 Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's army first captured the Gingee Fort in 1677, but left the task of attacking Vellore to his assistant and rushed to Deccan as his territories were being attacked by Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb.In 1678, after a prolonged fourteen-month siege, the fort passed on to the Marathas.Shivaji's representative strengthened the fort's fortifications and ruled the area in relative peace.