Source: Deccan Chronicle

Sept. 19: The Rajhunsgad fort, believed to have been built in 16th Century at Yellur, near here, will soon get a facelift.

According to Belgaum (South) legislator, Sanjay Patil, the state government has responded to requests by people of Yellur and surrounding areas by sanctioning about Rs four crore to turn the fort into a tourist spot. “Tourism minister Janardhan Reddy is keen on developing the historic fort. He has decided to provide good approach roads to the fort and other facilities. Making judicious use of funds, we will shortly start work on providing a facelift to some of the damaged parts of the fort. The facelift will be given in such a manner that it will not alter the fort’s ancient outlook,” said Sanjay Patil.

Official sources said the government has released about Rs five lakhs for the first phase of makeover.

It is believed that his fort was built to provide security to the main fort at Belgaum. “It was one of the best places to spot enemies entering Belgaum during 16th century. Besides the entire city of Belgaum, many of the neighboring areas could also been seen clearly from the fort,'' says Y N Majukar, a senior resident and chairman of Changleshwari Education Society of Yellur.

Though all details, including the history of the fort remain a mystery, some historians believe that it was a key centre for many rulers including the Mughals, the Yadavas, the Peshawas and the Marathas. According to Majukar, who is exploring the history of the region, a secret tunnel had been dug from Rajhunsbad fort to Belgaum fort (about 7 km) in the 16th century. “More information about both forts is yet to be gathered by researchers. The preliminary findings of some of the studies on this fort reveal that the rulers got Rajhunsgad fort built to provide a security cover to the rulers, who stayed in the main fort of Belgaum,” he added.