Visiting the historical fort in Karnataka, jogged Priyan R Naik’s memory to his delightful tour to the Shillong Peak.
Shillong weather always surprises me, one can experience sunshine, rain, mist, and even fog, all in a day. Shillong, when covered with fog, reminds me of the Manjarabad Fort in Karnataka.
Barely 5 kms away from the town of Sakleshpur, Karnataka the fort was constructed in the 1790s atop a hill by Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore (now Mysuru), busy establishing Mysore’s sovereignty by fighting the Nizam and the Marathas who had aligned with the British. Tipu had aligned with the French and sought help from the French engineers to build a fort, a rare example of French military architecture.
While on an inspection tour, Tipu Sultan found the completed fort enveloped in a fog and named it ‘Manjarabad Fort’, ‘Manjara’ a version of ‘manju’ meaning “fog” in Kannada. I was keen on visiting this fort despite being advised that the flight of stairs was too steep and would leave me exhausted midway! The hot weather was a compelling reason to visit the fort in the morning when it would be relatively cooler and without any fog.
The long flight of steps was a tough challenge and I had to pause at every possible landing, but the enchanting beauty of nature perceived by standing on the fort wall more than made up for every inconvenience. The final landing led to a wide passageway flanked by solid, looming granite walls; two sharp turns later the passageway ended at an arched entrance into the fort. I was wonder-struck by the scenic beauty all around, by the uneven hillocks masked in green, dense forests, valleys and streams that held me spell-bound making the steep climb worth its while. In fact, every spot on the walls and bastions offered a panoramic view of the surrounding hills all clothed in dense green reminding me of the Shillong Peak, the highest point in Shillong that offers bird’s-eye views of the city, the waterfalls, the Himalayas, the lush green surroundings and the Bangladesh plains.
Designed by France’s famous engineer Sebastien Vauban, the fort was built in the shape of an eight-pointed star with each wall capable of deflecting cannon fire while cannon on the insides covered all approaches due to the commanding view of the surroundings. Vauban had accommodation for soldiers built along the fort walls, making it easy for them to be deployed in case of an attack. Use of gunpowder in warfare had transformed forts from tall, high-walled structures into solid low-walled structures that would withstand pounding by cannons. Bastions that projected outwards from the walls were designed for soldiers to fire on anyone getting too close to the fort walls. The external walls of the fort were built with granite stones and lime mortar while the interior buildings including the army barracks, armoury and stores were built with fired bricks. Two underground cellars were built next to a deep well for storing gunpowder which was required to remain cool during summer.
Atop the fort only a top end view using a drone would allow one to see the eight pointed star contours of the fort. It was therefore amusing to see a notice specifying that use of drones was strictly prohibited. No effort had been made to inform the public about this
unique monument apart from an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) notice threatening imprisonment or fines for despoiling this protected monument. Visitors to the Fort would leave in just a few minutes, not realising that they had seen a marvel, one of the few remaining star-shaped forts in the world.
Was I the most well informed person that morning? Several people came up to me to ask how far up or how many steps remained? One lady even wanted to know how Tipu’s horse was able to climb the steps?
In contrast, the Shillong Peak is a popular tourist site, without any trek, the steep climb is entirely covered by the car driving its passengers to the top. The views of both are spectacular, and liberating. The combination of the greens and clouds is what are the highlight of both, making it a pleasurable trip.
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(Priyan R Naik is a Bengaluru based contributor at The Shillong Times)