Trip to Gingee Fort (செஞ்சிக் கோட்டை)

While searching for some unusual travel destination in and around Chennai, I stumbled upon a place called Gingee Fort.

Five guys, one car and about 200km road. We started from Thiruvallur in morning around 7 am. The route we took was Manavalanagar-Sriperumbudur- Kanchipuram-Vandavasi-Gingee Fort. We reached gingee by 10am.

The fort is so fortified, that Shivaji, the Maratha king, ranked it as the "most impregnable fortress in India" and it was called the "Troy of the East" by the British. The nearest town with a railway station is Tindivanam and the nearest airport is Chennai (Madras), located 150 kilometres (93 mi) away.

As soon as we entered, we saw an ancient beautiful marriage hall with a capacity of 1000 people and the bride and bridegroom seat was in the center. Then, we started our trek to Rajagiri fort, which is located on the TOP of the hill. The steps are rugged and uneven, so consider your safety while walking through it. On the top, we seen the marvellous Raja fort with nice view of temple, cannon and view of nearby cities from the hill’s top.

It took us 3 hours to climb the hill and just 30 mins to come down.

There are two gorgeous ponds located near the fort where we spent time/took bath after the trek.

Tips for the trek:

• There are no hotels/restrooms available nearby fort so plan accordingly. Try to avoid oily foods in breakfast.

• The entrance fee is ₹25/head.

• Use shoulder bags to carry food items, because lot of monkeys are present there to grab the food. Avoid eating in open.

• Take extra water bottles, because there is no water and snacks available on the top.

SOME CAPTURE FROM MY LENS!!!