Dindigul Fort, Dindigul
The Dindigul Fort or Dindigul Malai
Kottai is a 17th-century hill fort, built by Madurai Nayak situated in the town of Dindigul in the state
of Tamilnadu in India. The fort was built by the Madurai
Nayak king Muthu
Krishnappa Nayak in 1605. In the 18th century the fort passed on to Kingdom
of Mysore (Mysore Wodeyar).
During the reign of Hyder
Ali and Tipu
Sultan the fort was of strategic importance. In 1799
it went to the control of the British East India Company during the Polygar
Wars.
There is an abandoned temple on its peak apart from few
cannons sealed with balls inside. In modern times, the fort is maintained by
the Archaeological Survey of India and is open to tourists. Dindigul Fort
with its indomitable presence on an isolated rock looms high over Dindigul at a
height of 380 meters. The rock spreads out, looking like a pillow and is called
‘Dindu Kal’ which means pillow rock, and it is from here that Dindigul gets its
name. Dindigul Fort perched atop this craggy, windswept hill looks like a crown
adorning it. The fort which was built in the 17th century has a forbidding
magnificence to it. The walls of the fort are made of brick and stone that
crest the pinnacle of the whole rock barring the southern flank, which is so
steep that it’s almost perpendicular making artificial fortification redundant.
Dindigul Fort is managed by the Archaeological Survey of
India and is definitely a must visit destination if you are in the region. From
the top you can enjoy some stunning views. The cannons, which are there at
vantage points, can fire your imagination taking you back to a bygone era where
you can picture fierce battles in your mind! The edifice underscores the
resourcefulness of Indian kings in their military architecture.
Dindigul located about 400 km from Chennai, is a strategic
place located overlooking the valley through which the forces from Karnataka
country gained access into the Madurai in late medieval period. The Nayakas of
Madurai possibly erected the first fortification on the rock, a prominent
elevated place overlooking the valley, in order to defend their country from
the invading Mysore army. However, Haider Ali seems to have rebuilt the fort
substantially as he used this as a launching pad to attack the British in this
region during the Carnatic wars.
The British finally captured the fort in 1790 and
garrisoned it till 1860. The irregular curtain wall of the fort is well built
of dressed and finely jointed stone blocks with brick crenulations. There are
number of cells in the rampart for the use of troops. There are number of brick
structures on the top, possibly built during the British period. There is a
circular freestanding bastion on the top at a strategic location on which
several cannons were mounted. There is one canon of English origin now
preserved over the bastion.
Vijayanagara rulers as indicated by the inscription
built the temples on the summit. Among them, the central shrine is noteworthy
for the delicately carved architectural members and the moulded brick elements
of the superstructure. The style of carving recalls the influence of dying
delicate artistic traditions on soapstone of Karnataka. One of the inscriptions
on a shrine records a donation by the Vijayanagara king Krishnadevaraya to the
Tambiranar (the presiding deity) of Dindigul.
Etymology
Dindigul city derives its name from a portmanteau
of Thindu a Tamil word which means a ledge or a headrest attached to
ground and kal another Tamil word which means Rock. Appar, the Saiva poet visited the city and noted it in his works in
Tevaram. Dindigul finds mention in the book Padmagiri
Nadhar Thendral Vidu thudhu written by the poet Palupatai sokkanathar as
Padmagiri. This was later stated by U. V. Swaminatha Iyer (1855-1942) in his foreword to the above book. He
also mentions that Dindigul was originally called Dindeecharam.
Geographical Position
Dindigul Fort at Dindigul is located at
10°21'41.8"N 77°57'48.0"E or 10.361598, 77.963326.
History
The history of Dindigul is centered on the fort over the
small rock hill and fort. Dindigul region was the border of the three prominent
kingdoms of South India, the Pandyas, Cheras and Cholas. The Chera king Dharmabalan is believed to have built
the temples of Abirami and Padmagirinathar. The ancient Tamil book, Silappathikaram records the city as the northern border of the
Pandya kingdom whose capital was Madurai.
Historian Strabo mentions about the city in his 20 A.D. work
and Pillni, the great historian of the time described about the
Pandya king in his works.
During the first century A.D., the Chola king Karikala
Cholan captured the Pandya kingdom and Dindigul came under the Chola rule.
During the sixth century, the Pallavas took over most provinces of Southern India. Dindigul
was under the rule of Pallavas until Cholas regained the state in the 9th
century and the Pandyas regained control by the 13th century. In the 14th
century, South India was under the raids of Malik Kafur. Dindigul was safe in
the hands of Vijayanagara before Cheras take over the Pandya kingdom.
Chandrakumara Pandyan won the war against Cheras with
the assistance provided the Vijaya Nagar Kingdom. The commander of the Vijaya
Nagar army Kampanna Udayar played an important role in the war. In 1559
Nayaks became powerful and their territory bordered with Dindigul in the north.
After the death of King Viswanatha Nayak in 1563, Muthukrishna Nayaka became
the king of kingdom in 1602 A.D who built the strong hill fort in 1605 A.D. He
also built a fort at the bottom of the hill. Muthuvirappa Nayak and Thirumalai
Nayak followed Muthukrishna Nayak. Dindigul came to prominence once again
during Nayaks rule of Madurai under Thirumalai Nayak. After his immediate
unsuccessful successors, Rani Mangammal became the ruler of the region who
ruled efficiently.
In 1736 Chanda
Sahib, the lieutenant of Arcot
Nawab Seized power from Vangaru Nayak, with the help of British. In 1742, the
Mysore army under the leadership of Venkatarayer conquered Dindigul. He
governed Dindigul as a representative of Maharaja of Mysore. There were
Eighteen Palayams (a small region consists of few villages) during his reign
and all these palayams were under Dindigul Seemai with Dindigul as capital.
These palayams wanted to be independent and refused to pay taxes to Venkatarayer.
In 1748, Venkatappa was made governor of the region in
place of Venkatarayer, who also failed. In 1755, Mysore Maharaja sent Haider
Ali to Dindigul to handle the situation. Later Haider
Ali became the Maharaja of Mysore and in 1777, he appointed Purshana Mirsaheb
as governor of Dindigul. He strengthened the fort. His wife
Ameer-um-Nisha-Begam died during her delivery and her tomb is now called
Begambur. In 1783, British army, led by captain Long invaded Dindigul. In 1784,
after an agreement between the Mysore province and British army, Dindigul was
restored by Mysore province. In 1788, Tipu
Sultan, the Son of Haider Ali,
was crowned as King of Dindigul.
In 1790, James Stewart of the British army gained
control over Dindigul by invading it in the second war of Mysore. In a pact
made on 1792, Tipu ceded Dindigul along with the fort to the English. Dindigul
is the first region to come under English rule in the Madurai District. In
1798, the British army strengthened the hill fort with cannons and built
sentinel rooms in every corner. The British army, under Staten stayed at
Dindigul fort from 1798 to 1859. After that Madurai was made headquarters of
the British army and Dindigul was attached to it as a taluk. Dindigul was under
the rule of the British Until India got our Independence on 15 August 1947.
The fort played a major role during the Polygar
wars, between the Palayakarars, Tipu Sultan duo aided by the French against the British, during the last decades of
the 18th century. The polygar of Virupachi, Gopal Nayak commanded the Dindigul
division of Polygars, and during the wars aided the Sivaganga queen Queen Velu
Nachiyar and her
commanders Maruthu Pandiyar Brothers to stay the fort after permission from Hyder Ali.
Dindigul Fort is thought to have been built by Muthu
Krishnappa Nayaka of Madurai (1601-1609 A.D.) There is a decrepit temple on top
of the hill dedicated to Abirami Amman which may have been built by him too.
It is supposed to have been originally a Shiva temple, dedicated to Lord
Padamagiriswara, built by the Pandyas whose architecture it bears a resemblance
to. Tipu Sultan removed the statue of Abirami Amman to thwart spies from
entering the fort.
Architecture
The rock fort is 900 ft (270 m) tall and has a
circumference of 2.75 km (1.71 mi). Cannon and gunfire artillery were included in the fort during the 17th century.
The fort was cemented with double walls to withstand heavy artillery. Cannons
were installed at vantage points around the fort with an arms and
ammunition godown built with safety measures.
The double-walled rooms were fully protected against
external threat and were well ventilated by round ventilation holes in the
roof. A thin brick wall in one corner of the godown helped soldiers escape
in case of emergency. The sloping ceiling of the godown prevented seepage of
rainwater.
The fort has 48 rooms that were once used as cells to
lodge war prisoners and slaves, a spacious kitchen, a horse stable and a
meeting hall for the army commanders. The fort also has its own rainwater
reservoirs constructed by taking advantage of the steep gradient. The
construction highlights the ingenuity of Indian kings in their military
architecture.
At Dindigul Fort, do check out the cave on the south
western side of the rock. The cave has rock-cut beds similar to the Jain -
caves of Thiruparankundram. In fact, the Pandya inscription on the Shiva shrine
confirms the existence of Jains in Dindigul.
Culture
The fort is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India and maintains it as a protected monument. An entry
fee of ₹5 is charged for Indian citizens and ₹100 for foreigners. The
fort receives few visitors in college and school students and the occasional
foreign tourists. Visitors are allowed to walk around the tunnels and trenches
that reveal the safety features of the structure. The temple has some
sculptures and carvings, with untarnished rock cuts.
Visitors can view the ruins within the fort walls, arsenal
depots, or animal stables) and damaged halls decorated with carved stone columns.
Visitors are allowed to go up to the cannon point and look through the spy
holes. The top of the fort also offers a scenic view of Dindigul on the eastern
side and villages and farmland on the other sides. Lack of funds and facilities
has kept the fort misused by nearby dwellers. But in 2005, Keeranur-based ASI
in Pudukkottai district fenced the entire surroundings and refurbished
some of the dilapidated structures.
Opening Time
Tickets to see the Dindigul Fort will be issued from
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The Dindigul Fort will be open from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Entrance Fee
Citizens of India and visitors of SAARC (Bangladesh,
Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Afghanistan) and BIMSTEC
Countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar) - Rs. 5
per head.
Others:
US $ 2 or Indian Rs. 100/- per head (Free entry to
children up to 15 years)
Connectivity
Dindigul is served by town bus service, which provides
connectivity within the town and the suburbs. Minibus service operated by
private companies caters to the local transport needs. There are 150 town buses
operated daily across 128 different routes.
The Kamarajar bus stand is an A-grade bus stand covering
an area of 5.37 acres (21,700 m2) as of 2007 and is located in the heart
of the town. The Tamilnadu State Transport
Corporation operates daily
services connecting various cities to Dindigul. The State
Express Transport Corporation operates long distance buses like Chennai, Bengaluru and Tirupati.
There is significant truck transport with around 400–450
trucks entering the town for loading and unloading activities daily. Three
wheelers, called autos and Call Taxi are
also a common public transport system.
Dindigul Railway Station was established in 1875, when rail line for Trichy
to Tuticorin was constructed. Dindigul railway junction is located in the
rail head from Chennai to Madurai and Karur to Madurai. It is also connecting Dindigul to Palani. All south bound trains plying south to Madurai from Chennai pass via Dindigul. There are also passenger trains
running either side from Madurai to Tiruchirapalli and Palani.
The nearest local and international airport is Madurai
Airport located 70
kilometres (43 mi) away.
