Vellore Fort, a perfect specimen of military architecture is located in Vellore, 130-km away from Chennai and 10-km from Katpadi. Sinna Bomma Reddi a vessel chieftain under the Vijayanagar kings, Sada Sriranga Maharaja, built this historical fort in the 16th century. This fortress is the mute witness of many historic sieges and battles.
History Of The Fort
After Vijayanagar dynasty, it became the fortress of Mortaza Ali, the brother-in-law of Chanda Sahib who claimed the Arcot throne, and was taken by the Adli Shahi Sultans of Bijapur. The fort was under the control of Arkat King and next to Adil Shahis of Bijapur.
In 1676 Marathas also captured it. In 1760 Dayud Khan coming from Delhi won
the fort. The British occupied the fort in 1760,following the fall of
Srirangapatnam and the death of Tipu Sultan. The sons and daughters of Tipu
were put in this fort in confinement. This fort is surrounded by a deep
ditch and secured by a double wall. The Fort
The fort is situated on the Palor riverbank. The outer length of the fort is about 2,500 feet and 1,500 feet in breadth. The height of the outer wall is about 30 feet and the breadth is about 25 feet. The approximate circumstance of the fort is 2,600 meters.
It was constructed with the granite blocks and is surrounded by a moat, which is supplied by a subterranean drain fed from a tank. The walls are constructed with hewn Kangaroo stones of rectangular shape.
Constructions Of The Fort
The fortification of the fort consists of a main rampart broken at irregular intervals by round towers and rectangular projections. The walls of the fortress are connected so that the outer wall that is lower than the other, which is extended to the inner wall, from a curtain of enormous thickness, which cannot be affected by gun, spears and arrows.
The narrow wall running round the fort can be reached by a flight of steps at the entrance of the fort. On the southern side there is a raised bastion on which the flagstaff stands and there are two small round towers raised on the main works at the southeast and northeast angles.
The Vellore fort is perhaps the most beautiful specimen of military architecture in South India and it is still in a good state of preservation.
Other Buildings In The Fort
Jalakanteshwara temple is situated inside the fort, which has some beautiful sculptures on the ceiling and some richly, carved pillars and monoliths. The carving of roofs and pillars are wonderful examples of Vijayanagar type of sculptural architecture. The Gopuram of the temple, which is 30 m, high and seven storied is superb.
To the right of the fort, there are 3 churches, cemetery of dead British Soldiers in Sepoy Mutiny and a museum containing sculptures and hero stones dating back to the Pallava and Chola times.
How to get there ?
Air - The nearest airport is at Chennai.
Rail - Katpadi, 10-km from Vellore is the nearest broad gauge railway station. Katpadi is on the Chennai Bangalore line. There are daily services between Katpudi- Chennai and Katpudi- Bangalore.
Road - Vellore is well connected with Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, Tiruvannamalai, Bangalore, Tirupati, Thanjavur, Ooty, Kanchipuram and other important towns.
