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Sumptuously produced, this volume brings together a few articles of Jean Deloche, largely on fortification in South India. Deloche’s studies are known for meticulous research, and this volume is no exception.

Forts and temples are among the more numerous and impressive public structures of historical India. While there is a considerable body of literature on the latter, fortification cries out for the attention of the scholar. The present volume is a contribution in this direction. In the words of Deloche it “barely indicates even the outline of such a history and has a far less ambitious aim.” Modesty apart, his success is immoderate.

An essay on the traditions of fortification in ancient India prepares the background for the study. Evidence from the Harappan and early historical situations is used here. The conclusion is significant: the Harappan structures were primarily for defence but also for checking flood water. In the period of what is termed “Second urbanisation”, this tradition was largely adopted. The Central Asian examples, followed in the Kushana sites, were not followed in the rest of the subcontinent. There is a detailed catalogue of the 22 early historical sites taken up, apart from detailed discussion of the eight Harappan sites.

The bulk of the book is concerned with the systems of fortification in South India from the 3rd-18th century A.D. Those of the period 3rd-14th century A.D. are said to belong to the “Hindu system.” As it was with the establishment of Muslim rule that new military technology was introduced in the south, this division into “Hindu” and “Muslim” traditions of architecture is not unacceptable. It is demonstrated that the enclosures of the former period were elementary, as cities were more political centres than military posts and as the fate of wars depended more on battlefields than on fortifications.

Technological change in warfare, particularly the use of firearms, demanded a change in the defence architecture in South India. Accordingly, the system of fortification that evolved in the Deccan kingdoms during 15th-18th centuries A.D. developed different types of defensive works, each answering to specific demands. It gives evidence of the excellence achieved in military technology, and of the devices developed with consummate skill to improve the results. It also shows the engineers’ knowledge of the art of war, particularly of the level of siege engines used. Such monocausal reasoning, however, does not fully explain this blossoming. Deloche sees factors such as patronage, influence of the Near Eastern traditions, changes in the structure of state and others as responsible for the phenomenon.

This proliferation of a “Muslim system” did not mean the extinction of the “Hindu system”. Old structures were adapted to the new system of fortification and the old system was altered according to new principles, while the older system continued in other places. Mulish continuation of the old system can also be seen in many sites. A few “secondary forts” are also taken up.

The forts on outcrops of rocks known as inselbergs are the subject matter of the chapter on Mysore hill forts. The interest that the Mysore wars arose in England has left behind detailed descriptions and faithful drawings of these; despite the lack of literary and epigraphical material, this helps the historian in studying them. A detailed catalogue of these hill forts is of great use to the student. The documentation with maps, pictures, drawings, and reproductions from earlier publications is impeccable. The bibliography is extremely useful.

The last chapter, Gun Powder Artillery in South India, although well researched and documented, does not directly carry the narrative of the earlier chapters forward. So also, a few errors of detail such as locating Banavasi in Dakshina Kannada district or Kotilingala in Karnataka can be taken care of in later edition. All in all, the book is a solid contribution to a neglected area of scholarship in Indian history.

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