Erode Fort
Encyclopedia
Erode Fort was a fort of Mysore Kingdom, sustained for a long time, up to the early of 19th century, with a stoney rampart
.
During Hyder Ali
's regime, Erode was fortified, and the fort flourished, with 300 houses and a population of 1,500.
It was a large fort with a garrison of 4000 soldiers surrounded by coconut groves and fertile lands formed the boundary with river Kaveri on the north and Kalingarayan Canal
as the eastward boundary and Perumpallam Canal on South (by Bucchanan 7th and 8 November 1800).
rampart. It was a well-planned and -designed fort of Mysore emperors. It has the River Cauvery in the east, Kalingarayan Canal
in the north, Perumpallam river in the south and Lower Bhavani Project Canal
in the west. Hence, the area around the fort was very fertile, and it was surrounded by dark coconut groves.
tried taking the help of Maruthu brothers from Sivaganga and a Maratha chieftain in Mysore. He also forged alliances with Gopal Naicker of Virupatchi; Appachi Gounder of Paramathi,Velur; Joni Jon Khan of Attur, Salem; Kumara Vellai of Perundurai and Varanavasi of Erode in fighting the Company. The plan was to attack the Fort on June 3, 1800.
Chinnamalai’s plans did not succeed as the Company has stopped reinforcements from Maruthu brothers and the Maratha chieftain. Also, Chinnamalai changed his plans and attacked the fort a day earlier. This led to the Company army executing 49 people. Chinnamalai, however escaped.From 1800 to until he was hanged on July 31, 1805, Chinnamalai continued to fight against the Company. The historian says he mostly adopted guerrilla warfare against the Company.
Three of his fights are important: the 1801 battle on Cauvery banks at Erode Fort, the 1802 fight in Odanilai and the 1804 battle in Arachalur. The last and the final one was in 1805. During the fight, Chinnamalai’s cook Nallappan betrayed him by disclosing his location to Company sepoys, who hanged him to death in Sankagiri Fort, which is about 20 km to the northeast of Erode Fort.
The Mughal rulers Hyder Ali
and Tippu Sultan, with occasionally rebelling polygar Dheeran Chinnamalai
had their sway. In 1799, when Tippu Sultan lost to the British, the East India Company
took over the administration after hanging Dheeran Chinnamalai
at Sankagiri
hill Fort, the armoury warehouse of Erode in those days.
But then. owing to the successive wars of Maratha
s, Mysore and British
invasions, Erode was almost deserted and ruined, including the Fort
rampart. However, as peace was restored by the British, people returned and settled here. Within a year it began to show growth.
Now, the place enclosed within the rampart
was occupied by houses, but still the place being called as Fort and the two big temples, for Lord Shiva
and Vishnu
, still remains as inside the fort. The moat
was destroyed by the British as was the fort. In 1880 he fort's felled parts were used to fill the moat thereby giving the name Akazhimedu veethi (அகழிமேடு வீதி - அகில்மேடு விதி இப்பொழுது) or "filled moat street".
Defensive wall
A defensive wall is a fortification used to protect a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements...
.
During Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...
's regime, Erode was fortified, and the fort flourished, with 300 houses and a population of 1,500.
It was a large fort with a garrison of 4000 soldiers surrounded by coconut groves and fertile lands formed the boundary with river Kaveri on the north and Kalingarayan Canal
Kalingarayan Canal
The Kalingarayan Canal is a 90-mile long irrigation canal in the Erode region of Tamil Nadu, India. It was constructed by Kongu chieftain Kalingarayan and completed in the year 1283...
as the eastward boundary and Perumpallam Canal on South (by Bucchanan 7th and 8 November 1800).
Architecture
The downtown of Erode was seated within this FortifiedFortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
rampart. It was a well-planned and -designed fort of Mysore emperors. It has the River Cauvery in the east, Kalingarayan Canal
Kalingarayan Canal
The Kalingarayan Canal is a 90-mile long irrigation canal in the Erode region of Tamil Nadu, India. It was constructed by Kongu chieftain Kalingarayan and completed in the year 1283...
in the north, Perumpallam river in the south and Lower Bhavani Project Canal
Lower Bhavani Project Canal
The Lower Bhavani Project Canal is a 125-mile long irrigation canal, runs majority in Erode and terminates in the border of Karur districts of Tamil Nadu, India and irrigates 2.07 lakh hectares of land. It is a valley-side contour canal and is fed by the Bhavani River.In 2007 the canal breached...
in the west. Hence, the area around the fort was very fertile, and it was surrounded by dark coconut groves.
Fort temple complex
It occupied a lot of houses and two major temples, praising both Saiva and Vaishnava concepts of Hinduism. The downtown was established around these temples and successively around the fort in an arranged fashion of straight streets and ordered houses around the Ardra Kabaleeswar (Shiva) temple, praising the Saiva concept and another Kasthuri Ranganatha Perumal (Vishnu) praising the Vaishnava concept of Hinduism. The speciality is that both are in the same campus for unity.Successive wars
Dheeran ChinnamalaiDheeran Chinnamalai
Dheeran Chinnamalai was a Kongu chieftain and Palayakkarar from Tamil Nadu who rose up in revolt against the British East India Company in the Kongu Nadu, Southern India...
tried taking the help of Maruthu brothers from Sivaganga and a Maratha chieftain in Mysore. He also forged alliances with Gopal Naicker of Virupatchi; Appachi Gounder of Paramathi,Velur; Joni Jon Khan of Attur, Salem; Kumara Vellai of Perundurai and Varanavasi of Erode in fighting the Company. The plan was to attack the Fort on June 3, 1800.
Chinnamalai’s plans did not succeed as the Company has stopped reinforcements from Maruthu brothers and the Maratha chieftain. Also, Chinnamalai changed his plans and attacked the fort a day earlier. This led to the Company army executing 49 people. Chinnamalai, however escaped.From 1800 to until he was hanged on July 31, 1805, Chinnamalai continued to fight against the Company. The historian says he mostly adopted guerrilla warfare against the Company.
Three of his fights are important: the 1801 battle on Cauvery banks at Erode Fort, the 1802 fight in Odanilai and the 1804 battle in Arachalur. The last and the final one was in 1805. During the fight, Chinnamalai’s cook Nallappan betrayed him by disclosing his location to Company sepoys, who hanged him to death in Sankagiri Fort, which is about 20 km to the northeast of Erode Fort.
The Mughal rulers Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...
and Tippu Sultan, with occasionally rebelling polygar Dheeran Chinnamalai
Dheeran Chinnamalai
Dheeran Chinnamalai was a Kongu chieftain and Palayakkarar from Tamil Nadu who rose up in revolt against the British East India Company in the Kongu Nadu, Southern India...
had their sway. In 1799, when Tippu Sultan lost to the British, the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
took over the administration after hanging Dheeran Chinnamalai
Dheeran Chinnamalai
Dheeran Chinnamalai was a Kongu chieftain and Palayakkarar from Tamil Nadu who rose up in revolt against the British East India Company in the Kongu Nadu, Southern India...
at Sankagiri
Sankagiri
Sankagiri Fort is a historical fort maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. It is located 22 km from the city of Erode and 38 km from Salem.- SANKAGIRI FORT :...
hill Fort, the armoury warehouse of Erode in those days.
But then. owing to the successive wars of Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
s, Mysore and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
invasions, Erode was almost deserted and ruined, including the Fort
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
rampart. However, as peace was restored by the British, people returned and settled here. Within a year it began to show growth.
Re-establishment of the Town
The garrison withdrew in 1807, and the ruined fort at the centre of the city was destroyed as a relief work during the famine of 1877.Now, the place enclosed within the rampart
Defensive wall
A defensive wall is a fortification used to protect a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements...
was occupied by houses, but still the place being called as Fort and the two big temples, for Lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
, still remains as inside the fort. The moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
was destroyed by the British as was the fort. In 1880 he fort's felled parts were used to fill the moat thereby giving the name Akazhimedu veethi (அகழிமேடு வீதி - அகில்மேடு விதி இப்பொழுது) or "filled moat street".