MAHARASHTRA: FORT ARCHITECTURE
- Malika Vaidya
- Mar 28, 2021
- 4 min read
The fort architecture of Maharashtra, especially during the Maratha dynasty, formed the backbone of their defence against the mighty Mughal rule and the invasion of the Portuguese from the sea. The article provides insight into the various forts constructed and the typical features shared by these forts.
FORTS
Forts were considered as a primary defence mechanism against invaders since ancient times. Similar to the dynasties of North India, the Saurashtra region’s best defence against the invaders were forts of various forms as its topography ranged from the hilly Sahyadris to the coastal plains.
Known as ‘Killa’ (Quila in Urdu) in Marathi, the forts were naturally and artificially protected human settlements which were further protected by natural elements like the hills, desert, forests and the sea. The forts in Maharashtra were classified into various types, based on their location and function.
Hill Forts – known as ‘Giri Durg’, where Giri means mountain and Durg is a term for fort, were constructed deep and high in the hills and cut from the stone of those mountains. The steep slopes and altitudes of these forts made them impenetrable and daunting to the enemy eyes. These were considered more fortified and reliable in comparison to the land forts. Some examples of these type of forts are Raigad,Rajgad,Sinhagad,Pratapgad and Shivneri.
Land Forts – known as ‘Bhuikot’, these forts were constructed on the plains. Some examples of these type of forts are Chakan fort, Bahadurgad, Solapur fort and Ahmednagar fort.
Sea Forts – known as ‘Jal Durg’, were forts built in the middle of the sea at a shallow point. Though a few forts of this type existed before the Maratha dynasty, it was Chhatrapati Shivaji, considered as the father of the Indian Navy, who realised the importance of sea forts. Under his rule, the Maratha dynasty grew an admirable Navy with Kanhoji Angre as his Chief of Naval Staff, leading the charge against enemy invaders through the sea. Forts like Janjeera were considered virtually impregnable and helped control sea traffic and trade. Other forts like Sindhudurg and Padmadurg are some excellent examples of sea forts.
Forest Forts – known as ‘vana Durg’, these forts were built in dense forests and were protected by tress, reptiles and wild animals.
Some forts were a combination of land and sea forts like the Vijaydurg fort or a combination of hill and dense forests like the Daulatabad fort.
The most common type of forts were the hill forts which were scattered all over the Sahyadri mountain range and were located at short distances from each other and could be reached by crossing a couple of mountains over. In the unfortunate event of one fort getting captured by the enemy, the short distance helped the king and his officials to escape and take control of the nearby fort.
Though the forts were of different types, some main features were typical to most forts. Let us take a look at these:
Ghera was the outermost boundary that encompassed the main fort and the villages in its vicinity.
Chowkis were outposts in and near the forts to warn the people within the fort of any impending danger and keep a check on travellers.
Mets were smaller outposts on flat areas midway to the fort, manned by locals who were familiar with the surroundings and could even maintain a vigil at night.
Kada was the vertical portion of the fort and was the most difficult to scale. Tanaji Malusare, a commandant of Shivaji’s forces, is famous for climbing the hill fort of Sinhagad from the ‘Donagiri kada’ as the other entrances were heavily guarded during the battle.
Buruj were Bastions built joining the fort walls which inadvertently strengthened the fort walls. They were semi-circular extensions that protruded on the outside of the fort walls and also served as watch towers or a base for firing cannons.
Mahadarwaza was the main entrance of the fort which was large enough for an elephant to pass through. The gate was covered with rows and columns of long iron spikes to prevent an enemy elephant or a wooden rammer from forcing open the gates. A long flight of steps led to the Mahadarwaza, especially for forts located high above the ground such as the Raigad fort.
Smaller forts, called Pedhis, had nagarkhanas (drum houses) which were built over the Mahadarwaza either as watch posts or administrative offices. The gates had a wicket gate built within called Dindi Darwaza, which was opened to let small amounts of human traffic to pass through.
The main entrance was built in a special formation called the Gomukhi Dwar Rachana (cow mouth formation), where the bastions were built in the shape of a cow’s mouth. This formation formed a curved pathway which prevented a direct frontal attack.
Maachi was the vast expanse of open ground after the main entrance gate. It housed residential quarters and administrative offices and was always fortified by high walls at the periphery.
The official quarters of the fort’s commander were called Raj Sadar and the residential quarters of the king was called the Raj Mandir. Other buildings and structures in the fort included the khalbatkhaana (strategy room), ambaarkhaana(granary), toffkhaana (gunpowder storage), horse stables, water reservoirs, prisons, temples, smaller residential quarters and administrative offices.
The pinnacle point of the fort, baalekilla, was doubly fortified to be a fort within a fort. It was made so, to become the last point of defence in case of an enemy invasion.
The smooth sailing of administration was ensured by appointing three high ranking officials of different castes but holding the same rank in the fort, to prevent corruption and conspiracy with the enemy. The posts were never hereditary and no officers related to each other were given command of forts in proximity of each other. Apart from soldiers and officers, an adequate number of craftsman and priests in the form of Vaidya (doctors) were kept in the fort.
The Maratha king, Chhatrapati Shivaji, understood the importance of good fort defence. He ensured the upkeep of all three hundred and sixty forts in Maharashtra and ensured that they were always in the possession of the king.
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