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Fort, flora and fauna

A place with a 400-year-old history

PHOTO: SOMA BASU

HARDLY ANY TAKERS Some of the attractions at the Udayagiri Fort

Think forts and what comes to mind are imposing boundary walls, ramparts, moats, cannons and hidden passages. Here is one where even the ruins cry for attention. Though the 400-year-old Udayagiri Fort in Kanyakumari District, on the Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil Highway, is of historic significance, it is not frequented by tourists because of its proximity to the more famous Padmanabhapuram Palace, barely two km away.

Easy to miss

So, if you ask for directions to the fort, chances are you will be directed to the palace first. Also, it is easy to miss the narrow and obscure entry to the fort, despite the presence of a board. Later, I discovered the board has been erected at the wrong place. RLTs have made me an unabashed direction-seeker. Yet, I am forced to make two about-turns on the highway and reach the much crowded Padmanabhapuram Palace first.

Retracing my way through fields and a narrow track, I pass by tin sheds that stand against the remnants of an old fort wall, and I am back on the main road. At the end of a 30-minute search, I finally reach the entrance of what is called the Udayagiri Fort. But a green board declares it a Biodiversity Park under the Western Ghats Development Programme. A Rs. 3 ticket gains me entry into this 970-acre plot.

Not knowing what to see and where to start, I ask the woman selling tickets at the entrance. She simply points her finger to a board, meaning I should read it.

I learn that this fort was originally constructed in 1600 A.D. and destroyed by Raja Raja Chola. Later, it was reconstructed and renovated twice by King Marthanda Varma with granite blocks, between 1729 and 1758. Major work was done when he was the Venad King from 1741-1744.

I had three options. First I took the cemented pavement. Not an ideal day to walk with the sun searing down, after a while, I realise it is futile to exercise my legs on this stretch.

The surrounding areas look ill maintained, what with shrubs and prickly thorns growing all over. The grass is all dry and brown, and the track ends at a scrub forest behind which emerges an isolated hillock. In between, there is an umbrella-shaped cemented sit-out but there are absolutely no takers.

The road that turns left from where the board is located takes me to what is being developed as a biodiversity park. A mini deer park, birdcages, children's park, a small pond for ducks and swans are all getting ready. I spot two peacocks in a cage.

At a distance, a group of people are moving around. I am told the District Collector is on his rounds, assessing the area's potential as a tourism spot. Several plans have been in the pipeline since the turn of the century to develop the area and some work is going on at present.

It is, however, the road that turns right from where the main notice board is located at the entrance that takes you down history lane. I spot a caretaker on this 1.5 km long cemented pathway dotted with teak, cotton and tamarind trees. He shows me four soiled and partially torn photocopy sheets. He offers it to me for Rs. 20 but I choose to read it on the spot.

A military station

This is the place with its 290-ft tall walls, which served as a vital military station of the Travancore rulers when Padmanabhapuram was the capital of Travancore. One of the oldest monuments in the State, a foundry was established here for casting and storing guns, mortars, cannon balls and other military equipment and ammunition.

The East India Company's troops were stationed here till the mid-19th Century. Tipu Sultan's forces were also stationed here for a short while in the 18th Century. Withevery step and stone steeped in history, the Udayagiri Fort makes for a perfect educational excursion. With all the modification work going on now, it also makes for an ideal picnic spot.

Incidentally, an underground hidden passage was recently discovered here. There is a tomb of Dutch Admiral Eustachius De Lannoy, who was one of the 24 European prisoners taken by King Marthanda Varma when he defeated the invading Dutch Army at Colachel.

History records that when the young Flemish Captain made his expedition to Travancore through the small but important port town of Colachel, his forces were annihilated by King Marthanda Varma's army. Later the captured officer remained loyal to the Maharaja for 37 years and trained his army in modern warfare, the present 9th Battalion of Madras Regiment.

So much so the Udayagiri Fort was called the `Dillannai Kottai,' where the De Lannoy stayed with his family till his death. Lannoy's body and that of his wife and son are buried within the fort and a chapel has been built around it. A stone cross stands on the top with inscriptions in Tamil and Latin.

In spite of its historical significance, the fort is much neglected.

But happily, efforts are on to help the place regain its old beauty.

How to get there

The Udayagiri Fort is 14 km from Nagercoil, 34 km from Kanyakumari and 55 km from Thiruvananthapuram. It falls on the Nagercoil-Thiruvananthapuram Highway in a place called Pullioorkurichi. There is a church on the main road, by the side of which a narrow road forks. Take the right one and follow it till you hit the huge stone gate on the right.

SOMA BASU

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