Kangra Fort
Target of
numerous conquests
By Anupama
Mahajan
VISITING Kangra Fort is like going
down the annals of history. Most of it was destroyed in
the earthquake of 1905, but whatever of it is left
ignites one’s imagination and creates an aura of
mystery. Kangra Fort is also known as Kot Kangra or
Nagarkot. Its reference exists in the Mahabharta, which
states that  the fort was built by Raja
Susharma Chandra after the great war. The recorded
history of the fort begins from 1009 AD. The fort was
conquered by Mahmud Ghazni in early eleventh century.
The Tomars of Delhi
seized it from him and passed the control to the Katoch
rulers. There has been a long line of conquerors of the
fort after that. Akbar’s general Khan-e-Jahan
besieged it in 1572, and in 1615, Jahangir’s general
Sikandar Murtaza made an unsuccessful bid to gain control
of it. Jahangir himself captured it in 1620. Sansar Chand
II, the Katoch ruler, recaptured the fort from its Mughal
governor in 1785. Amar Singh Thapa of Nepal besieged it
from 1805, till
1809. It was surrendered to Maharaja Ranjit Singh under
the treaty of Jawalamukhi in 1846. But as other important
buildings, this fort too came under the British who
maintained a garrison there till 1905, when an earthquake
destroyed it.
The fort occupies a
large area enclosed with walls over a circuit of about 4
km. As you enter, there is a hamam, which consists
of an open tank with three rooms in front of the main
gate. The gate, presumably built by Sikhs, is known as
Ranjit Singh Gate. There is a passage beyond the gate
which has impressive stone carvings of Lord Hanuman and
Ganesha on its sides.
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to the ninth-tenth century. The temples
contains the shrines of Ambika devi and Adinath.
On the left side of the temple is a platform with a pair
of pillars. It was supposedly the durbar hall. As
many as 105 carvings sculpted on stone have been salvaged
by the ASI and kept in a shed. About 35 of them are being
retouched.
