Havanur Fort

Jan 21, 2012

Our objective of the day was to visit Krishi Mela 2012 at Haveri. We needed few hours for that event. We would have plenty of time. I made a list of places with historical importance around Haveri-

• Mukteshwara temple, Chaudayyadanapura
• Galageshwara Temple, Galaganatha
• Someshwar Temple, Haralahalli
• Dyamavva Temple, Havanur
• Kaginele, birth place of Saint Kanakadasa
• Jain Basadi, Yalavatti
• Kadambeshwar temple, Rattihalli

We left Dharwad around 5-30. By 7AM, after Shiggaon we stopped for breakfast. We drove past Purasiddeshwara temple in Haveri by 8AM. On the way to Guttal we took a detour to Karajgi. I was hoping to see ancient temples all temples of Karajgi were modern cement & steel structures. Waste of time! At Guttal, we stopped for directions. A local man suggested us to go in this order- Chaudayyadanapura, Haralahalli, Havanur and Galaganatha. We visited Mukteshwara temple of Chaudayyadanapura and Someshwar Temple of Haralahalli. To reach Galaganatha we had to pass through Havanur. I wasn't interested in visiting Havanur temple but plans changed as soon as I saw ruins of the fort.

Havanur is a fairly big village on the banks of river Tungabhadra. Our search for the fort lead us to Dyamavva Temple. Manju and the cab driver, also Manju, chose to visit the temple while I went towards the ruins.

Havanur fort is a river fort. One of the three bastions surrounded by jaalikanti. The small structure in the fields below caught my attention. It looked like a Islamic grave marker.

Rampart wall is missing here.

Condition of this part of the fort looks quite good.

There it is. It's definitely Islamic. That's _____ a farmer of Havanur. During rainy season river water would submerge these fields.

Another bastion. This one looks solid. Unlike the other bastion, this is squarish with filleted corners. Earlier I had been on that bastion, it was filthy ...a public toilet. One interesting feature of that bastion was a stone-lined  rectangular pit about 12' x 8' x 7' deep. Was the pit used to store water? No idea.

Exposed portion of a buried statue. It looks like this sculpture is from Hoysala period. This is just feet away from the waters of Tungabhadra.

Local people come here to wash clothes and take bath. A slightly elevated rocky portion of the riverbed forms a small island. I was tempted to go there but we were already behind our schedule.

A closer look at the bastion. Looks like Maratha architecture. Perhaps this was used as a docking station for military boats or merchant boats supplying food grains.

I meet another farmer- ________. Ruins of a mantapa and a temple in the background..

During rainy season river water would flow through this natural trench which goes towards Dhyamavva temple.

A reinforced end of a bund.

An ancient temple on the island in the river.I wish I had seen the inside of that temple.

Women working in fields. The one in the middle had asked if I'll take a picture.They were surprised when I spoke to them ...evaru Kannada mathadthare.

Back at the temple, Manju introduced few local leaders who were supervising temple decoration for the upcoming annual fair. Manjus accompanying me are standing at the either ends of the line. It is said that during the fair hundreds of goats and chicken are killed here as offering to the Goddess. The place we are standing on would be soaked with blood.

According to Manju, temporary stalls to vend alcoholic drinks are setup during the fair. Every stall will have a small opening to receive cash and deliver bottles. I was trying to imagine people high on spirits and attacking meat! What a scene! Manju did mention that temple management does not allow photography or videography here during the fair. Obviously! Images of blood & gore on media is an invitation to trouble from animals rights groups.

Our next destination was Galaganatha. The roads were in terrible condition. Reason: heavy traffic of trucks and tractors transporting sand from river Tungabhadra. One stretch of the road was running parallel to the river. We could see lot of sugarcane fields. I saw a dirt path in a field connecting the river and the road. I saw more and more. I must have counted 25 in a 2km stretch. Imagine the scale of illegal sand mining. I was saddened by seeing people destroying the local ecosystem. Both Manjus told me how boats are used to suck out sand from the riverbed ...like a giant vacuum cleaner. Man is determined to destroy this planet.

Havanur Fort coordinates: 14°51'38"N   75°41'31"E

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