Namakkal Fort

Namakkal Fort
Part of Tamil Nadu
Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India

Namakkal Fort
Namakkal Fort
Coordinates 11°14′00″N 78°10′00″E / 11.233333°N 78.166667°E
Type Forts
Site information
Controlled by Department of Archaeology

Namakkal Fort is a historic fort present in Namakkal in Namakkal district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. 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 Archeological Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Legend

As per 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 Paravatha, 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.[1] 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.[2]

Architecture

The fort is located in the centre of Namakkal town over a hillock made of single rock named Namagiri.[1] 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.[3] Kamalalayam tank, located at foothills, is commonly associated with the fort.[4] 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.[5]

History

As per history, the fort was built by the Madurai Nayaks during the 17th century.[2] The fort is originally believed to have been built by Ramachandra Naik, the poligar of Sendamangalam. Other ascribe it to Lakshmi Narasayya, an officer under Mysore Kingdom. The fort was captured by the British during in 1768, to be lost to Hyder Ali.[5] In modern times, an 18 ft image of Hanuman is installed in the city, facing the Narasimha image on the top of the fort.[2] The fort is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Namakkal Fort". Namakkal District Administration. 2013-09-09.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Sajnani, Manohar (2001). Encyclopaedia of Tourism Resources in India, Volume 2. Gyan Publishing House. p. 310. ISBN 8178350181.
  3. ↑ "Places of Interest". Namakkal Municipality. 2011. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  4. ↑ "Neglected tank gets polluted in Namakkal". The Hindu (Tamil Nadu). 25 November 2009. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hunter, Sir William (1908). Imperial Gazetter of India, Volume 23. Clarendon Press. p. 347.
  6. ↑ "Alphabetical List of - Tamil Nadu". Archaeological Survey of India. 2011. Retrieved 2013-09-09.