FORTS IN INDIA

Predented By :

Kaustubh Joshi

ABOUT INDIAN FORTS

Forts are important architectural relics of the

long history of South Asia. The capital of each

raja or chieftain was a fort around which a

township grew and developed; this pattern can

be seen in many South Asian cities such as

Delhi, Agra, Lahore, Pune, Calcutta and

Mumbai. The conquest of, or battles for the

forts of India have been significant occasions in

Indian history. Most of the forts in India are

actually castles or fortresses.

FORTS IN ANCIENT INDIA

In ancient times

fortified cities were

common in India. The

largest ones were

between the city of

Mathura (on the

Yamuna river) and

Magadha (on the

Ganges). Another

series of forts in the

south, was on the

Ujjain (on the

Narmada) leading into

the Deccan.

TYPES OF FORTS

Jal Durga : It is a fortress surrounded by

water. There are two subtypes - the island

fortress, or antardvipa-durga, and the plain

fortress or sthala-durga. The sea or the waters

of a river wash the first like Murud-Janjira.The

latter is encircled with artificial moats filled

with water or irrigated by a river. Plain

fortresses are naturally much more common.

TYPES OF FORTS

Giri durgs: Giri-durga, or parvata-durga, is

a hill or mountain fortress. There are three

varieties: prantara-durga, giri-parshva-durga

and guha-durga. Prantara-durga is a fortress

built on the summit (usually flat) of a hill or a

mountain. This was the most common type in

the Middle Ages, and the best examples are

the castles of Gwalior, Mehrangarh and

Chittor ..

TYPES OF FORTS

In giri-parshva-durga both major civilian

structures and fortifications extend down the

slope of a hill or mountain though the summit

is certainly included into the defence system,

too. The living quarters of a guha-durga

fortress are situated in a valley surrounded by

high, impassable hills. The hills house a chain

of outposts and signal towers connected by

extensive defensive walls.

TYPES OF FORTS

Vana durg :Vana durg or vrikshya-durga,

would be surrounded on all sides with a

dense, impassable forest over a distance of at

least 4 kroshas(14.6 km). Variations were the

khanjana-durga, built on fens and encircled

with thorny woods, and the sthambha-durga,

erected in the jungles among high trees but

lacking sufficient sources of water.

TYPES OF FORTS

Dhanu durga Dhanvana, dhanva, or maru-

durga are desert fortresses, usually to be

found in an arid area bare of trees, grass or

sources of water over a distance of no less

than 5 yojanas (73 km), hence its other name,

nirudaka-durga, or waterless fortress. An

airina-durga is built on saline soil of barren

tract or on fens impregnated with saline water

and protected by the thorny bushes that grow

there.

TYPES OF FORTS

Mahi durg There are three types of mahi-

durga or earth fortress. Mrid-durga are

encircled with earthen walls; the approaches

to panka-durga are protected by fens or

quicksand; and parigha-durga are surrounded

by walls made of earth and stone or brick,

their height exceeding 5.4m and their width

constituting half of the height.

TYPES OF FORTS

Nar durg or fortress with men, was

defended by a large and loyal army of proven

warriors, and was well supplied with arms. It

was usually a city fortress, well populated

with a substantial garrison. It was also called

nara-durga and bala-durga.

STATE OF FORTS TODAY

Although no Indian forts were destroyed by sudden

disasters, there are several which were abandoned

due to the ambitions of their rulers and have

consequently deteriorated over time. Very few

castles have survived unchanged since the early

Middle Ages or even since the 14th-15th centuries:

most of those built in the 10th-15th centuries were

later rebuilt and altered. Castles were still used as

living quarters until the 19th-20th centuries, and so

were continually modified. Even now, some of them

are private property.

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