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The Gagron Fort is one of these six hill fortresses in the state and is mentionable even amidst the likes of the Amer Fort and the Chittorgarh Fort. These six are collectively coined as “The Hill Forts of Rajasthan” and are inducted into the UNESCO chart of world heritage sites. The history, the heritage and the magnanimity of the Gagron fort makes it a tall order among the many. Most of the forts built by the Rajput kings were either on elevated highlands or on a table top land by the arid plain or even by the desert. But Gagron fort is different and has a much more glorious topography. This is the only water & forest fortress in Rajasthan.
The Gagron Fort is surrounded by water on three sides and a dense forest on the fourth side. The fort is built at the confluence of the two small rivers of the Jhalawar region namely the Ahu River and the Kali Sindh River on the Mukundarrah Hill range. The natural protection of this land prompted the kings of Jhalawar, the Khinchis to construct the fort. The building started in the 7th century AD and was completed in the 14th century CE. The fort faced various invasions from the sultans before the dominant acquisition of the Jaitsi Rajput. However the first leader renounced the regality to attain nirvana. The fortress is the home temple of Saint Pipa. The magnificent Gagron fort is also a symbol of bravery and sacrifice as the Johar ritual was quite recurrent inside this fort. This symbolic Jhalawar fort is visited by every travel enthusiasts on their arrival in Rajasthan.
History
Even though the scenery, location and everything is beautiful, the history of the place can give you chills. The fort belonged to the Royal Rajput families and several battles have been fought over that place centuries ago. One of those battles is the ‘Battle of Gagron’ which was fought between The Rajput King Rana Sanga and the Malwa Sultan MahmoodKhilji in the year 1591. Sultan Mahmood Khilji was trying to intrude in a matter between RanaSanga and MediniRai therefore Rana Sanga attacked on Sultan Khilji to teach him a lesson and hence the battle was fought. In this battle The Rajput King Rana Sanga completely defeated the Sultan Mahmood Khilji, but the reason of the battle was not capturing a kingdom or territory. Therefore, Rana Sanga treated him with respect and released him after imprisonment of some time. He not only released him but also restored Sultan Mahmood Khilji his kingdom back. Sultan Mahmood Khilji had an auspicious crown and a belt which was passed on from generation to generation in his family starting from Sultan Hoshang Shah, as a gift Sultan Mahmood Khilji gave that crown and the Belt to Maharana Sanga. Maharana Sanga released Sultan Mahmood Khilji but kept his son as hostage.
Along with the Battles, the place has witnessed the act of “Jauhar” twice. Jauhar is a ritual which used to be performed by Indian ladies in antient times. In this ritual all the ladies used to dress in their wedding outfits, light up a huge fire and then put themselves in the fire. There was a reason for doing this. This ritual used to be performed when the kingdom was losing a war and the opponents were coming to take over the kingdom. According to Indian culture and traditions respect and dignity are more important things for women than their lives. If they won’t perform the Jauhar ritual then they may be slaved, captured or raped by the opponents. So, to prevent that from happening they used to perform this ritual and thus burning themselves up in the fire was the way of protecting their dignity and saving themselves from the upcoming torture of life. Not only the ladies but also their daughters, even the pregnant women used to do this. The spot where this ritual was performed twice called the JauharKund is still there somewhere in the Gagron Fort. The place is even considered to be haunted by some locals.
Forts in Rajasthan reminds tourists of royalty and bravery, of epic battles and valiant heroes & when battles were fought, sacrifice and brutality came along, and sorrow and death were not far behind. All these battles were fought to capture the hill forts of Rajasthan. If you paint a mental picture of what Rajasthan stands for, the hill forts will immediately flash before your eyes as powerful remnants of these long fought wars and battles. The hill forts were the first structures that were built by powerful Rajput kings, for protecting their kingdoms from enemy attacks was their first priority. Their elevated positions above rugged hills gave them an edge over enemies, & allowed them to monitor their surroundings. These were not small forts by any means, but massive structures, powerful enough to withstand cannonballs & fireballs & large enough to accommodate large armies. They were not only meant for defence, but their strategic location allowed them to control trade activities, & also served as royal residences, where kings & his families lived, along with ministers. You will find these hill forts at innumerable places in Rajasthan, & some of them are so magnificent that they have earned them a place in the prestigious list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
