Gandikota is a small village (Lat. 140 47? N. and Long. 780 16?S.) on the Right Bank of the river Pennar, in Jammalamadugu taluk of Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh. Here lies the famous fort of Gandikota, which acquired its name obviously due to the gorge, formed between the Erramalai range of hills, also known as Gandikota hills and the river Pennar that flows at its foot, reducing its width to a mere 300 ft. Situated amidst beautiful landscape and wild forests, it is endowed with great potentialities of natural strength. Surrounded by a deep valley and impassable hills, with massive boulders of red granite and the river Pennar that flows about 300 ft. Guarded by a huge entrance gate that’s 20 feet high and 101 bastions each over 40 feet high, it still remains a very imposing structure. Believed to have been built during the later half of the 13th century A.D., Gandikota impressed the French traveler Tavernier, so much that he opined that it resembles Hampi Vijayanagara in its massive monuments.Below on the west and northern sides, it affords strong natural defiance to the occupants of the Fort. Roughly it occupies an area of about 5 miles in circumference and is circular on plan. Read the rest of this entry »
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