Festivals

 𝑪𝑯𝑰𝑳𝑫𝑹𝑬𝑵'𝑺 𝑫𝑰𝑾𝑨𝑳𝑰 𝑲𝑰𝑳𝑳𝑨 (𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑻)

Maharashtra has a glorious history and rich culture. Forts are Maharashtra’s pride and are the greatest historical treasures of Maharashtra. Most of these forts were built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj & that is why they are also known as 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐣𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞 in Marathi.

They were mainly built with the material as stones and in a way that they stay indestructible. They offered a great deal of safety and remained ineradicable even after so many decades.

Children in the region of North Karnataka and Maharashtra indulge in the pursuit of constructing mud forts during the Diwali season as a mark of tribute and respect to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

 Fort making also needs quite a lot of preparation in terms of the proportion of soil and water needed, consistency of mixture, other supporting materials needed. The period before and after Diwali is the time kids of all ages in the Maharashtra and Karnataka region spend hours together in building these forts in their homes or in any open space available – in mud.

A member of the group convinces his parents to use the garage or a corner of the garden to build this structure. Then begin a series of hectic parlays with the other members of the group and work is distributed. The common materials used include mud, cement, plastic paper, hay, black clay tiles, paints, discarded gunny bags, cardboard, and stones. This forms the basic structure.

Mud is filled in small bags and brought to the ‘site’. Then it is cleaned and sieved for any stones. The ‘fort’ premise is marked with chalk. Stones are laid to give shape to the hills and covered with gunny bag cloth. Mud mixed with water is applied on this to plaster it and give a surreal natural texture. Mustard seeds are then sown on this ‘hill’ to stand for trees which grow in an about 2 to 3 days. A pedestal is made in the specially carved sanctum for the King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

The black roof tiles when erected vertically make for excellent bastions. The ramparts and roads are laid with bare hands using mud and strengthening with hay mixed in it. A tiny moat is also dug and lined with plastic to hold the water. The different parts of this fort include the hill, roads, ramparts, moat, gardens, a lake (again lined with a plastic sheet), zoo, houses, buildings, etc. At times, a small bridge is also built with some tin sheet.

Various accessories and figurines required to complete the mud fort are available at the local markets. Coveted items include the colorful statue of Shivaji in various sizes, his soldiers, also called Mavalas, the popular warrior Bajiprabhu Deshpande, men and women, animals, bullock carts, etc. Ready-made fort bastions and the main structure are also available in many cities, but most kids prefer to make it themselves.

 

Once ready, the entire structure gets a whitewash at requisite places. Roads are decorated with sawdust or sand and the ‘lakes’ get their share of the swans and the crocodiles. Children also grow grass on their forts to give it a look of forest.

At various residential areas, one can come across these mud forts, replete with the scaled down citadels, bastions, ramparts and moats with tanks and soldiers guarding the precincts and every conceivable idea in place to safeguard the fort and upheld the reputation of this ‘kingdom’. These mud forts are on display right from Diwali to almost a month after that and have enthusiastic visitors appreciating the creation.

 It is a worthwhile mission that provides key life lessons in history, engineering, safety measures, eye for detail, strategy and team work.