Kondaveedu Fort

Kondaveedu Fort is located in Kondaveedu village in the Chilakaluripet constituency of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is a hill fortress located 1700ft 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 VijayanagaransThe 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.