Telangana's 17th century forts left to their fate

Two have faded into oblivion while urbanisation and mining pose threat to the five surviving ones

Weeds and other vegetation threatens to destroy even the ruins of Nirmal fort on Pinjarigutta in Nirmal town.

The magnificent forts of Nirmal, instead of evoking some kind of romance — a characteristic of heritage structures — end up making visitors feel pity over their pathetic condition.

Even the Shamgarh fort, located on the south just outside Nirmal district headquarters town and one of two in slightly better condition, is threatened by construction activity.

Then there were five

There were seven forts in Nirmal built of stone and mortar in the 17th century, forming part of a chain of such structures, says Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH)-Hyderabad convenor and a member of its governing council, P. Anuradha Reddy. Of those, only five — Soangarh, Shamgarh, Battisgarh, Nirmal fort and Bangalpet fort — now remain.

A cannon has fallen off its moorings on the ruins of a bastion in Nirmal fort on Pinjarigutta in Nirmal.

 

“All these forts formed part of a defence mechanism built by French engineers who were in the employ of Nizam II. The planning for these forts was done in such a manner that the typical local topography featuring rocky hills and lakes were used as a natural defence system,” she points out.

The State government had taken up tourism promotion with Central financial assistance and tried to spruce up the Shamgarh and Battisgarh forts, spending about ₹48 lakh and ₹1.21 crore respectively so far. The forts, however, are still awaiting tourists.

Threats to forts

While Battisgarh or what remains of it is threatened by activity related to stone mining, real estate development is posing threat to Shamgarh.

The scattering of heavy boulders, dug up from private lands, a few metres from the latter is a dead give-away of the danger to the fort.

Illegal excavation close to the ruinous wall of Nirmal fort in Nirmal.

 

There is no entrance to the fort, thanks to an incomplete compound wall hindering the cement road leading to the main gate of the structure. The reception and restaurant built at the entrance from main road and the metal umbrellas, two of the three inside the fort, have been been damaged.

The Nirmal fort located on Khillagutta is already beyond salvage as housing colonies have surrounded it completely and whatever remains of the ruins is also rapidly getting lost.

Illegal excavation on the side of Somwarpet near the head post office is speeding up the crumbling of the fortifications, a case in point being the sliding off of a cannon from its moorings on a bastion.