Koppal
Koppal, 1908
Old hill-fort and town in Raichur District, Hyderabad State, situated in 15 degree 21' N. and 76 degree 10' E., on the Southern Mahratta Railway. Population (1901), 8,903. It was occupied by Tipu Sultan in 1786, who had the lower fortress rebuilt by his French engineers. It was besieged by the British and the Nizam's forces for six months in 1790, before it was finally carried. During the Mutiny of 1857, Bhlm Rao, a rebel, obtained possession of it, but was slain with many others of his party, and the rest surrendered. The fortifications consist of two forts ; the upper fort is situated on the lofty and insulated summit of a hill, and is 400 feet above the plains. Sir John Malcolm described it as the strongest place he had seen in India. It is now the chief town in a jaglr of Sir Salar Jang's family, and contains a State post office and a vernacular school maintained by the estate.
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
