Maratha bastion in Tamil heartland: Gingee fort’s rise to Unesco glory

Given the manner in which Indian History is interpreted and taught, the period of Maratha domination of the northern region — including of who sat on the Mughal throne — has been systematically played down. Only in recent years has the truth been told about the 18th century period which can be termed ‘The Maratha Century’, if I may borrow a title of noted Maratha historian Uday Kulkarni.

In this context, it is nothing short of stunning that a set of Maratha forts, so key to Shivaji’s military strategy, have achieved Unesco World Heritage status. And while it is predictable that forts such as Shivneri, Raigad, Sindhudurg and others in Maharashtra would have been part of the list, what makes it truly impactful is the inclusion of Gingee among those acknowledged. For Gingee, in Tamil Nadu, is far from the Maratha home territory or its extensions in Gujarat or Madhya Pradesh.

Located just two hours south of the much-visited temple town of Kanchipuram, Gingee is one of India’s most unusual forts and not merely because it has the reputation of being impregnable. The fort at Gingee, sometimes called Senji, is simplistically described as a ‘hillfort’. The fort straddles three separate hills and encompasses all the land on top and between these hills. Each hill could function as a self-contained fortress and when combined, a formidable triangular defence network was created. Imagine the plight of an invading force that attempted to assault one hill only to be fired upon from another. But that didn’t deter adventurous commanders from attempting an assault. The fort’s history is the story of such attempts.

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While some accounts hold that a small fortification here was done by the Chola dynasty as early as the 9th century, the widely accepted claim is that the first fort of significance was raised at Gingee in the 1190s. This was done by Ananda Kon, who came from a humble shepherd caste and had managed to subdue local chieftains. While he built a fort on Rajagiri hill — now called Raja hill — it became the nucleus for layer after layer of construction by dynasties across centuries. And with each came temples, mosques, water bodies, palaces, pavilions and to protect all this, longer and thicker walls.

After the Kons came another dynasty that rose from shepherd stock, the Kurumbars. And then the fort became part of the mighty Vijaynagara kingdom. Its eclipse in 1565 meant that the Nayakas, who until then had been feudatories of Vijaynagara, became independent rulers. It is they who built much of what is seen today at Gingee.

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And in the 17th century came the Marathas. They gained the fort after a tug of war with the kingdom of Bijapur. And when the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb unleashed his full force against the Marathas in the north Deccan region, Shivaji’s second son Rajaram took refuge at Gingee, arriving here in November 1689. Aurangzeb’s forces followed him and laid siege to the fort.

While Rajaram escaped the invading forces, the Mughal army was in no mood to allow such a powerful fort to remain out of control. The siege was an epic struggle, ranging from use of military force to inducements being offered to Maratha chiefs. And the harrowing struggle for Gingee continued till 1698, when the fort finally fell. Musical chairs continued later at Gingee, with the fort passing through the hands of the Carnatic Nawabs to the French, from them to the British and then to Hyder Ali of Mysore and then back to the British.

Two other interregnums are noteworthy. During the time that the fort was with the Kingdom of Bijapur, Elihu Yale — the man after whom the Yale academic institution in the US is named — came to Gingee. He was then an official of the East India Company in what became Madras (now Chennai) and came to Gingee seeking trading rights for the British in the region. He went back unsuccessful.

The second case was when Gingee lay under Mughal control. Gingee was part of a jagir – land grant – given to a Bundela Rajput chief. His son De Singh inherited the jagir but was forced into a conflict with the Nawab of Arcot. De Singh died in battle and his young wife committed Sati. They left behind legends and folk ballads about love and heroism that are still remembered. Astounding to think of a folk ballad about a Bundela Rajput in the heart of the Tamil countryside. The British did not stay in Gingee for long though. The area around was considered malaria-prone and they shifted their base in the region to Arcot. Gingee’s days of glory in history were over. But now, the World Heritage Status has put it once more in the spotlight.

Today, when a visitor enters the fort, they see an assortment of buildings in the area between the hills. There is a mosque, a seven-storey high palace called Kalyana Mahal (in the lead picture), an open-air museum with various sculpted remains that could have come from temples long lost, various gateways and pavilions. Powerful walls of the fort, punctuated by bastions, encircle the place. Towering in the background is the hill on which ‘Raja fort’ stands.

It takes an effort to climb up, and carrying a stout stick to discourage enthusiastic monkeys is a good idea. On the way up, a small shrine appears on the right. This is dedicated to a Goddess who eliminated a demon with a hundred heads. As one keeps ascending the fort, one crosses various landmarks – a Hanuman icon carved on rock, various buildings, cannons and fortified walls, not to forget panoramic views of the fort spreading out below.

To reach the inner citadel atop the hill, one needs to cross a small drawbridge. Crossing that while looking at the fort spreading itself out below gives a true sense of what the word ‘impregnable’ means. And for a moment, you feel sorry for those Mughal troops laying siege for seven long years! At the top of the fort are the Ranganathar Temple, a bell tower and a watch tower. Visible below is the Venkatramana Temple, and at a distance on another hill, the Rani Fort. This fort, which was originally called Krishnagiri, is the second of the three hill citadels that make up Gingee’s mighty bastion and has some pavilions and shrines on top. The third is the Chandrayandurg, completing the triangle.

In the space between the three hills lies the Venkatramana Temple. When a visitor enters its high gopuram, the structure reminds him of the shrines of Hampi, capital of Vijaynagara. When this author visited the place, the shrine seemed empty and abandoned. And just when I stepped back to leave, a priest carrying a ceremonial lamp emerged from inside, continuing a puja tradition that dates back centuries. It was a moment when time stood still!

The author is a heritage explorer with a penchant for seeking obscure sites. A brand consultant by profession, he tweets @HiddenHeritage. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.