Garhwa Fort, Shankargarh, Uttar Pradesh


Garhwa Fort at Shankargarh is an 18th Century fort like construction which was probably created to enclose a group of ancient temples. Protection could have been the most possible motive for building the fort. Other reasons could be to keep a garrison of troops to protect as well as dominate the surrounding areas.

How to reach Garhwa Fort, Shankargarh

Highway Number 35 runs from Varanasi along the south of Ganga river till Prayagraj. From there is goes south to Jasra and Shankargarh. 

Prayagraj to Shankargarh is approximately 50 kms but will take two hours by car due to the traffic conditions during various times of the day. 

Highway No 35 further goes to Mau where there is a bridge to cross Yamuna River and then it goes to Chitrakoot and then further to Banda. 

The point where you reach Shankargarh there is a left turn going to the city and a right to the fort. 

The road going to the fort further goes towards the Yamuna River where there is a floating bridge. However this road is under repair and the bridge is also washed away. So taking this route you need to ask the locals. Much better is to stick to Highway Number 35.

Link for the location on Google Maps.

https://goo.gl/maps/MYkDGfRL5iwvw4Sb8

History of Garhwa Fort

King Vikramaditya of the Baghel Dynasty ruled the Baghelkhand region which mostly consists of dense forests and hills. He is credited to have built the Garwa Fort in Shankargarh. 

It is believed that he built a fort like structure to enclose several ancient temples in the year 1750. These temples have been dated to the Gupta period from the inscriptions which pre-dates the temples more than 1000 years before the fort walls were made. Those days this place was called Bhattagram. 


Originally they belonged to the Solanki dynasty of Gujarat. Their rule began in 1236 by the first ruler King Bhimaldev and went on unbroken till present times. It was their grandfather, Vyaghradev who took both his grandsons and migrated from Gujarat to Chitrakoot. One of the grandsons, Bisaldev, returned while the other one stayed to establish the dynasty.  


Coming back to the fort, it has four bastions at each corner to get a clear view of the outside and inside too. There are two old tanks which hold water even today. 


Another reason why the fort was built would have been to protect the temple and pilgrims from the incessant looting by the Mughals and other raiders who were there to loot the rich temples. 


A number of statues of Gods and Goddesses along with sculptures of important historic events have been brought in from various places and kept here in the shed. Plans are that this place might be developed in the future as a museum. That will really boost the history of the place and give a great flip to the economy of this region. 


There is an idol of Vishnu depicting all the 10 avatars. 


The complex is spread across two square kilometres. The highlight of the fort is the large temple complex which has been rebuilt from the ruins by the ASI. The temple belonged to the Gupta period and would have been a massive temple complex during its peak. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The fascinating story of Paranu Baba Mandir and Dari ki Mari Mata Mandir at Bargarh, Chitrakoot District

Image
 During the 15th century, there lived a local Brahmin priest by the name Prannath Dubey. He was fondly called Paranu Baba. He resided in the village Garwha near Mau in District Chitrakoot. During that time this area was ruled by the Baghel Kings. village Garwha was part of a large and prosperous city by the name Dari Garh.  Prannath was in possession of a divine sword which he worshipped along with his Kuladevi, Mari Mata.  The local king however wanted this sword to vanquish his enemies and use it as an instrument of power. Prannath however wanted to continue to worship the sword due to its divinity. Thus arose a difference of opinion between the two which led to lot of acrimony which ended up causing lots of hardships to the local people. There are many variation of stories about what happened next. Some say that the King obtained the sword by lies and deceit which Prannath took back after challenging the king. One version of the story says that the local king was actua...
Read more

Veni Madhav - the first of the 12 Madhavs who watches over the Triveni Sangam at Prayagraj

Image
 In the narrow by lanes of Daraganj is an ancient temple dedicated to an avatar of Vishnu. The familiar UP Tourism signboard in yellow and black reads that Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to perform his dance and kirtan in the courtyard of this temple around 500 years ago.  Why is Veni Madhav called the Nagar Devata of Prayagraj? The story of Veni Madhav is given in Matsya Purana, Agni Purana and Padma Purana.  After the great flood Lord Brahma recreated the Universe and to commemorate that event, he organised a yajna which is a vedic ritual for an auspicious beginning. All the Gods and Goddesses came to Prayagraj to participate in this ritual. Even Lord Vishnu is invited who is in between his yog nidra. All the people who are present there request Vishnu to take up permanent residence and presence in Prayagraj as the protector which he agrees to.  Actually Brahma conducted a series of 10 yajnas at Daraganj. The place where a Shiv Ling was made by Brahma is now the Sh...
Read more

Teesri Udasi Gurudwara, Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh - Where Guru Nanak Dev Ji rested on his way to Tibet

 At the age of 30, Guru Nanak left his village to travel around the world. People believe that he wanted to spread the word of God. But it is also possible that he went to seek enlightenment by meeting religious scholars around the world. Each of his journey was is called Udasis and over the next 24 years he undertook five journeys and covered around 28,000 kms on foot. Guru Nanak was born in 1469 which means he started his journey in 1499 and would have finished in 1523.  His third journey or Teesri Udasi began in 1514 and culminated in 1518 during which he covered places like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kashmir, Ladakh, Tibet, Nepal and Sikkim. During his stay at places in Sikkim, Ladakh and Tibet he must have come across a large number of Buddhist monks who call him by the name Rinpoche Nanak Lama or Guru Gompa Maharaj or simply Nanak Lama. All along his route of travel are evidences of his stay preserved in the form of folklore and ancient relics.  Buddhist Monks f...
Read more