The Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagara, Vol. I v1.c12.180

v1.c12.180

16. Visvanatha left Vijayanagara for Madura at the head of a large army. On reaching the capital of his new viceroyalty, he devoted himself earnestly to the task of repairing the fort, by building eight gates and seventy-two bastions¹. He likewise built the fort of Trichinopoly, after exchanging this place for Vallam, which was given to the newly appointed Nayak of Tanjore. He built in this new place a double-walled fort around the city and dug out an extensive ditch in front; then he erected dwelling houses inside and caused a teppakulam, or sacred tank, to be dug. He built a palace, had the jungle-wood on both sides of the river Kaveri cleared away, laid out new fields for tillage, and engaged new inhabitants to cultivate them². He also ordered the restoration of the temples of Minakshi and Sundaresvara, adding new structures as enlargements to the old temples. One of these improvements was to throw down the small Pandya fort which surrounded the temple³. Instead of this he built "an extensive double-walled fort."