Chandragiri is a suburb and outgrowth of

Tirupati Tirupati () is a city in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Andhra Pradesh and serves as the administrative headquarters of Tirupati district. It is known for its significant religious and cultural heritage, being home to th ...

and located in

Tirupati district Tirupati district () is one of the eight districts of Rayalaseema region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.The district headquarters is located at Tirupati city. This district is known for its numerous historic temples, including the Hindu ...

of the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n state of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

. It is a part of

urban agglomeration An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

and a major growing residential area in

It is the mandal headquarters of Chandragiri mandal in Tirupati revenue division. It also falls in the jurisdictional limit of Tirupati Urban Development Authority. Chandragiri is the southwestern entrance of Tirupati for vehicles coming from Bangalore, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Kalyana Venkateswara Temple, Srinivasamangapuram is located next to Chandragiri through which well-laid stone footpaths called Srivari Mettu are available to reach Tirumala on foot.

History

Chandragiri fort

Chandragiri is now famous for the historical

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

, built in the 11th century by Immadi Narasimha Yadava Raya and the Raja Mahal (Palace) within it. The fort encircles eight ruined temples of Saivite and Vaishnavite pantheons, Raja Mahal, Rani Mahal and other ruined structures. The Raja Mahal Palace is now an archaeological museum. The fort and palace are in the care of the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

. The palace is open to the public, but the fort is closed. The palace is an example of Indo-Sarcen architecture of the Vijayanagar period. The palace was constructed using stone, brick, lime mortar and devoid of timber. The crowning towers represents the Hindu architectural elements. Chandragiri was under the rule of Vijayanagar from 1367. It came into prominence during the rule of Saluva Narasimha Raya. Chandragiri was the 4th capital of Vijayanagar Empire. Rayas shifted their capital to here when Golconda sultans attacked Penukonda. In 1646, the fort was annexed to the

Golkonda Golconda is a fortified citadel and ruined city located on the western outskirts of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The fort was originally built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparudra in the 11th century out of mud walls. It was ceded to the Bahmani ...

territory. After the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire, the Mysore King ordered the palaygara Bisaya Nayaka of Harapanayakanahalli (present Mulbagal,

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

) to wage a war against the Sultan of Chandragiri. In the battle, his army was reported to have killed everyone inside the fort. There is also a myth that out of the wealth collected from the Muslim women in the fort, their nose rings alone filled 3 whole bamboo buckets, which were then sealed in a two-stone locker and placed in Kurudumale, (in Karnataka) With the Sultan's death, Chandragiri fell under

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

suzerainty. It went into oblivion from 1792 onward.

References

{{Tirupati district, collapsed=true Tirupati Mandal headquarters in Tirupati district Buildings and structures in Tirupati