Kangra Fort
32°05′17.1″N76°15′28″E/ 32.088083°N 76.25778°E
| Kangra Fort | |
|---|---|
| Part ofHimachal Pradesh | |
| Kangra,Himachal Pradesh,India | |
 Kangra Fort | |
| Type | Fort |
| Height | 700 meters |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | Kangra State |
| Condition | Ruins |
| Site history | |
| Built by | Katoch Dynasty |
TheKangra Fortis a historicfortlocated in theKangra districtof theHimachal Pradeshstate in India. The fort is also known as 'Nagarkot' and 'Kot Kangra'.[1]This fort stands on a hillock between two rivers (Manjhi and Banganga), among the foothills of theDhauladharrange. The fort is the largest in theIndian Himalayas,and is under the protection of theArcheological Survey of India.[2][3]The Kangra Fort is also the oldest fort in the Himalayas and, according toIndian mythology,has a legendary history spanning approximately 4,000 years.[4][5]
Location
[edit]
The Kangra Fort is located 20 kilometers (12 mi) from the town ofDharamsalaon the outskirts of the town ofKangra,in the Kangra district.
History
[edit]Kangra Fort was built by theKatochDynasty of theRajputs.[2][6]
The earliest still existing remains inside the fort areJainandBrahminicaltemples dated to c. 9-10 century A.D. The earliest recorded reference to the Kangra fort dates from the time of this fort's invasion byMahmud Ghazniin 1009 A.D. The fort was captured byMuhammad bin Tughluqin 1337 A.D., and by his successorFiruz Shah Tughluqin 1351 A.D. respectively.[1]
Khawas Khan Marwat, a superior General ofSher Shah Suri,managed to capture the fort in 1540 AD.
Raja Dharam Chand submitted to theMughalRulerAkbarin 1556 and agreed to pay tribute, including, renouncing claims to the fort. But in 1620, EmperorJahangir,killed that Katoch king, Raja Hari Chand and annexed the Kangra kingdom into theMughal Empire.[7]Under the leadership of Nawab Ali Khan and aided byRaja Jagat Singh,the fort was captured in 1620 and remained under Mughal rule until 1783. In 1621,Jahangirvisited it and ordered the slaughter of a bullock there.[8]Amosquewas also built within the fort ofKangra.[9]
As the Mughal empire began to crumble, a descendant of Raja Dharam Chand,Raja Sansar ChandII began a series of conquests of Kangra with the support of Sikh leader, Jai Singh Kanhaiya of the Kanhaiya misl. However, after the death of Mughal governor Saif Ali Khan, the fort was surrendered in 1783 by his son to the Sikh leader,Jai Singh Kanhaiyaof the Kanhaiya Misl in return for safe passage. This betrayal by Jai Singh Kanhaiya led to Raja Sansar Chand soliciting the services of Sikh misaldarsMaha Singhof theSukerchakia Misl(father of MaharajaRanjit Singh) andJassa Singh Ramgarhiaand besieged the fort. In 1786,Raja Sansar Chandgained Kangra fort by peaceful treaty with Jai Singh Kanhaiya in return for territorial concessions in the Punjab.
Sansar Chand quickly focused on expanding his kingdom and conquered the nearby kingdoms ofChamba,Mandi, Suket and Nahan. In 1805 he turned his attention to Bilaspur and the then Raja of Bilaspur called on the aid of the powerfulGurkhakingdom, who had already acquiredGarhwal,Sirmourand other small hill states ofShimla.An army of 40,000Gurkhasleading by theKajiAmar Singh Thapa,who was later reinforced by theKajiNain Singh Thapa.In 1807, Kangra Fort, on the west bank of the Sutlej, was put under siege. By early 1809, most of the land ofKangrajagirhad been incorporated into Nepal, although the fort still held out.RajaSansar ChandofKangrathen turned towards MaharajaRanjit Singhof Lahore for aid, leading to theNepal-Sikhwar of 1809 in which the Gurkhas were defeated and forced back to the satluj River. In return for his help, MaharajaRanjit Singhtook possession of the ancient fort alongside 66 villages (the fort's ancient Jagir) on Aug 24, 1809 while leaving the rest of Kangra to Sansar Chand.
The fort was finally taken by the British during theFirst Anglo-Sikhwar after a six-week long siege.[10]This siege was fought from mid-April to 28 May 1846. SirHenry Lawrencereached the fort on 3 May 1846. This was the only battle fought between the Sikh forces of Kangra and the British. The British controlled the valley after defeating them and the fort.
A British garrison occupied the fort until it was heavily damaged inan earthquake on 4 April 1905.
Layout
[edit]The entrance to the fort is through a small courtyard enclosed between two gates which were built during the Sikh period, as appears from an inscription over the entrance. From here a long and narrow passage leads up to the top of the fort, through theAhaniandAmiri Darwaza(gate), both attributed to Nawab Saif Ali Khan, the first Mughal Governor of Kangra. About 500 feet from the outer gate the passage turns round at a very sharp angle and passes through theJehangiri Darwaza.The area Kangra Fort is spread across 463acres.[5]
TheDarsani Darwaza,which is now flanked by defaced statues of River Goddesses Ganga and Yamuna gave access to a courtyard, along the south side of which stood the stone shrines ofLakshmi-NarayanaandAmbika Deviand aSvetambaraJaintemple with large idol ofRishabhanatha.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ab"Kangra Fort « Archaeological Survey of India".asi.nic.in.Archivedfrom the original on 1 December 2023.Retrieved2 October2023.
- ^ab"The Kangra Fort: An Opulent Antiquity".indianculture.gov.in.Archivedfrom the original on 29 November 2023.Retrieved2 October2023.
- ^"Sansad ki kala".sansadkikala.ignca.gov.in.Archivedfrom the original on 17 August 2024.Retrieved2 October2023.
- ^"Kangra Fort: this fort in Himachal might have treasure worth crores hidden in plain sight!".The Times of India.ISSN0971-8257.Archivedfrom the original on 17 August 2024.Retrieved17 August2024.
- ^abTribune Web Desk (4 March 2024)."Millennia of history beckons, Himachal's oldest fort in Kangra stands tall".The Tribune.Retrieved16 August2024.
- ^"Royal Kangra - Forts of Kangra".royalkangra.Archivedfrom the original on 21 May 2024.Retrieved2 October2023.
- ^Sen, Sailendra (2013).A Textbook of Medieval Indian History.Primus Books. pp. 165–166.ISBN978-9-38060-734-4.
- ^"Jahangir's Conquest of Kangra and Kistwar".10 March 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 4 February 2019.Retrieved1 July2018.
- ^"Kangra".Ekaant.Season 2. Episode 7 (in Hindi). 2015.EPIC.
- ^Sidhu, Amarpal Singh (2016). "Chronology".The Second Anglo-Sikh War.John Chapple (1st ed.). United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Amberley Publishing Limited.ISBN9781445650241.
- ^Jeratha, Aśoka (2000),Forts and Palaces of the Western Himalaya,Indus Publishing, p. 31,ISBN9788173871047
Further reading
[edit]
- Hutchinson, J. & J. PH Vogel (1933).History of the Panjab Hill States,Vol. I. 1st edition: Govt. Printing,Lahore,Punjab, Pakistan. 1933. Reprint 2000. Department of Language and Culture, Himachal Pradesh. Chapter IV Kangra State, pp. 98–198.
- Royal Family of Kangra and the Durbar-e-Amm museum society.Kangra.Date unknown. Purchased in 2010 in Kangra.
