| Fort of Rohtas-Bihar |
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About:
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The Rohtas Fort was constructed on a plateau over the top of a hill with steeply rising sides. The steps directing to the fort cut into limestone of the hill. Many streams crossed the plateau and the soil was productive, which help in easy growth of the crops, so that the inhabitants of the fort could hold out for months against an enemy besieging the fort. Forest and wild animals surrounded the hill and dacoits provided other natural and man-made barriers. Thus the fort could not be taken by force but only by deceit and cunningness.
It takes around two hours from Sasaram to reach the foot of the hill over which is the Rohtas fort. The fort is situated at about 1500 feet above sea level. The 2000 odd limestone steps were probably meant for elephants. For the visitor they are exhausting climb of an hour and a half. At the end of the climb, one reaches the boundary wall of the fort. A dilapidated gate with a cupola can be seen there, which is the first of many gates provided for well-guarded entrances to the fort. From here one has to walk another mile or so before the ruins of Rohtas can be seen.
The history of Rohtas is a long and chequered one. The old texts and inscriptions found near Rohtas suggest that the fort was in the possession of the Hindu king Pratapdhavala of the Japla dynasty. Other inscriptions cite that it was ruled by the Khayarwala clan who were sovereigns of Shahbad (the area now known as Bhojpur and Rohtas). The Hindu kings of Rohtas constructed a road through the jungle leading from the foothill to the plateau, did the fortifications on the jungle roads and the four gates on the four ghats. The main fortifications at the Raja Ghat and the Katauthiya Ghat can still be seen. Except from the matrix for making seals belonging to the 7th century AD king Sasanka, all other artifacts are from the time of Sher Shah Suri and onwards.
In 1539 AD, the Fort of Rohtas passed out of the hands of the Hindu kings into those of Sher Shah Suri. She Shah Suri had just lost the Fort at Chunar in a fight with the Mughal emperor Humayun and was desperate to gain a foothold for himself. Sher Shah requested the ruler of Rohtas that he wanted to leave his women, children and treasure in the safety of the fort, while he was away fighting in Bengal. The king agreed and the first few palanquins had women and children. But the later ones contained fierce Afghan soldiers, who captured Rohtas and forced the Hindu king to flee. During the Sher Shah’s reign 10000-armed men guarded the fort.
The Aina Mahal, the palace of the chief wife of Man Singh, is in the middle of the palace. The most expansive structure within the palace is however the Takhte Badshahi, where Man Singh himself resided. It is a four-storied building, with a cupola on top. There is an assembly hall in the second floor and a gallery resting on strong, engraved stone pillars. The third floor has a tiny cupola, which opens into the women’ quarters. From the fourth floor one can get a bird’s eye view of the surrounding area. The residential quarters of Man Singh were on the first floor, which was connected to the ladies’ rooms via a gateway in the east. An assembly hall, probably the Diwan-i-Khas or the hall or private audience is a little towards the west of Baradari or the hall of public audience. The hall is decorated with etchings of flowers and leaves, and lies on similarly decorated pillars.
Outside the palace grounds are the buildings of Jami Masjid, Habsh Khan’s Mausoleum and the Makbara of Shufi Sultan. The beautiful stucco style, with the cupola resting on pillars reminds of the Rajputana style where the domed structures are known as chhatris. This style had not been used in Bengal and Bihar earlier but its emergence at Rohtas was not surprising as more than half the fort’s guardians came from Rajputana. About half a kilometer to the west of Man Singh’s Palace is a Ganesh temple. The sanctum of the temple faces two porch-ways. The tall imposing superstructure corresponds the temples of Rajputana (Rajashtan), especially of Ossian near Jodhpur built in the 8th century AD and the Mira Bai temple of the 17th century AD at Chittor. |
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Location
info:
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Address:Fort of Rohtas,Sasaram,Bhiar,India
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District:Sasaram
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Nearest City:Sasaram
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Best time to visit: October to March
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Climate/Weather:
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Weather,
Summers 23°- 44°C. Winters 10°-36°C
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| History: |
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In
1558 AD, Man Singh, Akbar’s Hindu General, ruled Rohtas. As the Governor of
Bengal and Bihar, he made Rohtas his headquarters in view of its
inaccessibility and other natural defenses. He built a splendid palace for
himself, renovated the rest of the fort, cleared up the ponds and made
gardens in Persian style. The palace was constructed in a north-south axis,
with its entrance to the west with barracks for soldiers in front. The fort
is still in a fairly good condition. The main gate is known as the Hathiya
Pol or the Elephant Gate, named after the number of figures of the elephants,
which decorate it. It is the largest of the gates and was made in 1597 AD.
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Interesting
things to do:
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Interesting
things to Visit:
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The Tomb of Hasan Sur Khan:
The Tomb of Hasan Sur Khan, father of Sher Shah Suri is in a dilapidated state but retains the architectural beauty of the early Muslim rulers. Sukha Rauza is another tomb with a small pond, which can be visited.
Maa Tara Chandi temple:
The Maa Tara Chandi temple, dedicated to Goddess Kali is thronged by people during the month of Dusserah
Samrat Ashoka Pillar:
It is a four-storied building, with a cupola on top. There is an assembly hall in the second floor and a gallery resting on strong, engraved stone pillars.Visit the Samrat Ashoka Pillar in a cave near Chandan Shaheed in Kaimur hill.
Takhte Badshahi:
The most expansive structure within the palace is however the Takhte Badshahi, where Man Singh himself resided. It is a four-storied building, with a cupola on top
Aina Mahal:
The Aina Mahal, the palace of the chief wife of Man Singh, is in the middle of the palace.The residential quarters of Man Singh were on the first floor, which was connected to the ladies’ rooms via a gateway in the east. An assembly hall, probably the Diwan-i-Khas or the hall or private audience is a little towards the west of Baradari or the hall of public audience.
Jama Masjid:
Outside the palace grounds are the buildings of Jami Masjid, Habsh Khan’s Mausoleum and the Makbara of Shufi Sultan. The beautiful stucco style, with the cupola resting on pillars reminds of the Rajputana style where the domed structures are known as chhatris.
Ganesh temple:
This style had not been used in Bengal and Bihar earlier but its emergence at Rohtas was not surprising as more than half the fort’s guardians came from Rajputana. About half a kilometer to the west of Man Singh’s Palace is a Ganesh temple |
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Mobile
range info:
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How to
reach?
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Nearest Railway Station:Sasaram Railway station
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Nearest Airport:Banars/Patna Airport
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Road Transport:The state connected Rohtas district has an area of about 3850
Sq.Kms and lies at a height of 108 m from the sea level. It is bounded by
Bhojpur, Buxar, Plamu, Garwah, Aurangabad, Gaya and Kaimur dist.
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Nearest
Visiting places:
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Valmiki National Park:
Valmiki National Park of India are located just beside each other in the area of Valmikinagar around the Gandak Barrage. The park encompasses an area of 932 km²and is the oldest national park of Nepal established in 1973.Valmiki National Park and Tiger Reserve is another park located on the banks of this river. Valmiki sanctuary covers about 800 km² of forest and is the 18th Tiger Reserve of the country and ranked fourth in terms density of Tiger population.Valmikinagar is also a well-inhabited town located in the northernmost part of the West Champaran district, bordering Nepal. The floral and faunal composition of this park with the prime protected carnivores in the National Conservation Programme of the Project Tiger in the year 1994 was remarkable. As per Zoological Survey of India`s report of 1998 the Sanctuary is known to have 53 mammals, 145 birds, 26 reptile and 13 amphibians.
Gol Ghar:
This bee hive shaped granary was built in the year 1770 after the outbreak of a terrible famine. It is one of the oldest British structures in the city and once you reach its top after climbing a series of steps, you will get a good view of the River Ganges and the city.This enormous beehive-shaped structure was constructed as a state granary. A series of surrounding steps lead to the top of this huge building that commands a nice view of the river Ganges and Patna city.
Harmandirji:
Built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, this dome shaped structure houses many Sikh scriptures and personal belongings of Guru Gobind Singh.The shrine was built to consecrate the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru (prophet). Many Sikh scriptures and the personal belongings of the prophet are preserved in this dome-shaped structure.
Kumhrar:
Nearly 5km away from Patna, this is the site of ancient Mauryan capital Patalipra. A huge 80-pillared hall of the Mauryan dynasty is an important find from the excavation.An archaeologist’s delight, this spot is marked by a huge 80 pillared hall. It is actually the ruins of Ashokan Pataliputra which in its heyday was comparable to Venice of the East.
Jalan Museum:
The Museum has been constructed at the site of the fort of Sher Shah. The personal museum preserves a great collection of jade, Chinese paintings and silver filigree work of the Mughal period.The personal collection of Diwan Bahadur Radhakrishnan Jalan is housed in this museum. The jade collection, the beautiful Chinese paintings and the exquisite filigree work of the Mughal period form a part of its excellent repertoire.
Agam Kuan:
This archeological remains of a deep well is one of the major tourist attractions in Patna. It is believed to be associated with the time of Ashoka.Believed to date back to the Ashokan period, this deep well draws a large number of visitors.
Patna Museum :
Locally known as the Jadu Ghar, this museum houses an amazing collection of bronze sculptures and terracotta figures. Its most precious object is the Didarganj Yakshi.The museum displays a prized collection of archaeological finds from different sites in Bihar. Metal and stone sculptures of the Maurya and Gupta Periods, terracotta figurines, ashes of the Buddha and a 16meters long fossilized tree feature among the exhibits. Patna Museum. The museum boasts of an amazing collection of Buddhist art, dating back to somewhere around 8th century AD to 12th century AD. The most magnificent pieces of art consist of the statues of Avalokitesvara and Maitreya. Apart from that, the city also houses some large pillars and the foundations of a Buddhist Monastery, known as Anand.
Valmiki temple:
A Valmiki temple is called an Ashram, which means a hermitage or monastery. It is the communal house for Valmikis. The function of the Ashram is to serve as a center for building up the commitment of devotee’s and for transmitting the Ramayana’s message, and the focal point for the whole community to preserve their culture and traditions.The Ashram is open to all who wish to enter, anyone who goes to the Ashram is welcome to stay as long as they wish and are welcome regardless of race, gender, caste or creed.
Kutagarshala:
It lies at a distance of 3 kilometers from the main town and was constructed by the Lichchavis for Sakhamuni. A large tank, open courtyard and verandah are all that is left of this once famous monastery. In the north of this very site is the Ashokan pillar to commemorate the place where Buddha delivered his last sermon. Amvara or Amrapali’s mango grove: Amrapali the famous courtesan gifted here mango orchard Amvara to the Buddhist Sangha after she heard Buddha delivered his sermon. The ruins of Kings Vishala’s fort from whom the town gained its name, is also a major Tourist Attractions in Vaishali. Abhisekh Puskarini is the sacred coronation tank. The Japanese temple built by Nipponzan Myohoji sect of Japan is another interesting place in Vaishali.
Sonepur:
A small sleepy town close to Hazipur, Sonepur comes alive every year on Kartik Purnima when one of the largest cattle fairs of Asia is organised. A whole lot of people turn up to be a part of this fair from both India and abroad. The Bihar state Tourism Development Corportaions make accommodation arrangements in traditional huts for visitors coming to this fair.
Muzaffarpur:
Muzaffarpur is located 35 km from Vaishali and is also known as the lychee kingdom. In ancient times, it is believed, Muzaffarpur, along with the modern district of Champaran and Darbhanga, formed the Lichchavi kingdom. Today, the city is one of the most important one in north Bihar and has plenty of historical sites in closeby areas to roam around. |
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Nearest
Petrol Pump:
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prakash petrol pump:Sasaram,Bihar,India
Obra Petrol Pump:NH 98,Aurangabad,Bihar,India |
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Hotels/Lodge/Accommodation:
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Shershah Vihar:Sasaram,Bihar,India
Near Royal Hotel:Aurangabad,Bihar,India |
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Things
to carry:
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Tips
& Suggestions:
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Help
Line/Phone Number:
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Police Station:100
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Nearest Hospital:
Government
Hospital:Aurangabad, Bihar,India
Sadar Hospital:Bhabua,Kaimur,Bihar,India
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Society/Community Phone Number:
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Link:
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