Bathinda/PunjabBathinda Fort is buzzing with activity. As thousands of visitors keep flocking to the site every day, a special team of 30 to 40 people from the Archaeological Survey of India has finally started repairing the damaged parts and strengthening the fragile parts of what remains. Agreed Being the oldest surviving fort in India.
Also called Qila Mubarak, this serene, ancient fort has withstood the ravages of conquerors for at least 1,600 years. Spread over 15 acres, it is a complete contrast to the crooked lanes of the sprawling Bathinda market. Over 100 feet tall, it stands tall and proud in the heart of Punjab.
However, maintaining the Bathinda Fort is a challenge.
The fort was constructed with mud bricks. Many bastions of the fort have collapsed over the years. Due to the Kovid epidemic, its condition has worsened due to non-repair for two years. According to ASI officials, one of the main bastions of the fort partially collapsed in 2022.
A steady flow of visitors throughout the year is also a challenge. On an average, Bathinda Fort receives over 4,000 to 5,000 visitors every day, and the number reaches 10,000 on weekends. It also houses Gurdwara Qila Mubarak, which was built in the early 19th century to mark the visit of the last Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh. On Gurpurab and other holy days, the number of people reaches up to one lakh even in a single day.
There is no ticket purchase required to visit Qila Mubarak, and unlike most other historical sites, it remains open to visitors until 9 pm. The major gurudwara is the draw for the religious people.
“For history buffs and tourists, this [Bathinda Fort] connects ancient India to medieval India, and for hundreds of residents of Bathinda, it is the calm, serene place where everyone flocks at the end of their day,” says Gurdeep Singh, ASI, caretaker of the fort Are.
And it is a source of income for the shop owners in the narrow lanes around the fort.
“The market benefits from it. When we were little kids, our parents would regularly bring us to the fort on Sundays,” says Vijay Goel, a toy shop owner in Bathinda market.
Stories like the imprisonment of Razia Sultan, the first female ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, in Qila Mubarak and Prithviraj Chauhan wresting control of the fort from Muhammad Ghori add to its charm.
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witness to ancient to medieval history
The citadel that was broken last year contained the Rani Mahal – a room where Razia Sultan was held captive. It is currently closed to the public, and repairs have begun. The team is using thin tiled bricks and joining them with a mixture of lime and mortar as cement is not used in the conservation of such structures.
Unlike other forts in India, the Bhatinda Fort, which is believed to have been built by Raja Dab (90–110 AD), has a very simple layout which points to its antiquity. It is not standing on the top of a hill but on a high ground, with 32 small and four big bastions at the four corners.
“The fort has only one entrance on the eastern face. The gateway is a three-storied structure showing Mughal features. The huge doors are pointed. They are surrounded by two major bastions on either side. At the top of one of these burjs is the Rani Mahal,” says Singh.
The fort is also listed as a monument of national importance by the ASI. “As per ASI records, the fort may have been built around the 6th century AD as a defense against the invading Huns,” says Mr. Om, who oversees the maintenance of the fort as custodian of the ASI in Bathinda.
Bathinda Fort has more medieval history. “Bathinda was the capital of Shahi King Jaipal. Mahmud of Ghazni captured this fort in the 11th century after the defeat of Raja Jaipal and burnt himself on a pyre.
The fort played a central role during this turbulent period. Muhammad Ghori attacked its strongholds in 1191 AD. Bathinda was then ‘Tabarhinda’. Although some historians argue [about] Tabarhinda is either Bathinda or Sirhind, most agree that the Tabarhinda referred to in medieval texts is Bathinda,” says Sri Om. Ghori’s move forced Prithviraj Chauhan to go to Tabarhinda and win back the fort in the famous First Battle of Tarain. Gave.
More than a century later, in 1240 AD, Malik Ikhtiyar-ud-din Altuniya, the governor of Bathinda under the Delhi Sultanate, imprisoned Razia Sultana in Qila Mubarak. Her lover Yakut was dead. But in the prison of this fort, the childhood friendship of Razia Sultan and Altunia blossomed again. The two reconciled, raised an army and raised a rebellion against the nobility but failed.
Bathinda Fort was also one of the most strategically located defense structures between Multan and Delhi. “Later, during the Mughal period, this fort was an important route to Lahore,” says Mr. Om.
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a fort for relief
Bathinda Fort consists of a main hall, adjoining adjoining rooms and balconies. There are very few rooms, says Gurdeep Singh. “It can be said with certainty that this fort was not designed to hold a large population unlike other forts. It could have been used for traveling or as a temporary respite for warring armies,” he said. said further.
On top of another raised structure to the right of the entrance is the Gurdwara Qila Mubarak, which was built by Maharaja Karam Singh of Patiala.
“Some of that part required repairs, so the Guru Granth Sahib was shifted inside the fort to a raised platform in front of the entrance. This raised platform was probably originally a muster and parade area,” Singh They say.
Since the raised platform space is more open, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which manages the gurdwara, continues to keep the Guru Granth Sahib on the elevated platform instead of shifting it back to the original location. “Visitors pay their respects at both the original site and the place where the Guru Granth Sahib is kept,” says Singh.
There is an interesting story behind the visit to the fort of Guru Gobind. It is said that the people of Bathinda asked the Guru to see it. They believed that a demonic creature destroys houses in the surrounding village and lives inside the fort. Guru Gobind Singh communicated with Jeev, asking him what he wanted. The latter told the guru that he had been hungry for a long time and that if someone fed him, he would leave the fort forever. Then the Guru asked to bring a bullock from the nearby village of Nat Bangar. After eating whatever the Guru gave, the creature left the fort and the village in peace.
“We are told that whatever we ask for in this Gurdwara is fulfilled by Guru Sahib. I have come here with my family to thank Guru Sahib for the treatment of my mother.
under the weight of time
The fragility of the structure which is currently under repair is posing a major challenge for the conservators. ASI staff say that this slows down the work.
The walls are carved with at least seven different types of bricks, which testify to different periods of India’s history. Each conqueror later left his mark on the structure.
“Since clay bricks do not last long, they were replaced by smaller bricks Nanak Shahi Somewhere bricks, somewhere solid bricks, says Shri Om.
(Edited by Hamra Like)