Barkur Fort

Barkur Fort is a ruined historic fort located in Barkur town in Udupi District, Karnataka, on the banks of the Seetha River. Once the capital of the Alupa dynasty and later an important provincial capital under the Vijayanagara Empire, the fort is notable for its laterite remains, scattered bastions and historic temples within its former limits. Today it survives as low walls and ruins amid areca plantations and village settlement.

Visitors can expect to see scattered ruins of the former fort including remnants of laterite walls, bastions and gateways spread across Barkur village rather than a single enclosed complex. The site is set in a rural coastal plain near the Seetha River surrounded by paddy fields, coconut and areca plantations and historic temples. There is no restored palace or museum; exploration involves walking between ruin mounds, old temple clusters and open ground.

Barkur, historically called Barakuru, was the capital of the Alupa dynasty from around the 12th century and later served as an important provincial capital under the Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th-16th centuries. The fort is traditionally attributed to the Vijayanagara founders Harihara and Bukka and was later controlled by the Keladi Nayakas and other regional rulers. It served as an administrative and trading centre on the coastal plain before declining after the fall of Vijayanagara.

Barkur is known as a temple town with numerous historic temples built during the Alupa and Vijayanagara periods, including the Panchalingeshwara Temple, Chowlikere (Chowli Temple) and Kathale Basadi (Jain Basadi). The fort area reflects the region's coastal Karnataka heritage and its role as a former political and religious centre, with architecture in laterite stone typical of the Karavali region.