View of the N. and E. faces of the citadel at Bellary; Hindus worshipping at a shrine in the foreground

Water-colour of the fort at Bellary by Thomas Fraser (1776-1823), c.1802. Inscribed on the front in ink is: 'View of the Citadel on the Summit of Bellary, shewing its Northern and Eastern Faces taken from near the Hindoo Pillar within the Northern line of the Upper Fort. T. Fraser, Engr.'; on the back in ink: 'D.N. 6. Bellary.'

The fortress lies on a granite outcrop on a spur of the Sandur range in Karnataka near to the border of Andhra Pradesh, overlooking the surrounding plain. The upper fort contained the citadel and several ancient tanks whereas the lower fort at the eastern base contained the arsenal. Bellary was a stronghold of Haidar Ali, however in 1800 it was ceded to the East India Company in lieu of payment for the maintenance of the British Subsidiary Force at Hyderabad.