Devanahalli fort Travel Guide and tour delights

Situated a little away from the city of Bangalore there is a lovely fort which would provide the greatest tour delights for all those who come to this part of the world. This fort which is in the Devanahalli fort is a fort in a small town has been in the news of late for the new Bangalore International Airport that has come up here. Today this is the second largest airport in the India subcontinent.

The town of Devanahalli today has a majestic fort which is linked to this place and this region which is also the birthplace of the erstwhile ruler of Mysore Tipu sultan. This ruler Tipu Sultan also known as the Tiger of Mysore and was born here in the year 1750 AD.

The town dates back to the ancient times and this fort built by Mallbaregowda has been in the hands of the descendants since then till the 17th century was then occupied by the royal family of Tipu sultan. The fort that we see today has been reconstructed by Hyder Ali and then later by Tipu sultan sometime in the 17th century. Spread over an area of around 20 acres there is a special battlement within the fort. The Devanahalli fort is very akin to the Jaisalmer Golden Fort and is a fort which has any families living within.

There are around 12 bastions which are semi circular in shape. These are provided with gun points which are made of brick and lime. There are lovely entrances which are decorated with a lot of plasterwork on the west and the east. With small entrances, these were the most convenience methods of the horses that were here before.

The fort has a memorial that is situated around 150 m to the south west of the fort area. This is traditionally spotted as an area where the Sultan is said to be born. There is a structure here with four pillars and it is on top of a square platform with a lot of enclosures of masonry work. It has an entrance that is only in the eastern side.

How to reach the Devanahalli fort

Devanahalli is located near Bangalore city on the Hyderabad Bangalore on the National Highway NO. 7. Bangalore is the nearest railhead.

The fort is believed to have been the place where there was a refugee family from the modern day Kanchipuram then known as Conjeevaram, which took shelter here. Rana Baire Gowda was their leader, and tried to fulfill a dream he got to set up a settlement here in this region of the fort. His Morasu Wokkalu family settled in a place called Ahuti near the fort region. Today this place is known as Avati. Then his Malla Baire Gowda founded the region of Devanahalli, Dodda Ballapura and Chikka Ballapura. In fact the founder of Bangalore Kempegowda is also believed to be from this family of Morasu Wokkalu family.

This fort was called Yousafabad by Tipu Sultan Yousafabad means the place where Yousuf lives. Yousuf in Urdu means the finest man. The name never got famous and the British took over the fort during the Mysore British war. It was Lord Cornwallis who headed the British forces then.

Today the fort is a major tourist attraction for all those who come to this part of Bangalore in Indian travels. The house where Tipu and Haider Ali lived is there till date. The house belonging to the high ranking officer in Tipu’s court, Dewan Punaaih, is also found here.

There is a memorial here with a plaque. This plaque which is around 150m, high is to the southwestern side of the fort. It states Tipu took birth here in the year 1751. This plaque is around six feet tall and is also a pillared area with a square top and has a stone tablet.

The area that is found surrounding the enclosure is called the Khas Bagh and has a pond that is dried and has many plantations of tamarind, mango and banana plantations.

When we went here, we saw many temples in the Devanahalli fort. The Venugopalaswamy temple is one of these temples within. This is the oldest of the temples which faces the road. This has a lovely courtyard with a Garuda Stambha and is spacious with the temple walls showing a lot of scenes from the Indian Epic Ramayana and also the antics done by the Indian God Lord Krishna. The sculptures within the temple are in the lines of those found in Halebid and Belur. There are two horsemen that are shown standing at the entrance. There is a Garbagriha within which has a lovely image of Venugopala in true Vijaynagara style. A shikhara made on the lines of the Dravidian architecture is found over the temple. There is a Navaranga which has four black stoned pillars and has the best relief sculptures everywhere. There are figures of dancing females and also musicians, a conch blower, a huntress who is shown removing a thorn in her leg. Then there is another unique painting about the kinnara with the lower half of the body in bird form. There is also a teru which is a big chariot which is used to parade the Gopalaswamy idol around the town annually.

With the Siddhalingeswara and the Nanjudeshwara temples also major attractions within the fort, the Devanahalli fort certainly is a great place to visit in travels in Karnataka.