Krishnagiri's History

Welcome to everybody.

Krishnagiri is a Town & district headquarters of Krishnagiri district in Tamilnadu, India.

It is said that this area is once ruled by the King Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagar empire, hence the town got the name “Krishnagiri”(Krishna-From the king's name and Giri means hill, Krishnagiri is surrounded by many hills).

Krishnagiri and the surrounding areas was under the rule of Adhiyaman, Gangas, Nolambas, Cholas,  Hoysalas, Vijayanagar, Bijapur sultan, Shahji bhonsle, Venkoji (Ekoji),  Chattrapathi sivaji, Mughal(aurangzeb), Nawab of cuddapah, Wodeyars of mysore  one after the other.

Krishnagiri was ruled by Hyder ali and Tipu sultan of Mysore in the 18^th century. The krishnagiri fort was under their control. In 1768 this fort came under british control for a short period of time. But Hyder Ali retained the krishnagiri fort with him shortly after war with british. 

At the end of Third Anglo-Mysore war, by the Treaty of Srirangapatna in 1792 the krishnagiri fort & the surrounding areas then called as Barah mahal(Barah mahal means twelve forts, the surrounding areas has twelve forts) was surrendered to the british forever.

Krishnagiri became the headquarters of barah mahal country or area after british took over it.

Some historical places in krishnagiri district are,

     Forts:-

      

  1) Krishnagiri fort (or Krishnagiri durgam,Kistnagherry, Kistnaghurry)

      https://maps.app.goo.gl/J3YC6FyrmLNHrKmW8

  2) Rayakottai fort

       https://maps.app.goo.gl/b3izyLouupsjbLju9

  3) Arulagiri fort, Ittikal agaram

       https://maps.app.goo.gl/gdAxKQpah8V26FkK6

  4) Jagadevi fort (Jagadevi durgam or Jagadevigarh or Jagdeo, Capital of king “Jagadevarayan”)

      https://maps.app.goo.gl/rpBQuTYLhHdaCRHN9

  5) Warrangur hill fort ???

  6)  Nagamalai fort (or nagamangalam, kavalgarh)

        https://maps.app.goo.gl/o22GWMoTgaBofVkg9

  7)  Gaganagiri fort(Gaganagarh)

        - presently called as periyamalai

        https://maps.app.goo.gl/AEMdDZJVQchuv8oA7

  8)  Tattakal durgam fort near kaveripattinam 

       - (or sudarsangad, sudarshanagarh, sudarsanagiri, thattakallu)

        https://maps.app.goo.gl/nGmNGbqxsXUvEmBP9

                                       

   9)  Bolutimmaraya durgam( or Bolumalai fort)

         https://maps.app.goo.gl/awEtv16JYp3DU1YC8

 10)  Virabhadradurgam fort (or Verapadurg, Varanagarh)

         https://maps.app.goo.gl/wzJSuMA3ZPh7EoDn8

  11) Kenilworth fort,Hosur (or kenilworth castle, Brett's house) 

  12)  Hosur fort (land fort) - destroyed completely now

         * Ramanaicken fort, Hosur

  13) Anchetty fort (Anchetti durgam)

         https://maps.app.goo.gl/4hpSrvjLUBxe2HU77

  14) Nilagiri durgam fort(  3 miles from anchettidurg)

         - ( or Nilagiridurg, Neeldurg, Naldrug, neel droog)  

         - present day neelagiri village near anchettidurgam

         https://goo.gl/maps/RQdhQHLuGm1ZmMap7

  15) Turnacoonda hill fort(A hill-fort between Anchettidurgam and Nilagiridurgam) - also called muneshvarakonda, teermakonda

  16) Thenidurgam ( or thrayanadurgam, tiyaranadurgam)  - ???

         https://maps.app.goo.gl/pGpEVoEoWZd51cLV7

  17) Ankusagiri durgam

         https://maps.app.goo.gl/7Rz4i5f4pjH9VNbD7

  18) Balakondarayan durgam

         https://maps.app.goo.gl/Y827kGSuocu2WPU98

  19) Kundanimalai - near chinnakothur village

  

  20) Maharajakadai fort (or Maharajgarh, Anganamalai)

         https://maps.app.goo.gl/vvRMZWhwBMaeh3Uo8

  21) Mallapadi

         https://maps.app.goo.gl/YLHVjtkXg7dAvzeR6

  22) Hudedurgam fort (or Ourry Durgam, woodia droog) 

         -   present day udedurgam

         https://maps.app.goo.gl/qbj2mjjcGDhQ2fFi9

  23) Ratnagiri

         https://maps.app.goo.gl/zfqQDVW2LVLmjukX7

  24) Mallikarjuna durgam (or mallikarjunagarh)

         https://maps.app.goo.gl/zU84wVYRjJKVf4gCA

  25) Kundukote (Kundu kota konda)   

         https://maps.app.goo.gl/U1XPnUC6ogBFSRKg7

  26) Other small forts(land based forts) - Bagalur, Soolagiri

          * Shoolagiri hill fort

  27)  Agalakottai ???

         https://maps.app.goo.gl/NDCqFqGSVQA91k5V8

  28) Bennangur ???

         https://maps.app.goo.gl/RkEkCGnDn6M1AaLk7

  

  29) Mathur fort - destroyed now

  30) Kaveripattinam fort - land fort - destroyed now 

  31) Denkanikota fort- land fort - destroyed now 

  32) Thally fort

   

Pre-historic sites:- 

  1) Mallachandiram near Krishnagiri(Megalithic burial site which is largest in Tamil Nadu) - It has more than 100 dolmens at a single location which can be compared with Hire benekal of Karnataka 

  2) Paleolithic sites:-

       Near Barugur, Near Kappalavadi, Varatanapalli.

  3) Neolithic sites:-

      Krishnagiri taluk (Gollapalli and Togarapalli)

      Modur, Vedarthattakkal and Kolahattur

  4)Agalakottai- Denkanikottai- Memorial stone

  5)Anachandram- Hosur- cairn circle, capstone had cup marks

  6)Anandur- uthangarai-  Memorial stone

  7)Andimalai – krishnagiri- cairn circle, rock paintings

  8)Baleguli-  krishnagiri - Megaliths

  9)Bannellipudur-  krishnagiri - cairn circle

10)Bargur- krishnagiri - Neolihic, cairn circle

11)Belur- Denkanikottai- cairn circle, Memorial stone

12)Bettamugulalam- Denkanikottai- cairn circle

13)Bhastharapalli- Hosur- Dolmen

14)Bilalam- Denkanikottai- cairn circle

15)Bodammani- Denkanikottai- cairn circle

16)Enusonai- Hosur- Cairn circle

17)Gangadevanahalli- Denkanikottai- cairn circle,menhir(7ft), memorial stone

18)Gangaleri-  krishnagiri -  Dolmen,cairn circle

19)Gangavaram-  krishnagiri - cairncircle,memorial stone

20)Gidlur-  krishnagiri -  cairn circle

21)Gollapalli-  krishnagiri -  Neolithic, habitation mound, Megaliths

22)Kurubarahalli-  Hosur-  Cairn circle

23)Lakshachandram- Denkanikottai- cairn circle

24)Maharajakadai-  krishnagiri - Dolmen, Rock paintings

25)Marireddipalli-  krishnagiri - Neolithic, Habitation mound, cairn circle

26)Mariyalam- Denkanikottai- cairn circle

27)Marudepalli-  krishnagiri - Megaliths

28)Mayiladumparai-  krishnagiri -  Neolithic, Habitation mound, cairn circle, Rock paintings

29)Nataranalavam- Denkanikottai- Cairn circle, Memorial stone

30)Oblesapalli-  krishnagiri - cairn circle

31)Oddampatti- Uthangarai- Memorial stone

32)santhanapalli- Denkanikottai- cairn circle, Memorial stone

33)sappamuttulu-  krishnagiri - cairn circle

34)sembadamuthur-  krishnagiri -  cairn circle

35)sengodachennanahalli- Denkanikottai- cairn circle

36)sevvampatti-  krishnagiri -  Memorial stone

37)sikaralapalli-Hosur- cairn circle

38)sokadu- krishnagiri - Megaliths

39)soolagiri- Hosur- cairn circle, Memorial stone

40)Sulamalai-  krishnagiri - Dolmen

41)suligunta- Denkanikottai- cairn circle

42)sundekuppam-  krishnagiri - Habitation mound, Rock paintings

43)Tandarai- Denkanikottai- cairn circle, Memorial stone

44)Thadikallu- Denkanikottai- cairn circle

45)Thalapalli-  krishnagiri - Dolmen, Rock paintings 

46)Thavalam-  krishnagiri - Dolmen, Memorial stone

Archaelogy terms:-

1.Herostone - நடுகல் 

2.Dolmen - கல் திட்டை

3.Cist - கல் பதுக்கை 

4.cairn circle - கல் வட்டம் 

5.Rock art - பாறை ஓவியம்

6.Menhir - குத்துக்கல்

Rock art paintings:- 

1)  Krishnagiri taluk (Thalapalli, Oppathavadi, Oramanakunta, Myiladumparai, Mallapadi)

     Hosur taluk(Mudippinayanapalli)

     Paintings on dolmen(Mallachandram, Maharajakadai, Malththampatti, Kuruvinayanapalli, Oramanakunta)

2)  Plough Rock art paintings(Location - Melpallam of Melumalai range in ChinnaKothur 

     of  Veppanapalli  union in Krishnagiri District)

     For further information regarding this you can visit www.scribd.com and search for 

     “Plough rock  art” and download the file. 

3)  Human and bird figures painted in white colour.(Location- Krishnagiri fort, Krishnagiri).

     To view the photo of this visit the following website,

     http://ignca.nic.in/asp/showbig.asp?projid=rock

Miscellaneous:-  

1) Kaveswarar temple, Krishnagiri 

     Dharmaraja koil, Krishnagiri 

     Sri kattu veera anjaneyar temple, Krishnagiri 

    Kalabairavar temple, Kallukurukki

    Murugan temple,  Katnampatti

     

            

      2)  Sati stone dating back to the vijayanagar period in the premises of a shiva temple   
            in Krishnagiri.To view image for this visit the following website,

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattavilasa/2139993119/in/photostream

3)   Sri Chandra choodeshwarar temple, Hosur(Built by ,12^th century)

       Sri lakshmi venkataramana swamy temple, Hosur

       Brahma temple, Hosur

4)  Ruined jain temple, Hosur(nearly 800 year old)

5)  Bettaraya Swamy Temple, Denkanikottai 

6)  Hanuman theertham temple(10 km from uthangarai) 

7)  Rajaji  memorial, Duraipalli, Hosur

8)  Subramanya siva memorial, Pochampalli  

9)  Kundani (Capital of Hoysala king “Veera Ramanathan” , 13th Centuty AD)  

10)  Rayakottai minar

http://www.hindu.com/2010/02/14/stories/2010021456940500.htm 

      11) Varadaraja perumal temple, Shoolagiri 

Don’t miss the below Paintings and drawings of Krishnagiri.

Painting 1:-

This Painting is done by an artist Sir Alexander Allan(1764-1820) in the year 1794 shows the Krishnagiri fort

.

Painting 2:-

This Painting is done by an artist Justinian Gantz(1802-1862) of  Austria and it shows the “view from the governor's camp near kistnagherry”

Drawing 3:-

This drawing shows the Krishnagiri fort  is an illustration for the book “A Comprehensive History of India” by Henry Beveridge (Blackie, 1862). 

Painting 4:-

This Painting is done by an artist James Hunter and it shows an east view of the hill fort at Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu.

Painting 5:-

This Painting is done by an artist James Hunter and it shows the hill fort at Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu.

I will try to update the informations given in this post, If you have any other informations or photos, you can  call or message at  8682081025.

Also visit my facebook page,
        https://www.facebook.com/History-of-krishnagiri-district-120546668615361

Thank you….

 

Forts in Dharmapuri district:-

       Source - Dharmapuri district museum

1.Theerthamalai(தீர்த்தமலை)

2.Melagiri(kuruvi natham)

மேலகிரி(குருவி நத்தம்)

3.Thuratimalai(துரட்டி மலை)

4.Machakaldurgam( மச்சக்கல்துர்க்கம்)

5.Singarapettai(சிங்கார பேட்டை)

6.Palacode fort ???

7.Thenkarai fort(தென்கரை கோட்டை)

8.Pennagaram fort (pennagra)

9.Harur fort(hurrour)