Descripción del sitio
Originally the site of a small fort built by the Chola dynasty in 9th century AD, it was later modified by the Vijayanagar empire in the 13th century to elevate it to the status of an unbreachable citadel to protect the small town of Gingee.It was also the head quarters of the Gingee Nayaks,during the Nayak domination in Tamil Nadu. The fort was built as a strategic place of fending off any invading Muslim armies. The fort was further strengthened by the Marathas under the leadership of Shivaji in 1677 AD, who recaptured it from the Bijapur sultans who had originally taken control of the fort from the Marathas. For most part of the 1690s the fort was under constant siege by the Mughals, who were unable to enter the fortress for over a decade, before finally coming under their control. It was later passed on to the Carnatic Nawabs who lost it to the French in 1750 before the British finally took control in 1761 despite losing it to Hyder Ali for a brief period.