Gingee

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Gingee v • d • e Tamil Nadu, India
Gingee
District(s)	Viluppuram
Coordinates	12.25° N 79.42° E Coordinates: 12.25° N 79.42° E
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Population (2001)	20,896

Gingee is a panchayat town in Viluppuram district (erstwhile South Arcot district) in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The nearest town with a railway station is Tindivanam, 28 km away.

Gingee is located between three hills covering a perimeter of 3 km.

Gingee is famous for its Gingee Fort, a popular tourist attraction. The Fort in Gingee was built by the Chola dynasty in 13th Century. In 1638, Gingee came under the control of Bijapur Sultanate from Vijayanagar. In 1677, it was under the control of Maratha king Shivaji. In 1690, it changed to be under Mughal, under whose rule it became the headquarters of Arcot. It changed hands to the French in 1750, and then to the British in 1762. In the 18th century, it was occupied again by the French for 11 years. During this time, many sculptural aspects of Gingee were shifted to Pondicherry by the French.

The Rajagiri Fort was built in 1200 AD. It is 1 km away from Gingee Market. It is made up of saffron and Black rock. Currently, the fort includes a magazine, gymnasium, palace site, audience hall, stable, Clock tower, granary, treasury in Indo-Islamic style, store-house for grains and an elephant tank. In the West Entrance, Venu Gopalaswami Temple, Ranganath Temple of vijayanagar Kings, Kalyan Mandap, Sadatulla Khan's Masjid (1717-18), Mahabbat Khan's masjid. Bath tubs with continuous supply of water, a huge cannon, belong to the temple on the top of the fort near Chakrakulam-Kunda (reservoir) or water a wonderland of treasure for the tourists.

To visit Gingee fort, guides are availbale from archeological office which is on the way to fort. The office is open for visitors from 9:00 to 17:00.

[edit] Geography

Gingee is located at 12.25° N 79.42° E^[1]. It has an average elevation of 92 metres (301 feet).

[edit] Demographics

Church of South India in Gingee

As of 2001 India census^GRIndia, Gingee had a population of 20,896. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Gingee has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 81%, and female literacy is 64%. In Gingee, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.