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The 400-year-old fort in Udayagiri is located at a distance of 14 km from
Nagercoil in Kanyakumari District. The fort is situated on the Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil
National highway at Puliyoorkurichi.
Originally built in the 1600s, it was destroyed by Raja
Raja Chola. Later, it was reconstructed during the reign of the famous
Venad King Sri Marthanda Varma in 1741-44 under the supervision of a Flemish
commander, Captain Eustachius De Lannoy of the Dutch East India Company. In
1810, the British East India Company under the Command of Coloner Leger
marched into the Travancore State through the Aramboly Pass to quell a
rebellion against Velu Thambi Dalavai. Until the middle of the 19th century,
East India Company's troops were stationed here.
A protected site under the Archaeological Department
of India, the fort has been turned into a bio-diversity park by the Tamilnadu
forest department, with sites of historical importance, such as Captain
Eustachius De Lannoy's Tomb. Tourists can see deer, ducks, fountains,
birds and over 100 varieties of trees inside the fort.
Built with granite blocks, the fort has 290 ft walls.
The tomb of De Lannoy and of his wife and son can seen inside a partly
ruined chapel in the fort. De Lannoy was one of the 24 prisoners captured
by King Marthanda Varma when he defeated the Dutch Army at the great Colachel
Travancore-Dutch war. Later, De Lannoy, soon became one of the most trusted
generals of the King and the Chief of the Travancore Army. De Lannoy modernized
the Travancore Army by introducing modern warfare, the present 9th Battalion
of Madras Regiment. He also established foundry for the manufacture of
guns, mortars and cannon balls. The fort was once called Dillanai Kottai—
De Lennoy's Fort in honour of this. He has lived in the fort with his
family for several years and died on June 1, 1777 at the age of 62. His
tomb is marked out by a stone cross stands on the top, with the inscription
in both Tamil and Latin.
One of the main feature of the fort is a 16 ft long brass
gun, which could not be removed even with the help of 16 elephants. An
artificial fountain has also been established in the fort. There also
is an underground passage within the fort
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Monuments 
