Garhwa Fort, Shankargarh, Prayagraj District – mystifying temple within fort walls

No one really knows but this fort might have been built to secure the ancient temples within the complex. The fort was built in the year 1750 but the temples within the fort complex could be more than 1000 years old before the fort was constructed. A fascinating part of history recently restored by the ASI. This is the majestic Garhwa Fort located on the outskirts of Prayagraj.

Location of Garhwa Fort, Shankargarh

If you are planning to visit this fort, it should be known to you that this is a really offbeat and offtrack place. Every day hundreds of pilgrims come to Prayagraj for Triveni Sangam holy dip and other religious rituals. But no one turns up at this remote location. There is literally nothing around. When I visited this place, even the road was dug up and there was a dust road for my car.

It is accurately marked on Google Maps. So you should not have any problem finding it.

Highway No 35 comes from Varanasi, Mirzapur to Prayagraj and then goes on to the historic town of Chitrakoot. Around 50 kms away from Prayagraj come the town of Shankargarh where you take a left turn for Shankargarh Town and right turn for Garhwa Fort. After that you are on the interior road which reaches the Yamuna River in the North. Also marked on the map is a bridge at the end of the road. But do not take this shortcut as the bridge is broken and you cannot use it to cross with your car.

This place is isolated and barren with lots of villages enroute. So it is best you undertake the journey in the day time and early morning. One another place close by is the Paranu Baba Mandir which has a waterfall in the vicinity. If you are planning a trip to Chitrakoot, then you can make a stopover here.

The fort is clearly visible from the main road.

About the fort

Archaeological Survey of India has done a commendable job in restoring this place and making it a wonderful destination for tourists. But there is a problem that you should be aware of.

Note for photographers

Cameras of any kind are not allowed in Garhwa Fort. This is the second place where I have been told that I cannot take camera inside. The first one was the ancient ruins at Shringverpur. The security guards there did point out to me not to take any photos or videos with my camera but I could persist. At Garhwa Fort however they kept requesting me not to do so. They were private security guards hired by ASI and had no written order nor there was any notice board which forbids the same. Bags and purses are also not allowed inside. That is still ok since they do not want anyone to litter the place.

The pentagonal Shiv temple standing in left corner of the fort is an imposing structure. It is visible as soon as you enter the fort. Square shaped from the outside, the fort is spread across a 2 KM area with four bastions in each corner. This Shiv temple was the main focus of study for historians and researchers.

The entire area in and around the temple complex was explored by the ASI and all the recovered artefacts belonging to various periods are now housed in a separate enclosure visible to all. Since the artefacts were made up of stone, carbon dating is not exactly successful. However by decoding the inscriptions on the stone, we are now able to date these idols. That is how the temple and fort was dated. There was also the locals who helped with information to establish the history of this place.

History of Garhwa Fort, Shankargarh

Vikramaditya Baghel was an important ruler of Baghel Dynasty. His reign lasted just 31 years, but in that period he did a lot of changes to his kingdom and subjects. One of the important step he took was to build this fort around the most important temple complex and pilgrimage centre of this region. To understand why he built this fort, we need to go into the history of Bundelkhand.

Bundelkhand regions comprises of 13 districts of both UP and MP. Water deficiency and soil infertility are the main reasons why this region never really flourished and prospered. Though this place is sparsely populated, it had strategic important because of its location, central India. Anyone who ruled this region controlled the pathways to an important region in the south, the Deccan region.

After the Muslim invaders entered this region to loot, this region witnessed a lot of instability till Bhimaldev arrived at Chitrakoot in 1236 AD with his sons. They belonged to the Solanki Dynasty of Anhilwara, Gujarat. Along with his sone, Anikdev, Bhimaldev founded the Baghel Dynasty and took the first steps to begin their long and uninterrupted rule over this region.

From 1236 to 1860, the Baghel Dynasty rulers through a mix of diplomacy and aggression kept their presence in this region and expanding their influence. They had to deal with neighbouring kingdoms and the ever towering presence of the Mughals in Delhi. Raguraj Singh in fact helped the British during the First war of Independence in 1857.

Bundelkhand and the Baghel Dynasty had amassed lot of wealth and part of that showed in the ancient temples, arts and culture which they patronised. This region even now is more than 90% Hindu means that the important pilgrimage centres would have been teeming with devotees all round the year. It is this wealth that attracted the Islamic invaders from outside the region. Plus the neighbouring kingdoms who had relative instability meant that they best option would be to loot the temples of this stable and prosperous region.

A permanent garrison of troops with fort walls at the least kept the small bandits at bay and at times even larger expeditionary forces. Plus a fort is a formidable obstacle to dominate that region.

About the fort – continued

The Shivling is missing from the temple and it is believed that the British must have stolen it. Two step wells are also there in the complex which have water all year round. There is a sculpture which has all the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu carved. The idols are carved from red and grey sandstones. Some of the sculptures have been moved to Lucknow Museum. There are famous rock carvings of Gods and Goddesses at their epic events in history. For eg the Shiv Parvati in the eternal embrace or the depiction of samudra manthan.

The temple complex was an important place of worship and the surrounding town nearby was called Bhattagram which was a big town during the Gupta period. Traces of this place still exist in the form of a village nearby. The decline of the Gupta period meant that the entire town got into ruins and disappeared but the temple complex must have endured.

There are staircases going up to the top of the bastions. They give a fabulous view of the complex.

The complex is divided in multiple sectors with pathways. Walking along the pathways will take about 20 mins which includes photography.

There are basic facilities but nothing else. This place that way is very very isolated. There is rudimentary old fashioned public transport. The nearest civilisation is Shankargarh town.

Above pictures are a view from the main road. There are a couple of these Shivlings outside the fort walls with no markings at all. They could have been part of this complex.

ASI has plans for developing this place. Once the road comes up and the bridge across the river is restored, this place is likely to become a big tourist hub in the future.