4/5 Ebin A. 4 years ago on Google
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.
