A guide to Gingee fort, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The privilege of lounging on Monday afternoons is reserved for loafers and lovers. You do not have to take my word for it. Ask one of several hundred people who are scaling Gingee fort at the start of the week, and you would know I am right.

Ever since Gingee fort, part of the Mighty Maratha Landscape encompassing 11 other forts, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site last week, footfall has shot up from between 600-700 people a day to about 1,700 over the weekend.

Gingee fort, first said to have been built in the 12th Century by Ananda Kon, a chieftain of the Konar (Yadava) community, lies 160 kilometres from Chennai, in Villupuram district. The fort stands on three hills in a dramatic triangular formation — Rajagiri, Krishnagiri and Chandragiri. Within the walls of the three hills, once lay hidden pathways, crocodile-filled moats, golden thrones, barracks, sacrificial stones, and the illusive promise of treasure.  Everyone who is scaling the citadel today, is trying to find something — privacy, gold coins, or respite.

Kesavan M and Sarguna K, once young lovers, have been meaning to visit since the time they were dating. “We are from Melmalayanur, not too far away from Gingee. I moved to different parts of the State and we somehow never found the time. The UNESCO announcement is a matter of pride for us. It is why we decided to swing by here on a Monday afternoon. We have waited nine years to climb to the top together. We are married today, but this has been a dream since 2016,” says Kesavan.

I’d like to think that doing the four-hour drive from Chennai, and getting lost in the several granaries, magazines, and watch towers of Gingee fort, is one of the finest ways to pass time. The fort brims with stories of romance, war, famine and deceit over 800 years by its several distinct rulers — the Nayaks, Marathas, Mughals, Carnatic Nawabs, the French and British. It begets retelling.

History 101

Contrary to UNESCO’s declaration of the ‘Senji’ fort being a Maratha bastion alone, the citadel has swapped hands between several kings. Its most popular rulers were the Nayak of Gingee, chieftains of the Vijayanagara empire, who succeeded Krishna Kon, a ruler who fortified and expanded the fort beyond Rajagiri, establishing Krishnagiri at around 1240 CE.

Writer TS Subramanian in his essay, The Impregnable Troy of the East in a book titled Forts of Tamil Nadu by The Hindu and the Department of Tourism, Tamil Nadu, says that it was the Nayaks who helped add the wonderful structures we see atop Rajagiri, the strongest part of the triangular citadel, standing at about 800 feet. Their rule was a largely peaceful period that saw several architectural advancements.

As we walk in, one is treated to delightful sights of the ancient kalyana mahal, built in the style of the Vijayanagara school. “In Kalyana Mahal, there is a beautiful bathing tank with steps all around, made for the royal women,” writes CS Srinivasachari, the author of A History of Gingee and its Rulers (published by Annamalai University, 1943).

Besides this, there are mosques, temples, magazines where weapons were stored, granaries, gymnasiums, treasuries, bell towers and secret escape pathways inside the fort, added by subsequent rulers. The Mughal influence on some of the domes and archways inside the fort are unmissable, particularly a treasury built in the Indo-Islamic style. You will also spot two mighty cannons at the fort. Touch the iron on both and imagine what it might have been like to fire at enemies near and far.

Archaeologists from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) unearthed a mighty throne with a backrest made of polished granite and water pipes and tanks that capitalised on the spring water available atop the fort. Although ASI might want us to believe that the several rooms near the throne-like structure are just horse stables, some historians believe that it is also where the harem lies.

After taking in the sights at the base of Rajagiri, the ascent to the top of the citadel begins. A well-meaning guard suggests that we carry sticks. Troops have now been replaced by greedy monkeys who loot and plunder bags full of snacks and goodies. If you have been indulging in cardio, the 800 feet climb to the top should be a piece of cake, taking under two and a half hours to climb up and come back down. This is especially so if you are engaging in a petty competition to scale the top with two young boys from Bengaluru who you beg for water from every now and then.

A Nithin and Madhan, brothers who are nine and 14 years of age, who have been impatiently waiting for their mother to join them at the top of Rajagiri, say that they have been watching YouTube videos incessantly to prepare for their trek. Sitting outside the treasury, Madhan laments, “The videos promised treasures. I can’t seem to find any even near the treasury. I am excited to go down the hidden pathway at the top but I hear it is blocked. Come on, Nithin, let’s go,” he says, cutting our interview short.

Gingee’s tryst with the Marathas began in 1677 when Chhatrapati Shivaji captured the fort from its then Mughal governor. It remained under Maratha rule until about 1677-1698 when the generals under the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb captured it. It was Shivaji who called the fort the Troy of the East, deeming it impregnable. Whilst in battle for seven years, the Marathas often employed the use of a drawbridge at the top of Rajagiri, causing opposition soldiers to fall to their death if they tried scaling the fort.

The fort also prospered under Swarup Singh, a Bundela chief deputed by Aurangazeb in 1700, to take charge of the fort. When he died, his son, the fabled Raja Tej Singh (popularly and incorrectly called De Singh) ruled Gingee for 10 months, from January to October 1714. He tried to fight the Carnatic wing of the now fragmented Mughal kingdom, and take over his father’s throne. Several Tamil ballads celebrate his heroic death in the fight against the Nawab of Arcot, especially since he left behind a beautiful young wife who committed sati after he perished in battle.

The French and the British then began supplying weapons to local armies, eventually vying for the fort’s capture. It was also briefly held by Hyder Ali. The British forces established several magazines and introduced guns to the supplies at the fort.

Whilst standing at the very top between the bell tower and the Ranganatha tower and taking in the breeze, it is easy to conjure up images of battle here, especially because a temple procession employing lakshmi vedi passes by.

As I get ready to leave, a group of men who have bunked college, fellow loafers, stand by the drawbridge at the top of the fort and ask for a picture. “Selfies do not capture the might of the fort. But promise us that you won’t publish it in the paper,” one of them says.

Sepia-tainted thinking tells me that 800 years ago, a similar group of loafers may have made their way up the hill. This time though, they might have been burdened with the weight of a kingdom and not just of college attendance.