Sankaridrug

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This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.

Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.

Sankaridrug

Village in the Tiruchengodu taluk of Salem Dis- trict, Madras, situated in 11 2$ N. and 77 52' E., 2 miles from the station of the same name on the Madras Railway. Population (1901), 2,046. The place is built just under the Sankaridrug hill, which rises to a height of 2,343 feet, and is terraced with fortifications. These point to the vicissitudes of South Indian history, some of them dating from the time of the Hindu chieftains, others from Tipu Sultan's days, and yet others being of British origin.

The hill is well worth climbing. Past a Hindu temple, the door of which is riddled with bullets, the traveller toils up a flight of steep steps, and half-way along the ascent reaches a snowy mosque erected in honour of a Musalman saint, which nestles among the green foliage that clothes the hill like a pearl set among emeralds. Leaving this, the path winds among remains of modern fortifications and the houses of the garrison, now overgrown with shrubs and prickly pear, and at length reaches a plateau at the top of the hill. Here is a fount of pure and cold water, supposed to be possessed of medicinal virtues; and the remains of the old Hindu fort, its granary and the subterranean cell into which condemned prisoners were thrown, come into view. Crowning all are the temples of Vishnu, the lights of which twinkle in the evenings in the surround- ing darkness. The village is very healthy, and was a favourite camping- place for the District officers till Yercaud rose into prominence. The public bungalow, one of the finest in the District, is picturesquely situated on a rock just under the hill.