Bangalore Fort

Bangalore Fort
Part of Bangalore District
Karnataka, India
Bangalore Fort
Plan of Bangalore Fort, 1792
Bangalore Fort
Coordinates	12°57′46″N 77°34′33″E / 12.962875°N 77.575956°E / 12.962875; 77.575956
Type	Fort
Site information
Controlled by	Archaeological Survey of India
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Fair
Site history
Built	1537
Built by	Kempegowda I
Materials	built in 1751 CE with granite stones south of 2 centuries old mud fort

Bangalore Fort began in 1537 as a mud fort.^[1] The builder was Kempe Gowda I, a vassal of the Vijaynagar Empire and the founder of Bangalore. King Hyder Ali in 1761 replaced the mud fort with a stone fort and it was further improved by his son King Tipu Sultan in the late 18th century. It was damaged during an Anglo-Mysore war in 1791. It still remains a good example of 18th-century military fortification. The army of the British East India Company, led by Lord Cornwallis on 21 March 1791 captured the fort in the siege of Bangalore during the Third Mysore War (1790–1792). At the time the fort was a stronghold for King Tipu Sultan. Today, the fort's Delhi gate, on Krishnarajendra Road, and two bastions are the primary remains of the fort. A marble plaque commemorates the spot where the British breached fort's wall, leading to its capture. The old fort area also includes King Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace, and his armoury. The fort has provided the setting for the treasure hunt in the book Riddle of the Seventh Stone.^[2]