After selecting Bangalore as his town, Kempe Gowda I proceeded to protect it by building a mud fort around it. When Bangalore came under the rule of Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan, the fort was strengthened. A stone fort was built. Within the fort walls thrived the Pete area; the city. This fort is nothing but the Bangalore Fort.The original fort was oval on plan, with a series of round bastions and tall gateways and a dry moat all around it. It covered a large area from the present Mysore Bank Circle (North) to KIMS Hospital (South); and from Corporation Circle (East) to the Binny Mill (Eest). If one went looking around the city that has expanded far beyond the pete area one would not find the entire fort for it has disintegrated over time, thanks to wars, the Britishers and the formation of Chamrajpet.Some remains of the fort can still be seen here and there. Ulsur-bagilu (East gate), Yalahanka bagilu, Delhi bagilu (North gates), Kanakanahalli bagilu, Mysore bagilu (South gate), Kengeri bagilu (West gate) were the gates of the fort. The Delhi gate is intact in the KR market. The one right in front of Victoria Hospital is the Delhi gate, probably because it faced north towards the national capital Delhi. Neither Kempe Gowda nor Hyder Ali and Tipu had any relations with the Mughals in Delhi so it must be named so during the brief time that Bangalore was under the Mughals and Sira rulers, says Dr Aruni, Assistant Director, ICHR, Bangalore.This was used as a link gate between the civilian area and the royal complex. This has three successive gates. The south-facing entrance has circular bastions on either side and has beautiful stucco carvings. The west-facing gate has an old hero-stone (veergal), depicting war heroes embedded in the walls. The fort walls are built with well-dressed granite blocks and have sloppy parapets. The dilapidated walls of the fort have been recently conserved.The fort gains importance in the lieu of the Anglo-Mysore wars fought with the British. For the Britishers to enter Mysore they had to first capture the Bangalore fort and hence this became their centre of focus. As all know the Britishers defeated Tipu and seized the fort.The most intriguing part of the fort that is sure to light up the imaginations of thousands that visit this fort is the dungeons. Tipu built dungeons to keep prisoners of wars. Tales of the torture meted out to the British soldiers captured here are horrifying. The dungeon inside has a memorial tablet mentioning Sir David Baird and others who were confined here. Another tablet on the fort wall mentions that ‘Lord Cornwallis effected a breach through which he entered and took possession of the place’, resulting in Tipu’s defeat and Bangalore coming under the British rule. A small temple was later constructed dedicated to the Hindu deity Ganesha abutting the inner wall of the fort.Over time, Bangalore fort lost prominence and was razed down in parts to make way for Bangalore and its residents. This Delhi gate however, stands as the remainder of Bangalore’s history.
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