The historic Mudgal town is about a 30-minute drive from Lingasugur, a taluk headquarters in Raichur district. A narrow road with fields of black cotton soil on both sides takes you there, and a further 10-minute drive lands you in front of the massive Mudgal Fort that still stands tall to tell stories of both bloody battles and peaceful coexistence.
The fort has a 1000-year history having connections to various dynasties, including the Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas Deccan Sultanate and Vijayanagara Empire. The fort gained prominence during the Bahmani Sultans who ruled large areas of the Deccan Plateau from Gulbarga (now Kalaburagi). It later went to the hands of the Vijayanagara Empire. After the Sultanate broke into five States (Nizam Shahi of Ahmednagar, Qutb Shahi of Golconda (Hyderabad), Barid Shahi of Bidar, Imad Shahi of Berar and Adil Shahi of Bijapur), the fort was a major cause of clashes between the Vijayanagara Empire and Adil Shahi Sultanate. The mighty armies of the two empires fought several bloody battles in the fort.
The view of Mudgal Fort on the east side.
| Photo Credit:
KUMAR BURADIKATTI
Strategic location
Standing on the border of the Adil Shahi and Vijayanagara empires, the Mudgal Fort witnessed as many as 11 battles between the 14th and 16th Centuries. The Bijapur and Vijayanagara viewed it as a symbol of power and pride because of its strategic location to control the large Raichur Doab,the land between Tungabhadra on the south and Krishna on the north.
“Raichur Doab between Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers is fertile land for agriculture. It has also had rich mineral resources including gold. Hutti goldmine, which is around 40 km from Mudgal, has been in operation since ancient times. Because of these factors and its strategic location, both Vijayanagara Empire and Adil Shahi Sultanate wanted it to be used as a strategic military outpost,” Basavaraj Kodagunti, Kannada professor at the Central University of Karnataka, who has studied the inscriptions found the fort, told The Hindu.
The alteration and fortifications made to the fort after each battle demonstrate the fort’s transformation from one hand to another. The winners either built new structures or altered the existing ones to leave behind their impression of victory.
The inscriptions found inside the fort tell stories about the tumultuous past the region passed through. Historians and researchers have so far studied as many as 99 inscriptions etched on the fort walls and monuments in Kannada, Sanskrit, Telugu, Persian, Arabic and Gujarati languages.
Important among them are those that describe the bravery of Malik Murad Khan, the military general of Ibrahim Adil Shah II of Bijapur. He was the man who fought successful battles against the Vijayanagara Empire between 1590 and 1610.
A structure on the inside the Mudgal Fort.
| Photo Credit:
KUMAR BURADIKATTI
Mixed architectural style
The mixed architectural styles of the monuments and traditions followed by the people living inside the fort speak volumes about the peaceful coexistence of people from different cultural backgrounds. Just as the temples and Masjids remained intact even after the fort often changed hands from Muslim rulers to Hindu rulers and vice-versa, so was the harmony between the Hindus and Muslims inside the fort.
Ranganathaswamy Temple and Hussain Alam Dargah stand side-by-side sharing a common wall and the compound. Around 400 families of Muslims and Hindus (from different castes) still live peacefully inside the fort area following their respective customs and traditions.
A passage leading from Fateh Darwaza to the courtyard in the Mudgal Fort.
| Photo Credit:
KUMAR BURADIKATTI
Skill and craftsmanship
The fort’s architecture presents high skills and craftsmanship. The robust defensive walls, bastions, and watchtowers that were designed to withstand sieges and attacks amuse the visitors. The fort has several gates, each with intricate carvings and strategic placements for defence.
The main entrance on the north side of the fort, which is called Fateh Darwaza (the gate of the conqueror), leads to the vast courtyard through a narrow zig-zag track with several massive gates and concentric walls built to slow down the advancing enemy forces and provide additional layers of defence. Murad Khan’s several inscriptions are found in this area. In one of the inscriptions, it was described that the fortified gate was built by Murad Khan in memory of his victory against the Vijayanagara army.
Similar construction of a narrow zig-zag passage to enter and exit the fort can be seen on the east side of the fort. A massive wooden gate having heavy iron nails embedded in it can be seen here.
“During the siege of any fort, the attacking forces normally deployed elephants to break open the heavy fort gates. As a defensive measure, the gates were normally embedded with big pointed iron nails. If an elephant bangs the gate with its head, it will be severely injured. One such gate is in Mudgal fort,” Dr. Mahadevappa Nagaral, a scholar who did his PhD on Mudgal Fort, told The Hindu.
An Islamic structure inside the Mudgal Fort where God Alai sits to perform the rituals during Muharram.
| Photo Credit:
KUMAR BURADIKATTI
Muharram in Mudgal
Mudgal Fort hosts one of the biggest Muharram celebrations in Karnataka. Nearly a lakh people, both Hindus and Muslims, from different parts of North Karnataka and neighbouring states participate in the 10-day celebrations.
The celebration presents a blend of religious devotion, cultural expression, and community solidarity reflecting the town’s rich history and the deep respect for the values of sacrifice, justice, and unity taught by the battle of Karbala in central Iraq in 680 AD in memory of which the Muharram is celebrated.
Tazia processions are one of the important aspects of Muharram in Mudgal. Tazias, the replicas of the tomb of Husayn ibn Ali, are carried through the streets in a procession inside the fort. These processions see participation from people of different communities symbolizing unity and mutual respect.
Cultural activities are an integral part of Muharram in Mudgal Fort. Artistes from faraway places arrive in the town during the festivities to present Hulivesha, Hejjemela, Halallibuvva and other folk forms apart from the presentation of Sufi music.
“Nearly one lakh devotees gather on the Kathal Raath (the night of murder) that is observed on the 9th day of Moharram. The celebration commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, during the Battle of Karbala,” Nagaral says.
Arabhavi, a beautifully designed step-well built by Chalukyas inside the fort, is also associated with the Muharram celebrations. As per the local people’s accounts, the images of Imam Husayn are brought from various places in North Karnataka to Mudgal Fort before the commencement of Muharram and given a holy bath in the well. They will then be taken back to their original places to be put in Muharram celebrations.
The abandoned pond inside the Mudgal Fort.
| Photo Credit:
KUMAR BURADIKATTI
Crying for care
The Mudgal Fort, which stands as a testament to the rich historical and cultural tapestry of Karnataka and India offering a glimpse into the region’s past through its enduring architectural, cultural and historical significance, is now a symbol of administrative apathy.
Garbage and plastic waste in the moat around the Mudgal Fort.
| Photo Credit:
KUMAR BURADIKATTI
A considerable portion of the fort, barring the areas inside the fort where people live and religious-cultural activities are held, is buried in thorny bushes and shrubs making it inaccessible to common people. Broken beer bottles and empty liquor pouches are thrown everywhere including the top of the watch towers and abandoned monuments of historical significance. The huge moat around the fort, which, if dredged and maintained properly, could be a source of water to quench the thirst of Mudgal residents, is filled with used plastic bottles and garbage.
Surprisingly, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is conspicuous by its absence here. Nor has the State government’s Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage done anything to conserve and maintain the historically significant fort.
People’s appeal
“We, like-minded residents of Mudgal, have been demanding the government to protect the Mudgal Fort for several years. We had submitted memorandums to the Assistant Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner and other higher-ups in the bureaucratic apparatus. We have been asking people’s representatives to take measures to develop Mudgal Fort into a major tourist destination in the region. Our cries fell on deaf ears,” said Mohan Singh, a Mudgal resident who has been fighting for the cause since 2012.