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Description: | Pen-and-ink drawing of a project for strengthening the north west angle of the lower fort of Gooty by a redoubt by Thomas Fraser (1776-1823) c.1802. Inscribed on the front in ink is: ‘Project for Strengthening the North West angle of the Lower Fort of Gootty by a Redoubt on the Highest Point of the Hill within the present Wall- the East Flank bearing on the Low Ground near the North Gate and flanking the North East Redoubt- the west flank on the West Gate flanking South West Redoubt, and the two faces Commanding the Works in Front of them- the retaining wall thin, only musket Proof so as to expose the Work to the commanding Fire of the Hill Fort when necessary. N.B. The dotted lines shewing the situations of the proposed 1. Guard-Room 2. Magazines & 3. Water Sistern.’
Fraser served with the Madras Engineers from 1796 to 1823. During 1802 he appears to have been inspecting and surveying forts in the Ceded Districts of Bellary, Kurnool, Anantapur and Cuddapah. Later in 1803 he became Superintending Engineer of Public Works for the Madras Presidency Division.
The town of Gooty in Andhra Pradesh is surrounded by a circle of rocky hills, on the highest of which stands the fort, 301 metres (989 feet) above the plain. It is approached by a path which winds its way up the steep sides of the rock to the citadel on the summit. The fort, built between 1509 and 1530, was once the stronghold of Murari Rao, a famous Mahratha warrior and ally of the British who joined Robert Clive at Arcot in 1751. The ruler of Mysore, Haidar Ali (c. 1722-1782) seized the fort in 1776 however in the Mysore campaign of 1799 it fell to the British. | License: | http://www.bl.uk/services/copy/permission.html | Rights holder: | British Library | Source: | Collect Britain | Creator: | Fraser, Thomas (1776-1823) | Identifier: | http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/personal... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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