A few kilometres from the Padmanabhapuram Palace in Kanniyakumari district stands Udayagiri Fort, which once housed an iron foundry and arms manufacturing unit of the Travancore kings. Years of neglect and growth of a thick forest inside the fort in Puliyurkurichi took a toll on its walls.
Timely intervention by the Department of Archaeology in the form of restoration and conservation saved the fort from further deterioration. “The fund for the work came from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the allocation for Udayagiri Fort is ₹2.3 crore,” said T. Udayachandran, Commissioner of the department.
The fort covers 99 acres of impenetrable forests and a hill and houses many wild animals and birds. The area comes under the control of the Forest Department.
The conservation work includes strengthening of the fort wall and restoration of the memorial of Dutch warrior De Lonnoy, who became the Commander-in-Chief of the Travancore Army, his wife and son and a few other officials.
Originally constructed as a mud fort during Venadu King Sri Vira Ravivarma’s period (1565-1607), it was reconstructed with stone during the reign of King Marthanda Varma (1729-1758), the maker of modern Travancore.
When Marthanda Varma decided to strengthen all the forts of his kingdom, he assigned the task to De Lonnony, who was defeated and captured in a war at Colachel.
The king was fascinated by De Lonnoy’s appearance and asked him to train his bodyguards in modern warfare. He gradually gained the confidence of the king and reached the position of the Commander-in-Chief of the Travancore Army.
“Maharaja, seeing his extraordinary skills and superior knowledge, authorised him to superintend the construction of a strong fort around the hill at Udayagiri,” writes Sankunny Menon in his book, The History of Travancore from Earliest Times . “An iron foundry was established at the Udayagiri Fort where cannons, mortars and balls were cast, and all the batteries were supplied with the necessary pieces of artillery,” he further wrote.
Years of neglect resulted in the weakening of the wall of the fort. “Roots of the trees inside the fort penetrated the walls and dislodged many of them. We have removed the roots and fixed the stones again,” said K. Olimalik, assistant executive engineer of the Archaeology Department.
