Gingee Fort – 5 Places To Visit in Gingee

Gingee is famous for old forts and ancient culture. Gingee is senji. It is in Villupuram district. It is near Tindivanam and Tiruvannamalai. In this blog,  let’s explore the places in Gingee Fort and its surrounding. Let’s go to frequently asked questions at last.

   Scroll down to the bottom to check The frequently asked questions

Gingee is the most ancient town which is near an union territory. Gingee is 60 kms away from Pondicherry.Gingee is  known for the land of mountains. Low altitude mountains with mild weather give a spectacular feeling. But in the summer season I personally won’t recommend coming to this place.

It would be an arid land in Gingee.  Let’s explore some of the places in Gingee. It is a small town where villagers can buy whatever they want as it is the only town surrounded by many villages. Gingee is the landmark of many villages.

Gingee Fort History – 10 points about gingee fort

In the 13th century by the Vijayanagar Empire. It was a small Fort at that point of time. Gingee Gained prominence during the Vijayanagar Empire era. Later in the 16th century the Fort came under the control of nayakas. Then the Gingee Fort was occupied by the Maratha rule and Mughal rule. Later in the 18th century it was under nawabs and French. The conflicts arose between French and British.Gingee became the capital and played a major role in conflicts.

We can witness the architecture of the 13th century in the 21st century isn’t this great? Moreover I like to admire nature rather than digging into history.

Places to visit

Gingee Fort

 Locally ,Gingee people commonly call this Fort as King’s Fort. There is also a separate Fort which is known as Queen’s Fort. Tourist people tend to visit Queen’s Fort one day and then king’s fort the next day. Let’s start our journey to the king’s fort.

The trek  is difficult during the summer time. The sun will start to roast and suck our energy during the day time. Unfortunately I headed to King’s Fort during the day time, so it was very difficult to take up the Trek. Anyways I just started to walk  into the steps ahead. After stepping a few steps, I got tired  and wanted to take a rest or else to leave.

I’ll go back

It’s not good to leave in the middle. I felt that ,”I might miss the view from the top”. So, in spite of being tired I tried to go up so hard. The steps were too steep. The king built the fort in such way that everyone should get tired while coming up. Just kidding. It might be his trick against his enemies.

The sun started killing me and roasting me so hard. I didn’t hate this kind of trek. though it was a bit of an uncomfortable experience. Yet I loved it.Every Time it will not happen as planned .Right? Sometimes accepting reality and moving on is the best choice.

Gingee Fort attractions  (gingee near tourist places)

Krishnagiri Fort

 To reach the top of this Fort again we need to avail a trek.Let me tell you a curious fact About the conflicts.If a king wants to capture the Enemy’s Kingdom, they will fight for sure to safeguard their Kingdom.But then, how will they safeguard?

Hide and seek

There was a pavement(BRIDGE) in between the Palace at the top and steps. During the war periods the soldiers are instructed by the king to cut that bridge and turn the  pavement to their side. By doing this the opponent soldiers could not enter into the palace and the top. So that the people at the top of their own kingdom were saved. There were many underground pavements for the king to escape in case of emergency.

Kalyana Mahal

 This Mahal looks like a Majestic Palace for marriage rituals. The king showcases his Islamic architecture over here. Actually it is very big and a good place for Taking photographs.

Chakkar kulam

Kulam means pond in Tamil language. The pond gives a splendid view from down.The horses and elephants tend to take baths and drink water in that pond. Ancient people used it for their essential purposes. Held out my legs in corners and observed the evening sunset.The wind blows held my head free, vanishes worries, a place of calmness .Good evening.

Hanuman temple

 It is situated down the lane of the pond. Hanuman was a God worshiped by the people in the kingdom. Monkeys were very common .People tend to give food to monkeys.

Venkata Ramanna Swamy Temple

 This Temple is very ancient and built for the God named Lord Vishnu.

Gingee museum

 This museum displays the artifacts of ancient history. Take a breath to go back to the late 13th century.

After witnessing the forts and temples I literally admired their architectural works. Imagine, millions of people and soldiers worked hard for a  single king and queen. Many soldiers sacrificed their lives for their Kingdom.

Swings ,Sorrows

how many steps in gingee fort? gingee queen fort

More than 1500 steps per fort.It takes 3 to 4 hours to reach the top of the hillock. Take rest and hit the hillock.

After witnessing the forts and temples I literally admired their architectural works.Imagine, millions of people and soldiers worked hard for a single king and queen. Many soldiers sacrificed their lives for their Kingdom. I wanted to ask a question to old kings and soldiers (Disclaimer: I can’t find a time machine to ask this question): Millions of soldiers were sacrificing their lives for the sake of the King and Queen. Why can’t they sacrifice their life for the sake of their wife and children or for themselves ? a true king’s duty is to safeguard the people in their kingdom. Why they aren’t kind?

Gingee Fort climate

Mostly it is hot throughout the year except a few rainy days. It is cold at night and hot in the day.Don’t come in the month of May, you will get roasted and it’s somewhat difficult to regain your color back.

Best time to visit Gingee Fort

 September to January

 Gingee Fort weather conditions

 Hot in summer. Moderate weather during winter.

How to reach Gingee?

 You can book a cab from Tindivanam which is the nearest place to Gingee.The distance between Tindivanam and Gingee is 28 km. Probably less than 40 minutes. There are many government bus facilities.So no worries to reach Gingee from Tindivanam.

tiruvannamalai senji -47 kms

Gingee fort timings:  9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Let’s go to the frequently asked questions:

 1.How many steps are there to reach the top of Gingee fort?  Nearly 500.

2.How long does it take to climb Gingee Fort? Two hours- three hours.

3. Distance between Gingee Fort and Puducherry? It takes one hour 20 minutes from Pondicherry( 71 kms)

4. Is Gingee Fort worth visiting? Yes, we can dig into the history of the ancient Kingdom. also witness the  architecture, wealth and strength.

5.How many Forts are there in gingee? There are three forts.

6. Is Gingee Fort near Gingee bus Stand? Yes it is situated within 4 km of radius.

7.Senji is also called Gingee.

In this blog, we explored  a few places in Gingee. I hope that I have delivered the information I have known. if you are visiting Gingee visit Tiruvannamalai. Tiruvannamalai is famous for its  Temple and mountains .The mountains cover a radius of 12 kms.

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