Raichur

Raichur is a city municipality in the district of Raichur in Karnataka. Raichur, located between Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers, is the headquarters of Raichur district. It was in the princely state of hyderabad under the rule of the nizam . It is located 409 km from the state capital, Bangalore.

Raichur has a rich history, having been a part of various empires, such as the Bahmanis and Vijayanagara and Hyderabad. The city is famous for its imposing Raichur Fort. Here, stone inscriptions have been found in Persian and Arabic which belonged to the bastion of the fort, referring to its construction in 1294. Among the ruins of the immense fort are many irrigation tanks and old temples.

Interesting details of the battle between Sri Krishnadevaraya and Vijay Kumar From NITK are given in The Battle of Raichur.

Raichur is very rich from the epigraphical point of view. It has already yielded hundreds of inscriptions, ranging from the Mauryan period up to the end of the Muslim period. The inscriptions are in a variety of languages such as Sanskrit, Prakrit, Kannada, Arabic, and Persian and belonging to almost all the dynasties that ruled over the Dekkan. The most important places from this point of view are Maski, Koppal, Kuknur,Hatti Gold Mines, Mudgal and Raichur.

The fort of Raichur was built by Kakatiya king Rudra in 1284 CE which passed on to the Vijayanagar kingdom after the decline of Kakatiyas. Ever since, the fort has been under dispute for nearly two centuries. The fort was captured by Bahmanis in 1323 CE. Saluva Narasimha Raya expressed a wish in his testament that the city of Raichur be recaptured. This has been in the mind of Krishnadevaraya since his coronation in 1509. In the year 1520 Krishnadevaraya sent Seyed Maraikar, a Muslim in his service to Goa with a large sum of money to buy horses. Maraikar instead went to Adil Khan with the money and offered his services. Krishnadevaraya made a demand that Maraikar be returned along with the money which was duly refused. During the period of peace Krishnadevaraya made extensive preparations for a grand attack on Raichur doab. After the court decided that Raichur should be attacked the king invited all commanders (Nayakas) in his service to take part in the battle.

Raichur Maavina Kere [Aam Talab]
Maavina Kere Raichur Aam Talab mango beach is in Raichur, Karnataka. Maavina Kere Raichur Aam Talab mango beach Pincode is 584101. Near by railway Stations are Raichur Yermaras.

Raichur Fort
The Raichur Fort is the most popular attraction of Raichur city. The fort was built by the Kakatiya rulers in 1294 AD. It is surrounded by double rows of massive low circuit walls on its three sides and is built on an 88 m high hill. Its inner wall is constructed by huge blocks of stones that are attached together without any cementing material.



However, the main attraction of this fort is a large stone slab having a length of 41 ft. This slab carries records in Telugu along with a scene where huge slabs are hauled up a hill with the help of buffalo driven carts.

Other outer fortifications of this structure include five massive gateways namely the western Mecca Darwaza, the northern Naurangi Darwaza, the eastern Kati Darwaza, and the southern Khandak Darwaza. Its fifth gateway lies in its south-east direction and is known as the Doddi Darwaza. Its inner walls also have two gateways known as the Sailani Darwaza, situated in its western direction and the Sikandari Darwaza situated in its east. This fort is also popular for its stone inscriptions in Persian and Arabic. These inscriptions are said to belong to Ali Burj. In the premises of this fort, several tanks and ruins of ancient temples are also seen.

Jami Masjid
The Jami Masjid is a significant religious site of Raichur city and one of its most beautiful and biggest mosques. This structure has two entrances and six gigantic pillars. At this masjid, there is also a cemetery belonging to the Adil Shahi dynasty along with several remains of an ancient palace and fort.

Ek Minar Ki Masjid
Ek Minar ki Masjid is a significant mosque situated in Raichur city. This mosque is built in the Persian architectural style and comprises a two-storied 20 m high minaret. It also has a winding staircase leading to its top, providing a panoramic view of Raichur city.

Pir Sailani Shah
Raichur is also home to the Tomb of the Muslim saint, Pir Sailani Shah. The structure of this tomb is built in the Bijapur style of architecture. Its main attraction is a rectangular hall and a dome.

Devasugur
Devasugur is a small village situated in the Raichur Taluk of the district. This village lies on the right bank of Krishna River and is mainly famous for Sugureshwara or Veerabhadra Temple. This temple is known for its annual 'jatra', which is held in the Hindu month of Margashirsha.

Gabbur
Gabbur village is situated in the Deodurg Taluk, of Raichur District and is famous for its old temples. In earlier times, this place used to be a centre of education and was recognised by the name of Gopuragrama. Basaveshwara, Ishwara, and Hanuman Temple.

Manvi
Manvi is an important town of the Raichur District of Karnataka as well as one of its talukas. This place is the hometown of the great Madhva follower and dasa, Sri Jagannatha Dasa, who also wrote 'the Harikathamruthasara'.

The main attraction of this town is the temple of Jagannatha dasaru and the ruins of an old fort. It also has several Hindu deities like Sri Chowdeshwari and Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy whose temples are situated on its hilltops and cover the town in a semi-circle. It is also home to Sri Annamayya Taata, who is a popular holy man with large number of followers. The town also has a famous Hindu 'matha' called the Kalmath. Near the manvi town sri harvi Basaveshwara Temple, Harvi Village is one of the famous temple in the taluke has Statues of Sri shiva, Sri Basaveshwara. sri Veerabhadreshwara, sri ganapathi etc. and has very big wide space to organize holy events in this place.

State Protected Monuments in Raichur
State Protected Monuments officially reported by Archeological Survey of India in Raichur, Karnataka is listed below

State Protected Monuments in Raichur

Raichur Fort Ek Minar Masjid Venkateswara Temple with Devanagari inscription Raichur Fort Venkateswara Temple Raichur Mosque An Old Mosque with an Inscription in Persian Bhangar Basappa's Temple Isvara Temple, Ganjigudi mutt Chudi Gate Temple, Hanuman Temple, Temple near Jami Masjid Mel Shankara's Temple Lakshmi Narayana Temple with inscriptions