Team G Square: Belagavi Fort

The Fort Entrance

The fort of Belgaum is an old fort built in the Chalukyan era which subsequently underwent modifications during the Bahmani rule. Though it seems like the fortification remains intact, the overgrown creepers and plants on the fort walls make it obscure. Sadly, most of the portions of the fort have least or no maintenance. There are many monuments inside the fort area such as the Kamal Basti, Old Jaina Temple, Shiva Temple, Military Durgadevi Temple, the Jamia Masjid and so on.

The Mighty Fort Wall

The High Fort Wall

On the opposite side of the Kamal Basti is another ruined Jaina temple facing south. Based on the inscriptions, the temple can be dated to have been built roughly around the 10th century. While the garbagriha and sukhanasi have completely disappeared, the ruined temple now survives only with a navaranga and mukhamantapa. They are built on a low elevated Jagati (platform). The navaranga entrance door is intricately carved with various geometrical patterns and floral designs. The pillars of the navaranga are huge, unusually tall and mostly plain with varying cross-sectional shapes and beaded carvings on its circular portions. The mukhamantapa has a kakhshasana (stone bench) and four pillars in its front. The parapet of the kakhshasana (stone bench) in the mukhamantapa exhibits on its external side, rows of artistic geometrical motifs at the base and impressive statuettes of musicians, drummers and dancers at the top portions with bands of floral designs and miniature pillars in between them. It proves to be a great piece of art-work. The outer walls of the temple are plain having horizontal mouldings and projections with koshtas or niches on the eastern and western walls.

The grand Entrance of Mukhamantapa

Pillars of the Navaranga

Musicians, Drummers and Dancers at the Top Row

Artistic Motifs at the Parapet Base

Intricately Carved Door-Jamb

The fort area also houses a ruined Shiva temple facing east and built during the 12th century. Originally this temple is believed to have been built as a trikutachala with three garbagrihas. Devoid of any shikaras, the only remains of the temple now is the navaranga with four doorways and four pillars. The pillars have engravings of floral designs and geometrical patterns. The entrance doorway is grand with multiple door jambs and fine carvings along with an image of Lord Ganapathy at the center of the lintel. The architrave on the doorway of the navaranga is adorned with sculptures of Lords Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara in the accompaniment of drummers and musicians and other gods. They have pierced windows decorated with floral carvings. The outer walls are plain with a few partly damaged sculptures of madanikas in various poses. A few meters away from the ruined Shiva temple is the Jamia Masjid which unfortunately looks completely abandoned.