Volume III (Special Issue on Defense), Summer 2007

eSSAYS

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Forts of Eastern India with Special Reference to Orissa

by K. N. Sethi

The art of making fort in India was at its ebb even during Vedic period. When we come across the term durga meaning fort in the Rigveda, it was used in the sense of a fort or a stronghold. It was synonymous with pura meaning a rampart or fort or stronghold. That in the Vedic times, there were two kinds of forts is clear from the use of the terms prithivi or broad and urvi or wide forts. Forts of sundries bricks of stone are mentioned in the Rigveda. Even right from the dawn of civilization, the human being had a feeling of protection for his own survival from the natural calamities, wild animals and other rival human agencies etc. obviously, this feeling initiated the need of shelters by raising barriers around their dwellings. This might have been an earliest creation of human mind to construct the ramparts, fortifications (Forts) around his residence. There are some definite forms and categories of the forts which include fort constructed on the hills, slopes and plateau; forts constructed on the islands surrounded by deep water; forts surrounded by marshy lands not easy to traverse; forts surrounded by Ocean of sand and for miles together there should not be water source or it may be surrounded by saline soil; forts surrounded by dense forest; forts made of earth and mud, the walls of which should be double their width; forts constructed in mixed style of forest and water forts. However, the superb form of the fort is the Dev Durg, i.e. godly fort, the fort, which contains the miraculous powers of the heavenly bodies.

There are three types of forts i.e., Vanadurga, Baridurga and Giridurga. The forests were selected for the Vanadurga. In it a walled town is built at the foot of the hill. In these forts stonewalls are common. These were absolutely impregnable unless by the tedious process of strict blockade. Baridurga is that fort which is surrounded by water and is generally connected with a river. Giridurga is one that is built on the top of a hill. Fort contained sometimes the palace. There is in it extensive open ground to facilitate free movement of a large body of military men and to accommodate the quarters of the physician, priest etc. Stronger measures were under taken for the protection of the fort.

The importance of forts and fortifications was more realized by the rulers of medieval India and many of the forts were raised around the important cities and capitals under the special patronage of the contemporary kings.

East India possessed unique geographical situation and hence more protected but did not lag behind in raising fortifications around the cities. The Rajgir fort, Rohtasgarh is a few which had their importance in the history of India.

There were a large number of forts raised in Orissa, in the eastern part of India during the medieval period under the patronage of great kings. The construction of a fort should commence at an auspicious moment according to the situation of planets. While for the first time the king enters into a newly built fort, offerings are to be made for propitiating certain deities. The difference sizes of the forts mentioned in the Virasarvasva are rectangular, round, triangular and semi-circular.

Sources indicate that, before commencing construction of a fort the land should be measured in a rectangular form. Therefore, on all the sides, a high wall of stones should be constructed for the visualization from distance. Inside the fort, there should be wells and tanks. In the southeast corner there should be a temple dedicated to the fire God. In the south the residence for the relatives of kings should be constructed. In the northeast there should be residences for the ministers and in the west there should be residences for the demon like soldiers. In the northwest there should be residences for mendicants and guests. Inside the main rampart there should be an inner rampart and inner moat. The rampart should have high gateways. At the four corners of the rampart there should be four temples dedicated to Hanuman, kalika, Beltala and Bharavi deities.

Erection of military strongholds in ancient and medieval periods seems to have been more skillful in defense than in attack. The fortresses of this period usually withstand the most powerful siege weapons known to the people.

Forts played the vital role in the warfare of the period. An army was not expected to bypass the forts in possession of the enemy country while marching into the interior. The Orissan kings occupied some of the old forts or established new ones in the entire stretch of their empire. Their feudatories, too, have their own fortified capitals not only to safeguard the interest of their own but also assist in the maintenance of the vast empire of their overlord. In the north, the great forts that were in their occupation were Mandarana, which is now known as Bhitargarh, situated in the Arambagh sub-division of hoogly district of West Bengal. Prataparudra, the great king of Orissa, besieged Hussain Shah in the fort of Mandarana. Kotisamirga, variously known as Kotasin, Katasin etc. is now known as Kotsimul situated on the bank of river Damodar. According to Madalapanji, the Muslims at Kotisamarga besieged the chronicle of Lord Jagannath, that Mukundadeva, the last independent Hindu king of Orissa. The forts of Raibania and Deulagaon are located in the Balasore district. In the Cuttack and Puri districts several forts, which existed from earlier times, were further strengthened and made serviceable under the Gajapati rulers. They are Jajpur Kataka, Amaravati Kataka, Chauduar Kataka, Varanasi Kataka, Teligarh, Kalakalagarh, and Chudanga kataka or Sonargarh near Baranga. Kasiagarh situated on the road from Chandaka to Khurda near the village Dalua was also a great fort, which was probably meant to conceal troops in the dense forest at the time of war. Besides these big forts there were also smaller ones, which have been referred to by Abul Fazl in his Ain-I-Akbari. They include Banasada, Balakasi, Parvada, Bhograi, Bagadi, Jaleswar, Tamluk, Turkela, Ramana, Rayin, Rayapur, savanga, Kurugasara, Kedar Khanda, Medinapur, Kutabpur, and Narayanpur in Jaleswar sarkar; Barawa, bhadrak, Sahanesu and Kaimal in Bhadrak sarkar; Athgarh Purvadvara, baranga, Vijayanagara, Chabiskuda, hajipur, Dakhinadvara, Kottadesa, Katak Vanarasa, Kotaraha, in kataka sarkar; besides the forts in Kalinga Dandapat sarkar and Rajahmundry sarkar. In South Orissa ancient forts of considerable importance existed at Humma, khemundi, Chikiti, palur, Khallikote and Athgarh.

Appendix: List of selected Forts in Orissa (divided district wise):

K. N. Sethi is senior lecturer in the Post-Graduate Department of History at Sambalpur University, Orissa, where he teaches courses in the medieval economic history of India and Orissa.

Copyright ©2007 Teaching South Asia (ISSN 1529-8558) and K. N. Sethi.  All rights reserved.  No part of this article may be reprinted in any form without written permission from Teaching South Asia or K. N. Sethi.