Kondavidu

Kondaveedu Fort
Part of Andhra Pradesh
Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India
Water-colour painting of Kondavid Fort
The Fort today from the base of the hill
Kondaveedu Fort
Coordinates	16°15′35″N 80°15′55″E / 16.2597°N 80.2653°E / 16.2597; 80.2653Coordinates: 16°15′35″N 80°15′55″E / 16.2597°N 80.2653°E / 16.2597; 80.2653
Type	Fort s
Site information
Controlled by	Government of Andhra Pradesh
Condition	Ruins
Site history
Built	13th century
Built by	Rajas of Orissa and Reddy Dynasty
Materials	Granite Stones and lime mortar
Battles/wars	Reddy dynasty, Vijayanagara Empire, Sultans of Golconda, The French and the British

Kondaveedu Fort is located in Kondaveedu village in the Chilakaluripet constituency of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is a hill fortress located 1,700 feet (520 m) above m.s.l. Apart from this main fort, there are two other forts (names not known) nearby. Efforts are in progress to classify Kondaveedu Fort as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kondaveedu Fort was constructed during the time of Telugu Chodas and was occupied by Kakatiya Ganapati Deva during his campaign in the coastal Andhra. After the capture of Prataparudra by Tughlaq in 1323 AD, his subordinate Prolaya Vema Reddy became independent and shifted his capital from Addanki to Kondaveedu. Later it was taken over by Gajpathis of Orissa and ravaged by the Muslim rulers of the Bahmani kingdom (1458). The Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya captured it in 1516. The Golconda Sultans fought for the fort in 1531, 1536 and 1579, and Sultan Quli Qutb Shah finally captured it in 1579, renaming it Murtuzanagar. Later it was recaptured by Vijayanagarans

The fort came under the control of the French colonists in 1752 when it was extensively fortified. It passed on to the English imperialists who got control of the fort in 1788 but abandoned it in early 19th century in favour of Guntur. Now, the massive fortifications and battlements are seen in ruins only. The interior has extensive ruins of magazines and storehouses.

The fortresses were once the capital of the Kondaveedu province that was delimited between the south of the Krishna River and the Gundlakamma River and located 8 miles (13 km) to the west of Guntur town. They were erected on a high ridge of a small range of hills with average elevation of 1,500 feet (460 m) (highest point on the ridge is 1,700 feet (520 m)). There are two hill (ghat) sections, which form the hill ranges, one is to the north, which provides a very steep but short access to the forts. The preferred access is more circuitous and less tiring and involves 2 miles (3.2 km) of trekking. The Kondaveedu and surrounding forest area has a very large number of Custard apple (Morinda citrifolia (Noni)) trees.