Vellore Fort – Stage of Vellore Sepoy Mutiny in 1806
Long before the mutiny by Indian soldiers for independence from British invaders took place in 1857 there was another rebellion by Indian soldiers on July 10th 1806. While the mutiny of 1857 is very popular the mutiny of 1806 sadly receded to oblivion. The scene of action was in Vellore Fort!
For long I had wanted to visit the Vellore Fort where this chapter of first mutiny was written in the history pages of Indian struggle for independence. Vellore City is a good weekend destination from Bangalore, all it needed was a bit of planning to chalk out the road trip to the city. I found it to be the right place to for all history buffs.
First I will walk you a bit on History of Vellore Fort and how the sepoy mutiny unfolded in the fort in 1806 against East India Company. Then I will mention the interesting things to do in Vellore Fort.
Vellore Fort History
A little bit of history always helps connect to a place; I am sure you will agree. Vellore changed hands through several dynasties from 9 AD. It was the seat of power for Pallavas (275 CE to 897 CE) till then. It then passed on to Medieval Cholas (907 and 1215 AD) and Hoysala Kings (1006 to about 1346 CE).
Pandya dynasty ruled the show between (13th to 14th centuries CE), and Vijayanagara Kings from 1336 – 1565 AD. Vellore Fort was built in this period, by Chinna Bommi Nayaka, a subordinate of Vijayanagar King, in mid 16th century CE. Their ruling period too ended.
Turkish soldiers led by Bijapur Sultans took over the fort. From 1678 Marathas led by Shivaji had the shortest rule till 1701, for just 30 years, when Mughals took over but they had to concede defeat to British in 1760. It was under British rule till India got her independence in 1947.
All these handing over and taking over by the dynasties was not smooth. There was enough and more treachery, war and bloodshed. Most of the rulers, over the years, left their imprint in this fort in the form of temples, a church, a mosque and mahal (palaces).
Vellore Fort – moat
Vellore Sepoy Mutiny 1806
In India, people are very sensitive about their religion. It took time and two mutinies by Indian soldiers for the Britishers to figure that out. In the year 1805 John Craddock, a British General, and Lord Howdon, the commander in Chief in Madras, brought in strict changes in dress code for the sepoys (soldiers).
Hindus were prohibited from wearing religious marks on their foreheads while on duty. Turbans were changed to turbans to look more like the British helmet
Similarly the Muslims were required to shave their beards and trim their moustaches. This created fear in the minds of the soldiers; they dreaded there would be forced conversions and get them Christianized.
Another reason that triggered the rebellion was because of the disrespect shown to the sons of Tipu Sultan, who was defeated in 1799 by British troops. Tipus’s sons were imprisoned within the fort premises.
How the Mutiny Unfolded
On the midnight of July 10, 1806, the sepoys assembled under the leadership of one of Tipu Sultan’s sons. They locked up the gates, seized the Vellore Fort and killed or wounded around 200 British troops. After the massacre of British soldiers they hoisted the Flag of the Mysore Sultanate. But one of the officers who escaped alerted the garrison in Arcot. Within hours a relief force rode from Arcot to Vellore, covering 26 km in about two hours.
In the first act of reclaiming the fort, they scaled the fort walls, led a bayonet-charge along the ramparts, then blew open the gates with their galloper guns. The rest of British troops from Madras Cavalry then rushed in and the rest is history, a sad one.
Vellore Fort – wall with ammunition dump
Punishments for the patriotic sepoys
Aftermath of the Mutiny
All those caught were made to stand against the fort wall and shot dead. Details of the entire episode are displayed in the Archaeological Museum inside the fort. It was appalling to read the gory details to say the least. In my opinion life-long imprisonment should have been given. Aren’t they right in fighting for their motherland?
While the graves of dead British oppressors are preserved nothing has been done to remember the first set of Indian martyrs then. No names mentioned anywhere, only numbers.
British got scared of this rebellious attitude of the sepoys. All previous dress regulations were withdrawn and fresh orders were issued not to mess with their religious traditions. Tipu’s sons were separated from their relatives and bundled off to anonymous prisons in Calcutta (now Kolkata). Their relatives were asked to get back to Mysore and settle there.
Archaeology Survey of India Museum
The Badhusha Mahal and Begum Mahal of Vellore fort is now converted into Archaeological survey of India (ASI) Museum. It is a spacious one with big halls. The artefacts like statues, Hero stones, and old canons are displayed here. However the most interesting and time consuming activity here was reading up the replica of a report written about the Vellore Sepoy mutiny.
Flag mast on south-east corner bastion of upper rampart wall
Walk along the Vellore Fort Wall
After our visit to the Archaeological Museum we climbed the fort wall and walked few hundred meters along the wall. It is a double layer walled fort. The views of the city and the moat look stunning! This 16th century fort is categorized in Sthaladurg (ground fort)group, a classic example of military architecture. Most forts are located on hilltops, in that respect Vellore Fort is different.
Vellore Fort complex is rectangular in shape, has two rampart walls made with massive granite stones and has a circumference of 3 km. Granite for the wall was sourced from the nearby quarries in Arcot and Chittor districts.
The upper rampart wall is 14.5 m and lower wall is 8.5 m high. There are semi circular bastions and rectangular projections with gun holes along the walls. I too shot through them… with my camera. Vellore Fort is among the popular forts of Tamil Nadu.
See another fort of Tamil Nadu here: Thirumayam Fort of Pudukkottai.
Vellore Fort – double layered fort wall
Parks around Vellore Fort
There is a moat around the fort. It is said hundreds of crocodiles flourished in this moat once. Just across the moat there are well maintained parks; Vellore Fort Park, Children’s Park and Periyar Park. During this visit I had very little time to tour. Hopefully I will get there again to do some detailed photography.
Important Mahals in Vellore Fort
Tipu Mahal, Haider Mahal, Badshah Mahal, Begum Mahal and Kandy Mahal
There are palatial buildings inside the fort complex which served as palaces for the kings as their names indicate. Tipu Mahal has 180 rooms and the Hyder Mahal has 200 rooms. These royal rooms were converted into prison cells after fleecing them of their royal décor. Tipu’s sons were imprisoned here after the fourth Mysore War. Exterior of the mahals have traces of the architectural designs on the façade.
During the bicentenary commemoration of Vellore Sepoy Mutiny these mahals were opened for public viewing. They are closed to the public and tourists now.
Kandy Mahal housed the last Sri Lankan King, Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, as prisoner.
The tombs of the family members of Tipu Sultan are located little away from the palaces in the eastern side of the Fort. Prominent ones are that of tombs of Padshah Begum (his mother) and his wife, Bakshi Begum. I couldn’t visit that part of the fort. No sign boards or directions indicated anywhere in the fort.
There is yet another memorial, Muthu Mandapam, built around the tombstone of Vikrama Rajasinha, the last ruler of Sri Lanka.
Tipu Sultan Masjid and St John Church
We couldn’t gain entry to both these buildings. The church seemed to be maintained better with a fresh coat of paint.
Jalakandeswarar Temple Vellore
Amazing temple architecture! The Kalyana Mandapa (marriage hall) to your left as you enter the temple is a sight to behold. It is said the British invaders wanted to dismantle the mandap and ship it to their country. They had numbered the structural parts and were all set to dismantle.
However their plans failed that too not once but twice. The ship that had set off to carry back the mandap structures never reached shore (source of this info Vellore Fort and the Temple through the Ages by A K Sheshadri). Touring this temple can take half an hour if not more.
Read more: Explore the Sacred Jalakandeswarar Temple in Vellore
Gopuram of Jalakandeswarar Temple Vellore Fort
Government Museum in Vellore Fort
In the end we toured the Government Museum Vellore. Amazing place with such varied collections. There are seven categories on different themes. It is a window to history, art, culture and heritage of the Vellore District.
Timings: The fort complex is open on all days from 8 AM to 6 PM. Plan to spend a couple of hours, if not more, to see all historic sites and monuments inside the fort complex. The museums timings are: 9 AM – 12.30 PM and 2 PM – 5 PM on all days except on public holidays.
Tickets: No tickets are required to enter the fort complex. But if you are driving in a private cab you will need to buy parking tickets for your vehicle. There is ample parking space inside.
Washroom facilities: SBM (Swachh Bharat Mission) toilet is available inside the fort.
Eateries: There are some stalls selling snacks and water inside the fort complex.
How to reach Vellore Fort: Fly into Chennai International Airport at a distance of 137 km. The fort is 1.5 km from Vellore Town Railway station. There are plenty of private vehicles that will drop you off at the fort.
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I’m ashamed to admit it, but I wasn’t aware of the history between both countries. I do agree that history does indeed connect us to a place. This Fort is not only beautiful but plays an important role in history that is worth learning more about.
The Vellore Fort is gorgeous! Love seeing old historical places like this – especially when you can see the whole thing in a few hours. You shot of the Ammunition dump looks like an awesome photography location!
Always interesting to visit historic sites like Vellefore Fort. I am not really surprised to read that it took two mutinies for the British to respect the Indian religion. Sad that people had to die for this lesson to be learned. Good that the British were not able to dismantle the Jalakandeswarar Temple Vellore.
Oh wow, I bet it was hard to take in the gory details of those who were shot dead at the wall. It’s also odd that the graves of the dead British oppressors are preserved but nothing for the Indian martyrs…makes me wonder who was taking the lead in putting that part of the information together and if they weren’t able to collect the names or if it was intentional.
I am glad to hear that the British were not able to dismantle the temple. I am happy to see history undisturbed. This is a very beautiful fort with the reflections on the water and so much history.
Amazing place, Awesome photos.