Sulthan Batthery

Tippu Sultan led his army to Mangalore against the British down the ghats and on the way built minor forts at Modankap, Arkula, Adyar and Kannur. He also built outposts and places for religious activities.

Two of these are in the heart of Mangalore.He constructed the Idgah mosque on Lighthouse Hill. It is a quadrangular structure believed to have been constructed, according to oral tradition, with stones from the destroyed Milagres church at Hampankatta. Traditionally the Muslims of Mangalore and surrounding areas offered prayers at the Idgah Masjid on Id after coming in a procession from Juma Masjid at Bunder. However, this practice is now extinct or scaled down to avoid the risk of provoking communal disharmony. Then there is Sultan Battery on the east bank of Gurpur River which is accessed through a road going west from Urva Circle. Built in about 1784, it is a watchtower erected by Tippu to help prevent the entry of enemy warships into Gurpur River. It is a complex construction and though it was meant to be a watchtower, it gives the impression of a miniature fortress with its many apertures for mounting cannons all around. {It had been in a state of neglect for a long time
and when the Archeology Department stepped in to repair, it only worsened the situation by wrong type off restoration, including cement coating of its stone surfaces.} From the Battery we get a good viewof the Gurpur river and the adjacent fisherman’s colony. At this place my Camera started giving problems and i could not get snaps of the surrounding scenes.

Prabhav had a photo session at the place and made Madhu click a few photographs of his in various poses. This provided me with an opportunity to capture them against the beautiful blue sky which is such a rarity at this time of the year.