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| Chandragiri Fort video YouTube |
Chandragiri Fort built by Yadhava Naidu kings in the early 11th century is a popular historical fort and is believed to be the last bastion of the Vijaynagara Empire. Covering over a hillock located near the temple town of Tirupati, its massive walls are punctuated with bastions and surrounded by a ditch that was built to prevent quick access to the fort within which, there are remains of palaces and temples. The Vijaynagara rulers, who came to power in 1367 were responsible for most of the structures. Earlier, Yadhava Naidus ruled this place with valor and wisdom for three centuries, witnessing several war and misfortunes.. During the Viyanagara rule, the famous rulers were Narasimha Rayalu and sri Krishna Devarayalu and the latter spent his life as a prince in this fort till his coronation at Penukonda. Kangra Valley was the last bastion of the Vijaynagar Empire. The Rayas shifted their capital to Chandragiri when the Golconda sultans attacked Penukonda. Sri Krishna Devaraaya, the inimitable and dynamic ruler, met his future queen China Devi here. In 1646, the fort was annexed to the Golkonda territory and, subsequently, it came under Kingdom of Mysore rule; Aravidus took control of this fort from Vijaynagara Kings and during his time Chandragiri gained prominence. The well-known Aravidu king Venkatapatideva used Chandragiri as a base to rule over the territories of Vijaynagar. After 1792, the fort lost its glory as a center of royal
power.
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| The Chandragiri fort, near Tirupati, AP. The Hindu |
The impressive Raja Mahal, which is now renovated, has three arcaded storeys with a pyramidal tower on top. Equally elegant is the nearby ‘Rana Mahal that is identical to the Raja Mahal, but for its small size. There are a few abandoned temples near the palaces. Most of them date back to the 15th and 16th centuries.It is built with bricks, stones and lime mortar. The building design followed here is that of Indo-Saracenic style. No wood is used in the construction work.
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| Raja Mahal of Chandragiri Forten.wikipedia.org |
01. From February 2014 to 2016 545th birth day of the popular ruler Si Krishna Devaraya was celebrated by the state government. Hundreds of artists from Rayalaseema and Karnataka participated in the grand ceremony, according to the tourism department.
02. The sound and light show in Telugu and English has gained popularity and lately, the number of visitors to the fort is on the increase.
03. Presently, it is being managed by the ASI - the Archaeological Survey of India.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandragiri_Fort,_Andhra_Pradesh
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/Memories-of-a-glorious-past-to-come-alive-at-histori
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