Musafir

As we move on towards the Royal Enclosure, we start seeing old palace basements and towers. We feel a bit of emptiness as we move here. The buildings that once stood elegantly are no longer there. They are barren, filled with bushes and partly unexcavated.

Guard Tower: The first monument that comes across is the guard tower. The tower is in a typical Mohammadean architecture and still intact. It is built with stone and from its top, one can keep a watch on the road leading to the Royal Enclosure.

The tower has narrow steps to its upper floor and and would have been protected round the clock . There is space to house at least 20 soldiers inside. It has curved arches inside making it look beautiful from inside.

The Mint Compound: The Guard Tower secures the entrance to the Mint Compound. This is the place where the currency was minted. Obviously, this place bore the brunt of the invaders. Only thing we see today are remains of broken walls. The building must have been huge and well protected, each of the sections well divided. The basement of the building is still intact.

At a distance from the mint building inside the enclosure, there are a Mosque and a pavilion. There are fortified walls between the Mint and the inner buildings. The area is filled with bushes and there is no tourist activity. It is better not to venture alone to the Mosque area.

The Dannayaka’s Enclosure: Just near the mint compound on the other side, there is a view point. You need to climb some big steps to reach to the top of a stone from which we can have  view of the entire area. The Dannayaka’s (General of the army) enclosure is a vast area with the residential structures of the army generals.

As any other structure in the Royal Enclosure, these buildings are also taken down and only the empty basements and walls are left out. Imagining the glorious days the area and its people had seen, our eyes will definitely be moistened.  Excavations are sill on to bring the un-explored parts of the enclosure to light.

Granaries: Just after the View point and towards the entrance of the Royal Enclosure, we find three round granaries that were used to store pulses and paddy for distribution for people in need. They have also been taken down and only remains are the outer structure of the granaries. They should have been really big considering their size.

The buildings described above just gives us a glimpse of the massive constructions which lie ahead inside the Royal Enclosure.