Kondapalli Fort Vijayawada – Kondapalle Kota

The word FORT conjures up several images of huge fortified walls in mind! Naturally when the talk of a visit to Kondapalli Fort Vijayawada cropped up I was super excited at the possible walk through lanes of history and photo opportunities there. I always thought Kondapalli is famous for wooden toys. Kondapalli Fort is a major attraction of Kondapalli town.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana together have 15 forts! My score is 3 out of these, and I am hoping to visit more. This post is on Kondapalli Fort, a 7th century fort, situated 16 km from Vijayawada with an impressive three storeyed rock tower

Kondapalli Fort Major Attraction Vijayawada

There is a map at the entrance of Kondapalli fort. Study this before you begin the tour of the fort. There are no guides to show you around. I have highlighted the parts of the fort that are worth seeing and exploring in the fort in the following paragraphs.

Kondapalli Fort near Vijayawada

Tour of Kondapalli Fort and Museum

The Archaeological Department of Andhra Pradesh is renovating the Kondapalli Fort at a vigorous speed. Entrance is through Dargah Darwaja meaning Mosque door. You will find the mosque of Hazrath Syed Galib just before the main entrance of the fort. The Dargah Darwaja is carved out of a single boulder of granite and that makes it an important feature of Kondapalli Fort.

The hexagonal front of Durbar Hall is now impressive after the repair and conservation efforts of the authorities. Arches of the durbar hall have been done up so well. This is now used as museum.

Hexagonal front of Durbar Hall

Kondapalli fort museum has themed displays arranged very well in different sections. Each of them tells enchanting stories of the past era. Several sculptures and inscriptions on stone are on display. Tour time for this museum can stretch from half an hour to one depending on your pace and interest.

I particularly found the pictures of the un-renovated older version of the fort very interesting.

Exit the Durbar Hall which is now the museum into the well maintained lawns of Rani Mahal (Queen’s Palace). The pool we get to see in the courtyard must have been the Queens’ swimming pool back then.

The Ranga Mahal (Dancing Hall) is done up beautifully. Insta influencers have gala time here doing their photo shoots. The ruins of the fort has eerie look but they make great frames for pictures. At some parts I saw Mother Nature trying to reclaim back what once belonged to her. If the trees growing on the crumbling walls are not removed they are bound to crush the stones with strong grips of the roots.

Market yard is yet another historic place within the fort. So is the Jail Khanam, which once was used by kings to imprison the criminals. The interior architecture is amazing with not a single window. Yet there is sufficient sunlight drizzling in through small openings in the roof. Such planning and engineering existed then!

Ruins of kondapalli fort

If you have time and energy to explore more of the fort you can go right up to the Golconda Darwaza located on the other end of the hill.

It is said there are many secret tunnels which connect to different villages around. You will stumble upon several reservoirs along the way, most of them are dry. There is a barrack with 8 large rooms and there is a cemetery too.

Augmented Reality (AR) technology offers an extraordinary experience at Kondapalli Fort, featuring visual spectacles such as Laser 3D projection mapping and a captivating lighting show. In the royal court, this cutting-edge technology seamlessly merges ancient heritage with modern innovations, bringing portraits, idols, and sculptures to life through AR. This blend of history and technology creates a unique and immersive journey for visitors.

Waterfalls near Kondapalli Fort

The Kondapalli hill range is also a popular trekking destination with the local adventure lovers venturing into its many serpentine forest tracks for the Kondapalli Fort waterfalls during the cooler winter climes of November and December. Some of the popular waterfalls that you can visit, especially during summer are:

• Kondapalli Killa Waterfalls
• Paritala Waterfalls
• Kondapalli Waterfalls
• Donabanda Waterfalls Trek Point

History of Kondapalle Kota

Kondapalli Fort, locally known as Kondapalle Kota, is strategically located on Eastern Ghats. The region around this fort had a glorious past in 10^th century when it was ruled by Chalukya dynasty. During 14^th century when it was ruled by Reddy dynasty, the Kondapalli range of Eastern Ghats got more importance. British too recognized the advantageous location and used it as a military fortification. They placed a strong garrison there.

Architectural details on fort buildings

Kondapalli Fort Vijayawada

The outer fortification was built during Qutub Shah Era (1518 – 1687); part of this stands strong even today. Durbar hall, Rani Mahal and Jail Khanam belong to this period. They adopted the Persian traditions and had good control over trade route to Masulipatanam (now called Machilipatnam). There are remains of palaces in the innermost part of the fort area.

Inner fortification belongs to Reddy period which spanned a few years prior to this between 1325AD to 1424AD. This era saw tremendous progress in Sanskrit and Telugu literature and art.

The foundation to Kondapalli Fort was laid by Musunuri Nayakas, a clan that overthrew the Kakatiyas in 1330. However theirs was a very short era. The Reddy dynasty claimed the region from Nayakas in 1370. King Prolaya Vema Reddy is mainly associated with building this fort in 14th century.

Other dynasties that ruled over the region were the Gajapathis of Odisha, Rayas, Bahmani Sultans, Mughals, French, East India Company and finally by British. Reading all this reminded me of my history lessons. I used to find it so boring in my school days and now I was lapping up every bit of it.

The time scale made so much sense!

Vijayawada to Kondapalli Distance

The fort is located to the west of Vijayawada city in the main hill range known as Kondapalli in the Krishna district. The hill range, about 24 km in length, extends between Nandigama and Vijayawada. This fort is at a distance of 45 km from Vijayawada International Airport. Distance from Kondapalli railway station is 14.5 km. Distance from Vijayawada railway station it is 24 km. Take state bus services or hire private vehicle.

Kondapalli Dolls making village is at a distance of 400 m from here.

Kondapalli Fort Entry Fee Timings

Entrance fee per person is 5INR. Mobile phone no charges but DSLR cameras – 200INR. You can buy the tickets online too.

Timings: The fort is open from 10.30am to 5pm. A good tour of the fort will need 3 hours minimum. We were there as a bloggers group on a tour, thanks to team of Novotel Vijayawada Varun.

Tips to tour Kondapalli Fort

• If you are visiting in summers take a cap along as there are lot of open spaces to explore.
• The museum tour can be done in half an hour. Tour of fort can take 2 hours if not more.
• There is a fort map in the entrance, spend some time to study that so that you can plan your tour there.
• No guides are available. No pamphlets with map of fort are provided. You are on your own! You can download the free app for Kondapalli Museum, an interactive audio tour.
• No washroom facilities yet; though work is in progress for this.

Other forts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

Kovilkonda Fort, Palampet Fort, Bhongir Fort, Nalgonda Fort, Khammam Fort, Rajmundhry Fort, Devarkonda Fort, Bellamkonda Fort, Kondavidu Fort, Dharur Fort, Pangal Fort, Penukonda Fort, Golconda Fort, Warangal Fort and Kondapalli Fort. There may be more and the list isn’t a complete one.

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