View of Nandidrug (Bangalore) - 1790

Pen-and-ink and wash drawing of Nandidrug by an unknown artist, c.1790. Inscribed on the front in ink is: 'Nundedroog'; signed': P(?).C.'

Nandidrug is a hill-fort in Karnataka sited 4,851 feet above sea level. Composed chiefly of granite, gneiss and hornblende, the imposing perpendicular rock is 1,500 feet high. On top of the rock is a broad plateau on which is situated a tank fed by natural springs called the Amrita Sarovar or Lake of Nectar. The fortress was considered impregnable by the various native chieftains and princes who ruled in the surrounding area. In the time of Haidar Ali (c. 1722-1782) and Tipu Sultan (1753-1799) the fort was encircled by a double line of ramparts. It was attacked and taken by the British army under Lord Cornwallis on 19 October 1791 during the Mysore Wars.

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