History of Forts in Medieval India

The history of the forts in India through the Medieval era is a harmonious continuation of its past. Several forts built in the Ancient times were fought over, captured, recaptured, destroyed and occupied through the times. As new forts came to be built as well, architectural changes can be traced which speak of the changing socio-cultural atmosphere in the country. Such developments are closely related to the military and political history from the 13^th to the 18^th centuries and this section aims to throw light on the broad features of the forts through this period.

The Sultanate in Delhi developed roots with the coming of Muhammad Ghuri and Qutbuddin Aibek and is believed to have been formally established by Iltutmish in the 13th century. The Rajput dynasties held sway over large parts of Northern India before the coming of the Sultanate and the forts of India contained a strong Rajput military affiliation. The fortified complex of Qila Rai Pithora in the Qutb Minar is believed to have been built by the Rajput king, Prithviraj Chauhan. The Qutb Minar used the unique technique of Stalactite Honeycombing to stabilize the protruding balconies.

Apart from the pressing Rajput challenges, the early sultans also engaged with the onslaught of the Chaghtai Mongols. Balban ordered the repair of the Lahore fort to defend against them. It is under the rule of Balban that we see the appearance of the first true arch. This arch was made with the help of wedge shaped stones which are held together with the help of a keystone in the centre. During the time of Iltutmish, the rajput states of Kalinjar, Bayana, Gwaliyar, Ranthambore etc fought for independence but it was under Allauddin Khilji (1296-1316) that forts became of prime importance for the Turkish rulers. Against consistent struggles with the Rajputs of Mewar and the Bhatti rajputs, he captured the three prominent Rajput forts of Chittor, Ranthambore and Jaisalmair. Additionally, he captured the fort of Mandu and diplomatically gave it to the Songaras, a branch of the Chauhan clan of the Rajputs from present day Rajasthan. Khilji built his capital at Siri fort which became the second city of Delhi, to defend against the Mongol attacks. This was the start of the city fortress complex model which was continued by his successors through time. The entire city would be enclosed with fortified walls and institutions such as the masjid, madrasa, temples etc would be made inside to sustain the city.

The Tughlaq architecture saw a new trend of building structures on high platforms as can be seen in Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq’s tomb. In the political arena, the state of Mewar regained its freedom during the reign of the Tughlaq dynasty in the 14^th century by defeating Muhammad bin Tughlaq in the historical battle of Singoli in 1336. The Rajput states spread their dominance till the state of Bengal and Raja Man Singh Tomar made additions to the Gwaliyar fort in present day Madhya Pradesh which still stand today. Firoz Shah Tughlaq, the last ruler of the Delhi Sultanate built the Firoz Shah Kotla fortified complex in the 14^th century. This is a good example of the use of the Arch, Lintel and Beam combination technique. This complex also used the technique of ‘batter’ or sloping walls which sloped inwards to make a structure more stable and strong under attack.

Sultanate architecture also involved the use of the arch and dome technique. This was not a Turkish invention, but was borrowed from Arabs who borrowed it from Rome. Before becoming privy with this technique, Indians used the slab and beam technique which involved putting one stone over another and covering it with coping stone till the gap was closed. The art of putting a round dome on a square building base, enabled rooms to have a clear view as no support structures obstructed the spaces. They used a fine quality, superior lime mortar for construction and the decorations involved geometric designs with verses from the Quran.

The Sayyid dynasty followed the Sultanate in Delhi and was contemporary with the rule of Rana Kumbha in the Mewar region of Rajasthan. Rana Kumbha is known for building forts, the most prominent of which is the Kumbalgarh fort in Rajasthan. During this time, conflicts occured not only between the Rajput clans and the rulers at Delhi, but within the Rajputs themselves as well. This fort separated the regions of Mewar and Marwar and acted as a sanctuary for the Mewar kings during times of hardships and repeated battles. Rana Sangha (1508-1528) fought against the successors of the Sayyids who were the Lodis. The Lodi dynasty introduced gardens as one of the most distinct features of constructions. This can be seen in the Lodi gardens built in Delhi. This feature, though introduced in the 16^th century by the Lodis, would be taken forward by the founder of the Mughal dynasty, Babur. Additionally, the Lodis are credited with founding the double dome in India. Outlasting the Lodis, Rana Sangha bravely fought Babur at the Battle of Khanwa in 1527 AD.

Babur was the first ruler of the Mughal dynasty founded by him in 1526 AD. The Mughal era saw the repeated Siege of Chittorgarh Fort until it was finally captured by Akbar in 1568 AD. The ranas of Mewar, Marwar and Jaipur consistently rebelled against the agents of the Mughal throne and the two sides fought relentlessly.

Architecturally, the Mughal era saw large scale developments. One of the biggest cultural changes was the development of a syncretic theme in architecture. The ruler Humayun was influenced by the Persian tradition and introduced new features in architecture in India. The layout of the building involved a square base of red sandstone topped with a white marble dome. It was under the famous ruler Akbar, however, that the Persian traditions mixed with Indian indigenous features from Gujarat and Rajasthan. Akbar’s Buland Darwaza to commemorate victory in Gujarat used the novel Half Dome technique. The flat roofs, first seen under the rule of the Lodis, were made more prevalent. Akbar’s Agra Fort built in the 16^th century has flat roofs. Abul Fazl, a 16^th century historian, mentions it to be influenced by “Bengali and Gujarati style”. Shah Jahan built the Red Fort in Delhi in the 17^th century patterned on the Agra Fort. The diwan-i-am in this complex is also flat roofed.

The introduction of artillery in the 16^th century called for changes in fort architecture. Forts were made with lower and thicker walls and with bastions which were pushed out of the circumference of the fort. While the thicker walls defended against bullets, the bastions helped in tactics of offence as well as defence. More space was left out between the citadel and the outer walls as can be gauged from the Golkonda and Berar forts. Gates were made tall for the elephants to pass through and at the same time, rows of spikes were used to prevent the enemy elephants from breaking the gate down. This can be seen in the Shaniwarwada fort, Pune built in the 18th century. Additionally, symmetry came to be emphasised and given great importance under the Mughals. Forts of the previous rulers erected walls according to the natural topography and slope of the region. Indigenous and Turko-iranian features combined continued till the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

With the coming of the colonial forces in the 16^th and 17^th centuries, forts came to be built as trading posts for commercial purposes as well. They also functioned as places of refuge for people during sieges and revolts.