Chitradurga Fort is locally known as Elusuttina Kote is a large fort and attraction of the town Chitradurga. The fort originally had to have had 19 gateways, 38 postern-gates, 35 secret entrances and 4 ‘invisible’ entrances. Many of these have gone out of existence now. The doors were made of strong and thick wooden beams fastened with iron plates. The ramparts are hewn from rock complement the craggy landscape and were designed so that each line of fortification overlooks others below. The fort was constructed to slow down enemy soldiers and prevented the use of battering rams in zig zag pathways. The doors of the main gateways were, in addition, bristling with iron spikes to ward off elephants.
Chitradurga fort is also famous for sustained living with sophisticated water harvesting system. The fort has numerous temples like the Sampige Siddheshwara, Hidimbeshwara, Ekanathamma, Phalguneshvara, Gopalakrishna, Anjaneya, Subbaraya and Basava. A big piece of bone has been kept in the Hidimbeshwara Temple and is shown as the tooth of the demon Hidambasura, and a cylinder of iron plates, six feet high and ten feet in circumference, as the bheri or kettle-drum of Bhima. A figure of Hidambasura is sculptured on the Vimana. In the Siddheshwara Temple also is kept a piece of bone much larger than that kept in the Hidimbeshvara temple, which also is believed to be as the tooth of Hidambasura.
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Huthridurga Fort
Hutridurga, also known as Uttari Betta is a fortified hill in the south-east of Kunigal taluk near Bangalore. The fort…
