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Introduction :Large forts like Gwalior, Chittorgarh and Mandu, have

attracted both armies and travellers for Centuries but thereare many lesser known, smaller forts too. Many of theseare not very far from well trodden tourist paths. Here, wewill refer to the forts along Gwalior, Bhopal and Jabalpurcircuits.

Ater : Just a kilometre north of the Chambal river,stands the Ater Fort. A Bhadauria chief began its constructionin 1664 but it was completed by his successor, Man Singhin 1668. It is pierced by three gateways, of which thewestern gate is now used as the enterance. The mainattractions of the fort are the Khooni Darwaze, Badan SinghKa Mahal, Raja Ka Bangla, Rani Ka Bangla and Bara KhambaMahal.

Bajrang Garh : Situated on the Guna-Aron road,along the Chapet river, stands the fort of Bajrang Garh. Builtin the 16th-17th centuries by Chauhan rulers, the fort wascaptured by the Mughal emperor Akbar. In 1816, it waslargely destroyed by Daulat Rao Scindia's army. However,the Moti Mahal, Rang Mahal, Ram Mandir, Bajrang Mandir,and a stepwell within the fort remain well-preserved.

Gohad : The 16th-century fort at Gohad was builtduring the rule of a Jat king called Rana Singhadev II, butmost of its buildings were constructed by Rana Bhimsinghin the early 18th century. From 1707-1736, the fort cameunder the rule of Ater's Gopal Singh; until another Jat ruler,Chhatrasingh, captured it and ruled here till 1785. Its mainattractions are the Kachehari Mahal (court), Sheesh Mahal,Rani Mahal (Queen's palace), and hamam-khana (bath).Incidentally, Rana Bhimsingh built another fort, in Utila,

just over 20 kms east of Gwalior, in 1740. This fort is alsoknown as Ranaon ki Garhi or Fort of the Ranas.

Gulganj : The fort of Gulganj is believed to have beenbuilt during the 18th century. Local folklore associates thefort with Sawant Singh of Bijawar, who is said to have giftedthe fort to his concubine Gulbai. A two-storeyed buildinginterrupted by bastions, the fort is built in typical Bundelastyle. There is a stepwell within, built near a flight of stepsleading to the fort's basement.

Garh Kundar : Strategically located on theBundelkhand plateau, Garh Kundar is surrounded by steephills on three sides north, east and west. The fort is believedto have been built in the 12th century by the Khangar rulers,who dismantled the Jinagarh fort that stood here earlier.Soon thereafter, the fort came under Chandela rule, in 1182AD; and then passed to the Bundelas. The Bundelas rebuiltthe fort several times, but abandoned it in the early 16thcentury, when they moved their capital to Orchha.

This multi-storeyed fort is a square structure with twoentrances and octagonal bastions on its four corners. Typicalof Bundela architecture, the fort has a central courtyardwith chambers around it. Kundar is derived from 'kundarka'(kund means pond and arka means sun). Near the fort arethe two temples one of Gajanan Ma, around which theremnants of a pond can still be seen, and one of GiddhaVahini Devi.

Garh Kundar is an abandonedfort quite unlike anyother... How could a fort, forty kilometers from the nearestsettlement, be in such a state of relative well-preservation?According to the locals goatherds, who themselves neverventure into the fort, the fort is haunted. Bardic tradition is

SOTHSM Training Cell, IGNOU, RC, Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) &Ph.D., D.Sc., School of Tourism & Hospitality, IGNOU, New Delhi

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Impact Factor - 2015 - 2.782ISSN - 0973-1628 RNI - MPHIN-2002-7041

Unexplored Forts of Central India

DR HARKIRAT BAINS

The fort of Singorgarh may have been built by the Paramaras sometime in thefirst half of the 14th century. The fort was enlarged and strengthened by the Gond Garha-Mandla rulers in the 16th century; and later annexed by the Mughals in 1564. The regionwas then ruled by the Bundelas and Marathas, until finally coming under British rule in1888. A square stone pillar stands in the southeast corner of the fort, dated 1307 AD, andhas an inscription calling the hill Gajasimhadurg, possibly after a king called Gajasimha.It may be that the fort's name derives from the same root.

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of the opinion that anyone who attempts to spend a nightwithin is never seen again.' (Arjun Kumar, The Times ofIndia)

Narwar : Narwar fort is built on an isolated flat-topped hill of the Vindhyan range, at a height of 120 m.Flowing to its west, the Sindh river serves as a natural moat.

There are no conclusive records regarding when thislarge fort, with a perimeter of 8 kms, was built. It probablyrose to prominence under the Kachhwaha Rajputs in the10th century. The Kachhwahas held Gwalior and Narwarforts till 1129 AD, when they were expelled by the GurjaraPratiharas of Kannauj. When nearby Gwalior was capturedby lltutmish in 1232, Gwalior's Pratiharas retreated toNarwar fort and stayed here until they weresupplanted by one Chahada Deo, who assumedrule of Narwar in 1251.

In 1298, Narwar fort and town werebesieged by Alauddin Khilji, and remained underMuslim rulers for a century, after which theTomar dynasty ruled the fort till 1506. After aprolonged siege of over a year, Sikandar Lodicaptured the fort in 1506 - though he onlystayed for a couple of years.

Approached from the eastern side of thetown, the ascent up to Pisanari Darwaza (laterAlamgir Darwaza) is an easy one. From here,the ascent grows steeper, as one passes throughSayyidon ka Darwaza, Piran-Paur, GaumukhiDarwaza, and finally Hawa Paur.

There are many beautiful ruins of Rajputpalaces inside the fort, mostly along its eastern edge; somewith beautiful wall paintings and intricate inlay work. Thepalaces have a series of courtyards, as well as an audiencehall, pavilions and baths. The largest palace of the fort isKachehari Mahal. Nearby are other small palaces likePhulwa Mahal, Rewa-Parewa Mahal, and Damayanti Mahal.

Sabalgarh : Though thefoundation of the fort was laid by aGurjar king called Sabala, fromwhom it gets its name, Sabalgarhfort, in Morena district, was builtby Raja Gopal Singh of Karauli(Rajasthan) in the 18th century. Thefort has three entrance gates and afew temples within. Otherstructures of historical importancehere are the Kachehari Mahal(court) and Naval Singh Haveli.

Sheopur : The town and fortof Sheopur are supposed to havebeen founded by the Gaur Rajputs.Built in the 18th century, thearchitecture of the fort follows theRajput style, as evidenced in thetwo-storeyed Narsingh Mahal, with

its beautiful lattice work and palanquin-shaped entrance gate.The palace also has a basement, an open courtyard, and adiwan-e-aam. The fort's Kachehari Mahal is also worthseeing.

Islamnagar : The imposing ramparts of Islamnagar,built in 1716 by Dost Mohammad Khan, stand on theBhopal-Berasia road. According to the Imperial Gazetteer,Islamnagar was Khan's 'principal stronghold', until he shiftedhis capital to Bhopal in 1727. In 1736, the fort was 'greatlystrengthened and beautified by Baji Ram, minister to NawabFaiz Mohammad. The Scindias held the fort from 1806 to1817, when it was restored to Bhopal by treaty' (ImperialGazetteer of India, Vol 19).

Amongst the ruins that remain of the fort are the twobeautiful palaces Rani Mahal and Chaman Mahal. RaniMahal is a double-storeyed complex with a beautifulbaradari.

Chaman Mahal, on the other hand, is surrounded by agarden and spread over a large area, with pavilions decorated

Ruins of Garh Kundar Fort

Islamnagar's : Chaman Mahal, with its beautiful garden

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with floral motifs, depicting a synthesis of Malwa-Mughalarchitectural styles.

Gadpahra : Situated on a low range of hills, Gadpahrafort is approached by a steep road leading to its maingateway. Though its origins are not clear, Gadpahra fort mayhave been built by the Dangi rulers of this region.

The remains of a Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace), whichwas used as the summer residence of the Dangi rulers, maybe seen inside the fort. There is also a whitewashed templewithin, and a small lake called Moti Tal. The ImperialGazetteer, however, suggests that the town was founded byGond kings.

Ginnorgarh : Ginnor, in Sehore district, was animportant political centre during the rule of the Parmaras,in the 13th century. Besides, it was once also a strongholdof the Gonds under Nizam Shah, until the impregnable fortof Ginnor finally fell to Dost Mohammad Khan, the founderand first Nawab of Bhopal. Today, the fort, mostly in ruins,can be reached by foot from Delawadi, 3 kms away.

Dashapura : According to the Imperial Gazetteer,Dashapura fort at Mandsaur was probably founded byAlauddin Khilji in the 14th century. However, other sourcescredit its construction to Hoshang Shah, the 15th-centuryruler of Malwa.

Mandsaur and its fort played a significant role in bothmedieval and modern Indian history, with the Mughalemperor Humayun defeating Bahadur Shah of Gujarat herein 1535, and Akbar settling his headquarters here afterconquering Malwa. It finally went to the British in 1818.The fort came to prominence during the Uprising of 1857when it was a big centre of revolt against the East IndiaCompany.

Chauragarh : Situated on a peak of the Satpura range,Chauragarh fort is associated with the Gond rulers of the16th century. Most probably built by the Gond king,Sangram, it remained under this dynasty (despite anunsuccessful attempt to capture it by the Bundelas) untilthe British administration took over in 1818. Chauragarhhas three gateways. Within, one can still see the palace ofthe Gond king Prem Narayan, a waterbody called Rani Tal,an amphitheatre, and barracks.

Maihar : According to epigraphic records, Maiharstate was founded in 1778 by the Yogawat KachhawahaRajput dynasty, whose descendants continue to live in theMaihar fort-palace. Thakur Beni Singh Judeo began to ruleMaihar once he was given administrative control of the stateby the Bundelas, and his successors continued to do so untilthe state was confiscated by the British after the Uprisingof 1857. The fort was extended in the 20th century byMaharaja Brijnath Singh, who was an enthusiast of Indianclassical music, and also facilitated the birth of the MaiharGharana. In fact, Ustad Allauddin Khan, one of the greatestexponents of the gharana, was a Maihar court musician.

Today, the fort-palace is a heritage hotel, divided intotwo parts Hathi Mahal and Moti Mahal. Both palaces have

courtyards surrounded with rooms on two floors. Besides,there are large, well-maintained gardens, and a lake.

Rewa : Rewa fort was built by Islam Shah Suri or JalalKhan, son of Sher Shah Suri, in the 16th century, but wasleft incomplete. Vikramaditya Deo of the Baghel dynastycompleted the fort in the late 17th century. His son, BhavSingh Deo, built Maha Mrityunjay temple inside the fort.In modern times, major conservation work was done hereby Pushpraj Singh Deo.

Singorgarh : The fort of Singorgarh may have beenbuilt by the Paramaras sometime in the first half of the 14thcentury. The fort was enlarged and strengthened by the GondGarha-Mandla rulers in the 16th century; and later annexedby the Mughals in 1564. The region was then ruled by theBundelas and Marathas, until finally coming under Britishrule in 1888. A square stone pillar stands in the southeastcorner of the fort, dated 1307 AD, and has an inscriptioncalling the hill Gajasimhadurg, possibly after a king calledGajasimha. It may be that the fort's name derives from thesame root.

Vijayraghavgarh : Built in the first half ofthe 19thcentury by king Prayag Das of the Vijayraghavgarh dynasty,the fort fell to the British after they defeated Sarju Das,son of Prayag Das, during the Uprising of 1857. Surroundedby a moat, the fort has square bastions on its four corners.A Kachehari Mahal (court), hamam (bath), Rang Mahal(amphitheatre), and a stepwell survive within the fort walls.The Rang Mahal is beautifully decorated with paintings.

References :

(1) Goodearth Publications, Mandu, New Delhi, 2009.(2) Baig, Amita (2010) : Forts and Palaces of India, Delhi.(3) Goodearth Publications, Gwalior, New Delhi, 2015.(4) Goodearth Publications, Orchha, New Delhi, 2015.