Barabati Fort
Entrance of Barabati Fort
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Barabati Fort
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| Coordinates | 20°29′4.67″N 85°51′51.93″E / 20.4846306°N 85.8644250°ECoordinates: 20°29′4.67″N 85°51′51.93″E / 20.4846306°N 85.8644250°E |
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| Beginning date | 989 A.D. |
| Dedicated to | King Nrupa Keshari |
Barabati Fort is a 14th-century fort built by the Ganga dynasty near Cuttack, Odisha. The ruins of the fort remain with its moat, gate, and the earthen mound of the nine-storied palace, which evokes the memories of past days. Today it sits next to the modern Barabati Stadium, the venue of various sport events and cultural programs. There is also a temple dedicated to Katak Chandi, the presiding deity of the city, not far away from the fort. Now there are plans to develop the old Gadakhai into a world class tourist destination with boating facilities and a world class park. The renovation work of the Gadakhai is going on in full swing.
This medieval fort is situated at 20°29′1.32″N 85°52′3.36″E / 20.4837000°N 85.8676000°E, about 8 km away from the center of the Cuttack, at the apex of a delta formed by the river Mahanadi on the north and its distributary, the Kathajodi on the south, and is located at 14.62 metres above sea level.
Scholars give different opinions regarding the date of construction of Barabati fort. Madalapanji, the Jagannatha temple chronicle narrate an interesting story which is as follows.
King Bhima Parichha or Anangabhima II lived in his capital, Chaudwar. One day the king crossed the Mahanadi and came towards the southern side. Here he noticed in the Barabati village belonging to the Ko-danda sub-division that near the god Visweswar Deva, a heron had jumped upon a hawk. Seeing this the king was very much surprised and on an auspicious day laid the foundation of construction of the fort and this village was named Barabati Cuttack. And after that he left Choudwar and lived at Cuttack making it his capital.
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Wikipedia