page_title: Forts in India
section_title: Forts constructed by the British
hierarchical_section_title: Forts in India / Forts constructed by the British
caption_attribution_description: English: Fort St. George, in Madras (Chennai)
context_page_description: Most of the forts in India are actually castles or fortresses. But when the British Government in India were cataloging them in the 17th–19th century they used the word forts as it was common in Britain then. All fortifications whether European or Indian were termed forts. Thereafter this became the common usage in India. In local languages, the fort names are suffixed by local word for fort thus usage of the Sanskrit word durga, or Urdu word qila or the Hindi word garh or gad in Rajasthan, and Maharashtra is common. For example, Suvarnadurg, Mehrangarh, Sudhagad etc. Indian
context_section_description: With the advent of the East India Company, the British established trading posts along the coast. The need for security against local rajas as well as other European rival nations led to the construction of forts at each post. Mumbai fort, Fort William in Kolkata, Fort St George in Chennai were the main bastions constructed. These cities developed from the small townships outside the forts. Parsimony of the East India Company, non-availability of trained engineers and use of local materials and artisans resulted in the simple design and construction initially. The vulnerability of these earlier forts, hostilities with the French and the growing might of the Company resulted in stronger and more complex designs for the second round of construction, the design of Fort St George reflecting the influences of the French engineer Vauban.
caption: An 18th-century painting of Fort St George, Madras
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