“Mangalore was an important town…Sultan Bateri, a watchtower…built by Tipu Sultan..”
What?!
This is big! I am actually sharing real estate with one of history’s greatest, though in a different timeline! I am standing at the entrance of a queer little monument; a watchtower built of black stones by Tipu Sultan in the 1700’s called Sultan Bateri. It looks like a mini fortress, with mounting places for canyons.
The blue information board erected by ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) informs me (with a minor spelling error in Tipu’s name) that this watch tower was built to contain the entrance of warships into the Gurupur river. The name Sultan Bateri evolved from ‘Sultan’s Battery’, where Battery meant firing of cannons.
But the strangest part about this historic monument is this: there is absolutely no perceptible importance/protection assigned to it by locals/authorities. It leads to the low profile life of an abandoned building!
You would probably not give it a second glance if you are ever in this area. I myself had been to this place many a time during my aimless evening rides but had never stopped to examine it carefully.
Not to mention the mindless graffiti and scribbling (well, now the whole world knows that Suresh is in love with Sini) that locals and visitors have left on this monument which has withstood the test of time.
A stairway leads you to the top of the monument from where you get a good view of the river. There is also an underground storage area (locked) that was used to store gun powder.
Here are some photos from my visit.