Dindigul fort

Dindigul is a town in Tamilnadu, 380 km from Bengaluru. I had crossed Dindigul many times while travelling to Madurai, Munnar, Kodaikanal and Thekkady. The fort in the town looked interesting, but I could not find time to visit it while transiting that town.

During our recent visit to Vagamon, we took a break in Dindigul and visited this fort in the evening. Numerous people had commented about vehicle safety at the base of the fort. Hence, we hired an auto from the hotel to the fort. I rarely have good experience with auto drivers, and the Dindigul driver turned out to be an opportunist. In the end, both of us were unhappy. I was sad that I paid more, and he was disappointed as he could not extract more from us!!

The fort is maintained by ASI. We paid a small fee to enter the fort. The fort was built by the Madurai Nayakar king Muthu Krishnappa Nayakar in 1605 AD. In the 18th century,  was passed on to Mysore Wodeyars. Later it was occupied by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. In 1799 it went under the control of the British.

The initial climb was on the rock-cut steps. Soon, we reached the fort wall and crossed the first gate. We crossed the second gate, which brought us to the lower section of the fort. This section had many buildings which were in ruins and rooms that housed soldiers and war prisoners. The rooms were dark, and the holes in the roof provided ventilation.

This section also had a few ponds. Thanks to the recent rains, there was a lot of water in the pond. Near one of the ponds were the cannons.

The steep steps brought us to the top section of the fort. We saw a temple, but it was in ruins. I went inside the temple. The rats and the bat smell indicated that the place was abandoned and neglected. It was a large temple, and it was sad to see it in that shape.

We spent some time around the temple complex, enjoying the scenery of the surroundings before heading down. After exploring the middle section further, we climbed down the fort.

Information and tips

• There is a limited parking place available at the base, but the area looks shady.
• The fort is open from 9 AM to 5 PM.
• One can spend about 2-3 hours in the fort. The climb is moderate, and it is not difficult for any reasonably fit person.
• Many people visiting this fort derive pleasure from keeping it filthy!! Litter is thrown everywhere.
• Dindigul has some good restaurants to eat at and hotels to stay in. It is also a great place for Biriyani lovers!! The town itself is dirty and dusty.