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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.
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.
Accommodation is available at the small budgeted hotels and lodges in Vellore.