Gingee Fort

Coordinates: 12°15′00″N 79°23′41″E / 12.2501°N 79.3948°E / 12.2501; 79.3948
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Gingee Fort
Part of
Forts
Site information
OwnerGovernment of India
Controlled byFounded by Ananda Kōn of the Konar dynasty of Yadava

Bijapur Sultanate (1649–1677)
 Maratha (1677–1698)
Mughal Empire(1698–1750)
French Empire (1750–1761)
 United Kingdom

  
Chola dynasty, Vijayanagara Empire
MaterialsGranite Stones and lime mortar
EventsNational Monument (1921)

Gingee Fort or Senji Fort (also known as Chenji, Chanchi, Jinji or Senchi) in

Madras
), located 150 kilometres (93 mi) away.

Originally built by Ananta Kon around 1190 AD and later fortified by Krishna Kon,

Nawab of Arcot
and eventually lost his life in a battle.

Gingee Fort Hill view from road

The Gingee Fort complex is on three hillocks: Krishnagiri named after Krishna Kon to the north, Rajagiri or Anandagiri named after Ananda kon to the west[1] and Chakilidurg to the southeast. The three hills together constitute a fort complex, each having a separate and self-contained citadel. The fort walls are 13 km (8.1 mi) and the three hills are connected by walls enclosing an area of 11 square kilometres (4.2 sq mi).[5] It was built at a height of 800 feet (240 m) and protected by an 80 feet (24 m) wide moat. The complex has a seven-storeyed Kalyana Mahal (marriage hall), granaries, prison cells, and a temple dedicated to its presiding goddess called Chenjiamman. The fortifications contain a sacred pond known as Aanaikulam. On the top of the hillock, there are minor fortifications.[5] The fort, in modern times, is maintained and administered by the Archaeological Survey of India. The fort is one of the prominent tourist destinations in Villupuram district.

Legend and etymology

Throne on the Krishnagiri

The

Mughals, on their capture of the fort in 1698 A.D., named it Nusratgadh in honour of Nawab Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung, the commander-in-chief of the besieging army. Later, the English and the French called it Gingee or Jinji. The early Madras records of the English give the spelling Chingee or Chengey.[5][6][7]

As per

Nawab of Arcot, and was defeated and killed in the war that followed. Though Gingee became a part of the Nawab's territory in 1714, the young and courageous Tej Singh became a legend and his life, love and brave but tragic end were eulogised in various ballads
.

History

Gingee Fort History Board

The main source for the first two hundred years of the history of the place is the "Complete History of the Carnatic Kings" among the Mackenzie manuscripts. According to historian Narayan, a small village called Melacerri, located 3 mi (4.8 km) away from Gingee is called "Old Gingee" has traces of fortifications from about 1200 AD.

Cholas.[12]

Throne in Gingee Fort Hill

Originally the site of a small fort built by the

French in 1750 before the British finally took control in 1761 despite losing it to Hyder Ali for a brief period. Raja Desingh ruled Gingee during the 18th century.[6][16]

Architecture

Kalyana Mahal at Gingee fort

The Gingee Fort complex is on three hillocks: Krishnagiri to the north, Rajagiri to the west and Chandrayandurg to the southeast. The three hills together constitute a fort complex,

Hindu goddess called Chenjiamman. The fortifications contain a sacred pond known as Aanaikulam. The walls of the fort are a mixture of the natural hilly terrain comprising the Krishnagiri, Chakkilidrug and Rajagiri hills, while the gaps were sealed with the main wall that measures 20 metres (66 ft) in thickness.[14] On the top of the hillock, there are minor fortifications.[5]

Water resources are usually sparse in South Indian forts, while it was well managed in the Citadel. There are two sweet water sources on the summit and below it there are three reservoirs for storage of rain water. Water for Kalyana Mahal was brought through earthenware pipes from reservoir located 500 m (1,600 ft) from it.[13]

Rajagiri

Gingee fort as seen from the entrance

The first hill, where the main fort is, is called Rajagiri. Originally it was known as Kamalagiri as well as Anandagiri. The fort was historically considered the most impregnable. It is about 800 feet (240 m) in height. Its summit is cut off from communication and is surrounded by a deep, natural chasm that is about 10 yards (9.1 m) wide and 20 yards (18 m) deep. To gain entry into the

Hindu goddess, beheaded a hundred heads of the demon and Kamalakanni is believed to have protested that she would become a widow. Draupadi explains her similarities in that she has no sexual relations, though married. This resulted in the ambiguous kanni suffix.[18]
Ranganathar Temple, bell tower, watch tower, cannon and draw bridge are located atop the hill.

The lower fort consists of Arcot Gate, Pondicherry Gate, which the French probably improved during their occupation (1751–1761), the Prison on top of Pondicherry Gate, Royal Battery, Venkataramanaswami Temple, Pattabhi Ramaswami Temple, Sadatulla Khan's mosque, Chettikulam and Chakrakulam tanks, platform where Raja Desingh was killed in a war, large stone image of

Venugopalaswami. There is a site museum at the entrance of the fort set up by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) containing sculptures about periods and many dynasties that ruled Gingee. There are also guns and cannonballs made of stone, strewn about the fort.[5]

Krishnagiri

Queen fort as seen from Rajagiri

The second important hill with an impressive citadel is called Krishnagiri, also known as the English Mountain, perhaps because of the British residents who occupied the fort here for some time. The Krishnagiri fort is situated to the north of Tiruvannamalai road and is smaller in size and height compared to the Rajagiri fort. A flight of granite stone steps leads to the top of the hill. Another fort, connected with Rajagiri by a low rocky ridge, is called Chandrayan Durg, Chandragiri or St. George's Mountain. Although the military and strategic value of this fort has been relatively less, it has some interesting buildings from a later period.

Chakkiliya Durg

The third fort for some reason is called Chakkiliya Durg or Chamar Tikri – meaning the fort of the Chamars. It is not known why it had acquired the name. Probably the royal Chamar warriors used to stay here, as Gingee obviously was a military encampment. There is a smaller and less important fourth hill, the summit of which is also well fortified. There is nothing much left of Chandrayan Durg and Chakkilli Durg. Their flanks are now completely covered with thorny shrubs and stone pieces.[5]

Culture

After the fort passed into British hands, it did not see any further action. The fort at Gingee was declared a National Monument in 1921 and was under the Archaeological Department. The Tourism Department of India has tried to popularize this remote and oft-forgotten fort. Gingee today, with its ruined forts,

temples and granaries, presents a different picture from the glorious splendor of its bygone days. But the remains of that glorious past speak volumes about the numerous invasions, warfare and bravery that it witnessed. The fort is maintained by the ASI. An entry charge of ₹20 is charged for Indian citizens and ₹250 for foreigners for all monuments inside Krishnagiri and Rajagiri forts.[5]
Tickets are sold outside of the fort

Gallery

  • Tomb pillar at lower fort
    Tomb pillar at lower fort
  • Kalyana Mahal as seen from Rajagiri
    Kalyana Mahal as seen from Rajagiri
  • View of Gingee Fort(Queens) from the ground
    View of Gingee Fort(Queens) from the ground
  • View from Queen's Fort Top – Gingee Town
    View from Queen's Fort Top – Gingee Town
  • Large stone image of Hanuman
    Large stone image of Hanuman
  • Cannon present in Gingee Fort
    Cannon present in Gingee Fort
  • View of Wooden bridge at chasm Rajagiri fort
  • Ranganatha temple at Rajagiri Fort summit
  • Rajagiri Fort
    Rajagiri Fort

See also

Notes

  1. ^
    ISBN 81-208-1000-7
    .
  2. ISBN 978-1-5437-0429-7
    .
  3. ^ Sridharan, Divya (27 November 2009). "Ancient Futures". The Hindu.
  4. ^ Sivadas, Sanjay (15 April 2013). "Where eagles dare". The Hindu.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Rajagiri Fort and Krishnagiri Fort, Gingee". Archaeological Survey of India. Archived from the original on 10 July 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Tourist Places in Villupuram district". Villupuram District Administration. Archived from the original on 25 February 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  7. ^ Hiltebeitel 1991, p. 19
  8. ^ Hiltebeitel 1991, p. 4
  9. ^ ARE 159 of 1930
  10. ^ K. A. Nilakanta Sastri (1937). The Cōḷas, Volume 2, Issue 1.
  11. ^ Inscriptions in the Pudukkóttai State: Early, Cola and Pandiya inscriptionauthor =Commissioner of Museums, Government of Tamilnadu. 2002.
  12. ^ Hiltebeitel 1991, p. 17
  13. ^
    ISBN 81-230-1002-8
    .
  14. ^ a b Manchanda, p. 149
  15. ^ "Ruka'at-i-Alamgiri; or, Letters of Aurungzebe, with historical and explanatory notes". 1908.
  16. ^ Sivadas, Sanjay (15 April 2013). "Where eagles dare". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  17. ^ Moulana, Ramanujar (16 April 2018). "Day-trip down history lane". Metro Plus. Chennai: The Hindu. p. 4.
  18. ^ Hiltebeitel 1991, p. 214

References

External links
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Further reading

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