Rajagiri Fort, TamilNadu - Part II

Rajagiri

Six months after my first visit to Gingee (Krishnagiri), had an opportunity to trek again at one of the Gingee Fort (Rajagiri). While the Krishnagiri was easier to trek (took about 30 to 40 minutes), Rajagiri posed bigger challenge (One and hour hour to reach the top).

Kalyana Mahal  (Marriage Hall)   

One of the Massive Grain Storage Room

At the foot of the hillock, we spend an hour looking at the Kalyana Mahal (Marriage Hall), the rows of enclosure for the royal staff, a massive tank called Elephants' tank, King's Audience Hall, Grains Storage, the Mosque and Magazine. The Audience Hall has a square area marked by a high and ornate platform with bold traditional temple-type moldings and a massive stone backrest.  The Mosque located at the entrance of the inner fort of Rajagiri was erected by Sad-at-Ullah Khan to commemorate his victory over De Singh and the capture of the fort in 1713 AD.

King's Audience Hall 

Staircase (made out of Stones) leading to Audience Hall

Temple at the Foothill

Next, we passed through an uneven flight of steps along the rocky hill track to the top in 90 minutes.  Atop is granary, magazine, cannon and a beautiful temple.

Ranganathar Temple at the Top

Cannon at the Top

Granary at the Top

We offered our prayers at the shrine for Kamalakkanai Amman, the guardian goddesses of the place before moving down in 45 minutes.

At the Top of Rajagiri

General Instruction to the Visitor:

• Government charges an entrance fee of Rs. 5 for Citizens of India (free for children under age of 15) and $2 for people from other countries.
• Approximate duration for Rajagiri trek is 4 hours.
• Rajagiri remains open from 9.00 A.M to 5.00 P.M.
• Gingee is on the highway (National Highway 66) which connects Thiruvannamali and Chennai, and hardly takes 3 hours to reach from Chennai.

Beautiful Scene near Rajagiri

Gingee Fort, TamilNadu - Part I

Gingee Fort  (Krishnagiri)

On August 13th 2011, organized a trek to Gingee Fort as India was about to celebrate the 65th Independence Day on 15th. Gingee Fort also known as Chenji, is one of the few surviving forts in Tamil Nadu, India.

View from Krishnagiri

What else can be an ideal place to visit for this celebration, than the one where one can relive our history - the Gingee fort which is termed as the “Troy of the East” by the British and almost impregnable by the redoubtable Maratha ruler, Shivaji.

The Gingee Fort complex is on three hillocks. In fact all the three hills together constitute a fort complex, yet each hill contains a separate and self-contained fort. The main fort is, is called Rajagiri (King Hill) and to reach the top one has to undertake a challenging trek for over an hour. The Krishnagiri (Queen Hill or Ranigiri) is much easier to trek takes about half an hour.

The plan was to drive down to Thiruvannamalai (approximately 4 hour to cover 190 Kilometers from Chennai) and take the darshan of Lord Shiva first (Temple visit takes approximately 2 hours) and then to have our breakfast at Thiruvannamalai before driving to Gingee. Gingee is an hour drive (approximately 35 Kilometers) from Thiruvannamalai and is on the highway (National Highway 66) which connects Thiruvannamali and Chennai.

At the top of Krishnagiri

As per the plan, started at 3 A.M in the morning from Chennai and reached Thiruvannamali at 7 A.M, had our darshan before driving to Gingee for our trek to Ranigiri. Next 3 hours was spend trekking to the top, munching the Guava, Apple and snacks we bought, enjoying the landscape of boulders, the rocky outcrops and the way the fort and buildings integrate with the landscape. It is truly a beautiful historical site. It was 3 P.M when we reach back down and it was too late for another trek to the King Hill as they close the site at 4 P.M. So we decided to drive back to Chennai and visit the other hill some other time.

Gingee is definitively a beautiful historical site, that is not to be missed if you happen to visit Chennai or Pondicherry. Visitor are expected by buy entrance ticket (Rupees 5 / person) and are expected to carry their own drink and snacks as there is no help or shops at the top.

Will share my Rajagiri experience in subsequent post (Gingee Fort Part II).

Thiruvannamalai Temple Gopuram

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