna gained importance as Mysore King Raja Wodeyar shifted his capital from Mysore to this place, informs Murali. Further, the 12thand the very famous and young scion of the Wodeyar dynasty, Kanthirava Narasaraja 1 rebuilt the Srirangapatna fort. Kannadigas are very familiar with his achievements as stadiums and studios in Bengaluru are named after him. Kanthirava was a very powerful wrestler and a military-strategist and Kannada matinee legend Raj Kumar played the king’s part in the blockbuster movie “Ranadeera Kanteerava”.
This was a movie that was made based on facts taken from historical records. It was from the Srirangapatna fort that the powerful Wodeyar king defended his capital from the invading Adil Shahis of Bijapur and packed them off with huge losses on the war field.
It is the Mysore dynasty which has contributed immensely to the development of Srirangapatna as capital and till 1766, this citadel was turned into a military force during the rule of Krishnaraja Wodeyar.
However, it is the latest additions to the fort (made after 1766)that one gets to see as this has been highlighted and developed for tourism. Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan ruled till 1799 for a period of 33 years before the British captured this ancient fort. Even today, the island fort on the banks of the Cauvery remains hidden and practically unknown with only the locals aware of its long history and the contributions going back to a bygone era.
How To Get There
Srirangapatna is just 22 kilometres from Mysore in Karnataka and about 129 kms from the capital city of Bengaluru. If you want to visit the ancient part of the Srirangapatna Fort, it is about a kilometre from the burial place of Tipu Sultan.
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