The Chitradurga Fort, locally known as 'Elusuttina Kote' (fort of seven circles), is located in:

The Chitradurga Fort is located in the Chitradurga district of central Karnataka, on hills of the Deccan plateau along the Vedavati river valley.

About the Chitradurga Fort:

• It is locally called "Elusuttina Kote", meaning "fort of seven circles", because it has seven rings of concentric walls.
• It was built in stages between the 11th and 18th centuries by several dynasties, including the Chalukyas, Hoysalas, Vijayanagara rulers and the Nayakas of Chitradurga (Palegars).
• Most of its present structure was built by the Nayakas of Chitradurga, especially Madakari Nayaka, in the 17th and 18th centuries.
• It has 19 gateways, 38 secret entrances, 35 secret passages, and many temples, water tanks and granaries.
• It also contains an ingenious system of interconnected rainwater tanks, so that the fort never lacked water.
• Large boulders and rocks are integrated into its walls.

The story of Onake Obavva:

• During an attack by Hyder Ali of Mysore in the 18th century, a woman named Obavva, the wife of a guard, noticed enemy soldiers trying to enter the fort through a small hole in the rocks.
• She killed many of them one by one with an "onake" (a wooden pestle used for pounding grain) as they came through.
• The opening is now called "Onake Obavvana Kindi" ("Obavva's hole").
• She is honoured as a symbol of courage, especially for women in Karnataka.
• In 1779, Hyder Ali finally captured the fort from Madakari Nayaka V.

Other famous forts of Karnataka:

• Bidar Fort: built by the Bahmani Sultans.
• Gol Gumbaz and Bijapur fortifications: Adil Shahi dynasty.
• Srirangapatna Fort: Tipu Sultan's capital, where he died in 1799.
• Bekal Fort is in Kerala, though it was built by the Keladi Nayakas of Karnataka.
• Basavaraj Durga: an island fort near Honnavar.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Telangana has the Golconda Fort.
• ✗Maharashtra has the Raigad and Sinhagad forts.
• ✗Tamil Nadu has the Gingee Fort and Vellore Fort.