Madhya Pradesh | Forts | Udayagiri Forts

Udayagiri Forts

About:

Udaygiri Fort is located at Puliyoorkurichi, near the Padmanabhapuram Fort on the Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil National highway.The Udayagiri fort should not be confused with the fort of the same name located at Udayagiri Village in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh.The fort was in a neglected state for many years till district administration took notice. A bio-diversity park is now established inside the fort. Tourists can now enjoy the sight of deer, ducks, fountains, birds along with more than 100 kinds of landscaped trees.Recently the Archeology department has discovered a secret tunnel within the fort. The fort is worth a visit especially for history and nature aficionados.

The fort is situated on the Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil National highway at Puliyoorkurichi. This was the most important military barracks of the Travancore rulers, when Padmanabhapuram was their capital. The fort is built of massive granite blocks around an isolated hillock.

The tombs of the Dutch Admiral Eustachius De Lannoy, (in whose honour the fort was once called Dillanai Kottai— De Lennoy's Fort), and of his wife and son could be seen inside a partly ruined chapel in the fort.

Location info:

Address:Udaygiri Fort ,Nagercoil,

District: Kanyakumari

Nearest City: Nagercoil

Best time to visit: Throughout the Year

Climate/Weather:

Nagercoil has a pleasant, though humid, climate for a major part of the year. The maximum temperature during the summer hovers around 86°F or 30°C with extremely high humidity at times. Nagercoil receives both the north-east monsoon and the south-west monsoon. It rains more often in Kanyakumari district than in any other part of Tamil Nadu, with the exception of the Nilgiris. Due to geographical conditions, the southern tip of Kanyakumari is generally 2°C to 3°C warmer than Nagercoil during the daytime, though Kanyakumari is only 20 km away

History:

The Udayagiri Fort built over an area of 90 acres is made using massive granite blocks. The fort really came to prominence during the reign of Marthanda Varma, the famous Venad King in the period 1741-44. When in the famous battle of Colachel Captain De Lennoy was captured with 24 other European prisoners he was pardoned by the king and entrusted with the charge of modernizing the Travancore Army. The captured officer remained loyal to the King and served him faithfully for 37 years. With D’Lannoy’s extensive knowledge of modern warfare, King Marthanda Varma extended his kingdom further north to Kuriyapalli. So much was the contribution of General De Lannoy that the fort came to be known as `Dillannai Kottai’ or fort of De Lannoy. At Udayagiri, De Lannoy stayed with his family till he died. Inside the fort premises lies buried the body of De Lannoy, his wife and son. There is also a chapel built around the grave. At his tomb a stone cross stands with inscription in both Tamil and Latin that reads: “Stand, Traveller, and behold! For here lies Captain Delannoy, who served Maharaja Marthanda Varma and Travancore faithfully for three decades” The sorry state of affairs has led to the decay of the tombs and the area around it. It is now out of bound for the visitors.

Interesting things to Visit:

Padmanabhapuram Palace
Colachel: An ideal beach

How to reach?

Nearest Railway Station:Nagercoil Railway Junction

Nearest Airport: Trivandrum

Road Transport: Nagercoil is very well connected to all the major cities in the Southern India.there are good number of buses to every cities

Nearest Visiting places:

VattaKotai Fort & Beach:Vattakottai Fort (or 'Circular Fort') is a seaside fort near Kanyakumari, the southern tip of India. It was built in the 18th century as a coastal defence-fortification and barracks in the erstwhile Travancore kingdom.It was constructed under the supervision of Captain Eustachius De Lannoy, an ex-Dutch naval officer of the VOC, who became commander of the Travancore army in the 18th century, by earning the trust of the Travancore King Marthanda Varma. De Lannoy constructed Vattakottai, as part of the defence-fortifications he undertook throughout Travancore.
Padbanabhapuram Palace:Padmanabhapuram Palace : This is located in at Padmanabhapuram Fort, close to the town of Thuckalay in Kanyakumari District, Tamilnadu. It is about 20 km from Nagercoil. The palace is inside an old granite fortress around four kilometers long. The palace is located at the foot of the Veli Hills, which form a part of the Western Ghats.

Nearest Petrol Pump:

Nagercoil Kanyakumari District Tamil Nadu.

Hotels/Lodge/Accommodation:

Hotel Parvathy Residency
400, P.W.D Road, Nagercoil, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu India, 400, P.W.D Road, Nagercoil, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu India - 04652 227799‎

Hotel Seaview
East Car Street , Near Sea shore , Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu 629702, East Car Street , Near Sea shore , Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu 629702 - 04652 246161

Gopi Nivas Grand Kanyakumari
East Car Street, Near Seashore, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu 629702- 04652 246161

Help Line/Phone Number:

Police Station:

Nearest Hospital:

CSI Hospital: 222222

Vijayakumar Hospital: 275045

Abdul Kadher Hospital: 240804

Catherine Booth Hospital: 275516

Dr. Kumarsamy Health Center: 270636

Kumaran Nursing Home: 231418

Irudhayams Hospital: 241561

Bedesta Hospital: 232233

Jeyasekhran Hospital: 271620

Krishnakumar Hospital: 230021

J. Mathias Hospital: 223137

Manju Nursing Home: 273849

Holy Cross Hospital: 230897

Moses Mathias Hospital: 232601

Moris Mathias Hospital: 276009

Photo Gallery

Video Gallery

Dynamic View

Nearest Attraction

Gautala Wildlife Sanctuary

The Gautala Wildlife Sanctuary is a renowned sanctuary in the state of Maharashtra.It is located in Aurangabad District of Maharashtra and lies in the Satmala and Ajantha hill ranges of Sahyadri.....more

Bhaja Buddhist Caves

Bhaja Caves, situated in the Aurangabad district, lie at a distance of 60 km from Pune. The caves are said to be as old as the 2nd century, i.e., the early Theravadin phase of Buddhism, when the Mauryans used to rule over India. The eighteen caves at Bhaja are dedicated to Lord Buddha and have been beautifully carved with His images. Some of the images represent Lord Buddha, in symbolic terms also, and some showcase the incidents surrounding His life. The carved images include that of the lotus or elephant, symbolizing his birth.....more

Ellora Caves

The Ellora caves, locally known as ‘Verul Leni’ is located on the Aurangabad-Chalisgaon road at a distance of 30 km north-northwest of Aurangabad, the district headquarters. The Ellora caves is one of the World Heritage Sites in India. The Elora caves are one of the wonders of the time and speak volumes about the excellent craftsmanship of the Ellora artists, sculptors and painters. The structures at Ellora caves are not creation of a particular period but were built over a long period of time from the 6th century AD to 10th century. The structures at Ellora comprise of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave temples and monasteries......more

Junnar Caves

Junnar caves are situated in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra. They lie at a distance of approximately 177 km from the city of Mumbai, on the Mumbai-Aurangabad route. There are three major groups of caves in the hills surrounding Junnar plains, of which the most prominent ones are Tulija Lena and the Ganesh Lena. All of the Junnar caves, situated in India, were founded somewhere between 2nd Century BC and 3rd Century AD......more

Jaikwadi Dam

Jaikwadi dam, also known as Nath Sagar is located near Paithan.It is about 50 km from Aurangabad, built on river Godavari and about 110 km from Ahmednagar. Its area is 1300 km². It supplies water to Aurangabad City and generates power.The power station is at the foot of dam and is generating 12 MW power with reversible type generator.The Jaikwadi Dam supplies water to Aurangabad City and generates ample hydroelectric power......more

Anwa Temple

Anwa Temple is located 10 km away from Golegaon close to Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Presiding deity is Lord Shiva, and the temple dates back to 12th century. The temple has a sanctuary and a mandap (open hall) with decorated pillars. Anwa is a small village on the main road leading from Aurangabad to the Ajanta Caves......more

Bibi Ka Maqbara

Bibi Ka Maqbara is a beautiful Mughal monument situated just 5 km from Auragabad in the state of Maharashtra. The monument is a cheap imitation of the great Taj Mahal and is the mausoleum for Aurangzeb's first wife Rabia-ud-Durrani. The structure was built in 1679 by Aurangzeb's son Azam Shah in the memory of his mother (Bibi). An archaeological museum located just behind the mausoleum houses a rare collection of artifacts and articles of personal use from the times of the Mughal era......more

Kailash Temple

Kailash Temple is situated near the village of Ellora, 30 km from Aurangabad. The temple is considered as one of the most astonishing buildings in the history of architecture. This is one of the largest 34 excavations at Ellora, which took almost a century. Kailash Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The idol measures 109 feet wide by 164 feet long......more

Daulatabad

The fortress of Daulatabad is surrounded by 5 km of sturdy walls. The central bastion tops a 200m high hill, originally known as Devagiri, the Hill of the Gods. It was named Daulatabad, the City of Fortune, in the 14th century by Mohammed Tughlaq, who conceived the crazy plan of not only building himself a new capital here, but marching the entire population of Delhi 1100 km south to populate it.The fort has been considered as the most powerful, puissant fort that offered robust resistance to the enemies......more

Jaikwadi Wildlife Sanctuary

.....more