|

The fortification of the fort c onsists of a main rampart broken at irregular
intervals by round towers and rectangular projections. The walls
are constructed with hewn Kangaroo stones of rectangular shape. The
walls of the fortress are connected so that the outer wall which
is lower than the other, which is extended to the inner wall, from
a curtain of enormous thickness which cannot be affected by gun,
spears and arrows. The upper parapets are built lined with brick
work in which embrasures are cut. This is evidently the work of European
engineers at a later period of fort's history.
The
narrow wall running round the fort can be reached by a flight
of steps at the entrance of the fort. The main walls are built
so strong with stones cut and filled together without mortar.
In some places, wide ramps, raised within the fort the wall walk
has been constructed on the outer wall. On the southern side
there is a raised bastion on which the flag staff stands and
there are two small round towers raised on the main works at
the south-east and north-east angles. The old entrance was by
a wading roadway with massive gates and protected by a drawbridge,
which was altered in the eighteenth century and adopted for defense
by artillery. On the southern side there is also a postern which
crosses the ditch at a low level provided with steps on its end.
The Vellore fort is perhaps the most beautiful specimen of military
architecture in South India and it is still in a good state of
preseration.
The
broad moat which surrounds the fort receives water from Suryagunta
tank, a large reservoir near the railway station. The most of
yore, which boasted of more than 10,000 crocodiles, according
to a local legend is no longer there. The moat is dry today on
the southern side while parts of the eastern and western sides
also face the same predicament. On its construction it was constructed
for greater defensive purposes and it was built and made fairly
wide and deep. The circumference of the the moat is about 8000
feet at a length and depth of 190 feet and 20 feet respectively.
The
fort and the temple were selected for conservation by the A.S.I.
Perhaps the moat served as the inner boundary and river Palar
served as the northern boundary and on the eastern side, a fosse
in the Madras, Bangalore hsighway at Sathuvachari along with
the adjoining hills must have served as the boundary and the
remnants of which are still found on the roadside. The temple
and the fort were brought under the control of A.S.I. in 1921.
The outer length of the fort is about 2500 feet and 1500 feet
in breadth. The height of the outer wall is about 30 feet and
the breadth is about 25 feet. The approximate circumstance of
the fort is 2600 meters.
|