Kangra Fort, Himachal, India
We started early from
McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh carrying with us our heavy heart and unforgettable memories of the family trek
Triund Trek.
We took State Highway 20, passed airport
"Gaggal" , serving Dharamshala and
Kangra Valley and then at 16 kilometers from Dharamshala to the ancient historical and spiritual town of
Kangra. After paying our respects at
Shri Bijeshwari Devi Temple, we headed for ancient
Kangra Fort. We started early from McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh carrying with us, our heavy heart and unforgettable memories of a family trek "Triund Trek".
The Kangra Fort
We entered the fort through a small courtyard enclosed between two gates which were built during the
Sikh period. The fort was right next to Kangra town and stood on a steep rock in
Purana Kangra (translates to
Old Kangra) dominating the surrounding beautiful valley, built strategically at the
"sangam" confluence (places where two rivers meet) of
Banganga and
Majhi rivers.
* History: The Kangra Fort was built by the royal Rajput family of Kangra (the Katoch dynasty), which traces its origins to the ancient Trigarta Kingdom, mentioned in the Mahabharata epic. It is the largest fort in the Himalayas and probably the oldest dated fort in India.The fort of Kangra was taken by the Mahmud of Ghazni in AD 1009. In 1337, it was captured by Muhammad bin Tughluq and again in 1351 by his successor, Firuz Shah Tughluq. But it was not completely subdued until 1622, when after a siege of fourteen months, it was conquered by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir who garrisoned it with his troops and appointed a Governor to keep the turbulent hill chiefs in check.In the second half of 18th Century, following the decline of Mughal power, Raja Sansar Chand-II succeeded in recovering the ancient fort of his ancestors, in 1789. But by carrying his ambitions too far he came in conflict with the neighboring hill chiefs, the Gurkhas.In 1804, crossing the Gadwall finally in 1805 the Gorkha army conquered Kangda valley across the Sutlej River after continuous fighting for three years. Till 1809 Gorkha Army conquered Kangda Fort. Subsequently in 1809 the Gorkha army was defeated and they had to retreat across Sutlej River. Concurrently as British East India Company was also in their expansion spree of colonization advanced up to Nepal’s the then border. Finally, with Maharaja of Punjab, Ranjit Singh was the conqueror of Kangra Fort in 1809. It remained in the hands of the Sikhs till 1846 when it was made over to the British Government, along with the surrounding hills.A British garrison occupied the fort until it was heavily damaged in an earthquake in the year 1905.SourceApart from it's historical and architectural significance, the fort offered an awesome sight! We really were thrilled as it was far above our expectations. We had a quick lunch of
Sepu Wadi(a type of Lentil dumplings in a spicy curry), a local specialty with rice and proceeded for our final destination of the day at 20 kilometers from
Kangra town,
"Masroor Rock Cut Temple", a rare heritage sight in the world! We passed the town of
Haripur then on SH22 (
Also named as Nagrota-Surian link Road) to our destination.
Masroor Rock Cut Temples
My goodness! What a remarkable group of rock-cut temples! A set of richly ornamented cave of 14
Nagara style temples (original 19, 4 ruined) featured out of
a single sandstone piece with intricate carvings, were a testimony to the exceptional skill of their makers. We saw an adjoining tank - large and rectangular - created from sandstone. It was nearly 50 m in length and was reputed to have water throughout the year. The temple complex itself was carved out of a rock (160) feet long and 105 feet wide). We were told Masroor temple is known as
Ellora Caves (
one of the wonders of the world in the state of Maharastra) of Himachal Pradesh. It is dedicated to the
Vaishnav sect though the place was originally a
Shiva shrine. We visited the main shrine called Thakurdwara which contained three stone images of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita and dominated the centre, Most of the sculptures were damaged and the complexes partly ruined. However, the mountain ridges at top offered a superb view of the low valleys; gentle hills and the surrounding countryside .The carved awesome panels had divine figures and images of the animals. Sculpturally the monument was a wonderful creation. And then we feasted our eyes!
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| The Himalayan range of Dhauladhars from MasroorCourtesy Niraj Bharadwaj |
Just around the corner were a few caves in another hillock of limestone, probably used as living quarters by sages in the ages gone by. And beside the reservoir was a secondary school. We moved far towards the north and witnessed the majesty of the Dhauladhars!
We drove back to McLaod Ganj by 6 PM on a scenic road, our eyes closed and the temple rotating in our mind in a slide show.
How to Reach
By Air: Gaggal (30 km) is a nearest Airport By Road: Transport and private buses from Nagrota Surian, Ranital road,Kangra Town. By Train: Nagrota Surian is Nearest Railway Station.you can also visit to near tourist places (Pong lake), 10 km from Rock cut temple and Tattwani village, on the bank of Gaj.(
some information taken from: http://www.trekhimachal.com/newsite/legends/masroor-ruins)Updated post of 11/02.2011
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