Manjarabad Fort

The Manjarabad Fort is located just outside Sakleshpura. This fort is reputed to have been constructed by Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore as a strategic defensive location as it commands the approach to the plateau beyond. It is constructed at a height of 3420 feet above sea level with stone and mud in the form of an 8-pointed star with a large moat around it as you see in this Google Earth Image. The fort is constructed in a nice location above a hill and is not visible from the main road. We need to ask the locals for the way to go up. My cab driver was well versed with the area, so i did not had to ask anyone. After a short muddy path uphill, there are a fleet of 250 stairs to the fortified walls.
The wall of the fort spans the entire hill and one can have a glimpse even when climbing the stairs. After the stairs, there is a muddy road with walls on either side and the path turns narrow and zig-zag as we move along. This is a very good defensive strategy so that the enemy, not knowing what lay ahead can be attacked by surprise. This kind of construction can be found in forts like Daulatabad (Maharashtra) as well. After passing around 100 metres further, we reach the main entrance of the fort.