Bengaluru fort heritage walk

Discover the history of the Bengaluru fort on this walk. The Fort though today reduced to a mere fraction of its original expanse—less than 5%—remains one of the most significant remnants of the city’s pre-colonial past. This heritage walk invites you to step into the vestiges of a fort that once bore witness to battles transitions of power architectural ingenuity and political resilience.

The fort began as a modest mud structure before being fortified with stone during Hyder Ali’s rule and later expanded under his son Tipu Sultan. These walls though weathered by time preserve within them the layered narratives of a growing urban center and the complexities of South Indian resistance to British expansion.

A highlight of the walk is the iconic Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace a rare example of Indo-Islamic architecture with its intricate wooden pillars frescoes and elegant symmetry. Once the seat of royal administration and leisure the palace offers insights not only into architectural aesthetics but also into the socio-political life of the Sultanate in the 18th century.

As we navigate the narrow lanes of Old Bengaluru one encounters a little-known but historically important site: a surviving armoury tucked into the urban sprawl and forgotten by modern maps. Used during Tipu’s reign this structure is a physical testament to the city’s martial past and the strategic importance of Bangalore in Mysore’s military planning.

A focal point of this walk is the Battle of Bangalore (1791) a critical campaign during the Third Anglo-Mysore War. The battle pitted the British East India Company against Tipu Sultan’s forces and highlighted not only the military prowess of the Sultanate but also broader geopolitical shifts—especially the fallout of British actions in other global theatres such as in the American Revolutionary War.

It is particularly notable that the Mysorean rockets used innovatively during this time caught the attention of British military observers. Some of these designs later found their way into documentation that would influence the development of European—and even American—military technology. Legend holds that they partly inspired Francis Scott Key’s reference to "the rockets' red glare" in the Star-Spangled Banner.

Finally the walk concludes with a return to the present—by way of South Indian culinary tradition offering participants a curated local snack and a cup of filter coffee. A reminder that history does not only reside in books or ruins—it lives on in tastes traditions and memories.

This walking tour is not just about stones and structures. It is a curated window into Bengaluru’s transformation—from fortified stronghold and seat of regional power to colonial outpost and finally to modern metropolis. In walking its paths we do not merely observe history; we retrace it.

Note : "This walk is led by a Bengaluru native and professional architect who has lived and studied in the vicinity of the fort for over three decades. His deep-rooted connection to the area combined with his architectural expertise gives him an intimate knowledge of not just every corner of the fort but also the rich history that surrounds it."

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