During Deepavali, children of Belagavi and surrounding areas build tiny forts to celebrate Chhatrapati Shivaji’s victory over neighbouring kingdoms.
Children begin preparations for the forts just as the Dasara festivities end. Groups of children in chawls and streets gather together to collect broken bricks, mud and small stones. On the eve of Deepavali, they start building the forts. They prepare clay by mixing water with mud and cotton. Stones are used as the foundation. Mud is used to build a rampart above the foundation.
These tiny forts are given the names of forts built or captured by the medieval-era Maratha warrior, like Raigad, Shivneri, Pratapgad, Vishalgad, Rajhansgad, and Simhagad. Some other forts in the Deccan, like the Belgaum fort, and those in Kakati and Kittur, are also recreated.
