Chitradurga Fort – History, Architecture & Legends
Explore Chitradurga Fort in Karnataka—a hill fortress with seven concentric walls, rain-harvesting tanks and legends like Onake Obavva.
The Fort of Seven CirclesExplore the story of Chitradurga, a masterpiece of military architecture and a bastion of heroism, where legends are carved into the very granite of its seven concentric walls. A Nayaka StrongholdFrom feudatories of the Vijayanagara Empire to independent rulers, the Nayakas of Chitradurga expanded and fortified this citadel over centuries. Click the timeline to trace their reign. Anatomy of an Impregnable FortChitradurga's legendary strength lies in its seven concentric fortification walls, a maze designed to thwart any invader. Click the hotspots to explore its ingenious defensive layers. 1
2
3
4
Simplified Defense Layers Diagram The Legend of Onake ObavvaDuring the siege by Hyder Ali in 1779, the fort's fate was defended not by an army, but by the heroic wife of a guard, whose courage has become a celebrated part of Kannada folklore. 🤫 The Secret EntranceHyder Ali's soldiers discovered a secret crevice in the rocks, wide enough for only one man to squeeze through at a time. ↓
👩🌾 A Vigilant WomanOnake Obavva, wife of a guard, spotted the soldiers while fetching water. Instead of raising an alarm, she grabbed her 'onake' (a wooden pestle). ↓
💪 A Courageous DefenseAs each soldier emerged from the hole, Obavva struck them down with the pestle, killing dozens single-handedly and saving the fort that day. The secret entrance is now famously known as Onake Obavvana Kindi (Obavva's Crevice). A Fortress of Epic ProportionsThe sheer scale of Chitradurga's construction is a testament to the military focus of its Nayaka builders. |
Chitradurga-fort
Home Chitradurga-fort