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ಹೊಯ್ಸಳರಿಗೆ ‘ಗಿರಿದುರ್ಗಮಲ್ಲ’ ಮತ್ತು ‘ಶನಿವಾರ ಸಿದ್ಧಿ’ ಬಿರುದುಗಳನ್ನಿತ್ತ ಉಚ್ಚಂಗಿ ದುರ್ಗ – The Ucchangi Fort that earned the title ‘Giridurgamalla’ and ‘Shanivarasiddhi’ to the Hoysalas

Author:  Dr. Channabasappa S. Patil

Place: Uchangidurga, Harapanahalli, Davanagere

The hill fort Uchhangi in Harapanahalli Taluk must have been Uchchasringa, which has attained the present name. A record of 1064 A.D. speaks of the different names the place had in various yugas, and it was the second capital of the Banavasi Kadambas under Ravi Varma(485-514). One Kaduvetti made a serious but futile effort to conquer it. It was later under Chalukya Rajaditya when it was conquered by Ganga Marashimha II in 971. In 1064 when it was under Kalyana Chalukyas, one Devapayya administered Uchchangi-30. Though Hoysala Vishnuvardhana conquered it in 1131, he could not retain it for long. Its conquest by Ballala II in 1177 is highly eulogised, and he is called ‘Giridurgamalla’ and ‘Shanivarasiddi’ . After the fall of Vijayanagara, it came under the Palegars of Harapanahalli. They handed it over to Chitradurga Palegars. The paper gives a detailed description of this impregnable fort with its several round of ramparts, bastions and other defence contrivances.