Forgotten Footnotes in History - 1: Kangra Fort

For the past ten minutes, I've been thinking of how to start this post and go directly to write about the Kangra fort without mentioning McLeod Ganj, since McLeod Ganj deserves a separate post altogether and does not really fit into the present chapter devoted to forgotten places of historical interest. 

But I've failed to devise a way to skirt McLeod Ganj. So I will simply say here that you should plan a slightly extended stay in the idyllic hill station, so that you have the time to (try and fail and then try next morning, try and ....) wake up to the sunrise on the hills and the chants of the Buddhist monks in the monastery below, have breakfast at the beautiful, quaint cafes which await you if you explore them by walking around the narrow by-lanes, go trekking to not just waterfalls which find a mention on Google (Bhagsu, for instance) but ones that don't (Galu, for instance), make friends and visit the nearby villages in search of green (you know what I mean here if you're into green, at least). And definitely keep a half-day reserved for a visit to the Kangra fort. There! I've achieved two things - avoiding a separate blog post about McLeod Ganj by telling you all that I had to tell about it, and progressing with the narrative on to the Kangra Fort.

McLeod Ganj is situated in the Kangra district, and you have to descend only for an hour by car from there to reach Kangra Fort. For a nominal amount, you get to buy a ticket, and for a hundred rupees more there is an audio-guide to the fort, which I suggest you must opt for. (Audio guides do come with the caveat of being consumed with a pinch of salt, but the legends, the stories, the folklore and the facts all form part of an interesting hour long journey, all for a hundred rupees).

The fort is said to be the largest fort in the Himalayas and probably the oldest in India. It was built by the rulers of the Katoch dynasty, who trace their origins to the Trigarta empire that finds mention in the Mahabharata. Though the exact date of its construction is debated, the Kangra Fort also finds place in Alexander's war records, dating back to 4th Century B.C. 

Ever since it was built, the Kangra Fort has been subjected to invasions, some of them by legendary plunderers like the Mahmud of Ghazni in 1009 A.D. The walls of the Kangra fort have fortunately not disintegrated despite the continuous attempts at invasion and a timeline dating much prior in time to the fort's more celebrated counterparts in Rajasthan.

As I passed through the strong walled entrance of the fort that has withstood attacks for centuries, I witnessed in various places the stamp of the centuries the fort has borne. The architectural patters vary at different places depending on the dynasty responsible for the construction. The Kangra fort has legends connected with the temples, and the families and the treasury within the fort. And one sees all this while being encircled by the Kangra hills, and while overlooking the confluence of the Banganga and Majhi rivers. The fort makes travelling back in time seem almost real. 

The treasury, or what used to be the treasury, is now in ruins. Yet, it is still impressive, and reveals what could have been the obvious seductress for the invaders. A story associated with the treasury and one of the invasions is that when the Mahmud of Ghazni plundered the fort and took away all the gold buried in sacks in the underground treasury, the population of Kangra comprising nine lakh people gifted their saddened Katoch king a necklace by pooling in a coin each. This necklace is said to be the first 'naulakha haar' to have been made. The story is debated since it hasn't been documented anywhere. But if it were true and had made our king happy, let's not mull over the veracity of it. The imposing treasury is of course true and still evident.

Another disputed fact/interesting story is about the Lakshmi Narayana temple at the fort. This temple, constructed about a thousand years ago, contains a structure said to have been the first of its kind, carved out of a single piece of stone.

 

There are Jain temples along side the Hindu ones, demonstrating an era of rule by a dynasty of Jain kings. Discussion on different dynasties reminds me, the different doors and archways were constructed partly during the rule of the Hindu rulers and partly after the siege of the fort by Emperor Jehangir in 1620. Hence, they are named Ahani and Amiri darwazas, but every archway has a temple of Hanuman or Ganesha, the latter being common to other forts of North India too. 

Over the centuries, the Kangra fort has endured many dynasties attempting to lay siege over it - the Mahmud of Ghazni, the Mughals, the Rajputs, the Sikhs, the Gurkhas and then the British, who took over the fort from the Sikhs and were stationed there till the earthquake of 1905. The Katoch kings have ruled it for the longest time, and I am told that there still exists a royal family in Kangra. 

Today the fort lies, beautiful as ever, enveloped by the Kangra hills and guarded by the Banganga river. It doesn't have too many visitors frequenting it apart from photo-enthusiastic Japanese and Bengalis (Yes, I know). Somewhere, the importance of Kangra Fort could not find its place in our mainstream history books, to be told to the country. Beauty is perhaps often best left neglected, but I am not sure if I can say that about history.

 

Post-Script:

My driver told me that not far from the Kangra Fort is the famous Kangra-Mata temple, thronged by devotees. It is believed that the Goddess would grant the wishes of the one visiting her at this temple. I decided to take a tour, not exactly sure why, despite protests by my travel companion. We had to take off our shoes and walk through yards of carpets made wet by spilt milk to be offered to the Goddess. We couldn't go inside the temple because there was a line of about half a thousand people, some standing, some crawling. None of them would be visiting the fort, I thought.

Are we really so sure about God's residential address?