Defence Architecture in Early North Karnataka c9.2

c9.2

It is against this background, let us try now, to know about the fort architecture in Northern Karnāṭaka, for northern Karnāṭaka was the seat of many political kingdoms imperial as well as of feudatories, such as the feudatories of the Sātavāhanas, particularly the Chūṭus ruling over the Banavāsi region, the independent Banavāsi Kadambas with their capital at Banavāsi, the imperial Chālukyas early and later with their capitals at Bādāmi and Kalyāṇa respectively, the imperial Rāshṭrakūṭas with their capital, at a later stage, at Malkhēḍ,¹ the imperial Vijayanagar dynasty with their capital at Hampi, the Ādilshāhs - the strongest and most enlightened among the Deccan Sultans with their stronghold at Bijapur, besides, the Mahāmaṇḍalēshvaras for example the Raṭṭas as the feudatories to the Rāṣṭrakuṭas and later to the Kalyāṇ Chālukyas with their Head-quarters at Saudatti and Belgaum etc.; a branch of the Kadambas of Goa ruling from Halsi; the Pāṇḍyas ruling from Uchangi (Uchchasringi) etc.