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North Indian Medieval Fort History Study

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North Indian Medieval Fort History Study Impact Objectives • Analyse the typology of forts in India • Explore the historical change and meanings of these forts • Describe the parallel phenomena of fort-castle development between India and Japan and other historical changes of Rajput states and Indian society A focus on Indian fort history Assistant Professor Masahiko Mita is delving into the history of forts in India and exploring similarities with other countries by looking at historical events of the states and societies How were you Rajasthan. Given that this research is a Similar structural and locational changes inspired to research rudimentary study, we have not yet produced between India and Japan do not seem to medieval fort history empirical results - especially because it is come from direct influence between them. in India? difficult to establish the age of certain forts. The two countries did not have any direct In addition, the changes in the forts are only political and cultural exchanges. Rather, I was originally a hypothetical. However, we have presented this should be called interesting parallel scholar of Indian a model for the classification of fort-castles phenomena. The question of what bore these history, but since I was also interested in by structure and location, which means our parallels implies the need for collaborative medieval Japanese and European histories, studies are headed in the right direction. research beyond areas which inquire into the historical studies in Japanese and European historical situation across Eurasia. fortification inspired me. The advent of Can you explain what some of the gaps in satellite and aerial image data encouraged our knowledge you are hoping to fill in the How have you overcome any obstacles you me to embark on my latest project titled course of your research? have faced through your studies? ‘Medieval and Early Modern Forts of Northern India’. It is often thought in Japan and Europe that The most crucial problems we have faced Pre-Colonial Indian society had been a society are concerned with date identification. In What type of investigations are you currently with no historical changes since the ancient order to overcome this problem, we intend involved in? times, or an ‘unchanged caste society’. to perform more detailed archaeological However, South Asian society has undergone and architectural historical investigations, This particular project is rather different major historical changes, and, in my current as well as exploring inscriptions and literary from many other studies on Indian forts project, we present new findings relating sources on fortification. We hope to carry out which mainly focus on their military setup. to the fact that changes in Rajasthan forts this work in the near future and make use of It focuses on the aspects of urban setup have similarities with those that happened in our collaborations with relevant institutes in of royal capital forts. Thus, structure Japan, particularly from the point of view of India, such as the Archaeological Survey of and connection of palaces and urban the structure of forts and urban settlements. India. l settlements and their topographical location determine types of forts and fortified cities in this project. This directly leads us to the arguments of the structure of states and society of those days and their structural changes. I am mainly collecting texts of inscriptions, which is the principal source of pre- modern Rajasthan, and also take pictures of inscriptions in India to decipher and analyse them. Since this research funded by KAKENHI was about the history of the forts, I collected 2D data of the forts using Google Maps and Google Earth, and, at the same time, we collected 3D data (mainly the height of the walls and buildings) in the fieldwork Hilltop fort at Jalor in southern Rajasthan, probably constructed in the 10th century and abandoned in the 14th and created the typology of the forts of century as their royal capital. Its relative height is more than 400m. 44 www.impact.pub Elucidating the changes to Indian forts An historian from Nagoya University is investigating the history of forts in specific areas of India to understand how transformations in the structures of fortified areas relate to wider social changes History researcher Assistant Professor generally speaking, wealth was concentrated local rulers and society,’ Mita highlights. He Masahiko Mita, from the Graduate School not on urban settlements at foothills but confirms that many former studies clarified of Humanities at Nagoya University in royal palaces and temples on hilltops. But from literary sources the consolidation of Japan, has been studying the early medieval from the 16th century onwards, due to the the Rajput kingdoms as regional states history (6th to 13th centuries) of Rajasthan. worldwide prosperity of trade and markets, under the Mughal rule and beyond. Recently, he has embarked on a study of the trade of daily necessaries like rice and He believes his research will ultimately later medieval period and beyond (after the cotton, of which clients were not necessarily demonstrate the same historical trends 14th century). Building an understanding royalty, had drastically increased. ‘In this from a different viewpoint and methodology. of the typology of forts and their historical situation, in royal capital cities on main change has been an important starting trade routes, wealth had been concentrated The project is now well under way and point, and Mita has focused on interpreting on the urban settlements as well, where rich Mita is hoping to publish a paper on the satellite images of forts. ‘From our analyses merchants constructed luxury mansions fort classification and hypothesis on the of satellite images of forts, the 8th to called havelis. Thus, royalty recognised the changes of the structure of the fortified 18th century Rajasthan forts are classified economic importance of the urban areas cities. In addition, he is keen to proceed with into three major types: large-scale hilltop on foothills, so they built the palaces on archeological and architectural historical fort; minor hilltop fort + fortified palace- foothills and surrounded them with massive research while exploring cooperation with city; and flat fortified city,’ he outlines. walls to protect the wealth of the urban Indian research institutes. Finally, he wants ‘Chronologically, the large-scale hilltop fort settlements as a whole.’ to conduct other rudimentary studies to was comparatively popular before the 13th areas beyond Rajasthan to see if similar or century, particularly as royal capital cities, TRANSFORMATION OF STATE SYSTEM different trends are seen. l but from the 16th century onward, especially In a parallel field of research Mita has in the 17th century, both the minor hilltop attempted to explain the structural fort + fortified palace-city and flat fortified transformation of royal capital cities by Project Insights city had become standard as major Rajput considering the changing Rajput state kingdoms became stable as regional royalty formation of the same periods. He outlines FUNDING under the Mughal rule.’ Mita hopes that this how before the 13th century, many royal Japan Society for the Promotion of ground work will provide an opportunity to capitals and other political bases of Rajput Science (JSPS), KAKENHI Grant number 19K01017 shed some light on how the changes related kingdoms were located on hilltops where to the state system, military conditions, large-scale hilltop forts were constructed CONTACT urban settlements and socio-economic and all the political setup was built within it, Assistant Professor Masahiko Mita systems of those times. ‘Developments while urban settlements located on flatlands in technology, such as Google Maps and were usually unfortified. ‘However, after E: [email protected] Google Earth have paved the way for this the early medieval Rajput kingdoms were current research,’ he says. ‘This enables me all destroyed by the Delhi-Sultanate in the BIO Assistant Professor Masahiko Mita to develop an understanding of the history beginning of the 14th century, and when is based at the Graduate School of of north Indian medieval forts.’ local Rajputs started again state formation Humanities, Nagoya University. He is a from the latter half of the 14th century, most Visiting Researcher of Toyo Bunko (The POLITICO-ECONOMIC MEANINGS of them abandoned large hilltop forts and Oriental Library), Tokyo, and a Trustee of Mita explains that the changes of Rajput set their political bases at foothills and the Japanese Association for South Asian forts were the changes in the relation flatlands and constructed fortified palaces Studies. Mita has been studying and between fortified palace and urban there,’ he explains. Following, fortified royal writing on Rajput history during the 10th to the 13th centuries with epigraphical settlement. ‘Therefore, the politico- cities were formed by building massive walls documents. He is now focusing on the economic meanings of the changes should and bastions around urban settlements great change during the 14th century. be considered from the aspect of the in the 17th century under the Mughal rule. relation of kingship and commerce,’ he ‘That changing process of fortification comments. ‘Before the 13th century, royal meant the transformation from the loose families and Hindu and Jaina temples were and unsystematic state system called a most important clients for the then rich samanta system of the early medieval merchants, who supplied luxury goods Rajputs, to the much more localised and like military horses, elephants, weapons, systemic state as a regional kingdom where jewels, dresses, etc. to royalty.’ He says that, the king had consolidated their rule over www.impact.pub 45.
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