Delhi Gate is part of the fortification of

Arcot Arcot (natively spelt as Ārkāḍu) is a town and urban area of Ranipet district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the southern banks of Palar River, the city straddles a trade route between Chennai and Bangalore or Salem, betwe ...

, a town which is located on the banks of Palar river in

Ranipet district Ranipet District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu, India, formed by trifurcating Vellore district. The Government of Tamil Nadu announced its proposal on 15 August 2019, together with Tirupattur district, and it was officially declared ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

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 ...

. The gate was part of a fort built by

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

governor,

Daud Khan Panni Daud Khan Panni (d. ) or simply Daud Khan, was a Pashtun nobleman and military commander of the Mughal Empire. Historians Muzaffar Alam and Sanjay Subrahmanyam characterise him as an important figure of Mughal history spanning the later years ...

, in the first half of the 18th century. It was the site of a memorable defense made by

Robert Clive Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, was the first British List of governors of Bengal Presidency, Governor of the Bengal Presidency. Clive has been widely credited for l ...

during the

Siege of Arcot The siege of Arcot (23 September – 14 November 1751) took place at Arcot, India between forces of the British East India Company led by Robert Clive allied with Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah and forces of Nawab of the Carnatic, Chanda Sahib, ...

History

Historically, the region had been the site of number of battles. This prompted the construction of the fortress around Arcot. In the year 1710, Mohammed Sayyid was the last mughal governor who was appointed as Nawab of Karnatic with the title

Saadatullah Khan I Sa'adatullah Khan I or Sa'adatullah Khan was Nawab of Carnatic (r.1710–1732). He was an adventurer from Konkan in Maharashtra. Life He was born to Muhammad Ali in Bijapur, to a respectable family of Nawayat Konkani Muslims, who inhabited ...

and moved his capital from Gingee to Arcot. The prolonged disputes between the different dynasties fighting for the control of Arcot led to the arrival of the British and the French. However the battle between British and French forces was only for control of

south India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

. The capture and the defence of Arcot by handful of British troops and Sepoy under the command of

against enormous forces was one of the most remarkable battles fought by the British. The siege lasted fifty days, ending 15 November 1751. The Arcot Fort was part of the famous Battle of Arcot, which led to a British victory. One of the gates of the fort was renamed "Delhi Gate" to signify the beginning of the capture of Delhi. The entrance of the gate was constructed in the style of a

arch. Over the gate is Robert Clives room. The old red brick town walls which were part of the original fortification of Arcot were destroyed by

Tippu Sultan Tipu Sultan (, , ''Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu''; 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799) commonly referred to as Sher-e-Mysore or "Tiger of Mysore", was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery ...

in 1783, but the foundations can be still seen. Today, the remains of the tombs of

and

Jama Masjid A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.See: * * * * ...

are the silent witnesses to that period.

Gallery

References

Archaeological monuments in Tamil Nadu Tourist attractions in Ranipet district {{Vellore-geo-stub