Thick vegetation on the parapet wall of 16th century granite fort in Vellore town is being removed to prevent weakening of the heritage structure. 

After many years, the fort complex, especially its parapet wall, built during the 16th century, in Vellore town is getting a major makeover with thick vegetation on the walls and pillars of the granite fort are being removed to prevent cracks and weakening of the structure.

Officials of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which maintains the heritage structure that includes 58 colonial buildings, said that the makeover is being done mainly on the parapet wall of the fort. The wall stretches to a distance of around three kms, covering 137 acres of the fort. “Thick vegetation on the granite wall of the fort threatens its structure. Removal of vegetation, which is a laborious work, is being done,” K. Akalya, Junior Conservation Assistant In-Charge, ASI (Vellore), told The Hindu.

At present, the parapet wall of the fort and outermost wall is separated by a moat, which is 29 feet deep. The depth of the moat varies due its rocky bed, especially on its northern side. Excess rainwater collected in the moat not only helps recharge the groundwater in the drought-hit town but also promotes fish cultivation.

The portion of parapet wall facing the moat has remained inaccessible especially for maintenance purposes due to lack of granite stairs on it. Over the years, thick vegetation has grown in most portions of the wall, posing risk to structural stability of the wall. Small cracks were found on the wall around the fort complex. Water seepage into cracks on the wall has also weakened the structure.

As a result, ASI officials decided to remove vegetation grown on the parapet wall. In coordination with Vellore Corporation, workers were engaged to remove small plants in the wall. Long wooden ladders were erected to allow workers to get easy access to the bottom portion of the wall along the moat. These workers are also good swimmers as they have to work above the moat area to remove vegetation from the parapet wall. “It’s a challenging task as we can spend only a few hours removing plants from the wall due to the steepness of the structure and no place for resting,” said K. Raman, a worker.

ASI officials said that the entire work will be done in a month. Alongside, steel fencing is also being erected on the outer area of the fort to prevent trespassing especially into the moat area during night.

On its part, Vellore Corporation also provides basic amenities at the fort complex. Granite benches, water taps, washrooms for visitors are also being built. Ornamental lights have also been installed at 97 spots on the outer wall of the fort, covering 2,600 metres of distance around the moat. Each spot on the outer wall will have at least three LED lamps with 250 volt bulbs, civic officials said.