Kangra Valley- Kangra Fort

        Kangra Valley is a beautiful, valley in the lower Himalayas. Geographically this lovely valley lies in Punjab but after the reorganization of states it became a part of Himachal Pradesh.

         This region is commonly known as ‘Dev Bhoomi’ as it is believed that it is the abode of gods.  The fertile valley has been inhabited from Pre-Aryan times. In fact there is evidence that there have been humans here from the Paleolithic period. There has been mention of this region in the Rig-Veda, the Puranas and the Mahabharata.  According to legends, King Susharama Chandra, who fought on the side of the Kauravas, is said to be the founder of this dynasty.  The kingdom of Kangra was then known as Trigata and the town known as Bhim Kot. (Bhima, the second Pandava, is supposed to have founded this town during the period of their exile.) Later, between the seventh and fourth centuries B.C. this town was called Nagar Kot. Throughout history, Kangra has been known for its wealth and riches and attracted invasions from various outsiders.

       Our first stop in Kangra, was the picturesque Kangra Fort. This fort is situated atop a hill in the confluence of Banganga and the Patalganga (also knowm as Majhi).The fort was built by the founder (historical, not legendary) of the Katoch dynasty, Raja Bhuma Chand.

        The Katoch dynasty is one of the oldest Rajput dynasties and the Kangra Fort is one of the oldest forts in India and the oldest fort in the Himalayas. The history of the fort tells us that it attracted numerous rulers that desired to control it, as it was believed ‘He who holds Kangra Fort, rules over Kangra.’

                                                                                                   The fort, spread over a vast 

stretch of land is well protected from enemy attacks. It has not just high ramparts and walls but the steep cliff sides also act as barriers to invaders.  The steep cliff was not natural, it was man made.  Labourers were let down the side of the hill and had to clear the vegetation and chisel away the rock so that the steep cliff would become a barrier. But in spite of all these precautions, the fort was attacked many times because of the wealth it contained.

                                                    Before we entered the fort, we took audio guides. The history of the fort and various interesting anecdotes were made more interesting by the excellent manner in which Roshan Seth narrated them.

       We began the tour of the fort at the main gate known as the Ranjit Singh Darwaza. A path from this gate leads the visitor through the Ahini and the Amiri Darwazas to the Jehangiri Darwaza. This darwaza and the Amiri Darwaza were built by the Mughal governor of the fort after Jehangir defeated the Katoch ruler. (Akbar, having heard of the riches of Kangra had launched expeditions into the hills. The Katoch ruler was defeated. But as Kangra was too far from Delhi, the Katoch rulers took control of it again. Under the leadership of Shah Jehan, the Mughals again attacked Kangra. Twice, the imperial forces were repelled, but finally the fort of Kangra was starved into surrender. The Katochs came back to power only with the decline of the Mughals.) From the Jehangiri Darwaza, a path takes the visitor to the next gateway, the Andehri Darwaza. From here the path divides into two- the one on the right leads to an arch and a broken down building. This was a mosque from the Jahangir era, later converted into an arsenal by the Katoch rulers.  Close by is a stone  well. The women of the palace are said to have thrown themselves into this to avoid being captured by the victorious invaders.

             The path to the left, leads the

 visitor to the Darshini Darwaza, 

one of the oldest structures in the fort.

 This opens into a spacious courtyard around which were built many chambers.  The Lakshmi Narayan temple and the Sitlamata temple once stood grandly, overlooking this courtyard. The remains of these temples have exquisite carvings. The roof is made of interlocking slabs (an innovation in that period). Strewn around are a number of carved bases and capitals, over which we had to step to reach the temples. To the north of these temples is the Ambica  Devi temple, still used for worship.  Nearby are two small Jain shrines. One of them has a seated image of Mahavira, with an inscription dating it to 1523 A.D. Behind the Ambica Devi temple are ruins of buildings and some wells (covered with grill). The gold and jewllery belonging to the temples was supposed to be hidden in these wells. Mohammed of Gazni, heard of this wealth and ransacked the fort. He took away with him tonnes of diamonds and pearls, lakhs of gold coins and utensils made of gold and silver.

          

 

Between the Ambica Devi temple and the Sitlamata Temple, there is a flight of steps that leads one to the Seesh Mahal. Though the name invokes a glittering palace, all that one can see are blocks of stones and rubble, and a big terrace on the edge of which stands a polygonal watch tower. This terrace provides a stunning view of the surroundings- the snow capped Dhauladhar Mountains, the white sheep grazing on the green meadows down below and far below the clear blue Banaganga flowing as it has been flowing even before the fort came into existence.

       The Katoch rulers had to surrender the fort to Maharaja Ranjit Singh.  Kangra then became a part of his empire. The British took it away from the successors of Ranjit Singh. It became a British garrison till the devastating earthquake of 1905. This earthquake destroyed the entire fort- the temples, the Seesh Mahal, the chambers and other buildings. (Local tales have it that the earthquake struck and destroyed the fort as the king had built his palace on a higher level than the temple. Remember the fort was built centuries ago and the earthquake occurred in 1905, but that’s superstition for you.) The British abandoned the fort. Later, the ruins were handed back to the surviving Katoch descendant who,  after independence, merged Kangra kingdom with the Indian Union. Today, the Kangra fort is the property of the Archeological Survey of India.