Back in November, John was coming home from an outreach event when he looked out the window and saw this:
His conversation with the driver went something like this:
"What is THAT?"
"Oh, that's Gingee. It's an ancient fort from the Chola empire."
"Do they let you climb up there?"
"Yes."
This was the beginning of a months-long obsession. John would not rest until he'd dragged us to Gingee and marched us around the ruins. I say this like it's a bad thing. In all honesty, I wanted to be dragged to Gingee, but I've been putting up some resistance just to make life interesting. Just try to keep either me or John away from a place like this.
After a few false starts, we finally made it to Gingee on Saturday. The unbelievable heat (upper 90s plus humidity ... yes our so-called "winter" has ended) had us cutting our explorations a little short, but it was still a fun trip. There's just something awe-inspiring about climbing around on walls that were built centuries ago.
Gingee Fort has been around in one form or another since the Cholas controlled the area in the 9th century. Lots of groups have occupied the fort over the years, including the Vijayanagar, Maratha sultans, Nawabs, French and English. Most of the surviving buildings date to the 1500s, but there's plenty to see that's much older than that. The complex hasn't been used for anything other than tourism since the English left. For a detailed history in really bad English, click here or here. For Wikipedia's version, which isn't as detailed but is much easier to read, click here.
Here we are exploring the Kalyana Mahal, which may have been living quarters for the queens.
The woman in the photo who's not me is our friend Janna, who's here from Canada setting up art therapy programs at a school and at the Cancer Institute. She and her friend Benjamin squeezed into the car with us so they could see the fort, too. They each deserve a medal for remaining pleasant and helpful while enduring our hot, tired, whiny kids. (To be fair, the kids weren't horrible. Being kids, however, they couldn't help but whine a bit ... ahem ... a lot.)
Every fort I've visited in India has been crawling with monkeys, and Gingee is no exception. There were whole families -- with babies, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents -- swinging in the trees and climbing around the buildings throughout the complex. One of them followed us down some stairs to the Elephant Tank, where the palace and military elephants were taken to be washed.
The gymnasium and granary are two of the newer structures (dating to 1600s) on the complex. This is a picture of the gymnasium, where weapons were stored and any secret training would have taken place. Shafts of sunlight came through the holes in the roof in a very Indiana Jones-like way.
After exploring several tanks, buildings, palaces and stables, we decided we'd attempt the climb to the upper fort. I'll admit right now that the only ones who made it to the top were Janna and Benjamin. The rest of us made it a little over halfway before being overcome by the heat, the kids, and our own old-fogeyness. I have made a goal. We WILL return to Gingee Fort (in December or January, for heaven's sake) and I WILL make it to the top. Little old men in lungis and flip-flops were sprinting up and down those stairs. Oh, the shame!
The only way to the upper fort is up these steep stone steps. Now you know why it was considered the most impenetrable fortress in India. Attackers had to survive the ascent (most likely in temperatures above 100 degrees F) before they could even think about fighting.
The view to our left was usually ancient walls and monkeys. The view to our right was of the lower fort and surrounding countryside.
The fort evolved with the times, so you can see defense technologies from four different centuries. We came across this cannon on the way up the trail.
Here's the view from our turning point. From here, Janna and Benjamin finished the hike while John and I headed back down the stairs with the kids.
Most of the heights in the area have some kind of fortification. This one's the Krishnagiri, sometimes called the Queen's Fort. It's said that at some point the Krishnagiri and the Rajagiri were connected. Next time we go we might try to climb the Krishnagiri. You can see the stairs on the right side of the hill.
After making it back down the hill and downing several bottles of water, we headed over to the Venkataramana Temple, which you can see in the upper right background of the photos we took coming down from the upper fort. The temple isn't in use anymore, so the whole place was open for exploration. Here's the gopuram.
The kids claimed to be too tired to move after we came down the Rajagiri hill, but they found plenty of energy for exploring the temple complex. Most of the structure dates to the 1500s, though historians think there are sections that were built during the Chola reign.
One thing I love about visiting sites in South India is that they're so open for exploration. You rarely see anything roped off. Of course, the downside to that is a lot of graffiti. But the upside is a close-up view of history, one you can experience with all your senses. John took the following photos from inside the gopuram. John noticed stairs leading up into the tower, so he, Janna, and Johnny climbed inside, while Benjamin and I guarded Samuel and Evie from some rather excitable adoring fans.
How do you know when it's time to leave? Here's a hint:
The drive home took forever, because we hit traffic outside Chennai, but the kids did great. The grown-ups talked politics and religion (and we're still friends!) while the kids read or slept. Another great day of exploration.
 |
| Note ancient buildings atop giant mound of rocks |
"What is THAT?"
"Oh, that's Gingee. It's an ancient fort from the Chola empire."
"Do they let you climb up there?"
"Yes."
This was the beginning of a months-long obsession. John would not rest until he'd dragged us to Gingee and marched us around the ruins. I say this like it's a bad thing. In all honesty, I wanted to be dragged to Gingee, but I've been putting up some resistance just to make life interesting. Just try to keep either me or John away from a place like this.
After a few false starts, we finally made it to Gingee on Saturday. The unbelievable heat (upper 90s plus humidity ... yes our so-called "winter" has ended) had us cutting our explorations a little short, but it was still a fun trip. There's just something awe-inspiring about climbing around on walls that were built centuries ago.
 |
| View of the "King's Fort" from the parking area |
 |
| At the entrance to Rajagiri, the hill with most of the surviving structures |
Here we are exploring the Kalyana Mahal, which may have been living quarters for the queens.
The woman in the photo who's not me is our friend Janna, who's here from Canada setting up art therapy programs at a school and at the Cancer Institute. She and her friend Benjamin squeezed into the car with us so they could see the fort, too. They each deserve a medal for remaining pleasant and helpful while enduring our hot, tired, whiny kids. (To be fair, the kids weren't horrible. Being kids, however, they couldn't help but whine a bit ... ahem ... a lot.)
Every fort I've visited in India has been crawling with monkeys, and Gingee is no exception. There were whole families -- with babies, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents -- swinging in the trees and climbing around the buildings throughout the complex. One of them followed us down some stairs to the Elephant Tank, where the palace and military elephants were taken to be washed.
The gymnasium and granary are two of the newer structures (dating to 1600s) on the complex. This is a picture of the gymnasium, where weapons were stored and any secret training would have taken place. Shafts of sunlight came through the holes in the roof in a very Indiana Jones-like way.
After exploring several tanks, buildings, palaces and stables, we decided we'd attempt the climb to the upper fort. I'll admit right now that the only ones who made it to the top were Janna and Benjamin. The rest of us made it a little over halfway before being overcome by the heat, the kids, and our own old-fogeyness. I have made a goal. We WILL return to Gingee Fort (in December or January, for heaven's sake) and I WILL make it to the top. Little old men in lungis and flip-flops were sprinting up and down those stairs. Oh, the shame!
 |
| We made it to about where the vegetation ends. |
 |
| View from the base of the trail |
The only way to the upper fort is up these steep stone steps. Now you know why it was considered the most impenetrable fortress in India. Attackers had to survive the ascent (most likely in temperatures above 100 degrees F) before they could even think about fighting.
 |
| Reviewing these photos, I'm feeling a little less ashamed of my failure. |
The view to our left was usually ancient walls and monkeys. The view to our right was of the lower fort and surrounding countryside.
The fort evolved with the times, so you can see defense technologies from four different centuries. We came across this cannon on the way up the trail.
Here's the view from our turning point. From here, Janna and Benjamin finished the hike while John and I headed back down the stairs with the kids.
Most of the heights in the area have some kind of fortification. This one's the Krishnagiri, sometimes called the Queen's Fort. It's said that at some point the Krishnagiri and the Rajagiri were connected. Next time we go we might try to climb the Krishnagiri. You can see the stairs on the right side of the hill.
 |
| Krishnagiri |
 |
| Old temple atop another hill |
The kids claimed to be too tired to move after we came down the Rajagiri hill, but they found plenty of energy for exploring the temple complex. Most of the structure dates to the 1500s, though historians think there are sections that were built during the Chola reign.
One thing I love about visiting sites in South India is that they're so open for exploration. You rarely see anything roped off. Of course, the downside to that is a lot of graffiti. But the upside is a close-up view of history, one you can experience with all your senses. John took the following photos from inside the gopuram. John noticed stairs leading up into the tower, so he, Janna, and Johnny climbed inside, while Benjamin and I guarded Samuel and Evie from some rather excitable adoring fans.
 |
| View straight up the center of the gopuram |
How do you know when it's time to leave? Here's a hint:
The drive home took forever, because we hit traffic outside Chennai, but the kids did great. The grown-ups talked politics and religion (and we're still friends!) while the kids read or slept. Another great day of exploration.
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