The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Nagercoil News : Udayagiri Fort to be given a facelift

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 17, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Nagercoil

Udayagiri Fort to be given a facelift

By P.S. Suresh Kumar

The Kanyakumari Collector, Rajesh Lakhoni, looking at an underground passage at the Udayagiri Fort.

NAGERCOIL, SEPT.16. The district administration has decided to give a facelift to the historically famous Udayagiri Fort in Kanyakumari district at a total estimated cost of Rs.7 lakhs to attract domestic and foreign tourists.

The fort is situated near the Padmanabhapuram Fort in the Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil National highway at Puliyoorkurichi, which is the most important military station of the erstwhile Travancore rulers, when they are having Padmanabhapuram as their capital.

It is built of massive granite blocks around an isolated hillock, 260 feet high enclosing an area of almost 90 acres. It is renovated about AD 1600. The fort is said to have been destroyed by the King Raja Raja Chola.

The fort is rebuilt during the reign of Marthanda Varma, Venad King during 1741-44. Under the supervision of De Lannoy, Belgium General, who has served as the Chief of the Travancore Army, East India Company's troops have been stationed there till the middle of the 19 Century.

The foundry for the manufacture of guns, mortars and cannon balls have been established within the fort under the supervision of the General.

In the early days, the fort is of strategic importance. Prisoners captured in the campaign against Tippu have been confined in the fort for sometime. In 1810, the East India Company's Army under Colonel St. Leger has marched into the Travancore State through the Aramboly Pass to quell a rebellion under the leadership of Velu Thambi Dalavai. De Lannoy, who has served Marthanda Varma loyally for 37 years and who is responsible for training his men in modern warfare, has lived in the fort with his family for several years and died on June 1, 1777 at the age of 62.

His body was buried within the fort and a chapel was built on the spot where his body was buried. De Lannoy's tomb in the fort is marked out by a stone cross planted at the top, with the inscription in both Tamil and Latin. His wife and son are also buried by his side.

The tourist spot has not been developed for many years owing to negligence. When the sorry state of the fort was brought to the notice of the Collector, Rajesh Lakhoni, he allotted Rs.5 lakhs immediately from the small saving's incentive fund to give the facelift to the fort as well as to set up a bio-diversity park within the fort.

An artificial fountain has also been established in the fort. Seven spotted deers have been brought here from Pechipparai to attract tourists. Rs. 2 lakhs has also been allotted under the Western Ghat programme to set up birdcages and renovate the entrance of the fort.

Recently, officials of the Department of Archaeology have found a tunnel (an underground passage) within the fort.

"Necessary steps will be taken to renovate the passage. Besides illuminating the entire fort and constructing a wall around the tomb of De Lannoy, a children's park will be set up to develop this fort as one of the famous tourist spots in the district, the Collector said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu

News Update

Stories in this Section

Udayagiri Fort to be given a facelift