Koppal Fort

Explore the formidable Koppal Fort, a bastion that has witnessed centuries of history, from the Adil Shahis to the Marathas and the British. This hill fort is not just a structure of stone but a symbol of the fiery spirit of the Indian independence movement.

Koppal Fort is one of the ancient impregnable forts of Karnataka. It is a hill fort built using the stand-alone hill on the western edge of the city. This fort, which has a very ancient history, has many Persian inscriptions that tell about the construction and repair of the fort. According to them, in 1603, Sultan Ali, the officer of Ibrahim Adil Shah II of Bijapur, built the Bab-E-Ali gate of the fort and another officer, Ghazi Khan, built the Araboki Masjid (Arab mosque) in 1609. In 1774, the fort was captured by the Maratha leader Shivaji and the Durga Bhawani temple was built there. In 1776, Hyder Ali captured the fort. His officer, Muhammad Osman, strengthened the fort and built the Fath Darwaza, Pani Mahal, Diwan Ikhas and Makka Darwaza. Another fort is built near this fort by Muhammad Bahlami, a fort called Chand Kunta. The Sultan Gate was built during the reign of Tipu Sultan. In 1791, the fort came under the control of the Nizam of Hyderabad. Although the fort was surrounded by seven walls, not all of these walls were built in all directions. In addition to the above buildings, the fort has buildings such as the Siddiburuj gate, prison, granary, guardhouse, solitary enclosure and iron cannon. Koppal Fort is credited with igniting the spark of the Indian War of Independence. In 1819, the landlord of Koppal, Veerappa Desai, took refuge in this fort and rebelled against the British. Inspired by the great rebellion of 1857, MundaragiBheemaraya and HammigiKenchanagouda fought against the British from this fort and were martyred here.

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