What is "durgaastamana"

Durgaastamana is a 1982 historical novel by well known Kannada novelist and scholar T. R. Subba Rao, or TaRaSu. As the name (lit: "The decline of the fort", but to be interpreted as "The fall of Chitradurga") indicates, the book charts the downfall of the Nayakas of Chitradurga, a dynasty that ruled there for two centuries. The story follows the epic battle between Madakari Nayaka and Hyder Ali of Mysore in 1779, as the latter lays siege to the fort, and the events and political intrigues leading up to it.

Released to much acclaim and popular reception, Durgaastamaana won the Kendra Sahitya Akademi award in 1985 (awarded posthumously to TaRaSu). It is considered a classic of Kannada literature.