Defence Architecture in Early North Karnataka c16.s5.t1: The Gate to the north of Penugonda gate
Defence Architecture in Early North Karnataka c16.s5.t1
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The Gate to the north of Penugonda gate
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In front of the Domed gate and about a kilometre away, but within the enclosure wall, is another gate nameless. It now stands isolated with stumps of fort wall on its sides. Unfortunately, no meaningful traces are available to apprise of its relative position with the enclosure wall. Presumably, there was probably another gate in the enclosure wall leading to this gate. But this part of the wall is not extant. The gate is quite simple in plan and elevation. On the frontal side of the gate are guard rooms. Again another unusual feature is on the jambs of the door are sculptures of the Dwarapalas with Danda in their hands. The upper part of the door is framed into an arch by corbelling with a typical Vijayanagara lotus motif in the brackets. On the sides of the passage through the gate there are no guard rooms. The street fr this gate leads to the Domed gate.
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The Domed Gate: (Fig. 61)
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The Domed gate is the main entrance through the citadel into the palace complex area. In fact in the citadel proper, from one end to the other, there are six entrances at irregular intervals providing access from different areas with temples, Bazars etc. outside the citadel (Fig. 58, Schedule 17).
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The Domed gate (Illn. G4) faces east and probably forms the main entrance in view of its defensive architectural character. It may be noted here that at the entrance and on the top of the walls there are no bastions and kanguras i.e. battlements respectively.
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The entrance is a simple opening with 5.60 m. wide with an arched facade rising above from top of the wall. At the top is again an elongated cylindrical domed structure. The dome has a horizontal band. The door-way upto the apex of the arch is 7.80 m. high and the total height from the ground level to the top of the dome is about 13.00 m., while the height of the wall is 3.80 m. Here, the verticality has been distinctly emphasized as if to proclaim the glory of the emperors.
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On the inner side of the gateway is a barbi<ins>c</ins>e<ins>a</ins>n divided into two compartments, by projecting a wall in the barbican. Within the barbican, on the sides of the door-way are two temples dedicated to Îsvara and Hanumān. The partition wall obstructs the direct view from the door-way of the other compartment of the barbican. The area of the barbican is about 30 m. east-west and 30 m. north-south in the other compartment. From this compartment, in the northern wall, is another entrance (Illn.43) provided with corbelled gate. The passage passes in between the two guard-rooms on the sides on the other side of the compartment.
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The locations of temples especially of Hanumān at the entrance is a feature to be noticed for the first time in the development of the fort architecture through the centuries.
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Bhīma Gate (Fig.62)
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From the Domed gate the street originally led to another gate known as Bhīma gate (Illn.G2). But now, in the place of the road a big reservior has been raised recently disconnecting specially the two gates.
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Why this gate is called Bhīma gate may be explained from the sculptural relief on the wall looking north within the berbican (Figure at the spot B). In the panel Duśhyāsana has been smashed by Bhīma and Draupadi stands nearby with her hair dishevelled - an important episode of Mahābhārata. Probably the representation of this episode on this gate is significant for it seems to suggest a warning to the people that they would meet a similar end like Duśhyāsana at the hands of Bhīma, if they do not behave properly, for the gate is very close to the palace complex including the harem.
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In front of the entrance is a Vishnu temple, but in view of the fact of the three sockets in a row on the pedestal in the Girbha-griha and a bas-relief of Garuda in the lintel of the entrance to the Gairbha-griha, suggests that the temple was dedicated to Sri Rāma, Laxmana and Sîta, like that of Hajāra Rāma temple near the palace complex.
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The Bhîma gate (Fig.58, Schedule 18) stands as if isolated, but probably it was part of another enclosure wall running round the palace complex. Only some stumps of the wall here and there are extant. For example, near the octagonal structure, probably meant for bath, is one such a stump. Nearby there is another temple. But it should be noted that the exterior sides of the gate have finished surface, suggesting that it was an independent entrance without walls on the sides, similar to the gate of north of Penugonda gate. If this observation is correct, again for the first time we find erection of gates at specific points through which the main street passed. On either sides of the street there must have been well planned mansions. This is again another important feature to be noticed in the fort architecture.
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Now, coming to the gate proper, it is quite simple having a wide opening in the centre about 4.15 m. wide and 7.00 m. high. It has a corbelled roof with architectural motif of lotus buds hanging over at the centre. On the inner side of the gate is barbican, rectangular in plan; but the ground plan of the barbican is regularly zig-zag, created by the projected wall at the entrance point on the inner side. The passage takes left turn, then right, again right i.e. north-wards leading to another gate. On the other side of the gate, on the sides of the passage are guard rooms. Similarly in the front of the right turn is another guard room.
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Dakhani Gate (southern gate): (Fig.65)
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The 'Dakhani gate' (southern gate) is so called as it looks southwards. Superficially, it looks like one of the main entrances into the citadel in the present state of its existence, but in reality it was not an entrance gate but a trap-gate, a fore runner of the Allapur gate of the Bijāpur fort. Actually the gate (Fig.58,Schedule 16) is on the out side of the fort wall and within the moat surrounded by the waters therein. In fact, the gate is meant for permanent exit for enemies and for escape of the inmates of the citadel, which is at a close proximity to the east of this gate, in times of overcoming danger.
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Significantly, there is a Śiva temple right in front of the opening; for enemies it signifies their attainment of Kailasa and for the inmates it implies shelter symbolically.
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The gate in the fort wall, opening into the barbican on the outside, leading to the big opening, is simple with the corbelled arch at the top. The width of the gate is 3.80 m. and the barbican is 13.80 m x 4.00m. There is an 'L' shaped wall in the middle of the barbican projecting from the eastern wall not connected to the other walls. It forms as if a closed screen to the opening. Enemy, when persued through this gate, will have to get into the barbican and then is pressed through the narrow space. On the other side of the 'L' shaped wall from where alone he can see the opening and the back wall of the Śiva temple. In a fit of fear and anxiety to save his life, he naturally tries to escape through the opening but actually falls fatally into the dangerous moat. The opening is narrow (3.00 m) and the back wall of the Siva temple provides a sort of illusion that the space inbetween the wall and the temple is an open space for escape.
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On the northern side near the extremity of the citadel wall abutting the natural wall of gigantic boulders, is another gate.
Linked texts (2)
- Mahābhārata — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
- Ishvara