Description
Kalyana Mahal at Gingee in Tamil Nadu from the 'Archaeological Survey of India Collections: Madras, 1894-95'. Gingee is situated south-west of Madras and was established during the Chola dynasty. The Gingee fort has been occupied by the Vijayanagara kings, the Nayakas, the Adil Shahi dynasty, the Marathas, the French and the British. It consists of three fortified hills; Krishnagiri, Chandragiri and Rajagiri. The citadel stands on the summit of the central Rajagiri Hill and it is protected by seven gateways. The Kalyana Mahal is located at the base of this hill and dates from the Nayaka period at Chenji fort from the late 16th to mid 17th centuries. This view looks north-west. The most dominant feature of the royal complex is the five-storeyed tower. The tower has arcades on four sides and a small chamber with a steeply pyramidal roof at the top. The fort of Gingee as they developed through the centuries, are illustrative of the vicissitudes through which this part of the Carnatic passed, first emerging under indigenous tribal occupation, then coming under Chola rule and under the sway of Vijayanagar and of its Nayak governors, subsequently serving as the battle-field of Bijapurian and Kutb Shahi ambitions in the Carnatic, also utilized by Shahji and Shivaji with a prevision that is certainly astonishing as a possible southern base for future Maratha resistance to the Mussalmans, consequently experiencing a long-drawn-out siege by Aurangzib's forces, and after its incorporation into Mughal dominion, flourishing for a time as the head- quarters of the Mughal subah of the Carnatic.