Domakonda Fort: Restoring old glory

It was during the wedding of actor Ram Charan Tej and  Upasana Kamineni back in 2012, that the Domakonda Fort came into the limelight. Tucked away in Nizamabad, this treasure will, now, soon return to its former glory as part of an extensive renovation project, work of which first began in 2007
However, the restoration process will take a while to finish.

“It will take a few more years to bring back the glory of the fort. Currently, we have restored the outer and inner walls. Some of the old structures which were built in 1880 and 1904 have also been restored,” confirms current heir of the Domakonda Samsthanam, Anil Kamineni.

Once the project is completed, the fort will reflect how it looked in its prime, with distinctive features including a step-well and several buildings. The ongoing project is being carried out by conservation architect, Anuradha S. Naik, representative of the Indian Heritage Cities Network (IHCN).

The work done so far has returned the fort to its original colour and design. “Thanks to the meticulous work, many of the fort’s distinctive architectural features have been brought back to life. We didn’t add anything to the building. All rooms are original but have been restored. It was only where we had some structural problems, that we had to add some new elements ,” says Anil.

Domakonda is known for its multiple forts and temples. The fort itself is a good architectural example of defence against invaders. “The fort was constructed on a circular plan and can be entered from the East and West. There are four bastions in four directions. We have an inner and an outer fort. The family used to earlier live in the inner fort, but as they grew, they moved out and built buildings outside the inner fort, back in 1904 and 1914. We have restored some of these buildings. And some of the buildings inside the inner fort like Uma Manzil, Venkat Bhawan and Patha Kachari have also been restored,” says Anil.

He adds, “We have also filled the old step well with water up to a certain level. A huge amount of money has gone into the project.” It will take another few years for visitors to step inside the Fort but right now, they can see the fort from outside.

“We have a very old Shiva temple, which is around 750 to 800 years old. Our ancestors saw the temple and built the fort around it. We have various pujas going on there. The villagers are allowed to go there and perform puja,” says Anil.