Darwar

Dharwar stands on the western Deccan plateau near the routes leading down to the coast. Its fort became a prize for the rival powers of Karnataka. According to local tradition, a Vijayanagara officer named Dharav built it in 1403. After the defeat of Vijayanagara at Talikota in 1565, the local governor enjoyed a brief measure of independence before the sultan of Bijapur captured the fort in 1573.

The fortified town continued to change hands as the balance of power shifted. Mughal forces took it in 1685, and the Marathas later gained control as Mughal authority weakened. Hyder Ali of Mysore also captured Dharwar, but the Marathas recovered it in 1791. After the defeat of the Peshwa in 1818, the East India Company took possession. Its successive rulers valued the fort as a strong point in the country between the plateau and the western coast.