The Gingee Fort also known as Chengi is an impenetrable citadel of Konar Kings. Located in the south arcuate region in Villupuram district Gingee is a hundred and six kilometers southwest of the capital city of Chennai. And 38 kilometers away from the Vilupuram. It was ruled by the Konar kings for over 500 years. The Cholas and Vijayanagar kings also ruled this fort for some decades.
The fort was built in the year 1190 by Ananta Konar of the Konar dynasty. It stands majestically from the day it was built to the present day. Although there are many magnificent forts in Tamil Nadu, they have all been destroyed over time. The Gingee fort, which is going to thousand years old, still stands on the top of the hill with its might. The fort was hailed by the Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji as "the most immovable fort in India" and the British as the "Troy of the East".
History
Origin - As I've mentioned before the formidable fort was built by Ananta Konar of the Konar dynasty. Krishna Konar, who ruled after Ananta Konar, fortified the fort. It was later redesigned in the 13th century. The main purpose of building this fort was to protect a small town called Gingee. The fort thus formed became the headquarters of North Tamil Nadu over time.
History Notes - The first historical reference to the fort is in the McKenzie Manuscript, "The Complete History of the Kings of Karnataka". According to historian Narayan, the small village of Melachery, about three kilometers from Gingee, was originally called Gingee. Later it was renamed Old Gingee. Judging by the fortifications, it is believed to date back to 1200 AD. There is also a reference to this fort in the inscription of Wickrama Chola (1120-63).
Kings of Gingee Fort - The Cholas first established a small base at Gingee in the 9th century AD. It was later converted into a fort (Gingee Fort) by the Konars in the 11th century. Later, in the 13th century, Gingee Fort was captured by the Vijayanagara Empire. After this, in 1677, the Maratha king Shivaji captured the Gingee Fort. Shivaji further fortified the fort with the hand that caught the fort.
War with the Mughal Empire - The Mughal emperors invaded Gingee Fort but they could not easily conquer The Mughal Empire invaded Gingee for almost eight years. This war lasted the longest in Mughal history. In 1691, the Mughal generals Jul Fiqar Khan, Azad Khan & Kum Paksha besieged the fort. But the fort was fortified and defended by Shanti Santaji Gorpade. Chhatrapati Rajaram, Shivaji's second son, who ascended the throne after Shivaji, went to the Gingee and continued to fight with the Mughals from Chennai. The fort was the site of the Maratha Empire for a few months but the Mughals were unable to capture the fort. After all the fight the fort was captured in 1698.
Mughal rule - In 1698 the Gingee fort fell to emperor Oral Sabes' generals. The Mughal Empire appointed Galoda as its commander-in-chief for Gingee Fort. Rajasurya Rupsing ruled the Gingee Fort for 14 years under the leadership of the Mughal Empire. His son came to power after him.
The architecture of Gingee Fort
The Gingee Fort complex is made up of three hills. The Gingee Fort is bordered by three mountains and a fourth valley. It is bordered by Krishnagiri Hills to the north, Rajagiri Hills to the west, and Chandrayandurk Hills to the southeast. Of these, the Krishnagiri and Rajagiri hills are strategically important. These three mountains form a large triangular structure. This structure provided great security to Gingee fort.
Rajagiri Hill
Rajagiri Hill is one of the hills where the main fort is located. Its height is about 800 feet. It is surrounded by a natural abyss 18 meters deep and 9 meters wide. A wooden bridge was built across the abyss to reach the fort through the Krishnagiri hills. The fort was so strong that it was made of natural strong rocks, adaptive walls through the edges, and strong entrances so that it could not be easily entered by enemies. Inside the fort on the hill were important buildings such as apartments, barns, granaries, public meeting halls, temples, and mosques.
From the top of the fort, even within a radius of 12 km, it can be easily spotted if the enemy enters. Cannons are placed ready on the rocks in the mountain. There are many rocks on the right side of the hill in which the cannons will always be in the right position and will attack it if any enemy enters.
Apart from this, there is a Pondicherry Gate and an Arcot Gate at the bottom of the fort and it is believed that it may have been built during the French rule. Along with this Pondicherry Jail, the Royal Battery, the Venkataramana Sami Temple, the Pattabhi Ramaswamy Temple, the Masjid Chettikulam, and the Chakra Pond were located around the fort.
Outside the fort, all the less important things were set up but inside the fort were set up the most important things like the granary, and the royal palace. At the entrance of the Gingee Fort is a museum about the kings and dynasties who ruled Gingee.
Kamalakanni Amman Temple - People will identify Rajagiri Hill with an important temple there, which is the Kamalakanni Amman Temple. According to Hindu mythology, the goddess Kamalakkanni in the temple was the wife of the demon king Amaran. Along with this temple, the Ranganathar Temple, the bell tower, the observation tower, the cannon, and the drop bridge are located on the top of the hill.
Krishnagiri Hill - Krishnagiri Hill is the second most important hill to Gingee fort after the Rajagiri Hill(also known as English Mountain). This fort is smaller than the size of a fort on the Rajagiri Hills.
Chakkiliya Durg - The fort had little significance in the history of the Gingee. The fort was captured by some and one of the most important dynasties was the Chamar. The fort is also known as Samar Tigri(Chamar's Fort).
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