“Junnar-grad stands on a stone rock, not fortified by anything, fenced off by God. And the way to that mountain is a day, walk by one person: the road is narrow, it is impossible for two to walk"
(Afanasy Nikitin. "Walking Beyond Three Seas." Translation by P. Smirnov.)
One Chinese traveler noted that as early as the 7th century, Indian cities and villages were surrounded by walls with gates and towers built of raw or burnt bricks, although our traveler Afanasy Nikitin saw the city there, except for natural obstacles, not protected. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, there were incessant wars in India. Local rulers - rajis - fought among themselves, and Arabs and Mongols invaded the country from the north. In India, a special military-feudal class of Rajputs even arose - professional warriors and, in fact, the same knights who constantly studied the military craft and were always ready to march.
The Indians built five types of fortresses, differing in their location: in the desert, on the water, in the mountains, in the forest, and an earthen fortress. The most powerful was the fortress in the mountains, as well as the fortress … which was occupied by a particularly devoted garrison! The walls of fortresses and castles of nobles in India consisted of two rows of masonry with earthen or crushed stone filling between them (they were also built in Europe). The masonry stones were not fastened to each other: they lay under their own weight. At the same time, the thickness of the walls ranged from 2, 5 to 10, 5 m. Sometimes there were several such walls, and between them ditches were dug, filled with water, or seated with pointed stakes. Poisonous snakes were even kept and fed in ditches near other castles. Such a "living" weapon was even more frightening and effective than deep ditches with stakes at the bottom.
The largest fortress in India, Kumbalgarh. It has 700 (!) Bastions, and inside there are more than 360 temples. The rulers of Mewar shut themselves in it in case of danger. But today it is open and can be visited by driving 90 km north of the city of Udaipur.
Embrasures were made in the walls, but mashikuli, so common in Europe, appeared in India only in 1354. The gate was defended by two massive barbicans, between which there was a winding passage. Above him hung turrets-booths with embrasures for archers. The gates themselves in Indian fortresses have always been double-winged and very high: an elephant with a palanquin turret on its back had to pass freely through them. However, the great height weakened the gate. Therefore, they were made of very durable and not subject to decay teak wood, upholstered with iron. In addition, teak or iron spikes were placed on their outer wall. They did not allow the war elephants, which the opponents used as live battering rams, to come close to the gate. But the relief images of elephants that adorned the walls of the gate were considered reliable amulets, as were the statues of Hindu deities.
Kumbalgarh gate. There are seven of them in the fortress!
In India's hot climate, water was of paramount importance. Therefore, in every castle or fortress there were reliable wells and reservoirs for collecting rainwater. Often, gardens and fountains were arranged nearby, refreshing the air and tempering the sweltering tropical heat.
The bastions of Kumbalgarh resemble a Buddhist stupa in their form. Below for the scale are people, donkeys and poles with wires.
Each castle and fortress in India had numerous underground rooms, where everything needed in case of a long siege was prepared in advance: water, grain, ammunition, etc. The importance of building defensive structures in India was emphasized by the then terrible custom of human sacrifice. It was believed that if at the beginning of construction to perform such a ceremony, then the castle or fortress would be impregnable, since they stand on human blood.
If you look at the walls of many Indian fortresses from below, you will feel dizzy!
Medieval fortresses with massive walls and towers were built in India until the middle of the 18th century, which is almost three centuries longer than in Europe. At the same time, the desire to impress both enemies and friends was so great among the Indians that they often erected powerful and thick walls even where there was no need for it. The fortress could be built, for example, on a sheer cliff. The walls and towers were covered with carvings and stucco ornaments. Moreover, they tried to give a decorative shape even to the battlements on the walls.
And this is not at all an Indian nuclear power plant, by no means, but … the bastions of the Deravar fortress in Bahawalpur.
In southern India, numerous rows of walls were usually built around Hindu temples, which in this case served as castles and fortresses. The gate towers near these walls sometimes reached a height of 50 m and made it possible to observe the surroundings.
The temple tower is 28 meters high. It was possible to conduct surveillance from it.
The fortified mausoleums played the same role - in fact, the same castles or fortresses. However, the most famous mausoleum in India is still not a fortress, but a tomb temple accessible to all. This is the world-famous Taj Mahal. Storming Indian fortresses was much more difficult than European ones, primarily because of the heat, which exhausted people and animals. Throwing machines here were similar to European ones, but baskets or earthen vessels with snakes were often used as projectiles.
Well, now let's get acquainted with at least some examples of the serf architecture of India, because it is simply impossible to get acquainted with all of them, because there are so many of them. Not just a lot, but a lot, and for the most part they themselves are in excellent condition, not like the numerous knightly castles of the same Britain.
Fortress Golconda. Bala Hissar (Citadel). Golconda, Andhra Pradesh.
First, let's go to the Golcondu fortress, which is located only 11 kilometers from the city of Hyderabad, where, by the way, there is a very famous university in India, where many students from Russia study, and there are those who study there for free under grants from the Indian government! Previously, it was here that diamonds were mined and it was here that all the most famous diamonds in the world were mined! Therefore, the local rajahs did not spare money for the fortress. It was erected on a hill 120 meters high, and fortified with 87 bastions, many of which have rusty cannons to this day.
These are the stone cores used by medieval Indians in order to shoot at their fortresses. Nearby is an iron cannon, which miraculously did not get melted down.
"But we have found you one more gun!" Thank you, of course, girls, but only the gun is "not that". However, in Indian fortresses there are many all kinds of British weapons.
Four drawbridges lead inside, and there are warehouses, mosques, and 18 granite mausoleums. The acoustics of this building is amazing, which, of course, the guides use, attracts the attention of tourists: clapping your hands near one of the gates can be heard a kilometer from this place! Well, the first of the Europeans was our well-known Afanasy Nikitin and not only visited, but also described Golconda.
Ordinary fortress gates.
The gate leaves are covered with thorns.
The most amazing thing is that, with its huge size, Golconda as a whole is not at all impressive construction when compared with other Indian fortresses. Whether the fortress Mehrangarh - the citadel of the Rajputs in the northwestern part of the state of Rajasthan.
The Mehrangarh fortress seems to grow out of a rock.
The view of Mehrangarh from above is probably even more impressive than from below.
The fortress is located on high rocks and when you look at it from below, the impression is that it is simply carved out of the rock that stood on it. It seems that human hands are not able to erect such a structure, and even in the heat there, but they did. And when and how, and with whom - all this is known for sure. They began to build it in 1459, and finally finished it only in the 17th century!
Another gate, and next to the fortress wall.
The main gate to Mehrangarh is located in the Victory Tower - one of the seven tallest towers that guard the approaches to the fortress. Behind it is a road, winding and steep, around which rises walls with terraces of open gazebos and living quarters with barred windows through which you can watch everyone who passes below.
The wall and the gazebos on it.
The Iron Tower is renowned for its beauty of decoration; The Pearl Palace is built of snow-white marble, and the Throne Room itself, located on the top floor of the Palace of Flowers, in its luxury is in no way inferior to the premises that were intended for the Great Moguls themselves.
The fortresses of India - literally whatever you take, are very large in size, and seem to grow out of the steep hillsides. The impression is that nothing was impossible for their builders. However, neither aliens nor antediluvian civilizations helped them, and many European travelers saw how they were built.
But this photo has nothing to do with the fortresses, but it is very interesting. In India there is a temple … of rats! They are loved, cherished and fed there!
