What to expect
Highlights
- Thiyagadurgam Fort — This 17th-century hill fort sits on a rocky hill at the centre of Thiyagadurgam town and held considerable military importance in the 18th century. Control passed between the French (1756), Hyder Ali (1760) and the English (1761) before the British finally captured it in 1801 during their wars with Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. The fort ruins are now protected under the Archaeological Survey of India.
- Arugar Cavern Temple, Thiyagadurgam — This Jain cavern temple lies in a natural rock cave beneath a huge boulder on Thiyagadurgam hill and marks a settlement of Jain saints who lived here before the 7th century AD. Around the 9th century Jain followers installed idols of a Tirthankara and of Shri Kooshmandini, which survive in original carved form and are still worshipped. Hindus in the town also venerate the images, and a nearby Bhagavathi Malayamman cavern temple follows Hindu tradition, reflecting the site's long religious continuity.
