Dec 16, 2011
I missed these ruins during my previous first visit to Siddanakolla. Today, my second visit, I leave my car near the temple and get directions from a farm owner on the way to his fields. Laxman is his name. I had to walk through a field, then clamber across a stone wall and pick my way through a quarry to reach the base of the hillock on which the fort was. The slope ahead is riddled with thorny shrubs of all sizes and somehow they seemed to grow where climbing was easiest. After scanning the slope I located this series of stones which some what resembled a flight of steps. I decided to go up this way.
Almost five minutes and couple of scratches on my arms I stand here looking at the ruins of Halsiddeshwar fort. The collapsed walls and the small pillar on the bastion reminds me of Gudur fort.
Other side of the bastion.
Siddanakolla temple about 600m away.
The fort is located on the northern edge of this plateau. Condition of this bastion and rampart walls are slightly better.
Of four bastions, three have collapsed. I managed to climb up a heap of stones, even standing here to shoot this picture was an effort.
A maze of stone walls divide the space inside into small rooms. I'm surprised that these thin walls have been standing for God knows how many centuries. All walls in this fort are carefully arranged stones, no binding material to hold them together.
Engineering seems primitive but how old is this structure?
A cactus fills up one of the smaller rooms.
Even with rough cut stones the engineers have managed to create a straight faced wall.
Even the corners are perfect right angles.
This isn't a boundary wall around an open well. I looked inside trying to get some clue what this could be. Was this used to store grains?
Close by was this stone which was a part of a larger stone with a dead conical hole.
I wonder if this fort was abandoned before completion. Stones heaped on the either sides of the walls are waste to be moved later?
This is the fort's entrance.
Walls on either sides of the entrance seem to have collapsed.
This trial of stones makes me lean towards construction abandoned theory. This fort is a puzzle now.
On the way back, I stopped to check out this rock face in the quarry I has passed through earlier. Nature shows off its talent.
Beautiful isn't it?
I met Laxman again. In fact he was the one who told me the name of the fort. Other wise I had known it as fort near Mangalagud. Laxman said there's another fort on this hill ...six kilometers walk. I guessed he was referring to Chikanal fort. After exchanging byes I head towards Aihole, about 6 kilometers from here.
Halsiddeshwara fort co-ordinates: 15°58'31"N 75°52'38"E
.........
I missed these ruins during my previous first visit to Siddanakolla. Today, my second visit, I leave my car near the temple and get directions from a farm owner on the way to his fields. Laxman is his name. I had to walk through a field, then clamber across a stone wall and pick my way through a quarry to reach the base of the hillock on which the fort was. The slope ahead is riddled with thorny shrubs of all sizes and somehow they seemed to grow where climbing was easiest. After scanning the slope I located this series of stones which some what resembled a flight of steps. I decided to go up this way.
Almost five minutes and couple of scratches on my arms I stand here looking at the ruins of Halsiddeshwar fort. The collapsed walls and the small pillar on the bastion reminds me of Gudur fort.
Other side of the bastion.
Siddanakolla temple about 600m away.
The fort is located on the northern edge of this plateau. Condition of this bastion and rampart walls are slightly better.
Of four bastions, three have collapsed. I managed to climb up a heap of stones, even standing here to shoot this picture was an effort.
A maze of stone walls divide the space inside into small rooms. I'm surprised that these thin walls have been standing for God knows how many centuries. All walls in this fort are carefully arranged stones, no binding material to hold them together.
Engineering seems primitive but how old is this structure?
A cactus fills up one of the smaller rooms.
Even with rough cut stones the engineers have managed to create a straight faced wall.
Even the corners are perfect right angles.
This isn't a boundary wall around an open well. I looked inside trying to get some clue what this could be. Was this used to store grains?
Close by was this stone which was a part of a larger stone with a dead conical hole.
I wonder if this fort was abandoned before completion. Stones heaped on the either sides of the walls are waste to be moved later?
This is the fort's entrance.
Walls on either sides of the entrance seem to have collapsed.
This trial of stones makes me lean towards construction abandoned theory. This fort is a puzzle now.
On the way back, I stopped to check out this rock face in the quarry I has passed through earlier. Nature shows off its talent.
Beautiful isn't it?
I met Laxman again. In fact he was the one who told me the name of the fort. Other wise I had known it as fort near Mangalagud. Laxman said there's another fort on this hill ...six kilometers walk. I guessed he was referring to Chikanal fort. After exchanging byes I head towards Aihole, about 6 kilometers from here.
Halsiddeshwara fort co-ordinates: 15°58'31"N 75°52'38"E
.........
2 comments:
Wow , wonderful to know about this fort . Nature is the best Artist ..
That striated stone is found near the Jaina cave at Aihole also, as you probably know. I'm absolutely fascinated by these little known early Calukya sites! Thanks so much for posting
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