Namakkal Fort
Namakkal
Fort is a historic fort present in Namakkal in Namakkal
district in the South
Indian state of Tamilnadu. The fort is located on the top of a hillock made of a
single rock, 75 m (246 ft.) tall. There is a temple and a mosque that
are located within the fort, both of which are popular tourist attractions of
the town. In modern times, the fort is under the control of the Archaeological
Department of the Government of Tamilnadu.
Namakkal
Fort is an imposing monument and stands tall and proud on a forbidding, sheer
rocky hill called Namagiri. From atop the hill, you can enjoy spectacular views
of Namakkal town and the mountains around. Incidentally, Namagiri or Naamamalai
was the chief source of water for Namakkal town earlier, till the River Kaveri
waters were brought.
The
northern spur of the hill has an eye-catching Vaishnavite Namam (mark) painted
on the hillside close to a Vishnu temple. The Namam (mark) is the white and red
striking representation of Vishnu. It is portrayed with vertical lines - two
white and a single red one. Namagiri has eight Theerthams (holy water springs).
The largest one is Kamalalayam (Home of the Lotus), which is holy to the
Goddess Namagiri Amman.
According
to Hindu legend, the hillock on which the fort is located was carried by Hanuman, the monkey lieutenant of King Rama from the epic Ramayana. The hillock is known as Namagiri and also as
Saligramam, the image of Vishnu in a divine stone. Hanuman was flying with
the Sanjeevi
Parvatha, the sacred mountain from
North India to Sri Lanka.
On his
way, he saw the Kamalalayam tank and descended there to perform his morning
worship. He placed the Saligramam he brought from Himalayas and when he opened
his eyes after the worship, he saw the stone grown to its current size. A
divine voice asked him to leave the stone in the place itself.
As per
another legend, Narasimha, an avatar of Vishnu, after destroying demon Hiranyakasipu,
was still in ferocious mood. Hanuman brought him to the place where Mahalakshmi, the consort of Vishnu was doing penance.
The fort
was built by the Madurai
Nayaks during the 17th
century. It may have been built by Ramachandra Naik, the Poligar of Sendamangalam, although it has also been
attributed to Lakshmi Narasayya, an officer under Mysore Kingdom. Subsequently,
it came under the control of Tipu Sultan. When the British capture it in 1769,
it was under the rule of Mysore. Hyder Ali re-conquered the Fort, only to lose
it to the British again in 1792. It contains the ruins of a Lord Vishnu temple
dedicated to Ethirili Perumal with the inscription of Sadaiyavarman Sundhara
Pandiyan.
The fort
is located in the centre of Namakkal town over a hillock made of single rock
named Namagiri. The fort is located on the top of the rock, 75 m
(246 ft.) tall. There is a Narasimha Murthy temple and a mosque that are
located within the fort, both of which are popular tourist attractions of the
town. Kamalalayam tank, located at foothills, is commonly associated with the
fort. The fort is made up with well-cut blocks of the same stone as the
hill and cemented to the rock by mortar. The higher portions of the fort are
held by their own weight and accurate fitting.
Namakkal
fort covers an area of one and a half acres of flat surface and is accessible
from the southwest by a flight of narrow steps. The mark is the white and red
graphic symbol of Vishnu. The representation is depicted with two white and one
red vertical line. The people who believe in Vaishnavism usually wear the symbol on their forehead. On the
hills and hillocks of Salem
District where Vishnu Shrines
are situated, there are large "namams" are painted on the nearby
boulders.
On the
"Nama Malai", the northern spur (693 meters high) of the "Jarugu
Malai" range, a conspicuous "Namam" (mark) is painted on a rock
on the hill side near a small shrine of Lord Vishnu. Each of the two prongs
that are representing the feet of Lord Vishnu of the Namam is about 40 feet
long and 6 edges. This is clearly visible from all parts of the city.
The rock also contains eight holy water springs locally called the Theerthams. It is the biggest of which is the Kamalayam (Home of the Lotus) sacred to the Goddess Namagiri Amman. It was the chief source of water supply for the town until water from the Kaveri River was brought. The other Theerthams are Anatharama Theertham, Narasimha Theertham and Serbha Theertham. Another list of holy Theerthams includes Hanuman Theertham, Lakshmana Theertham, Lakshmi Theertham, Narayana Theertham, Rishi Theertham, and Seetharam Theertham.
For more pictures click on the below link:
http://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/p/namakkal-fort-gallery.html
Connectivity
Namakkal
Fort is 2 km from the Namakkal bus stop on the Rasipuram road.
By Bus:
Buses
are available for every 5minutes from Salem. Buses ply to cities in Tamil Nadu
like Salem, Chennai, Coimbatore, Trichy, Madurai, Erode, Dindigul and Karur.
Namakkal is connected to the rest of India through National Highway 7. Buses
from Trichy, Madurai will pass through Namakkal to reach Salem and Bangalore.
By Train:
Nearest
Railway Station is located at Salem which is approximately 54 Km.
By Air:
Nearest
International Airport is Coimbatore International Airport located at a distance
of 153 kms and Trichy located at a distance of 85 kms.