Daulatabad – The Fort Nobody Could Dare to Attack

There are two types of forts in India – hill forts and those situated on the ground level. The Daulatabad fort is an exception. It is both a ground fort and a hill fort. This brilliant fort is located a mere 13 kilometers from Aurangabad in Maharashtra. It was previously known as Devgiri. The Daulatabad name was given by Muhammad Tughlaq, who was the Sultan of Delhi. The name Daulatabad means – “the abode of wealth”. Muhammad-bin-Tughluq was obviously happy with what he found here.

It stands tall in a hill that looks like a pyramid. The rock was chiseled so craft fully that climbing the façade is nearly impossible. This made the fort almost invincible in its heydays. Even today, you will be able to see this, and also the inside of the fort very well, because Daulatabad remains among the best preserved forts anywhere in the world. One reason for this is because of the fact that there has never been any battle at the Daulatabad fort. This is because, everybody believed that the defense mechanism was so tight here that it was impossible to launch an attack and win the battle.

Luckily for us, we will be able to see it almost exactly like it was during the days of the Sultan in Delhi. You will instantly be able to go back more than a hundred years.

The Daulatabad fort had one of the strongest defense systems anywhere

You will definitely appreciate the defense system at Daulatabad. It remains among the best ever planned and constructed forts anywhere. There are as many as seven lines of defense that goes all the way up to the top or the Baradari. Each of these lines was made in such a way that even if one line fell, it could not be used to launch an attack on the next one.

There are secret passages everywhere inside. Flaming torches could be thrown towards an approaching army from these places to take them by surprise. Hot oil could also be poured on them. And of course, there is the 40 feet moat that was carved out of solid rock. Crocodiles used to roam freely in the moat once. There is artificial scarping on the steep walls of the fort as well. In later years, the Chand Minar was also constructed to look out at the surrounding areas. This further bolstered the defense.

In fact, the defense here is so water-tight that historians of today are puzzled about what the residents of the fort wanted to protect. No real treasure has been found inside.