Forts and Fortifications in India

Forts and fortifications are primarily of military expediency. Right from the protohistoric Harappan times to the modern times, these have been constructed. Yet it is only during the medieval period of India’s history we see a proliferation of forts; a need of the times when conflict for supremacy was rampant. The design and architecture of forts and fortifications are governed by the topography of the region. besides the strategic importance like, commanding the supply route, approach, etc. The present book dealing with the forts of Madhya Pradesh, where incidenta1ly these are concentrated, is a comprehensive and cogent narration of the history and development of defence architecture, planning, execution etc. Here for the first time a comparative study of forts and their appurtenances have been made. A fort by itself is complete unit, and should be able to sustain its occupants during times of emergency. It should, besides enclosing royal palaces and apartments for the people who matter should have means for longer sustenance for which essentials like water supply, food, etc. should be stored and made available. All these aspects are dealt with in this book. An analysis shows that the defence architecture has followed the traditional norms detailed in ancient texts; however those regarding the palaces have not been adhered to in a few cases, perhaps due to the needs of changing times. The book is divided into several chapters; dealing with the geography and topography of the region, historical background, a brief history of forts and fortification in India in general and that of those in Madhya Pradesh in particular. One chapter describes in detail ten important forts and fortifications in the region e.g. Chanden, Narwar, Gwalior, Mandu, Raisen, Asirgarh, etc. This extensive study contributes much to military architecture of the medieval times. Two more chapters highlight the importance of planning and architecture of protective walls as also the auxiliary buildings inside the fort. The study has revealed that Kautilyas postulation regarding location of forts have not been followed in view of the peculiar geographical and topographical factors of Madhya Pradesh. The work has been very well illustrated with numerous ground plans of several forts, citadels, etc. beginning from the protohistoric onwards. A number of photographs add to the pictorial value of the book.