Kasturi Rangappa Nayaka Fort
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  Shown within India | |
| Location | Sira, Tumkur district, Karnataka, India |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 13°44′35″N 76°54′50″E / 13.74306°N 76.91389°E |
| Type | Fortification |
| Area | 197.5 acres (79.9 ha) |
| History | |
| Founded | 17th century |
| Abandoned | ruins |
| Site notes | |
| Ownership | Nayakas of Chitradurga |
The Kasturi Rangappa Nayaka Fort in Sira in Tumkur district of Karnataka is named after the Nayaka ruler Kasturi Rangappa Nayaka, who had ruled over Sira in the early 17th century as a palegar under the Vijayanagar Empire. After their rule, the fort and the Province of Sira came under the control of several rulers.[1][2][3] Restoration works have been carried out by the Archaeology Department of Karnataka.[4]
History
History of building the fort is traced to the early 17th century when Nayakas (Kasturi Rangappa Nayaka) ruled over Sira as a fiefdom under the Vijayanagara Empire. He laid the foundation for the Sira town and the fort. The site was selected as auspicious on the basis of a good omen of a hare chasing the hound, a common legend of the times in the building of many forts in India.[6] The foundation of Sira is also based upon this legend.[6] Before the fort was completed, Sira and its fiefdoms were captured by an army sent by the Bijapuri general Randullah Khan. A force led by his subordinate Afzal Khan defeated and killed and the Sira chief Kasturi Rangappa Nayaka.[7] Malik Husen, who was the then made the governor, completed the construction of the fort and also built a mud wall enclosing the town.[2][6][3]
Sira, according to a time line, was under the reign of Vijayanagara Empire (1638 to 1687), the Adil Shahi of Bijapur Sultanate, the Mughal Empire (1687 to 1757) and Maratha (1757 to 1759 and 1766, the Wadeyars (1799 to 1947) and the British Raj (until 1947).[1][2][4]