5 days ago
Tamil Nadu's Gingee Fort inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Gingee Fort in Villupuram district, known as the 'Troy of the East', along with 11 other forts that make up the Maratha Military Landscapes, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on Friday, July 11, 2025, a move that brings global recognition and the prospect of increased international tourism.
The decision was taken during the ongoing 47th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) being held in Paris.
According to a press release: 'The proposal was sent to the consideration of World Heritage Committee in January 2024, and after a rigorous 18-month-long process, involving several technical meetings with the advisory bodies and visit of ICOMOS's mission to review the sites, this historic decision was taken by the members of the World Heritage Committee today evening at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris.'
The Maratha Military Landscapes of India includes 12 components distributed across diverse geographic regions. Of these, 11 sites are in Maharashtra. The Gingee Fort in Villupuram was the lone aspirant from Tamil Nadu for the World Heritage Site tag.
The nomination for the UNESCO tag was submitted for the 2024-25 cycle.
An expert committee from the International Commission on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) concluded the site visits covering the 12 sites, including Gingee Fort, in September last year, and the Maratha landscapes were officially nominated by the Centre as India's entry for 2024-25.
According to an official in the State Department of Archaeology, 'Development and Research Organisation for Nature, Arts and Heritage (DRONAH), an interdisciplinary organisation, had prepared the Nomination Dossier and Management Plan for Gingee Fort's nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The dossier was prepared as per the UNESCO Operational Guidelines for World Heritage Convention and includes description of the property, justification for inscription, state of conservation, and factors affecting the property, protection and management, monitoring and documentation.'
History of the fort
The 'Troy of the East' located atop three hillocks — Rajagiri, Krishnagiri, and Chandragiri — was considered impregnable and was a symbol of the State's glorious past. It had witnessed the rise and fall of successive empires spanning centuries.
Built by Ananta Kon of the Konar Dynasty in 1,200 CE, the ownership of the fort changed hands several times. It was under the possession of several empires, such as the Vijayanagar Nayaks, Marathas, Mughals, Nawabs, the French, and the British.
According to D. Ramesh, assistant professor of history, Arignar Anna Government Arts College, Villupuram: 'The inscription of the fort as a World Heritage Site will further boost tourism. The first fortification was built by Ananda Kon in the 12th Century. His successor fortified the northern hill in 1,240 CE and called it Krishnagiri, while the other buildings and structures were raised by successive rulers. The next comprehensive constructions at the fort were done under the auspices of the Vijayanagar Empire.'
The fort was captured by Chhatrapati Shivaji in 1677. 'It remained under Maratha rule till it came under the control of the Mughals in 1698. It was ruled by Raja Desingh (Tej Singh) for a brief period before it was taken over by the Arcot Nawabs in 1714 and remained under their control till 1749. The fort was with the French from 1750 to 1770 before slipping into the hands of the British,' he said.
Spread over 11 acres, the fort houses a stepped well, a Kalyana Mahal, a durbar hall, a cannon, a clock tower, an armoury, an elephant tank, a stable, a granary, a gymnasium, the Venkataramana temple, and the Sadathtulla mosque.
The fortress had two elaborate systems for water supply, corresponding to the Nayaks and the Nawab period, which at one time had ensured that even the top of the structure had continuous supply.
