The Hill Fort of Nundydroog

Engraving after a drawing by James Welsh, Lieutenant Colonel in the army of the East India Company, published in his ‘Military Reminiscences: extracted from a journal of nearly forty years’ active service in the East Indies’ in 1830. The fort of Nundydroog, or Nandidurga, located on a hilltop north east of Bangalore in the Baramahal region of Mysore state, was stormed and captured by the East India Company under Major Gowdie during the third Anglo-Mysore war. The fort, built at a height of 1700 feet with three fourths of its circumference considered inaccessible, was taken by the British after a three week siege. This would be a mark of particular pride for Lieutenant-General Lord Cornwallis, then Governor-General of India, as it had earlier fallen to Haider Ali only after a three year effort. Following his defeat in the third Anglo-Mysore war, Tipu Sultan was forced to cede close to half his dominion. This marked the first significant defeat of Mysore by the East India Company.