The State government has declared the historical Belgaum Fort here a State Heritage Monument, as per Section 4(3) of the Karnataka Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1961.
As per the official records, the fort, located right in front of a picturesque lake at the entrance of the city from Hubballi-Dharwad, traces its history to the Ratta dynasty with lineage to the Rashtrakutas. It was built by Jaya Raya, also called Bichi Raja, an ally of the Rattas, during 1204 AD. Subsequently, the fort has undergone several renovations under different rulers of the region.
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The fort, with fine ramparts and a large moat, has two shrines of Lord Ganapati and Goddess Durga at the entrance. Of the two Jain Basadis, Kamala Basadi, was built in the late Chalukyan style in 1204 with the Neminatha idol in black stone.
The masterpiece here is the Mukhamantapa with a well-executed lotus on the ceiling. Outside the Kamala Basadi, is another ruined Jain temple.Safa Masjid is one of the two mosques inside the fort and by far the best of the 25-30 mosques in the city.
The minars, domes and arches point to a typical fusion of Indo-Sarcenic and Deccan styles of architecture. A sense of the past is all pervading here.
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Calligraphic designs
Two of the circular pillars in the Jamia hall are said to be from the old temples. Some of them have Kannada inscriptions in the Nagari script, while others have beautiful Persian script forming exquisite calligraphic decorations.
Also, a sub-centre of the Ramakrishna Mission Ashram has been established, where exists the blessed house of Sri Haripada Mitra where Swami Vivekananda stayed for nine days in October 1892.
After having confirmed the Hindu monk’s stay here, the S.M. Krishna Government handed it over to Ramakrishna Math and Mission.
It was built by Jaya Raya during 1204 AD