History of Udayagiri Fort

Udayagiri is a road junction connecting Nellore, Sitaramapuram, Kavali, Badvel and Kanigiri. It was known in ancient times as Kondayapalem. The place lies at the- foot of the Udayagiri hill which once contained an impregnable fortress which is now in ruins. The fort is said to have been built by the Vijayanagara ruler in 14th century AD. Udayagiri is a place of considerable historical and archaeological important.The' fort, on most of its sides, is inaccessible, but it can be reached by a jungle tract on the eastern side of the hill and by a path along the ravine on the northern side. On the hill, there are two mosques built by the Muslim rulers. There are also ancient temples in the village depicting Pallava and Chola architecture. On the hill, there is a cool spot where water falls in drops from height of 6 meters. The Udayagiri hill is noted for various types of medicinal herbs and the local people, therefore, called the Sanjiva hill. The ruins in and around Udayagiri abound in inscriptions. There are also some Persian inscriptions in the mosque situated on the hill, referring to the construction in A.D.1600 by one Shaik Hussain in the time of the Kutubshahis of Golkond1.