Gooty Fort

Gooty Fort, also called Gutti or Ravadurg, crowns three linked rocky hills more than 680 metres high and is a protected monument of national importance. Its origins go back to the 7th century and Vikramaditya VI. The Vijayanagara kings, the Qutb Shahis of Golconda, the Marathas, the British and the Nizams all held or altered it, and an inscription of Bukkaraya calls it the king of forts.

The complex is laid out like a shell and contains 15 smaller forts, each with its own gate, joined by an outer wall with bastions. Inside are a gymnasium, barracks, a granary, a gunpowder store, rock-cut reservoirs and 108 wells, along with several temples and a dargah. A paved path leads up to a cliff-edge pavilion where the Maratha general Morari Rao is said to have played chess.