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THE
HISTORIC FORT
Belgaum Fort, one of the oldest monuments of Karnataka is located in the
heart of Belgaum. Jai Raya, an ally of
the Ratta Dynasty, built the 13th century original structure built of
stone-and-mud.
Yakub Ali Khan of the Bijapur
Sultanate who took possession of the fort & built its huge walls,
bastions, battlements & the parapets rebuilt this fortress surrounded
by a deep moat.
This interesting monument, where mosques & temples co-exist, has a
proud history, under the Rattas, Vijayanagar emperors, Bijapur Sultans,
Marathas & finally the British.
Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned here during the British rule. Most of the
monuments around the fort were built in the beginning of the 13th century.
The Shrines, The Mosques And The Bastis
At the entrance are two shrines, one devoted to Shri Ganapathi and another
to goddess Durga. Inside the Fort are two 'bastis' built in the Late
Chalukyan style. Of these, the more famous is the Kamala Basti, built in
1204 AD.
To its right is a Jain Temple, now in ruins. The Safa Masjid is one of
the two mosques inside the fort it is the main attraction of the fort and
also the best mosque in the whole city.
The minars, domes and the arches point to a fusion of Indo-Saracenic and
Deccan styles of architecture.
The staircase and wooden doors are replete with exquisite carvings. Two
of the circular pillars in the Jamia Hall are said to be from old temples.
The sense of the past is all pervading here. Some of the pillars have
Kannada inscriptions in the Nagari script while others have beautiful
Persian script forming exquisite calligraphic decorations.
Within the walls of the fort are two bastis in the late Chalukyan style.
In the Kamala Basti, the Neminatha idol in black stone should not be
missed. The masterpiece here is the Mukhmantapa with a well-executed lotus
on its ceiling.