Krishnagiri

Krishnagiri takes its name from the dark hill that rises above the town in the Baramahal region. A fort crowns the height, its position commanding the surrounding approaches between the Mysore plateau and the Tamil plains. The fortress is associated with the Vijayanagara rulers, whose power once extended across much of southern India.

Control of Baramahal changed repeatedly in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as Mysore expanded into the region and rival armies fought over its fortified hills. Krishnagiri became an important defensive position under the rulers of Mysore. During the wars between Tipu Sultan and the British, the fort resisted a British assault in 1791. The following year, after Tipu made peace and surrendered part of his territory, Baramahal passed to the East India Company.