Sultan Battery, Mangalore, Karnataka India

Sultan Battery is situated in Boloor, 4 km from Mangalore city. The place is known for the watch tower located amidst the beauty of nature supposedly constructed by the emperor Tipu Sultan. Tipu Sultan built the tower 15 years before his death in 1784 A.D. The place was previously known as Sultan's Battery, the word Battery meaning firing of canons.

The place built of black stones was constructed to obstruct war ships from entering the river which was the major route for English invasion but was then retrieved from English by Tipu Sultan. Though the place holds the watch tower, it looks much like a fort with mounting places for canyons.

There is an underground storage area under the tower which was used to store gun powder. This reminds us of the significance the place held as it was the major dockyard and arsenal of the ruler. It was also a naval station and this place was of great importance to the ruler as he used it to intercept enemy warships from docking.

The Sultan Battery is one of the most prominent places of interest in Mangalore. The importance of this place of the city is that it bears testimony of the historical events that have taken place at this place. The Sultan Battery of Mangalore is actually a watchtower, which is located at a place called Boloor.

This region is located at a distance of about 6 kms from the bus stand of the city of Mangalore. Tippu Sultan, one of the greatest emperors of Indian history, is said to have put up this structure of historical importance.

The Sultan Battery at Mangalore is made up of special type of stones, which are termed 'black stones'. Tippu Sultan constructed the Sultan Battery in Mangalore for some important contemporary political reasons. He wanted to stop the naval vessels from stepping into a river called the River Gurpur.
For this reason, he constructed the massive structure of the Sultan Battery as a barrier for the naval vessels.

The entire structure does not exist any more, though a portion of the fort is still preserved for the tourists, so that they can get a glimpse of this historic monument. The existing portion of the Sultan Battery is called Tippu's Well. The place where this fort stands is today completely forsaken.

The watch tower is so beautifully made that it looks almost like a small fortress. The structure is well adorned with equipments for shooting canons. If one wants to see the Sultan Battery, then he has to travel to Mangalore, which is easily communicable by air, rail and road.