Date: 28 Nov 2018
Venue: Dharmashala, Himachal Pradesh

The Kingdom of Trigarta finds mention in the epic Mahabharata. Trigarta spread until Jullundur Jalandhar in Punjab and covered parts of Himachal Pradesh. Kangra Fort in the Trigarta region perhaps does not go back to Mahabharata times. But then it has been around since BEFORE eleventh century.  It is merely 20 km from Dharmashala and we have been to Mcleodganj many times. Yet it was only this time, when we were in Kangra Valley attending Trigart Art Festival on invite from Himachal Pradesh Tourism, that we could make it to Kangra Fort.

Kangra Fort has a complex history. You get audio guides at the gate and it is well-worth getting one of those. To put it simply – the fort was built by the Rajput Katoch dynasty. It changed hands many times moving to Mughals and then back to Rajputs and finally to the British. It is arguably the largest fort in Himalayan region and perhaps the oldest documented fort in India.

The fort is at various levels and while climbing up, we could see various influences. A lot of the temple has been lost in the passage of time. From whatever remains, we loved the cosy standalone Jain temple housing Lord Rishabhnath inside. The other side was slightly concealed and when we climbed down to a courtyard below, we saw beautifully carved Ganga, and Jamuna statues. There was a Lakshmi – Narayan temple here. At this point it started raining and the dry stone structure around transformed to a beautiful moss green-brown earthy colour. It was November and the chill rose with the late afternoon rain. We were part of a group and everyone was pulling out their woolens.

It is a long walk up, but when we reached the top, the view from the sprawling open terrace was breathtaking. We could see a huge expanse of Kangra Valley. A loan dry tree punctuated the rooftop. It was like a sentinel from yester years and made us quiet and pensive.

We have seen forts in Gwalior, Jaipur, Kumbhalgarh and so on. But this fort in Himachal had its unique flavour. Dharamshala/Mcleodganj are popular tourist spots and the area sees heavy footfall. So if you are in this region, make it a point to visit Kangra Fort. Did we mention it is a shutterbug’s delight too and you would not be disappointed.