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Raichur fort was constructed in the year 1294 by the rulers of Kakatiyas dynasty of Warangal and is also known as the Hill Fort, stands here as a major source of attraction. It is a huge stone slab, ranging to a height of about 41 ft in length, also portrays writings in Telugu along with few stone writings and inscriptions which are in Persian and Arabic lingo.
Raichur Fort stands as one of the major monuments in the Indian state of Karnataka. The fort is positioned in the old town of Raichur which makes a confluence of the Krishna River and Tungabhadra River. After getting a secured independence in the year 1489, Bijapur made its first capital the city of Raichur only. The fort is placed on the top of the hill and also touches the borders of the city of Raichur.
However, as per the inscription on one of the slab in the Western wall, the fort had been constructed by Raja Vitthala on the command of the Raja Gore Gangayya Raddivaru, whoo was the minister of the Kakatiya Queen Rudramani Devi.
The fort is elevated to a height of about 290 ft above the plain with strong fortification. The inner walls of the fort have been created out of the stone blocks, which are said to have held together without the inclusion of cement in between them and this is believed to be the work of the Hindus.
In the fortification that has been done by the Hindus, there are two doorways- the Sailani Darwaza which is the opening in the West and the Sikandari Darwaza is the opening in the East. The Sailani Darwaza derived its name from a saint, Pir Sailani Shah.
There are five gateways in the fortifications that have been built by the Muslims as Mecca gate in the West, Naurangi Gate in the North, Khandak Gate in the South, Kati Gate in the East and Doddi Gate in the South-East. According to Persian inscriptions, the Mecca Darwaza and its adjacent walls date back to 1470, during the rule of one of the king of the Bahmani dynasty, Muhammad Shah III on the orders of Mallu Khan.
There are several structures inside the fort, which hold considerable archeological value. In the west side of the hall there is a small mosque, which has been built in the Bijapur style of architecture. At the frontage of the hall there is a tank placed, which now has been closed. Towards its west side there happens to be thePanch Bibi Dargah or can say as the Dargah of five female saints.
At the backyard of the hall there is a statue of the Nandi bull that has been created out with the granite stone. In the eastern part of the fort there is a mosque known as Jami Masjid, which is believed to have been built in the times of the Chalukaya Dynasty.
There is another mosque built inside the fort known as Daftkari Masjid. Along with that there are tombs of tomb of a Muslim Saint, Pir Sailani Shah, Ek Minar ki masjid. The fort is considered to be the earliest example of the Chalukaya Dynasty.
The fort is accessible through road and the Raichur Railway Station is just at a distance of 2 km from the fort.