2025-04-04 Fri

The fort of Dharwad was named after its builder, Dhar Rao, an officer of the Vijayanagar Empire. Ali Adil Shah of the Bijapur Sultanate captured the fort and the surrounding area after a prolonged siege.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, during his campaign against the Bijapur Sultanate, took Dharwad (also known as Nasirabad) in 1674. In 1685, the Mughal Empire, under the reign of Aurangzeb, captured the fort and ruled it until 1753, when it was surrendered to the Marathas under Balaji Baji Rao. In 1764, King Hyder Ali of Mysore captured the fort, but it was soon restored to the Marathas. In 1778, Hyder Ali and his son, Tipu Sultan, recaptured the fort and subsequently forced the Marathas to cede Dharwad and other forts in the district in exchange for agreeing to pay tribute. During the Third Mysore War, the fort was besieged by a joint Maratha-British force under Captain Little. The Marathas retook the fort in 1791, and it remained under their control until 1817, when the territory was ceded to the British by the Treaty of Poona.