Penukonda Fort, Penukonda, Ananthapuram
It is situated at the base of a large Hill (Konda in Telugu language), from which it takes the name. It is a place of historical importance. It became the capital of fallen Vijayanagar monarch, after he was overthrown in 1565 at the Battle of Talikota. The Penner River flows along its western and Chitravati river along its eastern boundary.
Scene Spots :
Kumbhakarna Gardens : famous for a statue of the mythical giant Kumbhakarna. An auditorium as well as restaurant are situated within his belly.
Historical Monuments :
Scene Spots :
Kumbhakarna Gardens : famous for a statue of the mythical giant Kumbhakarna. An auditorium as well as restaurant are situated within his belly.
Historical Monuments :
The Penukonda fort is an outstanding testimony to the artistic and engineering expertise of the time. There is an inscription at Kallodi in Mysore which reveals that Bukkaraya had a channel dug in order to bring water from the Penneru to this town. It would appear that the town was originally intended as a summer resort of the Vijayanagara Kings of the second dynasty, which is called "Gagana Mahal".
There are seven bastions along the circumference of the fort. At the Yerramanchi gate (main entrance); you can see a colossal image of Lord Hanuman, which elongates to the height of 11 feet. Built in the year 1575, Gagan Mahal used to be the summer resort of the aristocracy. The architecture of this resort has both, Hindu and Muslim styles of architecture.
Penukonda Fort is believed to have 365 temples, one of which was preordained for worship each day of the year. Amongst these temples, the shrines dedicated to Lord 'Yoga Narasimhaswamy', Lord 'Kashi Vishwanatha' Lord 'Yogarama', Adi Laxmi Devi Temple and Chenchu Laxmi Devi are the major ones.
The fort today encapsulates the remains of an awesome number of ancient precious monuments some of which have been partly and others completely destroyed by a number of attacks. It is said that there were as many as 365 temples inside the fort. These places of worship and other monuments were ravaged and plundered by the invading Muslim rulers. The remains of these ancient treasures are vociferous of the pain caused by the ruthless destruction meted out to them
How to reach :
Located at a distance of 70 km from Anantapur, the Penukonda Fort can be found on the Kurnool-Bangalore Road.
There are seven bastions along the circumference of the fort. At the Yerramanchi gate (main entrance); you can see a colossal image of Lord Hanuman, which elongates to the height of 11 feet. Built in the year 1575, Gagan Mahal used to be the summer resort of the aristocracy. The architecture of this resort has both, Hindu and Muslim styles of architecture.
Penukonda Fort is believed to have 365 temples, one of which was preordained for worship each day of the year. Amongst these temples, the shrines dedicated to Lord 'Yoga Narasimhaswamy', Lord 'Kashi Vishwanatha' Lord 'Yogarama', Adi Laxmi Devi Temple and Chenchu Laxmi Devi are the major ones.
The fort today encapsulates the remains of an awesome number of ancient precious monuments some of which have been partly and others completely destroyed by a number of attacks. It is said that there were as many as 365 temples inside the fort. These places of worship and other monuments were ravaged and plundered by the invading Muslim rulers. The remains of these ancient treasures are vociferous of the pain caused by the ruthless destruction meted out to them
How to reach :
Located at a distance of 70 km from Anantapur, the Penukonda Fort can be found on the Kurnool-Bangalore Road.
