It’s an amazing structure with outer wall stretching almost 5 kilometers. The Fort connects with different hills like Rajagiri, Krishnagiri etc. It takes 3 to 4 hours to explore. Also visit Venkitaramana Temple within the Fort itself. Lunch at the premises. Later visit the Pattabhiraman Temple which is a part of the Fort but outside the Fort in a village. Proceed to Mandakapattu to explore the first Pallava Cave Temple dating back to 7th Century AD. Also visit Manmathan Kulam (Erotic Water Tank). Drive back to Thiruvannamalai for overnight stay.
Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu, India is one of the few surviving forts in Tamil Nadu, India. So well fortified was this place that Shivaji ranked it as the “most impregnable fortress in India” and it was called the “Troy of the East” by the British. The actual name of Gingee is ‘Sengiri’ meaning perhaps the “Red Hill” in Tamil that has got corrupted into Gingee.A popular tradition is that Senji Fort and the village are named after the local village Godess Senji Amman.Her temple existed before the construction of the Fort,half way up the Rajagiri Hill. The name has also been traced to Singavaram the neighbouring Vaishnavite shrine, whose lord is considered the guardian deity of the place. Originally the site of a small fort built by the Chola dynasty in 9th century AD, it was later modified by Kurumbar while fighting the Chola and again by the Vijayanagar empire in the 14th century to elevate it to the status of an unbreachable citadel to protect the small town of Gingee. Though the Fort is accessible and seen from the main road, there is no much exploration happening and the tourists are not much to be seen at all.Before you enter the Fort,you may visit a Temple by name Venkitaramana Temple which stands the test of time beside the tall hill. Once you enter the Fort, it is a vast area where you will see the prison, Elephant bathing Pond, Women’s residence, a huge granary or store house to keep food and other consumables and many more. Its not to be explained on words but to be seen and experienced.
Mandagapattu Rock Cut Temple holds a considerable position in the history of architecture of South India and of the Pallavas. An inscription found in the shrine tells us that this is the first cave temple created by Pallava king Mahendravarman in Tamilnadu region. It is 22 feet in length, 24 feet in width and 9 feet in height. There are few traces of painting seen on the back walls of the cells suggesting worship of painted deities. There are sockets in the floor inside the cells, which suggests that the statutes of the deities would have been fitted into these.