Rajhansgad Fort

Rajhansgad, also called Yellurgad or Yellur Fort, crowns a hill about 762 metres (2,500 feet) high above Yellur village near Belagavi. The Rattas first built it, and Asad Khan Lari, a Persian nobleman serving Bijapur, rebuilt it in stone at the time Belgaum Fort was being raised. It worked as a lookout post for watching any force coming from the direction of Goa and Karwar, and under the British about 100 soldiers were stationed here.

The arched gateway is laid out so that guards could inspect arrivals from several sides. Inside are an old stepped well with arched walls and a pulley for lifting water, peepholes in the walls and small escape exits. The hill rises in five tiers and can be climbed on foot or reached by road. Its soil is noticeably white from bauxite. Local stories speak of a tunnel to Belgaum Fort, and a pit hidden by scrub is pointed out as its mouth. From the top the views take in Belagavi and villages such as Yellur and Ambewadi.