Daulatabad Fort, originally Deogiri Fort, is a historic fortified citadel located in Daulatabad village near Aurangabad,

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

, India. It was the capital of the Yadavas (9th century – 14th century CE), for a brief time the capital of the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate or the Sultanate of Delhi was a Medieval India, late medieval empire primarily based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for more than three centuries.

(1327–1334), and later a secondary capital of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate (1499–1636). Around the 6th century CE, Devagiri emerged as an important uplands town near present-day Sambhajinagar, along caravan routes going towards western and southern India. The historical triangular fortress in the city was initially built around 1187 by the first Yadava monarch, Bhillama V. In 1308, the city was

annexed Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held to ...

Alauddin Khalji Alauddin Khalji (; ), born Ali Gurshasp, was a ruler from the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate in the Indian subcontinent. Alauddin instituted a number of significant administrative changes in the Delhi Sultanate, related to revenue ...

of the Delhi Sultanate, which ruled over some parts of the

northern India North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...

. In 1327,

Muhammad bin Tughluq Muhammad bin Tughluq (; ; 1290 – 20 March 1351), or Muhammad II, also named Jauna Khan as Crown Prince, further known by his epithets, The Eccentric Prince, or The Mad Sultan, was the eighteenth Sultan of Delhi. He reigned from 4 February 1 ...

of the

renamed Devagiri as Daulatabad and shifted his imperial capital to the city from

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, ordering a mass migration of Delhi's population to the now Daulatabad. However, Muhammad bin Tughluq reversed his decision in 1334 and the capital of the Delhi Sultanate was shifted back to Delhi. In 1499, Devagiri, already renamed Daulatabad, became part of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, who used it as their secondary capital. In 1610, near Daulatabad Fort, the new city of Sambhajinagar, then named Khadki, was established to serve as the capital of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate by the

Ethiopian Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...

military leader Malik Ambar, who was brought to India as a slave but rose to become a popular Prime Minister of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate. Most of the present-day fortifications at Daulatabad Fort were constructed under the Ahmadnagar Sultanate.

Fort

The area of the city the hill-fortress of Devagiri (sometimes Latinised to Deogiri). It stands on a conical hill, about 200 meters high. Much of the lower slopes of the hill has been cut away by Yadava dynasty rulers to leave 50-meter vertical sides to improve defenses. The only means of access to the summit is by a narrow bridge, with the passage for not more than two people abreast, and a long gallery, excavated in the rock, which has, for the most part, a very gradual upward slope. About midway along this gallery, the access gallery has steep stairs, the top of which is covered by a grating intended to form the hearth of a huge fire kept burning by the garrison above in times of war. At the summit, and at intervals on the slope, are specimens of massive old cannon facing out over the surrounding countryside. Also at the midway, there is a cave entrance meant to confuse the enemies. The fort had the following specialties which are listed along with their advantages : # No separate exit from the fort, only one entrance/exit - This is designed to confuse the enemy soldiers to drive deep into the fort in search of an exit, at their own peril. # No parallel gates - This is designed to break the momentum of the invading army. Also, the flag mast is on the left hill, which the enemy will try to capture, thus will always turn left. But the real gates of the fort are on the right & the false ones on the left, thus confusing the enemy. # Spikes on the gates - In the era before gunpowder, intoxicated

war elephant A war elephant is an elephant that is Animal training, trained and guided by humans for combat purposes. Historically, the war elephant's main use was to charge (warfare), charge the enemy, break their ranks, and instill terror and fear. Elep ...

s were used as battering rams to break open the gates. The presence of spikes ensured that the elephants died of injury. # Complex arrangement of entryways, curved walls, false doors - Designed to confuse the enemy, false, but well-designed gates on the left side lured the enemy soldiers in & trapped them inside, eventually feeding them to crocodiles. # The hill is shaped to discourage climbing, though historical sources on its specific design features are unclear.

City

Daulatabad (19°57'N 75°15'E) is located at a distance of 16 km northwest of Chatrapati Sambhajinagar, the district headquarters and midway to the Ellora Caves. The original widespread capital city is now mostly unoccupied and has been reduced to a village. Much of its survival depends on the tourists to the old city and the adjacent fort. Daulatabad Fort from MH SH 22 View Point

Daulatabad Fort from MH SH 22 View Point

History

The site had been occupied since at least 100 BC, and now has remains of

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

and

Jain temple A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings ge ...

s similar to those at Ajanta and Ellora. A series of niches carved with Jain

Tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...

in cave 32. The city is said to have been founded c. 1187 by Bhillama V, a

Yadava The Yadava (), not to be confused with Yadav, were an ancient Indian people who believed to have descended from Yadu (legendary king), Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the #T ...

prince who renounced his allegiance to the

Chalukya The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynas ...

s and established the power of the Yadava dynasty in the west. During the rule of the Yadava king Ramachandra,

of the Delhi Sultanate raided Devagiri in 1296, forcing the Yadavas to pay a hefty tribute. When the tribute payments stopped, Alauddin sent a second expedition to Devagiri in 1308, forcing Ramachandra to become his vassal. In 1328,

of the Delhi sultanate transferred the capital of his kingdom to Devagiri, and renamed it Daulatabad. The sultan made Daulatabad (Devagiri) his second capital in 1327. Some scholars argue that the idea behind transferring the capital was rational, because it lay more or less in the centre of the kingdom, and geographically secured the capital from the north-west frontier attacks. In the Daulatabad fort, Tughluq found the area arid and dry. His capital-shift strategy failed miserably. Hence he shifted back to Delhi and earned the moniker "Mad King". The next important event in the Daulatabad fort time-line was the construction of the Chand Minar by the Bahmani Sultan Hasan Gangu Bahmani, also known as Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah (r. 3 August 1347 – 11 February 1358). Hasan Gangu built the Chand Minar as a replica of the Qutb Minar of Delhi, of which he was a great fan. He employed Iranian architects to build the Minar, who used lapis lazuli and red ocher for coloring. Currently, the Minar is out of bounds for tourists, because of a suicide case. The Chini Mahal, located further inside the fort, is believed to date back to the Nizam Shahi dynasty. Later, it was repurposed as a prison by the Mughals, reputedly holding Abul Hasan Qutb Shah of the Golconda Sultanate of Hyderabad. Most of the present-day fortification was constructed under the Bahmanis and the Nizam Shahs of Ahmednagar Sultanate. The Mughal Governor of the Deccan under

Shah Jahan Shah Jahan I, (Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram; 5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), also called Shah Jahan the Magnificent, was the Emperor of Hindustan from 1628 until his deposition in 1658. As the fifth Mughal emperor, his reign marked the ...

, captured the fortress in 1632 and imprisoned the Nizam Shahi prince. It was captured by the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

in 1760.

Legend

In Hindu lore, Lord Shiva is believed to have stayed on the hills surrounding this region. Hence the fort was originally known as Devagiri, literally meaning "hills of god".

Structure

Daulatabad is a fortified city that is the cumulative result of 1000 years of building history, overseen by successive rulers of the Deccan. It can be divided into three distinct zones: Balakot, the innermost fortification atop the conical hill itself; Kataka, the intermediate fortification; and Ambarkot, the outermost defense wall which encloses most of the historic city.

Balakot

Balakot is the name given to the rock fort upon the conical Deogiri hill, and was termed so by the Tughluqs. The Yadavas initiated this fortification by scarping the slopes of the hill until they were vertical, rising 50m above ground, and excavated a deep moat at the base of the hill. The Balakot site contains a number of palatial buildings. The most notable is the Chini Mahal, dating to the Nizam Shahi dynasty. There is no evidence tying it to any specific builder; it likely originates from the early days of the dynasty, and takes its name from blue/white tiles set into its facade. The palace is in a crumbling state, and currently survives as a long hall, with an entrance on one side. The palace may have been larger in the past, but was destroyed by the Mughals and converted into a prison. Beneath the northern flank of Balakot is a derelict palace building of the Mughal emperor

, built after the Mughal capture of the fort in 1633. It consists of two large courts, an apartment building towards the west, and a ''

hammam A hammam (), also often called a Turkish bath by Westerners, is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited from the model ...

''. Another pavilion of Shah Jahan is found beneath the summit of Balakot. Balakot also contains a ruined royal residence dating to the 15th century, built by the Bahmani dynasty during its early days.

Kataka

Kataka is a circular, intermediary fort at the Daulatabad site. It was built by Tughluq commanders as an expansion to Balakot, occupying its northern and eastern flanks, adjoining the base of the Devagiri hill. The defensive wall is a massive double rampart, featuring bastions and moats. Lying just outside the eastern entrance of the wall is a Mughal-era ''hammam''. A notable structure within Kataka is the large Jami mosque of Daulatabad, which dates to 1318. A short distance away is the Chand Minar. Located within a sector of the fort called Mahakot, it is an exceptionally tall tower built by Alauddin Bahmani in 1446 to commemorate his capture of Daulatabad. Its base is concealed by a small structure, which contains a mosque.

Ambarkot

Ambarkot is the outermost defence wall at the Daulatabad site, enclosing most of the historic city. It is typically attributed to Malik Ambar, minister of the Nizam Shahis, but may have been built by the Tughluqs. It is elliptical in shape, and spans two kilometres north to south. Similar to Kataka, the Ambarkot rampart consists of two defence walls. Scholar Pushkar Sohoni notes that there are a number of historic structures around the Ambarkot walls that have not been investigated yet.

Transport

Road Transport

Daulatabad is in the outskirts of Aurangabad, and is on the Aurangabad - Ellora road (National Highway 2003). Aurangabad is well connected by road and 20 km away from Devagiri.

Rail Transport

Daulatabad railway station is located on the Manmad-Purna section of South Central Railways and also on the Mudkhed-Manmad section of the Nanded Division of South Central Railway. Until reorganisation in 2005, it was a part of the

Hyderabad Division Hyderabad Division () is an administrative division of the Sindh Province of Pakistan. It was abolished in 2000 but restored again on 11 July 2011. CNIC code of Hyderabad Division is 41. Hyderabad is the divisional headquarters of Hyderabad ...

Aurangabad is a major station near Daulatabad. The Devagiri Express regularly operates between

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

and

Secunderabad Secunderabad () is a twin cities, twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the South ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

, via the city of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar.

Gallery

File:Daulatabad fort21.jpeg, Front view of Daulatabad fort File:Chand minar21.jpeg, Chand Minar File:Daulatabad, Aurangabad - panoramio (106).jpg, Jain relics File:Daulatabad, Aurangabad - panoramio (76).jpg, Jain Relics File:Aurangabad - Daulatabad Fort (75).JPG, Daulatabad Fort File:Daulatabad Fort 1.jpg, Daulatabad Fort File:Daulatabad, Maharashtra.jpg, Daulatabad, Aurangabad File:DaulatabadPrison.JPG, Daulatabad Prison File:Gateway to Daulatabad Fort - Daulatabad - Maharashtra - 1.jpg, Gateway to Daulatabad Fort File:Daulatabad fort entrance.JPG, Daulatabad fort entrance File:Aurangabad - Daulatabad Fort (69).JPG, Aurangabad-Daulatabad Fort File:DaulatabadFort.JPG, Dualatabad Fort File:DaulatabadFORT Khandak.jpg, Daulatabad Fort File:Aurangabad - Daulatabad Fort (95).JPG, Aurangabad - Daulatabad Fort File:Aurangabad - Daulatabad Fort (30).JPG, Aurangabad - Daulatabad Fort File:DautlatabadFortGate.JPG, Daulatabad Fort Gate File:Daulatabad Fort Aurangabad.jpg, Daulatabad Fort -Aurangabad File:Daulatabad Fort - Exterior of Inner Fort.JPG, Daulatabad Fort File:Daulatabad Fort, Aurangabad, Maharashtra.jpg, Daulatabad Fort, Aurangabad File:Daulatabad Fort-51.jpg, Daulatabad Fort

References

External links

Daulatabad at the Islamic Monuments of India Photographic Database
* * * A painting of the fort by William Purser, engraved by R Sands, as an illustration to , a poem by Letitia Elizabeth Landon. {{Authority control Forts in Maharashtra Buildings and structures in Aurangabad, Maharashtra Former capital cities in India 1203 establishments in Asia 13th-century establishments in India