The name "Rockfort" comes from frequent military fortification built here, first by the emperors of the Vijayanagara Empire and later by the British Empire during the Carnatic Wars. The oldest structure in the fort is a cave temple built by the Pallavas under Mahendravarman I (c. 580–630 CE, temple likely from the later part).[4] During the Chola period, the nearby town of Woraiyur was their capital, but the Pallavas did not keep control of this strategic city and lost it to the Pandyas. The Cholas reasserted themselves in the 10th century. Trichy continued to be in their possession until the decline of the empire, after which it became a Vijayanagara stronghold.[citation needed]
In the mid 14th century, the region was controlled by the Delhi Sultanate after Malik Kafur's raid on South India. They were ousted and the region came under the control of Vijayanagara. During the early part of the 16th century, the region came under the control of the Madurai Nayaks, who were the earlier governors of Vijayanagara Empire. However, it was under the Nayaks of Madurai that Tiruchirapalli prospered in its own right and grew to be the city that it is today. The Madurai Nayaks constructed the Rock Fort Temple Lake along with major walls as foundations, establishing the town as a trading city and later, their capital. After the Nayaks, the fort palace was occupied by the invader Chanda Sahib, as he ruled in conjunction with the alliance with the Kingdom of France. He lost this command when the French lost to the British who seized the fort after the Carnatic wars. This enabled the British to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu and later all of South India.[citation needed]
In modern times, the fort is maintained and administered by the Chennai Circle of the Archaeological Survey of India. The fort is one of the prominent tourist destinations in Tamil Nadu.[5]
In 1849 there was a stampede at the Rockfort Uchipillayar temple and approximately 500 people died as per Nandanthai Vazhi,Kavery book written by Thi.Janakiran-Sity duo. The cause of stampede is unknown.
Major battles
Nayak era
As the Rockfort was the capital of the Madurai Nayaks, the fort has witnessed fierce battles. One of the largest was the Battle of Toppur for supremacy between the Aravidu dynasty of Vijayanagara and the Madurai Nayaks. The former won, with support from the rulers of Mysore and Thanjavur in the 16th century. Later, the Nayaks faced fierce attacks from Adil Shahi, Mysorean and Imperial Maratha troops. The Fort complex formed the northwest territory to the Nayaks. During their two-century rule, they had occasional skirmishes with their neighbours, the Thanjavur Nayak kingdom, the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom, and, more frequently, with the invading Adil Shahi, Kingdom of Mysore, and Imperial Maratha armies.[citation needed]
Carnatic Nawabs
During the mid 18th century, Chanda Sahib, aided by the French, made this fort his home base. He battled with the combined forces of the Carnatic Nawab and British. He was defeated in the Carnatic wars and was forced to cede his lands to the British.[citation needed]
British periods
In the late 18th century, Hyder Ali was a major threat to the British, as were the French who were still fighting for their colonial supremacy in this region. By now, the town was firmly established as a Cantonment town and the fort's gate was known as main guard gate. Robert Clive lived near the tank when he was in Tiruchirappalli.[citation needed]
Geology
Tiruchirapalli Rock Fort
The rock is said to be one of the oldest formations in the world. It is 3.8 billion years old, making it as old as the rocks in Greenland and older than the Himalayas. Quartz, used in glass making, and feldspar, used in ceramics, are found in this rock formation. The Rock Fort Temple is situated on 83-metre-high outcrops. The Pallavas initially built this temple, but the Nayaks made use of its naturally fortified position and designed it again. It is a long climb up the 344 steps cut into the stone to the top.[6]
Temples
There are five temples on the rock fort:
the Lalitankura Pallavesvara Griham, also called the Upper Cave[4]
the Thayumanaswami Temple, Rockfort, literally "the lord who became the mother",[4]? is a large 18th-century temple. It is dedicated to Shiva, goddess Amman, and there is a shrine for the 18th-century Nayaka-era saint, Tayumanavar. It is on the way, as one climbs the steps to Ucchi Pillayar Temple.
Rock-cut temple
Interior of a Temple on the Rock of Trichinopoly (1847)[7]
There are two rock cut temples in the fort, one in the lower part of the fort called Lower Cave temple and other is called the called the Upper Cave temple; it is in the complex after the Thayumanswamny temple on the way up, on the left before the Uchi Pillayar Kovil. The temples is similar to that of other rock-cut temples, the Pundarikakshan Perumal Temple at Thiruvellarai and Pechipalai cave temple. The Upper Cave has an important Sanskrit inscription of Mahendravarman I, that is much debated.[4]
The rock-cut temple in the hill temple complex was built during the Pallava era and is named Lalitankura Pallaveswaram, with several inscriptions attributed to Mahendravarman I. The Cholas, the Vijayanagara emperors and the Nayaks of Madurai have made extensive contributions here. The two-storey-tall Taayumaanava temples are considered to be a masterpiece of construction.[citation needed]
^ abIndia By Sarina Singh, Joe Bindloss, Paul Clammer, Janine Eberle
^Sundararaj, T. (1981). "A Historical Sketch of Trichinopoly Rock Fort". Journal of Indian History. Dept. of Modern Indian History. 59: 119.
^Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Governments of India. p. 185.
^ abcdeR.K.K. Rajarajan (2003), The Two Rock-Cut Temples at Tiruccirapalli, Proceedings of the South Indian History Congress, Volume 23, p. 568
^"List of Monuments and Sites: Trichy sub circle". Archaeological Survey of India. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
^"Rockfort Temple". Tiruchirapalli Municipal Corporation. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
^"Interior of a Temple on the Rock of Trichinopoly". Wesleyan Juvenile Offering. IV: Vignette. January 1847. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tiruchirapalli Rock Fort.
Rockfort
August 20, 2023
tiruchirappalli, rock, fort, tiruchirappalli, rockfort, locally, known, malaikottai, historic, fortification, temple, complex, built, ancient, rock, located, city, tiruchirappalli, banks, river, kaveri, tamil, nadu, india, constructed, metres, high, rock, ther. Tiruchirappalli Rockfort locally known as Malaikottai is a historic fortification and temple complex built on an ancient rock It is located in the city of Tiruchirappalli on the banks of river Kaveri Tamil Nadu India It is constructed on an 83 metres 272 ft high rock 1 2 There are two Hindu temples inside the Ucchi Pillayar Temple Rockfort and the Thayumanaswami Temple Rockfort Other local tourist attractions include the famous Pallava era Ganesha temple and the Madurai Nayak era fort The fort complex has witnessed fierce battles between the Madurai Nayakas and Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur Carnatic region and Maratha Imperial forces The fort played an important part during the Carnatic Wars helping lay the foundations of the British Empire in India The Rockfort is the most prominent landmark of the city 3 Tiruchirapalli Rock FortGeneral informationArchitectural styleDravidianTown or cityTiruchirappalliCountryIndiaCoordinates10 49 41 N 78 41 49 E 10 828 N 78 697 E 10 828 78 697Construction startedVarious times since 580CostUnknownOwnerArchaeological Survey of India Government of Tamil NaduTechnical detailsStructural systemIndo Saracenic Dravidian Architecture Design and constructionArchitect s Various Pallavas Cholas Madurai Nayaks EngineerUnknownWebsitewww wbr tn wbr gov wbr in wbr trichytourism wbr temples wbr htm Contents 1 History 2 Major battles 2 1 Nayak era 2 2 Carnatic Nawabs 2 3 British periods 3 Geology 4 Temples 4 1 Rock cut temple 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksHistory EditThe name Rockfort comes from frequent military fortification built here first by the emperors of the Vijayanagara Empire and later by the British Empire during the Carnatic Wars The oldest structure in the fort is a cave temple built by the Pallavas under Mahendravarman I c 580 630 CE temple likely from the later part 4 During the Chola period the nearby town of Woraiyur was their capital but the Pallavas did not keep control of this strategic city and lost it to the Pandyas The Cholas reasserted themselves in the 10th century Trichy continued to be in their possession until the decline of the empire after which it became a Vijayanagara stronghold citation needed In the mid 14th century the region was controlled by the Delhi Sultanate after Malik Kafur s raid on South India They were ousted and the region came under the control of Vijayanagara During the early part of the 16th century the region came under the control of the Madurai Nayaks who were the earlier governors of Vijayanagara Empire However it was under the Nayaks of Madurai that Tiruchirapalli prospered in its own right and grew to be the city that it is today The Madurai Nayaks constructed the Rock Fort Temple Lake along with major walls as foundations establishing the town as a trading city and later their capital After the Nayaks the fort palace was occupied by the invader Chanda Sahib as he ruled in conjunction with the alliance with the Kingdom of France He lost this command when the French lost to the British who seized the fort after the Carnatic wars This enabled the British to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu and later all of South India citation needed In modern times the fort is maintained and administered by the Chennai Circle of the Archaeological Survey of India The fort is one of the prominent tourist destinations in Tamil Nadu 5 In 1849 there was a stampede at the Rockfort Uchipillayar temple and approximately 500 people died as per Nandanthai Vazhi Kavery book written by Thi Janakiran Sity duo The cause of stampede is unknown Major battles EditNayak era Edit As the Rockfort was the capital of the Madurai Nayaks the fort has witnessed fierce battles One of the largest was the Battle of Toppur for supremacy between the Aravidu dynasty of Vijayanagara and the Madurai Nayaks The former won with support from the rulers of Mysore and Thanjavur in the 16th century Later the Nayaks faced fierce attacks from Adil Shahi Mysorean and Imperial Maratha troops The Fort complex formed the northwest territory to the Nayaks During their two century rule they had occasional skirmishes with their neighbours the Thanjavur Nayak kingdom the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom and more frequently with the invading Adil Shahi Kingdom of Mysore and Imperial Maratha armies citation needed Carnatic Nawabs Edit During the mid 18th century Chanda Sahib aided by the French made this fort his home base He battled with the combined forces of the Carnatic Nawab and British He was defeated in the Carnatic wars and was forced to cede his lands to the British citation needed British periods Edit In the late 18th century Hyder Ali was a major threat to the British as were the French who were still fighting for their colonial supremacy in this region By now the town was firmly established as a Cantonment town and the fort s gate was known as main guard gate Robert Clive lived near the tank when he was in Tiruchirappalli citation needed Geology Edit Tiruchirapalli Rock FortThe rock is said to be one of the oldest formations in the world It is 3 8 billion years old making it as old as the rocks in Greenland and older than the Himalayas Quartz used in glass making and feldspar used in ceramics are found in this rock formation The Rock Fort Temple is situated on 83 metre high outcrops The Pallavas initially built this temple but the Nayaks made use of its naturally fortified position and designed it again It is a long climb up the 344 steps cut into the stone to the top 6 Temples EditThere are five temples on the rock fort the Lalitankura Pallavesvara Griham also called the Upper Cave 4 the Lower Cave 4 the Manikka Vinayakar temple at the foot of the hill dedicated to Lord Ganesha the Ucchi Pillayar Temple at the top of the hill dedicated to Lord Ganesha 1 the Thayumanaswami Temple Rockfort literally the lord who became the mother 4 is a large 18th century temple It is dedicated to Shiva goddess Amman and there is a shrine for the 18th century Nayaka era saint Tayumanavar It is on the way as one climbs the steps to Ucchi Pillayar Temple Rock cut temple Edit Interior of a Temple on the Rock of Trichinopoly 1847 7 There are two rock cut temples in the fort one in the lower part of the fort called Lower Cave temple and other is called the called the Upper Cave temple it is in the complex after the Thayumanswamny temple on the way up on the left before the Uchi Pillayar Kovil The temples is similar to that of other rock cut temples the Pundarikakshan Perumal Temple at Thiruvellarai and Pechipalai cave temple The Upper Cave has an important Sanskrit inscription of Mahendravarman I that is much debated 4 The rock cut temple in the hill temple complex was built during the Pallava era and is named Lalitankura Pallaveswaram with several inscriptions attributed to Mahendravarman I The Cholas the Vijayanagara emperors and the Nayaks of Madurai have made extensive contributions here The two storey tall Taayumaanava temples are considered to be a masterpiece of construction citation needed See also EditTiruchirappalli Fort Rockfort ExpressPortals History HinduismReferences Edit a b India By Sarina Singh Joe Bindloss Paul Clammer Janine Eberle Sundararaj T 1981 A Historical Sketch of Trichinopoly Rock Fort Journal of Indian History Dept of Modern Indian History 59 119 Gopal Madan 1990 K S Gautam ed India through the ages Publication Division Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Governments of India p 185 a b c d e R K K Rajarajan 2003 The Two Rock Cut Temples at Tiruccirapalli Proceedings of the South Indian History Congress Volume 23 p 568 List of Monuments and Sites Trichy sub circle Archaeological Survey of India Retrieved 30 November 2013 Rockfort Temple Tiruchirapalli Municipal Corporation Retrieved 1 January 2014 Interior of a Temple on the Rock of Trichinopoly Wesleyan Juvenile Offering IV Vignette January 1847 Retrieved 17 November 2015 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tiruchirapalli Rock Fort Rockfort Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Tiruchirappalli Rock Fort amp oldid 1163721367, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
