The forgotten fort of Manjarabad

The state govt must act, as the ASI has failed to conserve one of the few star-shaped forts still standing in the world

When I visited Sakleshpur, 220-odd km from Bengaluru, last month, I wanted to see the 18th-century, star-shaped Manjarabad Fort built by Tipu Sultan, with its sweeping mountain views of tea, coffee, and spice plantations. India’s rich history has left behind vibrant memories through a multitude of lesser-known but unique historical monuments that stand gloriously tall, with fascinating tales woven around them.

The Manjarabad Fort dates back to an era when the British East India Company was challenging Mysore’s sovereignty. The Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad had allied with the British and fought against the then ruler of Mysore, Tipu, who only had bit players such as the French on his side. Fortunately, the fort stands proud today, bearing testimony to its glorious past.

Barely 5 km from Sakleshpur town, you need to keep the proverbial eagle’s eye out for the fort; otherwise, you are bound to drive right past, for nobody has bothered to highlight this unique military monument. To reach the monument, which is atop a hill, you must first locate the short pathway that leads to a long flight of steps that opens into a wide passageway flanked by solid, looming granite walls. Clueless, you must traverse two sharp turns before the passageway ends in an arched entrance leading onto the fort. Disappointingly, apart from couples and idle layabouts (who unabashedly deface the walls by engraving their names), tourists leave the fort in a few minutes, not realising they have seen one of the
few remaining star-shaped forts in the world!

Welcome to the world of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), responsible for the maintenance, conservation, and preservation of cultural and historical monuments. The ASI has made no effort to inform the public about this unique fort except for displaying huge plaques that declare you would be imprisoned or fined for spoiling this protected monument. ASI’s usual excuses—a “lack of funds” or a decline in tourist attention—are major reasons for the fort’s neglect.

Unfortunately, the Manjarabad Fort does not even figure on the ASI’s alphabetical list of monuments in Karnataka displayed on their website, nor is ASI’s parent, the Ministry of Culture, bothered about maintaining this fort, constructed with granite and rubble, protected by trenches all around, with singularly shaped bastions shaped like arrowheads, turning the fort into the contour of an eight-pointed star. (The plan of the eight-pointed fort has been carved out on the roof of the archway at the entrance.) Uniquely designed by France’s then most famous military engineer and commissioner of fortifications, Sébastien Vauban, this fort can deflect cannon fire yet allow guns to cover all approaches.

The fort is full of tales of valour, intrigue, betrayal, courage, and bloody wars with the British. While the external walls of the fort are built with granite stones and lime mortar, the interior buildings that accommodate army barracks, an armoury, stores, and other paraphernalia are built with fired bricks. The sloping walls make the fort the most complete Vaubanesque star-shaped fort in India; the walls are similar to the pages of a history textbook, telling everybody how soldiers lived then and how a deep well with steps leading down to it from all four sides shelters an armoury enveloped in a partly subterranean structure with vaulted roofs to safeguard the armour from heat and dust.

It is crucial to protect and preserve the Fort’s structures for posterity. The effects of time and weather are clearly evident; neglect is already showing with thick vegetation growing across the walls, threatening the Fort’s safety and durability. Adding to the distress, heaps of trash are strewn all over crumbling walls and fortifications, invoking a ghostly reminder of former glory. It is essential to preserve this structure to ensure its rich history is not forgotten and future generations can learn about the past.

So why hasn’t the ASI chosen to preserve this historical site? Why rely on ownership, funding, and the ‘level of significance’ assigned to a particular site before choosing a site to preserve? It’s a real pity that the Archaeological Survey of India is unconcerned about its responsibility towards unique monuments in the state; the absence of information deprives visitors of a deeper understanding of the fort’s significance. In an age when one can put out fascinating videos and podcasts on the intrigues behind these monuments, linking them to a QR code, shouldn’t we be doing a better job of sharing the history of these monuments?

With the ASI apathetic towards its obligation to this historic monument, why doesn’t the Tourism Department of Karnataka at least take upon itself the responsibility of maintaining and preserving this Fort in memory of the warriors who made supreme sacrifices fighting the British?

(The writer is a former
Executive Director and
member of the board of
directors at BEML)