An enduring fortress of stone and history

Deccan Herald

03-07-2025

Shahabad is a historical town about 26 km from Kalaburagi, where the two major rivers, Kagina and Bhima, flow. Old Shahabad was once a major administrative and cultural centre during the Bahmani Sultanate. .It also served as a sub-divisional administrative hub under the Nizams of Hyderabad, governing nearly 300 villages. In order to preserve the originality of Old Shahabad, a new township, New Shahabad, was developed around 3.5 km away, primarily due to the establishment of a railway station. .Shahabad is especially notable for its limestone, widely known as Shahabad stone, which comes in different shades such as yellow and grey, each possessing a distinctive visual character..Houses in many nearby villages are built using this stone. The tradition of using limestone blocks for building construction in this region spans centuries. The stones have been used by various historical dynasties, including the Mauryas of Kanaganahalli (notably for the Ashoka-era stupa), the Rashtrakutas (in Malkhed Fort), the Bahmanis (in Shahabad Fort), and the Nizams in their palaces in Kalaburagi..A 14th-century fort, locally known as gadi, is a rare and historically significant example of early Shahabad stone architecture. The Shahabad Fort was built during the reign of the Bahmani rulers, sometime between 1397 and 1422 AD. The fort is one of the lesser-known but important regional monuments from the Bahmani period. Shahabad, along with other towns, formed a network of strategic settlements that were regularly used by the Bahmani Sultans for military campaigns. .When this ancient structure is compared to the recently constructed houses in the area, the basic construction method remains surprisingly similar. Limestone blocks are carefully stacked and aligned to form solid structural walls. The fort itself contains a row of gun slits embedded into the walls — an early form of defensive architecture. The fort features four watchtowers: Two cylindrical towers at the main entrance and two square-shaped towers at the rear. .The upper level of the bastions includes tapering three-layered stone supports that provide both functional overhang and architectural elegance. The western wall and its corresponding bastion remain relatively intact. The fort's layout is irregular, suggesting it may have been expanded over time without a fixed design plan. .At the southeast corner of the structure stands a square bastion, while the rear exit of the fort includes a small wooden door topped by a large stone arch. Once a thriving seat of local governance and military strength, the fort has now deteriorated and, regrettably, is often used as a dumping ground. .The eastern wall, connected to a bastion, is in particularly poor condition, though the top of the bastion has somehow endured. A portion of the fort compound is currently occupied by a private school..Within the walls of the fort lies a mosque known locally as the Gadi ki saat sutun Shahi Jama Masjid, constructed using locally quarried white stone. Although not widely documented in scholarly records, this mosque is an important religious structure preserved by the local community..Inside the fort.The masjid is supported by 32 intricately designed pillars and 28 arches. Each arch displays a unique style, inspired by Persian and Turkish architectural traditions, indicating the cultural exchanges with these regions during the Bahmani period..The roof of the mosque includes 21 domes. The front elevation features chajjas (stone eaves) attached to the roof, supported by stone slabs. These designs follow the Indo-Islamic architectural tradition and are also seen in older homes throughout the region..This historic fort and its mosque currently do not fall under the protection or maintenance of any official heritage organisation..Despite this, the structure remains an example of regional fort architecture, blending defensive engineering with cultural and religious heritage. With proper support, particularly from the State Archaeology Department, this neglected monument could be preserved, restored, and recognised as a valuable piece of Karnataka's historical and architectural legacy.