Lost Heritage of Fort Settlement

LOST HERITAGE OF FORT proposals to conserve and enhance the fort to be a better tourist spot. SETTLEMENT - A CASE STUDY Keywords: Traditional Houses, Devanahalli fort, ON DEVANAHALLI FORT, heritage, fort settlement, local history. BANGALORE, KARNATAKA, 1. Introduction: INDIA. With rapid growth in population, urbanization seems Samaa Hasan, Arshia Meiraj, Saman Khuba K, to wrap its arms around the heritage fabric, Authors – Students of Aditya Academy of assimilating within it all its cultural charm, its Architecture and Design, Yelahanka, Bangalore. traditions and its very existence. Intense Co Authors - vandalization of rural fabric with replacement of modern era buildings seems to supersede the cultural Guided by techniques and the sense of tradition in the setting. In Subanitha R, Anupadma R, Assistant Professor, Associate professor Aditya Academy of Architecture and Design, Yelahanka, Bangalore. Mentored by Dr. K N Ganesh Babu Principal, Aditya Academy of Architecture and Design, Yelahanka, Bangalore. Abstract: The long-lived historic structures behold within them decades of culture and heritage, oceans of traditions Figure 1 Entrance Gateway - DEVANAHALLI FORT and tales of glory. They are a cradle of its evolution. the expansive demand for jobs, opportunities, and Modern day development and the need to cope with buildings to accommodate all of it, the places which technological advancements has overlaid heritage symbolize the local history and its significance conservation and its importance. With the spike of becomes miniscule and nullified by the ferocious urbanization and the threats it poses to the heritage wave of urbanization. This paper is an effort to study settlements, it is momentous to research and and exhibit the potential of a victim of urbanization, strengthen the local history, which is the identity of Devanahalli fort and to forward few guidelines to a City. Often physical heritage loses its relevance save and retain its originality to supply it for the long before the idea of preservation is even born. It knowledge of future generation to understand the is our prime job to identify such treasures and local history. preserve them, to narrate eras and victories about our The main entrance (Fig.1) for the fort is oriented heritage to future generations. One such example is towards the east. We can witness the strong rarely the Devanahalli Fort settlement. With the oval fortification veneered with dressed masonry development of Bangalore's infrastructure, the approximately 12 semi-circular bastions at regular significance of the Devanahalli fort, a heritage site of intervals. Devanahalli, fort is in Devanahalli-town Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), is rapidly municipal council in Bangalore rural district in the getting lost in thin air. This paper attempts to explain state of Karnataka, India (Fig.2). Devanahalli is about the fort settlement and the traditional houses abutting the Bangalore-Hyderabad highway at about that are rich in heritage, it's architectural character 40 km northeast of Bangalore, close to Kempegowda and historic identity/value. It also attempts to explain International Airport. It belongs to tropical Climate, how we could shield our heritage from the monstrous with average temperature of 23.9˚C, precipitation beast called ‘urbanization’ and to give some 732mm, varies to 161mm between the driest month Urbanization is an inevitable factor everywhere. and wettest month (5&6). Though the urban extension and progression feeds the local and their occupation, it takes a peal in DEVANAHAL LI FORT – WARD 7&8 Figure 3 Devanahalli ward map historical remains (K. Kiruthiga et al, 2019). Urban sprawl of Bangalore towards the north side has tremendous urbanization effects on the Devanahalli town. The fort settlement has developed into sub- urban area, majorly supporting International Airport Figure 2 LOCATION and the new related expansion. However, at the current scenario, the vicinity of this fort close to the The original name of Devanahalli is Kempegowda International Airport is a supplement DEVANADODDI, dated back to 15th century. The to its potential as a tourist spot. The transforming fort was constructed in 1501 AD, made of mud Devanahalli fort holds ward 7&8 in the existing structures. A group of refugees settled from Devanahalli town ward map (Fig. 3). As per the data conjeevaram (present Kanchipuram), camped near available, based on house listing and housing census the foothills of Ramaswamy betta. The chief of the 2011, the details about household is tabulated in tribe Rana Baire Gowda, a heir of mosaru wokkalu Table 1. The house-hold condition is from good to community, contemplated for an harmonious livable and 2% of dilapidated houses with about 68% settlement for his people, his son Malla-Baire Gowda household size of 1-4, 30% of household size of 5-8 during Vijayanagar Rule, identified the fort location. (Fig.4,5). The fort has navigated through several supremacy of dynasties including Rashtrakutas, Nolambas, TABLE 1 HOUSEHOLD DETAILS Pallavas, Cholas, Hoysalas, the Vijayanagaras, Household condition Ownership Status Type of structures Household size Good 51.5 owned 54.35 permanent 72.4 1 3.75 Marathas, and Mughals. Wodeyars of Mysore took Livable 47.15 rental 43.85 semi- permanent 16.1 2 15.95 over it after renovation (4). With all these change in Dilapidated 1.35 other 1.8 temporary 11 3 18.9 servicable 10.75 4 28.9 dynasties the fort still secures and reserve its original non-servicable 0.25 5 15.25 fabric with enduring old building to portrait its glory. Unclassified 0.5 '6-8 14.9 Henceforth, to protect, preserve and conserve these 9+ 2.3 TABLE 2 Materials Used for building Envelope pearls of our heritage, significant measures are to be Roof MaterialFloor Material Wall materials Grass/Thatch/Bamboo 14.05 Mud 1.65 Plastic/Polythene 0.25 taken, and implemented in the course of time. /wood/mud/etc., Studying the pattern of change, growth and the Plastic/Polythene 0.75 wood/Bamboo 1.1 Mud/Unburnt brick 22.2 handmade tiles 5.45 Burnt Brick 0.25 wood 0.8 deviations in the multiplying economy helps us step Machine made tiles 0.8 Stone 0.75 Stone not packed with mortar 7.4 Burnt brick 0.55 Cement 62.95 Stone packed with mortar 65.65 up the chances of glorifying and protecting our long- Stone/slate 22.45 Mosaic/floor tiles 33.2 Burnt brick 2.85 G.I/Metal/Asbestos 18.5 other 0 Concrete 0.25 lived heritage structures and their character. sheets Concrete 37.35 other 0.5 2. Current Scenario: others 0 1% 0% 1% 5% Grass/ Thatch/ Bamboo/ 14% Wood/Mud etc. 1% Plastic/ Polythene Good 37% 1% Hand made Tiles 47% Livable Machine made Tiles 52% Dilapidated 22% Burnt Brick Stone/ Slate G.I./Metal/ Asbestos 19% sheets Figure 4 Household Condition Figure 6 Roof material 2%1% 2% 0% 0% 1% Material of Floor Mud 33% 30% 1 - 4 Material of Floor Wood/ Bamboo 5-8 Material of Floor Burnt Brick 9+ 68% 63% Material of Floor Stone Material of Floor Cement Figure 7 Floor Material Figure 5 Household Size The materials used for floor is maximum of cement 3% 1% – 63% or mosaic or floor tiles 33%. This shows the 0% Grass/ Thatch/ 0% 0% modernization of the houses happening at the interior 0% Bamboo etc. level. The wall material being maximum of 66% Plastic/ Polythene stone packed with mortar and the next highest 22% 22% Mud/ of mud and unburnt bricks confirms the evolving Unburnt brick 1% usage of stone masonry and existence of mud wall or Wood traditional unburnt brick masonry to a greater extent. 7% Stone not packed with The roof materials being 14% of grass/ 66% mortar bamboo/mud/wood, 22% of stone/ slate, 19% of GI/ Stone packed with metal/ asbestos sheet and 37% which is the mortar G.I./ Metal/ Asbestos maximum number of concrete roofs shows the sheets raising trend of concrete usage as a result of Figure 8 Wall material urbanization. The data analysis from the Table 2 and charts (Fig.6, 7, 8) depicts that most of the houses are being rebuilt or modified to the current trend. It also clearly shows the urbanization effects on the fort area. 3. Study area and Analysis: depiction of various fabrics of buildings in the map (Fig. 10) gives a comprehensible picture of the current land use. As a result of the analysis it was found out that most of the land was occupied by a continuous stretch of residential building. The main street ends at a point where a cluster of commercial shops, line the street. Beyond which the place acts as a market hub which accounts for around 15% of the current land use. The density of institutional building was found to occupy about 5% of the entire stretch taken into consideration. These institutions are started at recent times and one of them is a daycare/ nursery school run at a house. The temples are Figure 9 Aerial View of the fort positioned in the initial stretch which occupies about settlement The study area encompasses the main arterial street 5% of landuse. spanning between the Venugopal Swamy temple and The varying height factor of the buildings have been broken gateways (Fig. 9). Venugopal Swamy and depicted in the map (Fig. 11) as we enter the main Tipu’s birthplace monument are the most attracted street, the initial stretch of building is mostly lined by tourist pull to this area. Tipu’s birthplace monument one storey buildings crowed by terraces. After the being in the periphery (outside the fort envelope), continuity of the one storey buildings persists for a Venugopal Swamy temple is take as the focus in this few meters, all the buildings beyond this stretch seem study.

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