Sonda

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This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.

Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.

Sonda

Village in the Sirsi taluka of North Kanara District, Bombay, situated in 14° 44' N. and 74° 49' E., 10 miles north of Sirsi town. Population (1901), 231. Sonda, now a small village, was, between 1590 and 1762, the capital of a family of Hindu chiefs. The only objects of interest are its old fort, and Smarta, Vaishnav, and Jain monasteries. The fort is ruined and deserted, and its high walls are hidden by trees and brushwood. The masonry shows traces of considerable architectural skill. The posts of the gateway are single blocks 14 to 16 feet long, and in the quadrangle are several ponds lined with large masses of finely dressed stone. Perhaps the most remarkable of the fragments is a trap slab, 12 feet square and 6 inches thick, perfectly levelled and dressed, which rests on five richly carved pillars about 3 feet high. Except this slab, which is locally believed to be the throne, not a vestige is left of the palace of the Sonda chiefs. The town is said to have had three lines of fortifications, the innermost wall being at least 6 miles from the modern Sonda. The space within the innermost wall is said to have been full of houses. In the two spaces surrounded by the outer lines of wall the houses were scattered in clumps with gardens between. A religious festival with a car- procession takes place in April-May, attended by from 2,000 to 3,000 people. The Sonda chiefs were a branch of the Vijayanagar kings, who settled at Sonda (1570-80). In 1682 Sambhajl led a detachment against Sonda, but apparently without effect. During 1745 to 1762 the place suffered much from Maratha attacks. In 1764 Haidar All took and destroyed Sonda, and compelled the chief to take shelter in Goa with his family and treasure. The representative of the Sonda family still holds a position of honour in Goa.