| Daulatabad Fort | |
|---|---|
| Daulatabad,Aurangabad District,Maharashtra | |
 | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Fort |
| Owner |  Government of India |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 19°56′34″N75°12′47″E / 19.942724°N 75.213164°E /19.942724; 75.213164 |
Daulatabad Fort, originallyDeogiri Fort, is a historic fortified citadel located in Daulatabad village nearAurangabad,Maharashtra, India. It was the capital of theYadavas (9th century – 14th century CE), for a brief time the capital of theDelhi Sultanate (1327–1334), and later a secondary capital of theAhmadnagar Sultanate (1499–1636).[1][2][3][4][5]
Around the 6th century CE, Devagiri emerged as an important uplands town near present-day Aurangabad, along caravan routes going towards western and southern India.[6][7][8][9] The historical triangular fortress in the city was initially built around 1187 by the first Yadava monarch,Bhillama V.[10] In 1308, the city wasannexed byAlauddin Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate, which ruled over some parts of thenorthern India. In 1327,Muhammad bin Tughluq of theDelhi Sultanate renamed Devagiri as Daulatabad and shifted his imperial capital to the city fromDelhi, ordering a mass migration of Delhi's population to the now Daulatabad. However, Muhammad bin Tughluq reversed his decision in 1334 and the capital of the Delhi Sultanate was shifted back to Delhi.[11]
In 1499, Devagiri, already renamed Daulatabad, became part of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, who used it as their secondary capital. In 1610, near Daulatabad Fort, the new city of Aurangabad, then named Khadki, was established to serve as the capital of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate by theEthiopian military leaderMalik Ambar, who was brought to India as a slave but rose to become a popular Prime Minister of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate. Most of the present-day fortifications at Daulatabad Fort were constructed under the Ahmadnagar Sultanate.
The area of the city the hill-fortress of Devagiri (sometimes Latinised to Deogiri). It stands on a conical hill, about 200 meters high. Much of the lower slopes of the hill has been cut away byYadava dynasty rulers to leave 50-meter vertical sides to improve defenses. The only means of access to the summit is by a narrow bridge, with the passage for not more than two people abreast, and a long gallery, excavated in the rock, which has, for the most part, a very gradual upward slope.[12]
About midway along this gallery, the access gallery has steep stairs, the top of which is covered by a grating intended to form the hearth of a huge fire kept burning by the garrison above in times of war.[13] At the summit, and at intervals on the slope, are specimens of massive old cannon facing out over the surrounding countryside. Also at the midway, there is a cave entrance meant to confuse the enemies.[14]
The fort had the following specialties which are listed along with their advantages :
Daulatabad (19°57'N 75°15'E) is located at a distance of 16 km northwest ofAurangabad, the district headquarters and midway to theEllora Caves.[15] The original widespread capital city is now mostly unoccupied and has been reduced to a village. Much of its survival depends on the tourists to the old city and the adjacent fort.
_in_the_Catalan_Atlas_(1375).jpg)
_in_the_Catalan_Atlas_(1375).jpg)
) at the center, in theCatalan Atlas (1375). On top of the city ofDiogil floats a peculiar flag (
), while coastal cities are under the black flag of theDelhi Sultanate (.png)
).[16][17] Devagiri was ultimately captured by'Alā ud-Dīn Khaljī in 1307.[18] The trading ship raises the flag of theIlkhanate (
)..jpg)
The site had been occupied since at least 100 BC, and now has remains ofHindu andJain temples similar to those atAjanta andEllora.[19] A series of niches carved withJainTirthankara in cave 32.[20]
The city is said to have been founded c. 1187 byBhillama V, aYadava prince who renounced his allegiance to theChalukyas and established the power of the Yadava dynasty in the west.[21] During the rule of the Yadava kingRamachandra,Alauddin Khalji of the Delhi Sultanateraided Devagiri in 1296, forcing the Yadavas to pay a hefty tribute.[22] When the tribute payments stopped, Alauddin sent asecond expedition to Devagiri in 1308, forcing Ramachandra to become his vassal.[23]
In 1328,Muhammad bin Tughluq of the Delhi sultanate transferred the capital of his kingdom to Devagiri, and renamed it Daulatabad. The sultan made Daulatabad (Devagiri) his second capital in 1327.[24] Some scholars argue that the idea behind transferring the capital was rational, because it lay more or less in the centre of the kingdom, and geographically secured the capital from the north-west frontier attacks.
In the Daulatabad fort, Tughluq found the area arid and dry. His capital-shift strategy failed miserably. Hence he shifted back to Delhi and earned the moniker "Mad King".
The next important event in the Daulatabad fort time-line was the construction of theChand Minar by theBahmani Sultan Hasan Gangu Bahmani, also known as Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah (r. 3 August 1347 – 11 February 1358).
Hasan Gangu built the Chand Minar as a replica of the Qutb Minar of Delhi, of which he was a great fan. He employed Iranian architects to build the Minar, who used lapis lazuli and red ocher for coloring. Currently, the Minar is out of bounds for tourists, because of a suicide case.
The Chini Mahal, located further inside the fort, is believed to date back to the Nizam Shahi dynasty. Later, it was repurposed as a prison by the Mughals, reputedly holdingAbul Hasan Qutb Shah of theGolconda Sultanate of Hyderabad.[citation needed]
Most of the present-day fortification was constructed under the Bahmanis and the Nizam Shahs of Ahmednagar Sultanate.[1]The Mughal Governor of theDeccan underShah Jahan,captured the fortress in 1632 and imprisoned theNizam Shahi prince.[25]
It was captured by theMaratha Empire in 1760.
In Hindu lore,Lord Shiva is believed to have stayed on the hills surrounding this region. Hence the fort was originally known as Devagiri, literally meaning "hills of god".[26][27]
Daulatabad is a fortified city that is the cumulative result of 1000 years of building history, overseen by successive rulers of theDeccan.[28] It can be divided into three distinct zones: Balakot, the innermost fortification atop the conical hill itself; Kataka, the intermediate fortification; and Ambarkot, the outermost defense wall which encloses most of the historic city.[29][30]
Balakot is the name given to the rock fort upon the conical Deogiri hill, and was termed so by the Tughluqs.[31] The Yadavas initiated this fortification by scarping the slopes of the hill until they were vertical, rising 50m above ground, and excavated a deep moat at the base of the hill.[32] The Balakot site contains a number of palatial buildings. The most notable is theChini Mahal, dating to the Nizam Shahi dynasty. There is no evidence tying it to any specific builder[citation needed]; it likely originates from the early days of the dynasty, and takes its name from blue/white tiles set into its facade. The palace is in a crumbling state, and currently survives as a long hall, with an entrance on one side. The palace may have been larger in the past, but was destroyed by the Mughals and converted into a prison.[33][34]
Beneath the northern flank of Balakot is a derelict palace building of the Mughal emperorShah Jahan, built after theMughal capture of the fort in 1633. It consists of two large courts, an apartment building towards the west, and ahammam. Another pavilion of Shah Jahan is found beneath the summit of Balakot.[35] Balakot also contains a ruined royal residence dating to the 15th century, built by the Bahmani dynasty during its early days.[31]
Kataka is a circular, intermediary fort at the Daulatabad site. It was built by Tughluq commanders as an expansion to Balakot, occupying its northern and eastern flanks, adjoining the base of the Devagiri hill. The defensive wall is a massive double rampart, featuring bastions and moats.[31] Lying just outside the eastern entrance of the wall is a Mughal-erahammam.[35] A notable structure within Kataka is the largeJami mosque of Daulatabad, which dates to 1318.[36] A short distance away is theChand Minar. Located within a sector of the fort called Mahakot, it is an exceptionally tall tower built by Alauddin Bahmani in 1446 to commemorate his capture of Daulatabad. Its base is concealed by a small structure, which contains a mosque.[37]
Ambarkot is the outermost defence wall at the Daulatabad site, enclosing most of the historic city. It is typically attributed toMalik Ambar, minister of the Nizam Shahis, but may have been built by the Tughluqs. It is elliptical in shape, and spans two kilometres north to south. Similar to Kataka, the Ambarkot rampart consists of two defence walls. ScholarPushkar Sohoni notes that there are a number of historic structures around the Ambarkot walls that have not been investigated yet.[31][30]
Daulatabad is in the outskirts ofAurangabad, and is on the Aurangabad -Ellora road (National Highway 2003). Aurangabad is well connected by road and 20 km away from Devagiri.[38]
Daulatabad railway station is located on the Manmad-Purna section ofSouth Central Railways[39] and also on the Mudkhed-Manmad section of theNanded Division ofSouth Central Railway. Until reorganisation in 2005, it was a part of theHyderabad Division Aurangabad is a major station near Daulatabad. TheDevagiri Express regularly operates betweenMumbai andSecunderabad,Hyderabad, via the city ofAurangabad.
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Daulatabad".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 848–849....helps identify another curious flag found in northern India – a brown or originally silver flag with a vertical black line – as the flag of the Delhi Sultanate (602-962/1206-1555).
The sultan captured the Rajput fort of Chitor, in Rājasthān, and in 1310 he subjected most of the Deccan to his power. He took Devagiri – the capital of the Yādava – in 1307
The Zenana., a poem byLetitia Elizabeth Landon.Aurangabad district topics | ||
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