Defence Architecture in Early North Karnataka c13.9

c13.9

The fort is raised in the area closely surrounded by the rivulet on the east and south and the river Kāginā on the west. Now, on the northern side nearly half the length of the eastern side from the north-east corner, there is no channel or rivulet, hence a moat was dug immediately by the side of the fort on the northern side and on eastern side connecting the river Kāginā to the rivulet on the eastern side (Fig.35). The river water flows through the moat into the rivulet. Thus, while the fort has natural defensive river and the rivulets as moats on the western, southern and half the eastern side, the moat fulfils the need on the remaining sides. What is particularly noteworthy, here, is the exploitation of the natural resources of the water, with minimum effort for providing moats round the fort (Illn. D 1) on the exterior. Superficially speaking, one does not immediately realise this aspect, therefore one may not find any consideration in the selection of the site, in the whole region, which is plain over a vast area.