Forts in India

The capital of each raja or chieftain was a fort around which a township grew and developed; this pattern can be seen in many South Asian cities such as Delhi, Agra, Rajasthan, Lahore, Pune, Kolkata, Surat and Mumbai. Two forts in India are UNESCO World Heritage sites: the Agra Fort and the Red Fort. The oldest surviving fort in India is the Qila Mubarak at Bathinda which had it origins in 100 AD during the Kushan empire. The Kangra Fort in Kangra believed to have been built by the still surviving dynasty after the battle of kurukshetra. The fort was written about by the scribes of Alexander the Great, thus making it the oldest fort in India.

Medieval Delhi developed around Chandni Chowk, the township adjoining the Red Fort while Kolkata came about Fort William built by the British. Many small towns ranging from Jhansi to Chandragiri grew around forts. Some towns even acquired the names from the forts. Durg is fort in Hindi. Satara was so named because of the seven forts that surround the Satara city.

The conquest of, or battles for the forts of India have been significant occasions in Indian history. The capture of Qila Mubarak (Bathinda) in 1004 AD by Mahmud of Ghazni heralded the advent of Islamic rule in India. The struggle of Shivaji against the Mughals in the seventeenth century and his reign occur against the backdrop of forts in the Deccan. There are more than 500 forts in Maharashtra. The importance of forts was at its peak during Maratha empire. The capture of Seringapatam and death of Tippu Sultan in 1799 cemented British rule in South India. The capture of Gawilghur by Arthur Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington, ended the Maratha threat to British rule in Central India at the time of the Second Anglo-Maratha War. After the demolition of Marathe empire, Britishers abandoned many forts and ruined them.

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