At Gingee, centuries of war sleep in peace [AFOOT]

The moat outside the Gingee Fort lined by a row of palmyra palms. Entry to the fort is restricted to ticket-holders.

Travellers hurrying from Bangalore to Pondicherry seldom make a stop at Gingee, just before Tiruvannamalai. The highway cuts right through the fort’s walls. This is all that the passer-by sees of this magnificent fort, and that’s a shame.

Gingee (also spelled Chinji or Senji) is a scenic stopover on the Bangalore-Pondicherry route best known for the magnificent ruins of the Rajagiri Fort. The three boulder-strewn hillocks over which the fort sprawls are popular with trekkers.

[inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”null” suffix=”null”]The Rajagiri Fort pops out of the countryside so suddenly that it begs to be declared a traffic hazard.[/inlinetweet] Jokes apart, this stopover on the tamarind-lined highway between Tiruvannamalai and Tindivanam can be easily missed if you nod off. Not surprisingly, few travelers on this route have heard of it and fewer have experienced its splendid historical showcase.

[inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”null” suffix=””]Gingee is the Anglicisation of Sengiri, Tamil for ‘Red Hill’. [/inlinetweet]National Highway 66 cuts right through the fort. The walls snake away on both sides in broken lines towards three rocky hillocks — Rajagiri, Chandragiri and Krishnagiri — on which distant ramparts, lonely towers and crumbling turrets blend into the scenery.

This is only the wrapping. The prize lies hidden from view.

Take the narrow curving road to the right. Its gentle gradient winds past an office of the Archaeological Survey of India. A few yards away in the middle of a field stands a pillared stone temple built in the Chola style — the Amman shrine.

Driving? Take the pebbly road towards a huddle of motley buildings in European, Islamic and Chola styles to your right. Not without reason, for Gingee has served several masters. The fort, all of 7 sq km, sprawls over three hillocks and rises to 800 ft (240 m) at its highest. This unique vantage (on a clear day, the Bay of Bengal can be seen glimmering in the eastern horizon) made it a strategic military asset.

Built by the Chola kings in the 9th century, the fort fell into the hands of successive conquerors — the Vijayanagar Empire, the Gingee Nayaks, the Marathas, the Bijapur Sultans, the Carnatic Nawabs, the French, and finally the British. Now, in the care of the Archaeological Survey of India, it survives despite the vandals who have routinely abused it.

Gingee wears the cultural touch of each dynasty that controlled it. A fitting testament to the fort’s secular character is the funeral platform of Raja Tej Singh (Thesingu Raasan in Tamil), who is reputed to have shared a celebrated friendship with his general Maavuthukaran alias Mehboob Khan. The temple of the Dravidian goddess Chenjiamman stands beneath an enormous banyan tree beside the shimmering Anaikulam (Tamil for ‘elephant tank’). Monkeys swing like trapeze artists from the banyan’s aerial roots while goats wander about the temple courtyard. The shrine of Venugopalaswamy has an exquisitely carved sculpture of Krishna flanked by his wives Rukmani and Satyabhama. There are two mosques in the fort complex – Sadatulla Khan Masjid and Mahabbat Khan Masjid.

To the right looms a large stone structure — the granary. The white pagoda-like spire of the Kalyana Mahal, thought to be the quarters of the queens, is stunning in its splendor. There are touches of French architecture in the Pondicherry Gate, which looks to the east. The ASI museum at the entrance to the museum provides plaques that describe these monuments and their historical significance.

The three boulder-strewn hillocks over which the fort sprawls are popular with trekkers, many of whom are barely aware that the soil underfoot has been trampled by armies of successive dynasties since the 9th century. The well-maintained fort and its precincts offer an engaging half-day historical tour. It is also popular with artists, who can often be seen making meditative sketches of the ruins. [inlinetweet prefix=”null” tweeter=”null” suffix=”null”]For centuries, Gingee has been washed with the blood of conquerors. Today, the ruins sleep in peace[/inlinetweet], barely disturbed by the footfalls of tourists.

Travel Tips

Sunny days offer excellent photographic opportunities but the heat can be exhausting. For the best experience, stay overnight at Tindivanam (28 km) or Tiruvannamalai (50 km) and reach Gingee before 8 am. You can visit the lower fort, including the Chenjiamman temple, without a ticket. Enjoy a picnic breakfast here before the ticket counter opens. Travel on a weekday to avoid boisterous crowds. Carry sunscreen and wear a hat or cap. Pack light snacks as there are no restaurants till Tindivanam. If you are adventuresome, a slow, tough hike to the top of the hills is invigorating.

Getting there

From Bangalore: 250 km

Driving: NH7 to Hosur-Krishnagiri; NH46 towards Chennai for less than 1 km; exit right to NH66 towards Tiruvannamalai and Pondicherry. Gingee is 50 km from Tiruvannamalai.

Bus: All Bangalore-Pondicherry buses stop on request at Gingee

Nearest railhead: Krishnagiri (95 km)

From Chennai: 160 km

Driving: NH 45 to Tindivanam via Chengalpattu; NH 66 towards Tiruvannamalai; Gingee is 28 km from Tindivanam

Bus: Chennai to Chengalpattu; Chengalpattu-Tindivanam; Tindivanam-Gingee

Nearest railhead: Tindivanam (28 km)

Enjoy these pictures. Click any photo to view them as a slideshow

: The Gingee Fort occupies three hillocks connected by walls enclosing a total area of 7 square kilometres. The name Gingee probably came from Sengiri, Tamil for Red Hill. Built by the Cholas, the strategic fort passed into the hands of the Hoysalas, the Vijayanagar emperors and thence to the Gingee Nayaks. The Mughals, the Bijapur Sultans and the Marathas also controlled the fort successively and each one strengthened it with modifications and new structures.

: The moat outside the Gingee Fort lined by a row of palmyra palms. Entry to the fort is restricted to ticket-holders.

: A bathing tank in the fort precincts. After the fall of the Marathas, the Gingee fort was then occupied by the Carnatic Nawabs, who ceded it to French colonialists who had their stronghold in Pondicherry. Briefly, the fort fell into the hands of Hyder Ali of Mysore and was then seized by the British, in whose hands it remained until Independence despite skirmishes with the French.

: A mosque in the Gingee Fort complex. Dr C K Gariyali, an Indian Administrative Service officer who served as District Collector of Tamil Nadus South Arcot district in the early 1980s, wrote of a unique community of Gingee Muslims who were descended from early Mughal army commanders who arrived in India along with Emperor Babur.

: The Kalyana Mahal, presumably the living quarters of the queens, is one of the most recognizable structures in the fort premises and exhibits Indo-Islamic architectural styles. The Maratha king Shivaji hailed Gingee Fort as the most impregnable fortress in India and the British called it the Troy of the East. It was declared a national monument in 1921 and is currently maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.

: Ornate birds decorating a structure at Gingee Fort speak of the commingling of architectural influences.

: Stone reliefs softened by age and the elements still survive at Gingee, making it a happy hunting ground for students of history, archaeology and architecture.

: One of the best maintained architectural sites in southern India, Gingee appears to be beautifully landscaped with acres of greenery. In the winter monsoon, pleasant days warmed by a mild sun beckon artists inspired by the picturesque grandeur of the ruins.

: Every dynasty that laid claim to Gingee left remnants of individual architectural styles, making the fort a smorgasbord of historical relics. Although its past was probably washed with the blood of hundreds, today war and peace sleep in harmony at Gingee.