GINGI

gingi, or gingee, a rock fortress of southern india, in the south arcot district of madras. it consists of three hills, connected by walls enclosing an area of 7 sq. m., and practically impregnable to assault. the origin of the fortress is shrouded in legend. when occupied by the mahrattas at the end of the 17th century, it withstood a siege of eight years against the armies of aurangzeb. in 1750 it was captured by the french, who held it with a strong force for eleven years. it surrendered to the english in 1761, in the words of orme, "terminated the long hostilities between the two rival european powers in coromandel, and left not a single ensign of the french nation avowed by the authority of its government in any part of india."