Forts - 3

Nagarkot - The Kangra Fort

Kangra painting is a gift that India has given to the world. It belongs to the Pahari School and had the patronage of the Rajput kings during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. What is interesting is that it was under Maharajah Sansar Chand (1765 – 1823), of the Katoch Dynasty that this form of painting really grew and flourished. The drawings are very fluid, lyrical and natural and there is a certain freshness about the paintings because of the colours that are used. The theme for Kangra paintings is the eternal love of Radha and Lord Krishna. The faces are beautifully and realistically drawn and shaded so that they almost look like porcelain. The female form is exceptionally lovely. Plants, creepers, and other foliage are drawn in so that there is a lot of verdant greenery present, in many shades of green. Springs, rivulets and brooks are drawn into the landscape. There are paintings of the night. Storms, rain and lightening are other settings that are used expertly. Kangra paintings are exquisitely simple as well as elaborately complex. Often there are towns shown in the distance. Kangra painters used many shades of the primary colours to achieve the delicacy and freshness that are characteristic of this school. The colours themselves were extracted from vegetables and minerals.

In order to honour the patron of this wonderful art form, we need to go back in time to learn about the Katoch Dynasty of Kangra.

Kangra is a town in what was known as North Trigartha. The kingdom of Trigartha is as ancient as the Mahabharata and extended right up to the areas we know as the Punjab, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, as well as parts of the Jammu region and Multan (now in Pakistan). Trigartha denoted the land of the three rivers, the Ravi, the Beas and the Sutlej. The Trigartha kings belonged to the Katoch Dynasty. They were of Rajput origin and of the Chandravanshi Kshatriya lineage i.e., warriors from the Vedic Moon God. These fearless warriors were expert sword (kharag) fighters. In fact, there is a legend which claims that the very first Raja of the Katoch family of the House of Kangra, came to life from the perspiration on the brow of the goddess who is enshrined at Kangra. This was in the year 4300 BC, and the king was Rajnaka Bhoomi Chandra. He was the founder of the Katoch Dynasty and the first of 500 kings of this line.

In 3000 BC, the Katoch kings fought against the Lord Rama. 1500 BC saw the Trigartha kings as Duryodhana’s allies, and consequently enemies of the Pandavas. During the war the Trigartha kings were killed by Arjuna. In fact, Raja Sushrma Chandra, who was the 234th Raja, fought against Arjuna. The story of the Kurukshetra war is recorded in the history of the Katoch Dynasty. It was Raja Sushrma Chandra’s son who built the Kangra Fort. This fort came to be called Nagarkot, Kot Kangra and Sushrmapura. In 500 BC, Alexander fought against the 280th ruler of the Katoch Dynasty – Rajanaka Parmanand Chandra, also known as Porus. The war between Alexander and Porus on the battlefield of Chillianwala (now in Pakistan), is legendary. The story goes that when Alexander faced the army of Porus, it was Porus’ army which was on elephants that was winning the war. Alexander cleverly had Porus’ elephant attacked. When Porus fell, the other elephants ran wild and retreated in a stampede. Porus was chained and brought to Alexander. Alexander was very impressed with the tall, handsome and utterly fearless Porus. When Alexander asked Porus how he wanted to be treated, the proud Raja’s answer was that he wanted to be treated like a king. This reply made a deep impression on the mighty Alexander and he asked Porus for his friendship. He released Porus and restored his kingdom, adding some more lands to it. 275 BC had the Katoch kings fighting Ashoka the Great. They lost the war and with it large tracts of land in the Multan region. In 643 AD, during the rule of Raja Attar Singh, Hsuan Tsang came to the Trigartha kingdom. The Katoch kings were known to fiercely independent, as all Rajput kings were known to be. Rajnaka Prithvi Chandra came to power in 853 AD. He struck coins during his reign. These were in use till the 19th century.

There was a saying that the person who holds the Kangra fort, rules the beautiful and gorgeous Kangra. Enticed by stories of the wealth of the Katoch dynasty, in 1009 AD, Mohammad of Ghazni, ransacked this fort on one of his raids to India. His loot was such that a convoy of camels was needed to take the stolen wealth away. There is evidence that he took 7 lakh gold coins, 28 tonnes of vessels made of gold and silver, and 8 tonnes of pearls and diamonds. After this dreadful episode, the Katoch kings continued to rule over their kingdom. In 1337, Raja Priti Chand ruled the Kangra. It was during this time that Mohammad Tuglak, seized the fort. Raja Purab Chand wrested the fort back from him in 1351. Peace reigned for a time, till Raja Roop Chand decided to expand his territory. His army went right up to the outer limits of Delhi, plundering all that they could. The Sultan of Delhi was incensed and sent Firoz Shah Tuglak to teach the Katoch king a lesson. Roop Chand’s son, Singara Chand, then came to the throne and was the ruler when Timur invaded India. 1540 saw Sher Shah Suri capturing the fort, but by 1555, the Katoch kings were back in power. When Akbar came to power, he brought all the hill rajas and rulers under his authority, and though they rebelled initially, soon they too submitted to the authority of Akbar. After the rule of Akbar, the fort went back to the Katoch Dynasty. When Jahangir came to power, he wanted to annex the Trigartha area. In 1615, he sent two of his trusted generals Sheikh Farid Murtaza Khan and Raja Suraj Mal Pathania with an army of 12,000 men with artillery and sufficient ammunition. They laid siege to the fort. Triloka Chand who was ruling at the time, died in 1612, and Hari Chand, his four year old son succeeded him. Since the young Raja’s mother belonged to the State of Chamba, the Raja’s army was assissted by the men and materials sent from Chamba. The fort resisted the Mughal onslaught.

The following year Jahangir tried again. This time he sent Shah Quli Khan, Mohammad Taqi and Raja Suraj Mal. Raja Suraj Mal, however turned traitor. With tales of diseases that were rampant in that region, and by talking about the sheer impossibility of the task of taking the fort, he demoralized the men. Jahangir had to send an army to subjugate the Raja. Thus it was that the army of Sundar Dass vanquished the Raja and went on to attack the fort. It was not easy for him and he could capture the Kangra Fort only after they laid siege to it for a year and two months. The year was 1620. For the next 160 years, the Katoch Dynasty was totally eclipsed by the Mughals. Jahangir annexed the state, and left a garrison in the fort. In 1622, Jahangir and the beautiful Nur Jahan visited the fort. They were completely entranced by the beauty of the Kangra region. In 1781, Raja Sansar Chand wanted to recapture the fort and regain his inheritance. He found out that Nawab Saif Ali Khan, one of the Mughal officers in charge of the fort had delared his independence from the Mughals. He requested Sardar Jai Singh of Kanhaiya Misal to help him. Though the fort fell in 1783 to the combined strength of Raja Sansar Chand and Sardar Jai Singh, the Sikhs seized it. So once again, Raja Sansar Chand lost the fort. He then exchanged some of his territory in the Punjab with the Sikhs and gained his inheritance. From this time on, the Raja sought to revive the traditions of the Katoch Dynasty and revive its lost glory. He gathered all the hill chiefs under him and reigned supreme for 20 years in the Kangra, Mandi, Kullu and Chamba regions. He had a great Durbar Hall made where he used to meet with his people. This was a splendid structure and was called the Baradari. This massive structure was rectangular in shape. There were 11 arched entrances on each of the long sides of the Baradari. Thus there were 22 entrances to the Baradari.

On the days that the Raja held his durbar, the chieftains over whom he ruled used to come in through their respective entrances. On the short side of the Baradari, on both the North and South sides, there were 5 arched entrances. The courtiers used to come in from the North entrances, and the Raja and his entoutrage came in through the Southern entrances. The interior of the Baradari had a further 9 entrance ways. The arches were highly stylized. The Baradari was so well ventilated that it used to be cool throughout the year. A high dome covered the Baradari. The amazing thing about this dome is that it was made with small baked bricks without any iron at all. The mortar was made of lime and powdered brick to which was added legume powder. The walls had layers of plastered lime to create a marble effect. Exquisite floral designs and court scenes were painted on this. There was a large garden with a beautifully laid out lawn, and one can visualize courtiers and noblemen waiting to pay homage to the Raja. On one side of the lawn was a tank. During the festival of Holi, this tank used to be filled with coloured water. All the members of the royal household used to then play holi. He also built the Naughara or the office complex, opposite the Baradari, on the other side of the lawn. This complex set of buildings was for the administrative staff. It is two-tiered, and there are many rooms. The outer walls had niches for guns. There was an underground dungeon for prisoners. The Rani Mahals were on the upper strata of the fort. He proved to be a just, good and kind ruler. He was very generous and an excellent administrator. He was a brave and fearless warrior and a patron of the arts. It was during his time that Kangra painting flourished. He was a builder, and has many superb buildings to his credit. He also had many gardens planted. It is said that the garden that he laid in Alampur is as exquisite as the Shalimar gardens in Lahore. However, he was a very ambitious man, and it was his ambition to regain all the lost territory of his ancestors, and once again establish Katoch rule in the Trigartha region. In 1803 – 1804, as he tried to invade the Punjab, Raja Sansar Chand was bitterly defeated by Maharajah Ranjit Singh. The Raja never recovered from this defeat, and spent all his time towards the end of his life, with a dancing girl called Jamila with whom he was infatuated. The British, then, finally in 1846 took possession of this great fort. In 1947, Maharajah Dhruv Dev Chandra merged his kingdom with the Dominion of India.

The Rajas of the Katoch Dynasty were given various honours and titles in recognition of their valour and courage. These ranged from Maharajah to Nizam to Dharam Rakshak, to Knight Commander of the Indian Empire to Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. The greatest honour that was bestowed on them remained Himachal Ratan or Jewel of the Himalayas.

Shielded by the mighty Dhauldhar mountains, the imposing and mysterious Nagarkot or Kangra fort is built on a steep cliff, above the junction where the Banganga meets the Manjhi rivers. These rivers go on to meet the Beas lower down the hills. The fort sits at a height of 2409 feet, and the two rivers form a natural moat. It has huge walls rising out of the mountains as it were, with large black stones which were used as reinforcement for these walls. The first gate that one enters is the Ranjit Singh Darwaza. This gate is about 15 feet high. On either side of this gate are the ramparts of the fort, which are 4 kms long. Entering the fort through the Ranjit Singh Darwaza, we come to a small courtyard which has two gates facing different directions – the Ahni Darwaza and the Amiri Darwaza. It is said that the first Mughal Governor to ever occupy the fort, Nawab Saif Ali Khan, had these gates built. From here it is a steep climb by a long, narrow, tortuous road, going higher and higher up the sheer mountainside, till we finally get to the Jahangiri Darwaza. The steep road carries on through the Jahangiri Darwaza to the Andheri Darwaza. Just before the Andheri Darwaza is a path which rises to the west. Should you wish to explore this path, you will come to a wooded area, where you will see a mihrab. This is like a niche or an arched structure which points to the qibla or the direction of the Kaaba, in Mecca, that all Muslims have to face when saying their prayers. The mihrab obviously belonged to a mosque. Unfortunately, the mosque is in ruins, but it dates back to Jahangir. South of the mihrab is a stone stepwell. This is called the Kapoorsagar. There are the ruins of one other pond close by. There are other structures there as well that are in ruins. If one does a re-construct, one can piece together a complex that was beautifully designed. The point of wonder is that this elegant complex was built at such a great height, and must have been the reflection of a life which must have been equally elegant. Through the Andheri Darwaza, the road goes on till finally you get to the Darshani Darwaza which stands in all its imposing grandeur, with the statues of the goddess Ganga and the goddess Jamuna on either side of it. The inscriptions on the gates bear mute testimony to all the conquerors of this magnificent fort. There are statues, too, of the different gods and goddesses on the walls. This Darwaza opens into the vast courtyard which is paved with stones. Around this courtyard are built many rooms, which at one time housed magnificent wealth and opulence.

Other buildings inside the Fort are:

The Hindu Temples – in the courtyard that opens out as you step through the Darshani Darwaza are the intricately carved temples. There is a shrine of Ambika devi who was the deity of the Katoch dynasty. There are 2 other temples, the Lakshminarayan Mandir dating to 9 – 10 CE, and the Shitala Mandir, in the courtyard.

The Jain Temples – south of the Ambika Devi shrine are two Jain temples. At one time they must have been excellent buildings. Today, though they are sadly in need of restoration, as is the rest of the fort complex. One Jain temple still has an imposing stone statue of Adinath.

The Sheesh Mahal and the watchtower – this exquisite building is on the upper level of the fort. The terrace next to the Sheesh Mahal is large and the focus falls on the polygonal watchtower which stands here. It was possibly here that Sansar Chand must have stood on that dreadful day, when he had to give up his beloved fort to the Sikhs.

The Kangra fort was the scene of great valour and courage. The pedigree of this royal family, the Katoch dynasty, is written and preserved on silk.