Gooty Fort

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Gooty Fort
Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh
Near Gooty in India
Gooty Fort.JPG
Gooty Fort is located in Andhra Pradesh
Gooty Fort
Gooty Fort
Location in Andhra Pradesh, India
Coordinates15°06′48″N 77°39′05″E / 15.1133979°N 77.6514648°E / 15.1133979; 77.6514648
TypeFortress
Garrison information
Past
commanders		Murari Rao, Thomas Munro

The Gooty Fort, also known as Ravadurg, is a ruined fort located on a hill in the Gooty town of Andhra Pradesh, India. The word Gooty (locally pronounced "Gutti") is derived from the town's original name, Gowthampuri. It is one of the centrally protected monuments of national importance.[1]

History[]

Eight inscriptions have been found on the rocks close to the Narasimha temple located within the fort premises. These inscriptions are seriously damaged, but appear to be from the reign of the Western Chalukya king Vikramaditya VI (r. c. 1076-1126 CE). The earliest of the existing fortifications and other structures can be dated to the late Chalukya period.[2]

The fort later came under the control of the Vijayanagara Empire. During the reign of Venkata II (r. c. 1584-1614), the Vijayanagara lost the fort to the Qutb Shahi dynasty. The Mughals appear to have controlled the fort after their conquest of the Qutb Shahi capital Golconda. Around 1746 CE, the Maratha general Murari Rao captured the fort, and made it his permanent residence eight years later. He repaired the fort, and commissioned the stucco ornamentation of the small gateways.[2]

In 1775 CE, the Mysore ruler Hyder Ali attacked and besieged the fort. After two months, Murari Rao was forced to surrender, as he ran out of water supplies. The fort later came under the control of the East India Company. Its administrator Thomas Munro was buried at the cemetery located at the foothill.[2]

Architecture[]

The fort is located on a group of hills that rise up to 680 m above the sea level. The hills are connected by lower spurs. The citadel of the fort is located on the westernmost hill, with only one entrance known as "Mar Gooty."[3] The summit of the citadel has two buildings, apparently a granary and a gunpowder magazine. The ruined Narasimha temple is located near the summit. On a 300 m high cliff, there is a small pavilion called "Murari Rao's seat", which provides a panoramic view of the town below. It is said that the Maratha general Murari Rao used to play chess and swing here.[2]

The lower fortifications comprise a series of ramparts, which are connected by gateways and flanked by bastions. Numerous reservoirs excavated on the rock clefts were used to trap the seasonal rainwater.[2] 108 wells were also dug within the fort walls.[4]

There are several ruined buildings within the fort, including granaries, storerooms, and magazines. Some of these were used as prisons by the East India Company administrator Thomas Munro.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ "Centrally Protected Monuments". Archeological Survey of India. Archived from the original on 26 June 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Monuments in Anantpur". Archaeological Survey of India, Hyderabad Circle. Archived from the original on 14 June 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  3. ^ Vinayak, Akshatha (12 July 2016). "Gooty Fort: Remembering Those Times". nativeplanet.com. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Historic Gooty fort in need of renovation". The Hindu. 7 June 2016.
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