Udayagiri Fort
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There are two forts named Udayagiri Fort in South India.
[edit] Fort in Andhra Pradesh
The first fort is in Andhra Pradesh state in in Nellore district. Located 96 km from Nellore city, This is the site of a mighty fortress built by the Vijayanagar kings in the 14 century. A towering peak reaching a height of 994 m (3,261 ft) can be seen here, which is called Sanjiva Hill because a wide variety of medicinal herbs grow on it. Several ancient Pallava and Chola temples, remarkable for their architececture are worth a visit. The fort is located on the hills of Udayagiri. The hill rises to a height of 3,079 ft (938 m) above the sea level. It consists of eleven fortresses, 8 on the hill and 3 below. It covers an area of about seven miles. The existing fortifications reveal Islamic features. It was the stronghold of the Gajapatis of Orissa till Krishna Deva Raya annexed it.
[edit] Fort in Tamil Nadu
The second fort in Tamil Nadu is located at a distance of 14 km from Nagercoil. An important asset of the Travancore rulers when Padmanabhapuram was the capital of Travancore, it is supposed to have been originally built in the year 1600s, and then rebuilt by Marthanda Varma of Travancore in the 18th century.
Enclosing an area of about 90 acres (36 ha), with an isolated hill 260 feet (79 m) high, the fort contains an old foundry for casting guns. It is reported that a 16 foot (5 m) brass 22 pounder (10 kg) found inside the fort proved too heavy to be moved by 1200 people and 16 elephants.
The tombs of the Dutch Admiral Eustance de Lennoy, (in whose honour the fort was once called Dillanai Kottai— De Lennoy's Fort), and of his wife and son can be seen inside a partly ruined chapel in the fort.
The fort is situated on the Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil National highway at Puliyoorkurichi. This is the most important military station of the erstwhile Travancore rulers, when Padmanabhapuram was their capital.
The fort is built of massive granite blocks around an isolated hillock. It is renovated about AD 1600. The fort is said to have been destroyed by the King Raja Raja Chola.
The fort was rebuilt during the reign of Marthanda Varma, Venad King during 1741-44. Under the supervision of De Lannoy, Belgium General, who served as the Chief of the Travancore Army, East India Company's troops were stationed there till the middle of the 19th century.
In the early days, the fort was of strategic importance. Prisoners captured in the campaign against Tippu Sultan were confined in the fort for some time. In 1810, the East India Company's Army under Colonel St. Leger marched into the Travancore State through the Aramboly Pass to quell a rebellion under the leadership of Velu Thambi Dalavai. De Lannoy, who served Marthanda Varma loyally for 37 years and who was responsible for training his men in modern warfare, lived in the fort for several years and died on June 1, 1777.
His body was buried within the fort and a chapel was built on the spot. De Lannoy's tomb in the fort is marked out by a stone cross planted on the top, with the inscription in both Tamil and Latin. His wife and son were buried by his side.
Recently, officials of the Department of Archaeology have found a tunnel within the fort.
