Bangalore Fort, Bangalore

"Bangalore, like Madras, had a fort, with a pettah, or fortified town, outside it. This lay-out was a feature of almost all the cities or settlements in India, the fort providing a place of refuge for most of the inhabitants if the pettah was in danger of capture. The fort at Bangalore had a perimeter of about one mile; it was of solid masonry, surrounded by a wide ditch which was commanded from 26 towers placed at intervals along the ramparts. To its north lay the pettah, several miles in circumference and protected by an indifferent rampart, a deep belt of thorn and cactus, and a small ditch. Altogether Bangalore was not a place which invited attack."

— Lt. Col. E.W.C. Sandes, "The Military Engineer In India, Vol 1", AD 1791

Glory forgotten - Bangalore Fort - Delhi Gate

The unheralded advent of the year 2015 witnessed me relocating to Bangalore as an Associate System Engineer at IBM Global Business Services (IBM GBS) and almost a month later, am still glued to the city’s effortlessly diverse but surprisingly overlooked cultural scene – even the most commonplace roadside temples are fascinatingly detailed with unparalleled and vibrantly colored sculptures of Hindu deities and mythological creatures while the “rangoli” (imaginative, intricate patterns inscribed on the ground with colored flour/powders) drawn every morning outside the houses' threshold can bewitch anyone who isn’t aware of the local religio-cultural practices; the final touch is added by the hundreds of mosques, big and small, that dot the landscape and endeavor to begin the day with heartwarming “azaan” (call to the faithful for prayers, issued via loudspeakers by the preachers) and continue to send out impossibly uplifting baritones throughout the day. I met some really warm people at office and made some genuinely kind friends too and some of us have taken to exploring the city little by little as and when we can steal some time from the unimaginably hectic office hours that leave little time for getaways and travel, but it is fun to be in the office too – the 300-acre Manyata Embassy Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Tech Park sited at Rachenhalli/Nagawara leaves one breathless with its enormity as well as the headquarters/offices of numerous technological and consulting firms it boasts of – probably the only wish we have is that it wasn’t located in Nagawara, which is literally at the outskirts of the city, but somewhere near the center so we could have easily hopped off over the weekends to other locations too. Of course I do desperately miss Delhi but it is now time to visit and explore other parts of the country. And the first place we visited in this part of the country the very next day after starting office happened to be Bangalore Fort, or at least whatever little remains of it.

Bangalore Diary: Chapter I

The Lord of Yelahanka principality, Hiriya Kempe Gowda I (ruled AD 1513-69), a vassal of the renowned Vijayanagar Empire and a legendary warlord-chieftain endowed with abundant leadership and administrative qualities, established in AD 1537 Bengaluru Pete, a well-planned and executed capital boasting of wide streets laid in grids, majestic gateways established in cardinal directions and several well-maintained marketplaces, possessing as its nucleus a mud fortress presently referred to as Bangalore Fort. Legend goes that while ruminating upon the fortress’ construction and strategic positioning, he chose this particular location after witnessing the unique event of a hare chasing a hunter dog. Another legend states that while the fortress was under construction, no sooner would its massive gateways and towers be raised during the day that they would collapse at night and the same was attributed to evil spirits demanding human sacrifice as appeasement – noticing her father-in-law’s utter predicament, one night, Lakshmamma, Kempe Gowda’s daughter-in-law beheaded herself with a sword outside one of the gateways. Kempe Gowda also had another fortress, oval in shape, built adjacent and connected to the first, to house his palace, arsenal, treasury and important state buildings. He embarked on a policy of unabated territorial expansion but continued to administer his kingdom very judiciously and humanely and consequentially the Vijayanagar Emperors conferred upon him several more principalities and townships. But shortly before his death, on charges of issuing his own coins and thereby defying territorial and sovereign authority of the Vijaynagar Emperor Sadasiva Raya (ruled AD 1542-69), his liege lord, Kempe Gowda was imprisoned and all his domains confiscated. He was freed from captivity five years later, regained the Emperor's confidence and his own titles and lands and continued to display unparalleled benevolence, jurisprudence and policies of social and moral upliftment towards his subjects.

A fortress adorned

In AD 1638, Bangalore was invaded and assimilated into his own kingdom by Mohammed Adil Shah (ruled AD 1627-56), the Adilshahi Sultan of Bijapur, whose forces were commanded by General Shahaji Bhonsle, father of the mighty Maratha warlord Shivaji. The mud fortress withstood numerous battles and sieges and was further enlarged by the Wodeyar king Chikka Devaraja (ruled AD 1673-1704), who purchased it from the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir (ruled India AD 1656-1707) who had captured the entire territory as a punitive measure against the Hindu Maratha confederacy, before being converted from a mud fort into a stone stronghold and established as a formidable military outpost respectively by Nawab Haider Ali (ruled AD 1761-82) and his son Tipu Sultan (ruled AD 1782-99). Some historians argue that it was Chikka Devaraya who constructed the oval fort garrison adjacent the gigantic fortress housing the entire city settlement. Tipu even deposed the Wodeyar lineage of their titular reign through which they had so far continued to nominally govern their territories even though the de-facto ruler was the Chief Minister and Commander-in-Chief Haider Ali. Details about some of Tipu's exploits against the rapacious British East India “trading” Company have been documented on this blog here – Pixelated Memories - Tipu Sultan Shahi Mosque, Calcutta. He is also said to have built unimaginably abominable dungeons within the fort and meted out most horrifying tortures on captured British soldiers here. His massive armies and superior technological and martial prowess brought him in territorial conflict with the British who besieged and captured the Bangalore Fort, a prominently tactical military installation for the former, during the Third Anglo-Mysore War of March 1791, besides also massacring at least 3,000 of his soldiers and subsequently, over a period of more than 120 years, demolishing and dismantling most of the fort’s protective installations, colossal bastions and frighteningly massive curtain walls.

Formidable - The second gateway and the bastion adjacent

What remains today, preserved for posterity, is only the fortress’ Delhi/Dehli Gate, which is actually a complex of three successive gateways, and some associated bastions. The first view of the structure is hardly awe-inspiring – hemmed in on all sides by iron grilles and surrounded by numerous haberdasher shops and small roadside temples, the gateway (“bagilu” – originally there were six – Ulsur bagilu in the east, Yelahanka and Delhi bagilu in the north, Kanakanahalli and Mysore bagilu in the south and Kengeri bagilu in the west) exists as a sole remnant of the erstwhile grandeur in a corner of Old Bangalore’s K.R. Market. The base of its roof and the edges of its semi-circular arched entrance are flanked by intricate bands of stucco artwork – flowers, curving and writhing flourishes terminating in blossoming buds, rosettes, bird figures, and huge pendants exquisitely carved in several floral and geometrical patterns; on either side of the entrance are two wider indentations complementing it and adorned with exactly similar ornamentation and one very thickly but dwarfishly constructed bastion exists on either side of the gateway structure. A staircase leading upstairs to the top of the bastion can be observed besides the gateway but remains grilled and locked firmly and perennially.

Unimaginably simplistic - The Ganesha temple

Stepping through the colossal gateway that in retrospection proves to be a fairly intimidating barbican through which even elephants might have passed once, one steps into a small open square in the center of which, flanked towards its back by another of the fort's bastions, sits a small rectangular temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha (the elephant-headed, pot-bellied Hindu God of auspiciousness and learning) and surmounted by a triangular roof further topped by a square pediment very exquisitely embossed with numerous flourishes and patterns etched in plasterwork, the most bewitching of which was the Gandaberunda, a mythological two-headed fearsome bird incarnation of Lord Vishnu (the Hindu God of life and nourishment) possessing immense physical strength and the ability to overcome destructive forces, that originally featured in the insignia of the erstwhile Wodeyar Dynasty of Mysore/Bangalore (ruled AD 1399-1947) and has since been adopted as the emblem of Karnataka state. On a granite platform in front of the temple and facing it sits a small sculpted idol of the rat "Mushika", the steed of Lord Ganesha. The temple, however, remained closed the entire time we were there and appears to exist in an ignored and very sorry state, but it is interesting to note how it reflects on the policies and image of Tipu, who allowed a temple to stand within his fortress and yet is often, especially in religious debates and discourses, considered to be a vitriolically religiously intolerant and cruel sovereign.

The mythological Gandaberunda - One of the most recurring symbols in Karnataka's landscape

Towards the left of the first enormous gateway and at a ninety degree angle to it is the second gateway, comparatively smaller but considerably large nonetheless, and the rough granite stone wall between the two is dedicated to floral sculptures, mythological figurines and small ornamental doors adorned with extremely beautiful decorative pillars (“pilasters”) surmounted by mythical bird figures. On its exterior face, the second gateway bears very minimal ornamentation in the form of especially intricate floral medallions tinged with slight indentations and pilasters fringed by slender stalks culminating into life-like buds; one can even notice the thick stone pivoting columns in which the massive wooden doors of the gateway would have fitted once, but the real eye opener is the other face of the gateway which, besides ornamental flourishes and embedded medallions, also displays remains of embossed etchings of a mortal battle scene between a human and a big feline – considered symbolic of uninhibited courage and masculinity in South India, especially by the medieval Hoysala Dynasty (ruled Karnataka AD 1026-1343) that featured the symbolism as its insignia and had it installed in their temples and fortresses. Here one steps into another courtyard hemmed in by the bastions of the gate on one side and the periphery walls of the fortress on the other side culminating into one final gateway again perpendicular to the one you just entered from and on the right of it.

Rock ornamentation - Sala battling the lion, from the mythological lore regarding the establishment of Hoysala Dynasty

The hard granite walls surrounding this small grassy patch of lawn and the bastions projecting to it again feature very interesting patterns roughly etched on stone – there are embossed elephants blissfully showering water and milk on a four-armed Hindu Goddess, lion faces and seated lions that appear so simplistic that one would expect them to be sketched by a child on his notebook, auspicious “Kirtimukha” (“Face of Glory”) which is the severed head of a monstrous self-consuming mythological feline demon created by Lord Shiva, the Hindu God of death and destruction, to destroy other demons but was eventually ordered by the Lord to consume himself till only his face remained and thus achieved an exalted position in the God’s companions and features especially, though not exclusively, on the pinnacle of the spires of south Indian temples as a protective deity. There is also a very exquisite "Shiva linga" (Shiva’s phallic symbol) embedded within a small rectangular frame surmounted by a rounded arch in the center of which exists another smaller Kirtimukha – again conforming to the same legend where Shiva accorded the demon his dignified station atop the temple’s spire and proclaimed that one has to honor the demon to honor the Lord.

Demon honored - Shivalinga framed by an arch surmounted by a Kirtimukha

Surprisingly, the clamor of vehicles and the noise of pedestrians, hawkers and shopkeepers suddenly dies as soon as one crosses within to the lawn – the unbelievably thick walls seem to cut off all noise and commotion amazingly well! The final gateway, not unlike the rest, exclusively features fascinatingly detailed and elaborate floral patterns and peacock figures bordering the arches and sides. It fills one with wonder about the rest of the fortress and also the oval fortress adjacent which have both sadly ceased to exist thanks to the rapacious and revenge-fueled destruction wreaked by the British till as late as 1930s when parts of it were dismantled to make way for roads and railway lines – old photos do exist but then they don’t throw much light on the defensive fortifications and glorious existence of the majestic citadel. The first monument in Bangalore and again the same lesson observed also in Delhi and Calcutta – the need to preserve past heritage for future generations to explore and learn from. Hope we do understand someday!

Standing outside the fortress and sipping wonderfully concocted filter coffee at the Tamil restaurant across the road, we spotted the small plaque embedded within the road-facing bastion and mentioning the frightful but strategically unsurpassable battle of March 1791 in just a single line –

“Through this breach the British assault was delivered. March 21, 1791.”

Location: K.R. Market
Nearest Bus stop: K.R. Market
How to reach: Buses are available from different parts of the city for K.R. Market. Alternately, one can reach Majestic bus stop and take a connecting bus from there.
Open: All days, sunrise to sunset
Entrance fees: Nil
Photography/Video charges: Nil
Time required for sightseeing: 30 min
Relevant Link - Pixelated Memories - Tipu Sultan Shahi Mosque, Calcutta
Suggested reading - 

1. Deccanherald.com - Article "A battle saga, one March night" (dated Jan 03, 2015) by Meera Iyer
2. Guruprasad.net - How Kempe Gowda built Bangalore
3. Guruprasad.net - The Story of Bangalore Fort 
4. Thehindu.com - Article "A grand dream " (dated July 18, 2002) by K. Chandramouli
5. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com - Article "Second Tipu-era cannon unearthed at Metro site shows deep secrets lie buried in old Bangalore" (dated Nov 24, 2012) by Aparajita Ray
6. Wikipedia.org - Bangalore Fort
7. Wikipedia.org - Bengaluru Pete 
8. Wikipedia.org - Gandaberunda
9. Wikipedia.org - Kempe Gowda I

Sunehri Masjid (near Red Fort), New Delhi

Dusk was setting in and I was still walking along the periphery of the magnificent fortress that is Shahjahan’s legacy in the city of cities, unsure whether to head home or explore the old city some more, I let my feet guide me. The last vestiges of daylight were slowly giving way to creeping darkness; birds had returned to their nests in the trees and the lofty electricity towers that span this city like sentinels possessed with the sole aim of supporting a veil of thick black cables, the chirping soon grew to proportions that could drive anyone paying attention insane – it’s another thing that no one was paying any attention to the screeching and cawing birds – it was the night bazaar that had everyone’s eyes, as the morning traders collected their wares and folded their makeshift shops, their places were taken by evening traders – the aromas of rich, mouth-watering foods wafted through the smog-filled air, cars and autorickshaws competed in bouts of mad honking against each other, halogen bulbs threw yellow light that seemed inviting in the darkness of dusk but were soon overshadowed by the high beams of passing cars, a police patrol sirened its way through the flood of humanity that had littered on the streets like ants gathering around sugar. The ruckus, the din, the lights and the noise – each conspired to create an environment meant to overawe and trap visitors, to amaze them with new sights, to bind them with delicious smells.

Golden Mosque

It was under these circumstances that I found my way to Sunehri Masjid (“Golden Mosque”) located near the Delhi Gate of the Red Fort – a small mosque with big dreams, Sunehri Masjid is a child’s replica of the gigantic Jama Masjid that Shahjahan (ruled AD 1628-58) had commissioned at the height of Mughal supremacy (refer Pixelated Memories - Jama Masjid). But that’s where the similarities stop – while Jama Masjid’s towering minarets loom above the cityscape, this little mosque is overshadowed by the trees that populate its courtyard; massive gateways mark the entry to Jama Masjid, a small entrance is all that the Sunehri Masjid can boast of. One last similarity between the two mosques is that no priest climbs up either’s twin minarets to call the faithful to prayer – he won’t be heard from the height of Jama Masjid’s towers, he won’t be able to fit in Sunehri Masjid’s towers.

The entrance is decorated in patterns and artwork and is perhaps the most interesting feature of the mosque – embedded within the rubble periphery of the courtyard, the gateway possesses the flowing curves and arches that were a trademark of Mughal architecture, though like the rest of the artwork these too appear understated. The gateway opens to a wide staircase that leads up to the mosque’s courtyard; a peep back reveals stairs leading from the courtyard to the gateway’s roof level – one wonders how far one can see after climbing atop this small structure – not very far if you ask me. 

Entrance gateway - Modest

The mosque’s bulbous domes and slender minarets are hidden from view by a curtain of canopy – trees that decided to outgrow the structure they were supposed to beautify. It’s prayer time, about a dozen or so men are gathered in the mosque’s interiors listening to the sermons being delivered by an Imam (priest) – darkness covers every face, there is not a light in the mosque though one can make out the cheerfully painted interiors in the light of the setting sun. I would have loved to see some more but the Imam asked me (rather roughly) to step out of the mosque even though I wasn't inconveniencing the devotees in any way - how was I to know that it would be prayer time and you would take offense even if someone comes and stands in the end just so s/he can admire the mosque?? The interior artwork has disappeared, long buried under thick coats of paint; a cobwebbed fan looks desolately from behind the central arch, perhaps a beautiful handcrafted lamp hung in its place once. Rolled up prayer mats stand against each arch wall; one notices that the courtyard floor has flower-shaped depressions meant as ornamentation along its entire surface. A plaque above the central arched entrance is inscribed with details of the mosque’s construction – it was commissioned by Mumtaz Mahal Sahiba Qudsia Begum and its building was overseen by Nawab Bahadur Javed Khan, the mother and head eunuch respectively of Badshah Ghazi Ahmed Shah Bahadur (reigned AD 1748-54). Qudsia Begum (aka Udham Bai) was once a dancer – she must have been pretty good at her art because the Emperor Muhammad Shah (ruled AD 1719-48) decided to marry her and placed in her tender hands a contingent of 50,000 armed soldiers. The Queen slowly became so influential that she began to dictate the affairs of the state; she became one of the royal administrators when her son succeeded her husband – apparently Ahmed Shah was illiterate in the arts and learning and untaught in military and martial training (illiterate, a prince? Surprising, right?). 

Close up - The only view unimpeded by the tree line

The mosque, completed in the year 1750-51 towards the fag end of the once mighty empire, adds to the list of buildings the Begum patronized (another is the Qudsia Bagh mosque-garden complex in Kashmere Gate area), though am yet to learn why she is considered a patron of arts and architecture if she commissioned only two buildings and her own son was never educated in arts and learning – a clear example of overstated royalty, and of course, poor parenting!! The mosque’s onion domes were once gilded with copper and that gave it its glistening golden tint and hence the name – the copper was replaced with red sandstone facing when the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah “Zafar” II had the mosque repaired in the year 1852. Not that his devotion helped him – he was the Emperor of a finished empire, wisp of an already extinguished fire, lording from a fortress that had become a skeleton of its former glory over a territory that was his only in name – he was removed from even the nominal position merely five years after he had the mosque repaired, tried for war crimes perpetrated against the British during the First War of Independence/Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 and exiled to Rangoon (Burma/Myanmar). Strange is the tide of life – a dancer becomes an Empress, an Emperor becomes a prisoner!! 

For details and photographs of the Sunehri Masjid on Chandni Chowk street, refer - Pixelated Memories - Sunehri Masjid

Location: Near Delhi Gate of Red Fort
Nearest Metro Station: Chandni Chowk
How to reach: Buses plying from different parts of the city for Red Fort/Delhi Gate (of Shahjanabad)/Mori Gate will drop you opposite Red Fort. Walk towards the Delhi Gate of Red Fort; Sunehri Masjid is near the parking lot.
Open: Sunrise to sunset
Entrance fees: Nil
Photography/Video charges: Nil
Time required for sightseeing: 20 min
Relevant Links -

1. Pixelated Memories - Jama Masjid
2. Pixelated Memories - Red Fort
3. Pixelated Memories - Sunehri Masjid (Chandni Chowk street)

Delhi Gate, New Delhi

Suppose you are walking down a street flanked by a bustling marketplace on both sides - the shops stock everything - clothes & accessories, electrical instruments & articles that have become a commonplace in the modern world. The street is in fact a modern one, wide, filled with cars & low-floor buses, there are banks, hospitals & ATMs jostling for space with mosques & Victorian buildings. All of a sudden you come across a medieval structure with arches & bastions, standing in the middle of a traffic square & looking down upon the passer-bys with an impertinent gaze. What would be your reaction??

Mine was literally "Oh Delhi!". The city never ceases to surprise me, every time I think I have covered an entire area & there isn't much left to document, a new structure pops up out of nowhere. So here I was in Shahjanabad (now referred to as Old Delhi), the city that the Mughal emperor Shahjahan (ruled AD 1628-58) established in the year 1638 - Shahjahan had intended the city to be a replica of paradise, had commissioned huge mansions for his nobles & generals, built wide-tree lined avenues, created canals & public squares. But as the city's population increased, magnified by the influx of migrants from Pakistan after the country was divided, Shahjanabad turned into cramped quarters, the mansions were divided into smaller houses, the streets were taken over by shops & flea markets, the ancient structures have all but disappeared. Just a few of them survive not being encroached upon - the Delhi Gate that now stood before me was one of them.

Shahjanabad was enclosed by a high rubble wall as a protection against foreign invaders. The strong wall was interrupted by 14 large, square gates & several smaller ones. Very few of these gates & wall portions have survived the ravages of time & human maltreatment - most of them were destroyed during the British bombardment of the city during the 1857 revolution. The larger gates were named after the cities they faced - the Delhi Gate faced the older citadels of Delhi that existed before Shahjahan built his capital.

The square-shaped, bastion guarded gate is majestically located on one of the major streets of Shahjanabad/Old Delhi, at the beginning of Daryaganj Street (literally “River Facing Avenue”). Close by exists a small portion of Shahjanabad's wall - there is even a Martello Tower that the British added for defense after retaking the city. Not to be confused with the Delhi Gate of Red Fort nearby, this was the city gate, used to enter the city & not the fort. A road next to this gate leads to Red Fort. These aren't ordinary gates, to be opened up one way or the other, these gates are large, monumental structures, built of stone & rubble, with high walls, arches & bastions. Soldiers kept guard over these gates & made sure no hostile element entered within the city limits.

The Delhi Gate

The gate, built with a combination of locally available stone & red sandstone, is now kept locked & a guard stands on duty inside it in order to prevent any encroachment by hawkers or any illegal activity inside its premises. The guard would open the gate if you request him & even tell you about the historical importance of the place & the fact that over the years, the number of enthusiasts wishing to enter the gate has been increasing. The high arches seem inviting & yet cleverly conceal all their secrets from onlookers. The arched doors are large enough to permit the emperor’s convoy of horses & palanquins to pass through without any difficulty during his royal procession to the nearby located Jama Masjid & other parts of the empire. The outside walls have stone carvings & are embossed with geometrical designs & medallions.

The front view

Once inside, you notice that the place is being used to store large concrete slabs & stacks of building material along one of its arched inner sides. I saw mongooses running amok in the interior. The walls had once been plastered & one can still see the remnants of geometrical patterns amidst the flaking plaster in the niches.

The inside view

The 2 bastions along the side of the gate stand tall, keeping an eye all around with their numerous arrow slits. As a whole the structure looms desolately over its surroundings, higher than other buildings & shops nearby, with a small unkempt garden for company behind it. The garden is now used as a cricket ground by local kids, which in my opinion is a good thing in today’s playground-starved Delhi localities. Interestingly enough, the playground is said to be haunted!! Legend has it that a British soldier ("Sipahi"/"Tommy" - take your pick) was in love with a local girl & wanted to spend the rest of his natural life with her. However he later found out that the girl was soon going to be married - in a fit of rage & desperation he shot the girl & himself too. It has been claimed that the Peepal tree (Ficus religiosa - Sacred fig) is now haunted by a Chudail & people can hear her heart-rending screams at night (A chudail is the Indian version of a banshee - she has a dreadful appearance with her feet turned towards the back, is said to appear to young men as a pretty maiden & then drains their blood & virility). The Tommy is also spotted at times - he comes walking out of the gate with his head in his hands & then walks through the Daryaganj street. Now the atheist in me loves these stories - why does the banshee only haunt that certain tree? How come the Tommy carries his head in his arms - he shot himself, he wasn't beheaded. & why isn't entire Daryaganj considered haunted since the Tommy walks past the entire area. People & their silly stories!!

The side view

Entry to the upper floors is prohibited & the doors are now grilled & locked. No amount of persuasion moves the guard to open the grille.

This impressive structure is now being maintained by A.S.I. If you ever happen to visit this structure on Sunday, do pay a visit to the Sunday Book Bazaar which is one of the major attractions of Daryaganj, drawing hordes of people from different parts of the city in search of their literary fill (refer Pixelated Memories - Daryaganj Sunday Book Market).

The "How-can-it-be-haunted??" view

6 months after this post was published - The Govt. has become strict with its orders, entry to the gate premises is locked. The guard refuses to let you enter even if you tell him you have been inside & you write for the city. Another monument taken away from the people. Sad!

Location: Daryaganj, Chandni Chowk
Open: All days, Sunrise to Sunset.
Nearest Metro Station: Chandni Chowk Metro Station
How to reach: As you exit the metro station, walk straight till you reach a temple, a small street near the temple exits to the main Chandni Chowk Street (just follow the crowd, they would enter a very narrow lane). On this street, on one side, you can see the large Red Fort looming, walk till there & take a bus from near the Fort to Delhi Gate. Alternately, buses ply to Delhi Gate from different parts of the city, just climb on those going to Old Delhi (Purani Delhi)
Entrance Charges: Nil
Photography/Video Charges: Nil
Time required for sightseeing: 20 minutes
Relevant Links -

1. Pixelated Memories - Daryaganj Sunday Book Market
2. Pixelated Memories - Red Fort