Ancient Forts in Tamil Nadu from 17th - 18th Century Will Blow Your Mind

Tamil Nadu travel destinations and culture is known for temples, churches, and mosques with unmatchable architecture and interiors filled with intricate designs. It is also known for delicious food with the flavor of Southern India, and hill stations with dense forest. Apart, from this, one more place that attracts the tourist is its ancient forts built by royal and brave rulers of those times. Tourists usually visit these places to know more about the history behind these forts, and to see the exclusive artifacts from those times. Below mentioned are some of the ancient forts which you should definitely visit when you plan a trip to Tamil Nadu.

1. Alamparai Fort

This ancient fort which was constructed in 17th century is 50 kms from Mamallapuram. This fort which is situated in the seaside was built in Mughal period. It has 1000 metre long dockyard, and commodities to export, which includes salt, ghee and silk cloth. This fort in the village Kadapakkam was gifted to the French, but later it was captured by the British. Tamil Nadu tour packages are quite affordable for such historical destinations.

2. Dindigul Fort

This fort is the historical landmark of Dindigul region, and it is located on top of the Dindigul hill at 280 ft height. Dindigul Fort was constructed by Muthu Krishna Naicker from Madurai kingdom. It was built in 17th century, and in 18th century it was taken over by Tipu Sultan. This fort got tremendous attention during the rule of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. It was also used by the British for Polygar Wars. This fort is an awesome place to visit, especially for architect and history buffs.

3. Dansborg Fort

This fort is locally called Danish fort, and was sold to British in the year 1845. This fort is the second largest fort in Tamil Nadu. It was built by Ragunath Nayak, the king of Thanjavur as a gift to the Danish settlers in this region. Now it has turned into a museum where we can see the major artifacts of the Danish empire and this historical fort. Travelers get to study more about the Danish settlers who once lived here.

4. St.George Fort

This is officially the first English fort in India which was constructed in 1644 in Chennai. This magnificent fort was built for trading activities. Currently, this is the administrative office of legislative assembly of Tamil Nadu.

5. Vellore Fort

This famous fort in the centre of Vellore used to be the headquarters of Vijaynagar Empire, and was built in 16th century. Vellore Fort houses a temple, a church, a mosque, the Vellore Christian Hospital, and the State Government Museum. The outer walls are made up of huge granite blocks, and it gives off the finest military architectural style with ramparts and masonry. At the time of British War, Tipu Sultan and his family used to stay here. Apart from Tipu Sultan, many royal prisoners like, the last king of Kandy, Vikrama Rajasinha have also stayed here during the war.

6. Geldria Fort

This fort was located in Pulicat, and it was built in 1613 by Dutch East India Company. This major trading area was under the rule of Dutch, British and Portuguese. It also had a small Portuguese fort, which was later destructed by the Dutch, and then finally ruled by the British. The tombs of the general who managed this fort is one of a significant thing that travelers can see in this fort.