Karnataka - Belgaum   

Festival of forts highlights budding talent

Eye-catcher: The mini Sindhudurg fort, with a watch tower, is attracting crowds in Belgaum.

Belgaum: Close on the heels of Deepavali, the city of Belgaum is now celebrating what could be described as ‘Festival of Forts’ to commemorate the victory of the great Maratha warrior Chatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj.

Well known for his forts, which were meticulously designed and central to his empire, it is said that Maratha ruler was in possession of nearly 300 forts at the time of his death. Some of them were constructed under his direct supervision while others were won in wars against the enemies. The best forts he built were the Sindhudurg and Pratapgad in Maharashtra. These forts were greatly admired for its construction by foreign rulers and by modern architects and civil engineers.

The Sindhudurg Fort was originally built by Shivaji near Malvan, now in Sindhudurg district in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, in a period of three years in the mid-1660s. A rocky island was selected for the maritime project to check and counter foreign enemies. The fort is also an important source of information of Shivaji’s empire.

The month-long festival of Shivaji’s forts is an annual feature here, and starts on Deepavali. It is celebrated mainly by the Marathi-speaking people who build miniature models of these forts all over the city. They hoist a miniature saffron flag and a mini bust of their “hero”. Shivaji is the greatest source of inspiration for all their social and cultural activities. Except in the localities dominated by Kannada-speaking communities, there is no locality where one cannot see a mini fort ascribed to the 17th century ruler. Each mini fort is a replica of the original one.

What adds to the grandeur and celebration is that these mini forts are built not by civil engineers or architects, but by the untrained, many of whom are children.

The preparation for their construction starts during the holidays preceding Deepavali. Each group tries its best to add precision and beauty, thanks to the competitive zeal. Awards are announced by several social organisations for their efforts.

The sea fort of ‘Sindhu’ (sea) ‘durg’ (water) in Vadgaon locality is said to be very attractive and has already won three awards, including the ‘King of Forts’ and ‘Durga Vahini’.

They were made by Vishwanath Savvasheri, Rupali Vishwanath Savvasheri, Rushikesh Jadhav, Prashant Pawar, Sagar and Rawool Madar Phadake. ]

All of them are school students from 1st to 6th standard. More than 8,000 people have already visited and expressed their admiration for the beautiful handiwork of the young masters.

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