Thirumayam Fort on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Thirumayam Fort is a 40-acre wide
On the top of the rock is a bastion with cannon of British origin. To the south of this Platform is a natural pond. On the southern slope there are two rock cut temples, one of them dedicated to Sri Sathyamurthy-Sri Uyyavanda Nachiar (Vaishnavite) and another to Sri Sathyagireeswarar-Sri Venuvaneeswari (Saivite), Which are historically and religiously more important. To the northwest is another pond and to the southeast another tank. There are six more cannons mounted in the north, south and east gates.
File:Inside Thirumayam Fort.JPG, As seen from inside the fort
File:Thirumayam seen from fort.JPG, Thirumayam seen from fort
fortress
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
in the town of Thirumayam
Thirumayam is a place of historical importance located about 22 km from the town of Pudukkottai & 22 km from the town of Karaikudi. The noted Indian independence activist Sathyamurthy was born in Thirumayam in 1887.
Etymology
Thirumaya ...
in Pudukkottai-Karaikudi Highway in Pudukkottai District
Pudukkottai District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Pudukkottai is the district headquarters. It is also known colloquially as ''Pudhugai.''
Pudukkottai district is bounded on the northeast and ...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
. It was constructed by Vijaya Raghunatha Sethupathi
Vijayaraghunatha Sethupathi (died 1720) ruled from 1710 to 1720 the ''"Ramnad Kingdom"'', also known as ''"Maravar Kingdom"''. He was an adopted son of Raghunatha Kilavan, the founder of the ''"Ramnad Kingdom"''. Sethupathi was the title grante ...
, the Raja of Ramnad
''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being atte ...
in 1687. Later the fort was handed over to his brother in law Raghunatha Raya Tondaiman. The fort has been extensively renovated by Archaeological Survey of India in 2012.
Architecture
The fort originally said to have been a 'ring fort' with seven concentric walls has only four surviving now. The construction of the fort is of inferior quality as small blocks of stone were used along with bricks for the building of the fortification. The fort has three entrances; one on the north, another on the south and third on the east. The shrines dedicated to Hanuman, Sakthi, Ganapathi, Karuppar (guardian deities of the fort) are noticed on the southern side and shrine to Bhairava on the northern side. Halfway to the top on the right side a chamber which was used as magazine was noticed. Opposite to this chamber on the western slope of a boulder is a rock cut cell containing a linga on yonipitha, the spout of which is supported by the figure of a dwarf.
On the top of the rock is a bastion with cannon of British origin. To the south of this Platform is a natural pond. On the southern slope there are two rock cut temples, one of them dedicated to Sri Sathyamurthy-Sri Uyyavanda Nachiar (Vaishnavite) and another to Sri Sathyagireeswarar-Sri Venuvaneeswari (Saivite), Which are historically and religiously more important. To the northwest is another pond and to the southeast another tank. There are six more cannons mounted in the north, south and east gates.
Historical Importance
The fortress is of great historical significance and was an important stronghold of rebel chieftains in thePolygar Wars
The Polygar Wars or Palaiyakkarar Wars were wars fought between the Polygars (''Palaiyakkarars'') of the former Tirunelveli Kingdom in Tamil Nadu, India and the British East India Company forces between March 1799 to May 1802 or July 1805. The ...
. Oomathurai, the brother of Panchalankurichi
Panchalankurichi is a village, 3 km from Ottapidaram and 21 km from Thoothukudi in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, India. Panchalankurichi was once a Palayam and is best known as the birthplace of Veerapandiya Kattabomman, an 18th ...
chieftain Kattabomman
Veerapandiya Kattabomman was an 18th-century Tamil Palayakarrar and king of Panchalankurichi in Tamil Nadu, India. He refused to accept the sovereignty of the British East India Company and waged a Polygar War, war against them. He was captured ...
was captured in this fort. The fort is locally known as Oomayan Kottai(fort of the dumb). The fort is maintained and administered by 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 Alexand ...
as a ticketed monument.
Gallery
References
* {{Pudukkottai district Forts in Tamil Nadu Pudukkottai district