No tourist survey is complete without mentioning about Karnataka’s historical forts. The whole range of ancient capitals of Bidar, Gulbarga, Bijapur, Vijayanagara, Badami, Basava Kalyan, Srirangapattan, Keladi, Chitradurga, Mysore, etc. had their forts.
Saundatti Fort. Photographer Manjunath Doddamani Gajendragad
There are hill forts at the
- Badami Fort – A Regal Structure
- Ballalarayana Durga Fort, Chikmagalur
- Chandragutti Fort, Shimoga
- Chitradurga Shahapur (Gulbarga district)
- Devanahalli Fort
- Gulbarga Fort
- Kittur Fort and Palace, Belgaum
- Nandi Hill (Kolar district)
- Jaladurga Fort, Raichur
- Jamalabad in Dakshina Karnataka
- Kavaledurga Fort, Shimoga district
- Madhugiri
- Madikere Fort, Coorg
- Manzarabad near Sakleshpur (Hassan district)
- Midigeshi (Tumkur district)
- Nargund fort in Gadag built by Shivaji (Dharwad district)
- Parasgad and Vallabhgad forts (Belgaum district), also raised by Shivaji.
- Pavagada
- Sandur (Bellary district)
- Saundatti Fort (Belgaum)
- Savanadurga (Bangalore district)
- Shorapur (Gulbarga district)
- Ucchangi near Davanagere (Bellary district)
- Vanadurga Fort, Shorapur, Yadgir
Bangalore, Devanahalli, Magadi (Bangalore district), Aymangala in Chitradurga district, Chikbanavar in Hassan district, Belgaum have fortifications round part of the towns even now.
The coastal island forts like Bahadurgad, Basavaraja Durga, Devagad and Kurmagad are as strong as they were in the heydays.