Hunter's Lodge, Hosakere

Dec 24, 2012
While travelling from Gogi village to Vanadurga fort we had seen this ancient building. That day we had a tight schedule and this was an unexpected discovery. We stopped few second for a quick shot and moved on. I'd guessed it was a palace from Adil Shahi times.

June 23, 2018
I received a set of pictures from Venkatesh Bappargi, my friend from Wagangera. Venkatesg had visited Hosakere and shared his pictures. I'm posting them with permission.

Hosakere village is about 9 kms from Gogi, 20 kms from Shahpur town and 20 kms from Shorapur (Surpur). This area was part of Surpur kingdom.

This building is marked in Wikimapia and its description reads as follows- This is known as a Hunting Palace built by Shorapur Nayakas in 1820s. The square structure has tower in the middle with three storyes. The upper story has windows on cardinal directions for placing guns to hunt the animals who come for water to the lake below. Such hunting palaces are not known in southern Deccan before the Mughals, hence, this is the only one example of hunting palace found in the Deccan and also in Karnataka. For more details please read my Book- Surapura Samsthana- Historical and Archaeological Study of Poligar State in South India published by Bharatiya Prakashan, Delhi in 2004. - Aruni, S.K.

Interesting to know kings had palaces built for the sake of hunting. This reminds me of a building on the banks of Pocharam reservoir close to Pocharam dam. So we have two examples of hunting lodges in South India. The hunting house of Pocharam also has a tower which gives a good view of the lake shore.

The building is square in plan, about 64' x 64'. In elevation it has 11 arches of similar size and all four faces have the same number of arches. Going by the arches, it seems builders had copied the design from Shahpur fort. This is the eastern face.

 The building nust have been well furnished in its heydays. Now just the skeleton stands.

The walls are solid and built of dressed blocks, just like a fort. Probably there were stables too.

The niches in the columns, between the arches, must be for placing oil lamps to light up the interior during night times.

The central tower is approximately 40' tall. While the upper half is made of red soil bricks, its base made of stone and integrated with the main structure. The tower seems to be rectangular in plan. Every face has different number of windows and gun-holes.

 The screen wall is made of bricks and mortar. Three of four faces still have the screen but on one wall its missing completely.

This is the western face, as seen from Hosakere lake bed.

Thanks to my friend Venkatesh for the pleasant surprise. Hoping to meet him again soon.

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Gagan Mahal, Bijapur

July 3, 2016
The word Gagan means sky and Mahal is palace or mansion. Going by its name, its a palace high above the ground. The palace's elevation has an immense arch flanked by equally high but narrow arches. The ground floor of the palace was the Dubar hall. It has a platform from where the king used to address the court. On the upper level of the building were the galleries and residential quarters. The upper floor was said to be supported by wooden beams and pillars. However, today the building is a roofless structure, devoid of the decorations - what we see today is the skeleton remains of the palace.

Gagan Mahal is said to be built in 1561 CE by Adil Shah I. This palace is said to have witnessed important events of the kingdom. QuenChand Bibi is said to have controlled the state's affairs from here. And the traitor Kishawar Khan had dragged the noble queen from here and sent to Satara for imprisonment. Later in 1686, when Moghul emperor Aurangzeb conquered the city, the last Adil Shahi ruler Sikander Shah was brought in chains to pay allegiance to the conqueror. After this incident, the palace is said have become silent.. deserted.

View of the arches from the Durbar platform.

The Durdar hall walls. The lintel level of the ground floor is seen, its about 25 above the floor level. Seems like the upper floor was made of wooden planks, supported by wooden beams and columns. The stairway to the upper floor is concealed within these thick walls.

This is one of the smaller halls flanking the Durbar hall. Probably private meetings were held here.

Gagan Mahal is situated right besides the fort wall and moat. The moat not only provided security but also supplied water to the palace. I wonder how water was supplied to the upper floors of the palace.

We must've spent around 30 minutes at this 460 years old monument. It was worth the time. If you are touring Bijapur, I guess Gagan Mahal is one of the places where one can take a short break. In the vicinity, in fact on the same street are two other monuments - Anand Mahal and the ancient church of Bujapur.
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Cannons of Chowmahalla, Hyderabad

Chowmahalla or Chowmahallatuu is a palace of the Nizams of Hyderabad. Mahal is an Arabic word for palace and Mahalat for palaces. This palace complex has four palaces hence its name Chowmahallatuu. These structures are said to be replica of Shah's palace in Tehran, Iran. Its construction began in 1750 CE, initiated by  Salabat Jung and completed by 1869 during the period of Asaf Jah V the fifth Nizam. Chowmahalla was the seat of Asaf Jahi dynasty and official residence of Nizams of Hyderabad. All official state events were held here. The palace complex consists of Khilwat (Durbar hall), four palaces, two courtyards - northern and southern, clock tower, Bara Imam (long corridor of rooms on the eastern side and Shishe-Alat. The four palaces are Afzal Mahal, Mahtab Mahal, Tahniyat Mahal and Aftab Mahal.

February 27, 2016

Chowmahalla is open to public between 10 AM and 5 PM, Saturday to Thursday. We reached around 12-30, it was a warm day. The entrance gateway opens up to the northern courtyard. The central pool & fountains and greenery create a peaceful ambiance. At the end of this courtyard is the Khilwat, the grand hall where the Nizam held official meetings. And right next to Khilwat is the elegant Khilwat Clock Tower. Coming back tot the courtyard, around the central pool are six cannons, they are no ordinary guns, I mean not the simple cast or forged steel cannons. The engineers who designed these guns had worked hard on the aesthetic aspect of their products. The guns' handles are a pair of fish, each of the guns has a unique These guns are made of a special alloy.. a mixture of non-magnetic metals which does not heat up even on the hottest days.

Here we go.. starting with a pair of cannons close to the palace complex entrance. They are similar in size and design. However the pair of fishes on the guns are different- while one is scaly, the other pair is smooth.

There are three (or four) more cannons bigger than the first two. They are opposite Khilwat (the Durbar Hall), These cannons are about 6½ feet long and their bore is around 6". Though similar in build and size, each cannon is unique in terms of aesthetics. The paired handles are different in every cannon; fish with twisted tails and lizard like creatures. Here they are..

Both cannons have embossed Sun along with..

..inscription in one of the Islamic languages.

 These guns reminiscent of cannons at Basava Kalyana fort and the Malik-e-Maidan Tope at Bijapur forts. They are also artistically decorated, made of non-magnetic alloy and do not heat in even when exposed to blazing Sun throughout the day. One more five-metal gun that comes to mind is a four feet cannon at the museum inside the Qutb Shahi tomb complex near Golconda fort. It seems these guns were manufactured some place in Madhya Pradesh.
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Gagan Mahal, Penukonda fort

Jan 3, 2015
This was the maiden visit to Penukonda fort. For some reason, all the monuments' doors remained closed, I'd to see them from outside. Gagan Mahal's gates were locked and the caretaker was not available even until 9 AM. I gave up..

Close to the gate is a board which tells about this monument:

The historical town Penukonda, the Mandal headquarters is located on the Guntakal-Bangalore section of Southern Railway and about 71 kms from Anantapur on Kurnool-Bangalore highway. It was once acted as second capital of the glorious Vijayanagara.
Number of religious in secular structures has been added at this place during the Vijayanagara period. In the residential fort area the temples dedicated to Rama, Siva, Mukteswara, Parswanatha, Narasimha, Venkateswara, Kali, mosques, Thimmarasu Jail, Mathas, watch towers, Vykuntapuram, water tanks and Gagan Mahal are important structures. Gagan Mahal is the only structure which is under the control of Department of Archaeology and Museums.
An old Hindu palace i.e. Gagan Mahal is located to the south of Ramaswamy and Eshwara temples. It was the summer palace and harem of Vijayanagara rulers. The building is facing east and composes of two stories of arcade chambers, square on plan with corner tower on the northern side. In front of the building there are steps leading into the building also staircases on either sides leads to the first floor. The ground floor consisting with recessed and forty five foliated arches in the pavilion reminiscent of the Lodi type of arches in the buildings of Delhi. The middle of the ground floor and first floor made a provision of rooms. The first floor has twelve arches and eight windows. The surface of the walls of building is coated with stucco. The pyramidal roof built-up in tiers is obviously adopted from Sikhara of the Dravidan style. The tower has six projecting windows supported by brackets.
It was built by a combination of Indo-Persian architectural style known as Indo-Sarcanic adopted by Vijayanagara kings. The palace was built without a single rafter, a unique specimen architecture.
- Archaeology and Museums Department.

Sept 11, 2015
The second visit turned out lucky, the caretaker was available. It was around 9-15 when we reached the spot. A bus full school children from Dharmavaram reached at the same moment; the group were on a historical tour for the day.

The east-facing palace is situated at the base of Penukonda hill. Steps leading to the fort atop the hill is a short walk from here. Also close by is a pond named Bhoga Samudram, probably a source of fresh water for the palace. The asymmetric design of the structure gives it a unique look. I went around the building starting from front right.

The building has two roof tops, one for the main building and the other for the tower. The roofs are capped by a pyramid-shaped Shikhara, same as the Lotus Mahal at Hampi. The palace has windows on all sides.. creates cross-ventilation through out the building. Good number of balconies for residents to relax and enjoy fresh air and beautiful sights.. surely the palace would be surrounded by well kept gardens with colorful flowers. I'm not sure if this was painted in white originally.

The rear left corner of the building has three arches.. this is to aide easy air inflow. The air stream will split and flow around the central hall and flow out from the front. So a person entering the building will receive a cool welcome.. aah! A beautiful maiden carrying a tray filled with glasses of cool drinks would be part of the welcome.

This is what you see as soon as you step into the building. The original flooring has been replaced with marble tiles.. the interior looks are screwed up.

A life-size picture of formally attired Sri Krishnadevaraya adorns the wall next to the tower entrance.

I think the original flooring would have been glossy white made of lime mixture which helps maintain the cool ambiance. You can see such flooring today at the Jumma Masjid in Gulbarga fort.

We climbed to the first floor; this is the open balcony for a view of  moonlit and starlit skies. The balcony is all around the first level.

The central dome; the high floor to ceiling gap will create a good draft to carry out warm air and bring in cooler air.

A large window serves as a seat with a view of Penukonda hill. On the hill would be guards watching the surrounding plains for signs of danger.

This video will talk you through the building starting from the tower top.

Yogi Ramaswamy temple and Kashi Vishwanatha temples as seen from the tower.

A neglected Mantapa surrounded by houses.. who knows how much of government land has been illegally occupied.

Within the palace walls is an open air museum of ancient sculptures, mostly hero-stones. Here are three samples. Group of people worshipping Shiva Linga and Nandi. Its customary for a hero-stone to depict Sun and Moon.

The other hero-stone depicts an archer holding a strung bow, aiming to shoot.

The third sculpture is a black granite job. This male character wielding a wavy blade sword must be a warrior from a royal lineage.

Having done with the summer palace we head towards the northern gateway of Penukonda fort..

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