Gingee Fort is an amazing tourist destination.
Gingee Fort ( Senji Fort ), one of the few surviving forts in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is located in Villupuram district, 160 km (100 miles) from the state capital Chennai, close to the Union Territory of Pondicherry. The fort was fortified to the point that it was the best fortress that anyone in India could not penetrate.
The fort was fortified to the extent that Shivaji, the Maratha king, said, "It is one of the best forts in India." The British called it the "Troy of the East." It was called Badushabad by the Mughals and Singapura by the Cholas.
1. Invasion of the various kings
- There are two opinions that the Gingee Fort was built by the Pallava king Kadava and the Ananthakoon of the Idayar clan. Many subsequent kings turned the Gingee Fort into a fort of strength. There is much information about this in Mackenzie manuscripts, which tell the story of Gingee's two centuries of history.
- The Cholas ruled from 871 to 907 AD. It was known as Singapuram during the reign of Rajaraja Chola 1 (987-1014). Inscriptions say that the Pandyas ruled from 1014-1190 AD. It was also ruled by the Vijayanagara Empires in the 13th century. During the reign of the Vijayanagara kings, the Gingee Fort was expanded for 20 consecutive years from 1509 to 1529.
- After the Nayak dynasty came to power in Tamil Nadu, the Gingee Nayaks ruled the Gingee Fort area. The present Gingee Fort was built during the reign of Betha Krishnappa Nayak, one of the notable men. The wall connecting the three hills in Gingee was built during his time.
- The fort was later captured by the Marathas, after that captured by the forces of the Bijapur Sultan. It was further fortified by the Maratha king Shivaji who restored the fort in 1,677 AD.
After the fort came under the control of the Mughals, Sarob Singh, a Rajput of Putholkand, was appointed as the head of the fort. After the death of Saroop Singh in 1714, his son Desingu came to the throne at the age of 22. Until Aurangzeb's death in 1907, he stopped paying tribute to the Nawab of Arcot.
The fort came and went alternately under the rule of the French and the English. The fort was captured by Aither Ali in 1780. The fort was finally captured by the British in 1799. In 1921, it was declared a National Monument and brought under the Archaeological Survey of India.
2. Rajagiri Fort, also known as Raja Fort
Gingee Fort consists of three hills and the fort walls connecting them. These cover an area of 7 square kilometers. Rajagiri Fort is one of the three hill forts in the Gingee Fort. The fort was built at 240 meters (800 feet) and was protected by a 24 meter (80 feet) wide moat. Rajagiri literally means King Hill. The fort was built of black stone.
Aranganathar Temple is built on the top of Rajagiri. It has an eight-story wedding mahal, a granary, a prison road, a soldiers' gallery, and the Senjiyamman temple. Inside the fort is a sacred pool called Anaikulam, and there is a mosque and a Venkatramanasamy temple. Rajagiri has a drawbridge that prevents the enemy from entering during the siege of the war.
3. Rajagiri Hill Fort
The Indo-Islamic style Royal Darbar Hall is located at the top of the hill. The design of the hall is that of a domed roof with a series of upper arches.
Another building worth admiring is the war logistics depot, and on this hill is the Renganathar Temple, which has a Nayakar period architecture. If you go here, you can see a large iron cannon 4 meters long and 2 meters in circumference.
4. The wedding hall
Inside the Rajagiri Fort, there is a wedding hall built according to the Maratha architectural style. The seven-story building is constructed without the use of wood.
5. Warrior shelters and stables
Low-rise balconies, arched entrances, private rooms are built for horses to rest and for warriors to stay. The training camp of the Archaeological Survey of India is located in these magnificent rooms near the Kalyana Mahal.
6. Elephant Pond
The Elephant Pond is located in the southern part of the war veterans' residence; the small rooms-like structure built around the pond adds to the pool's beauty. This pond is believed to have been used for bathing the elephants.
7. The granary – Gym
The majestic buildings of the Rajagiri Fort in the style of Vijayanagara architecture are magnificent. Generous entrance area its walls are three meters. The barrel-like semicircular dome can be seen to the northeast of the granary. The granary building is said to have been used for exercise.
8. Venu Gopalaswamy Temple
This is a temple full of artistic sculptures. There are sculptures of Krishna playing the flute and tying him with a rope. The front gate of the temple has a smooth floor polished with fine plaster. This speaks volumes about the special nature of the Venugopalaswamy Temple.
9. Venkatramana Temple
It is the largest temple in Gingee, built in the 16th century. Located in the Gingee Fort, it was built during the reign of Muthiah Nayak (1540 - 1550 CE) and was dedicated to Venkateswara. Also, the hall with a thousand pillars located here reflects the splendor of ancient architecture.
This temple is a well-planned temple structure; huge sculptures can be seen on both sides of the entrance depicting Ramayana scenes, the incarnation of Vishnu, and the myths of Satura Manthan.
10. Krishnagiri Fort, also known as Rani Fort
Krishnagiri Fort The fort is built on granite rocks on a hillock north of Rajagiri. There are steps to go to the hill fort. There are many places to see here; there are two magnificent granary buildings, a pillared hall, two temples, a brick house, a circular visitor durbar, and a small cannon.
If you want to visit the Gingee Fort and see its beauty, you can register the entrance fee through this website – Book your ticket.
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