Kangra Fort still a great attraction for tourists

 The Kangra Fort still holds ample interest among both locals and foreign tourists- thanks to its reputation as a fort of stability, strength and strong fortifications which posed daunting challenge to invaders that it almost remained unmolested, weathering all assaults on its towering ramparts.

The Kangra Fort is also unique in the sense that it finds mention in all histories- be it of Mughal, British, Sikh or Indian history, such an aweful reputation of invincibility it held for invaders. But it was highly assuring to find that Indians as a whole have not lost sense of history for, small batches of Indians kept pouring into the fort during the two hours that this reporter spent in the fort yesterday The tiresome journey from Chandigarh to Kangra dissolved in thin air once this scribe entered this courtyward of history ruled by Raja Sansar Chand Katoch.

Families were seen dragging their small children to the top of the fort- women who could not climb the steep steps of the fort, rested on the way to catch their breath, but their interest and love for history propelled them upwards- where once lived the family of Katoch Raja. Unfortunately, those royal mensions do not exist now. Raja’s living quarters were destroyed in the 1905 quake. But people still show great interest in the archeological remains. So much so that one tourist from Baijnath, Gobind Sood, was a bit annoyed when quizzed why he was undertaking such an arduous task of climbing this historic citadel along with his wife and a small child. “We need to tell our children our glorious past,’ quipped he. ‘This is such an ancient piece of our glorious heritage which held interest among people and invaders for centuries,’ he said further up.

It was also satisfying to find that the Kangra Fort has been handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India for its upkeep and maintenance which required expertise from those entrusted with the task of maintaining Mughal monuments. During the two hours that this reporter spent at the fort, he saw about 40 workers engaged in the work of restoration of those portions which had either collapsed under the weight of time or were on course of decay. The contractor on duty told me that the restoration work was going on non-stop to mend dilapidated parts of the fort.

In the 19th century Kangra was prominent in Punjab’s hilly states.. It had a powerful fort, no one knew who built it but it was known for its impregnability. Barring Ranjit Singh’s army, none could conquer it. It had 23 ‘burj’ (minarets) and seven gates. The passage to the fort is so narrow; it is just wider by a couple of feet than Jallianwala Bagh entrance; so an invading army was constantly under the firing range of defending troopers from the ramparts above. The Kangra region was ruled by Rajput Hindus in those days, who paid tributes to the Delhi emperor for enjoying the royal protection.

True, the Himachal Government has also done well to keep the interest alive by maintainng a museum on its premises which gives a peep into its past. The ticket to visit the fort has been kept to the minimum to allow every kind of visitor. No wonder, every now and then a carful of visitors keep pouring in thoughtout the day. Though the fort’s care has been handed over to the archeological department, yet the state government could do well to spare some funds to make the surroundings more attractive to lure more tourists to this historic site.

ORIGIONAL ARTICLE: Harbans Singh Virdi :