Gohad Fort
Encyclopedia
Gohad Fort is situated at Gohad
city in Bhind district
of Madhya Pradesh
, India
. It is located at 26° 25' 34N and 78° 26' 41E. The town is situated at a distance of 45 km from Gwalior.
and William Cook
, people of the Jat caste from village Bamrauli (near Agra
) settled the town of Gohad
in 1505. This later developed into an important Jat stronghold. The Jat rulers of Gohad were awarded the title of rana. The Rana Jat ruler Singhandev II founded Gohad fort and the Gohad state in 1505. Gohad state had 360 forts and fortresses all around for the protection of their people. Out of these Gohad fort is most important and unique example architecture of Jat rulers. It had the same style of architecture as used by the Jat rulers in Bharatpur Fort.
mm
The fort has 7 gates named after the villages to which they face and the way they lead to. These are Itayli (in south), Barthara (in west), Gohadi (in northwest), Birkhari (in northeast), Kathwan (in east), Kharaua (in southeast) and Saraswati.
inside this wall except ‘Navin Mahal’ constructed all the important buildings.
The building material used for the construction of fort was locally available stone, the lime mortar and bricks. Rana Singhandev II had founded Gohad fort but Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana
, Maharaja Chhatra Singh
and Maharaja Kirat Singh
did the major construction works.
‘Navin Mahal’, constructed by Maharana Chhatra Singh
, is the most attracting building used now as government offices. This has got Diwane Ām, Diwane Khās and other offices needed at that time. The architectural peculiarity of this building was that the King could reach the top storey riding on horse through a gently sloped rounded ramp. Other buildings are Khās Mahal, Shish Mahal, Sāt-Bhānwar, Deoghar, Khās Darbār, Ām Darbār, Bhandār Grih and Rāni Bāgh. There are temples of Rāma Jānaki, Laxman, Rādhā Krirshna, Shiva and Markandeshwar. There are also ponds namely Rāmsāgar, Bhimsāgar, Laxmantāl etc.
Maharaja Chhatra Singh
had also constructed a palace, called Chhatrapur, on the hill top at Behat
village which was used as a summer capital by the Gohad
rana
rulers. Behat is believed to be the birth place of famous singer Tansen. It was a marvelous site surrounded by forests.
Gohad
Gohad , also Gohud, is a city and a municipality in Bhind district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. A town of historical importance it is situated close to the city of Gwalior.-History:...
city in Bhind district
Bhind District
Bhind District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India of Chambal region. The town of Bhind is the district headquarter....
of Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is located at 26° 25' 34N and 78° 26' 41E. The town is situated at a distance of 45 km from Gwalior.
History
According to Alexander CunninghamAlexander Cunningham
Sir Alexander Cunningham KCIE CSI was a British archaeologist and army engineer, known as the father of the Archaeological Survey of India...
and William Cook
William Cook
William Cook, Will Cook, Bill Cook or Billy Cook may refer to:* William Cook , founder of the Cook Group, medical equipment manufacturer...
, people of the Jat caste from village Bamrauli (near Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
) settled the town of Gohad
Gohad
Gohad , also Gohud, is a city and a municipality in Bhind district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. A town of historical importance it is situated close to the city of Gwalior.-History:...
in 1505. This later developed into an important Jat stronghold. The Jat rulers of Gohad were awarded the title of rana. The Rana Jat ruler Singhandev II founded Gohad fort and the Gohad state in 1505. Gohad state had 360 forts and fortresses all around for the protection of their people. Out of these Gohad fort is most important and unique example architecture of Jat rulers. It had the same style of architecture as used by the Jat rulers in Bharatpur Fort.
mm
The site of fort
The site of Gohad fort was selected strategically on the Vaisli River where it takes a circular turn. The Gohad fort is in circular shape. It is protected by the rampart constructed around the fort in a length of 5 km. The river was dug and flow of river was extended up to the fort to take a semi circular shape.The fort has 7 gates named after the villages to which they face and the way they lead to. These are Itayli (in south), Barthara (in west), Gohadi (in northwest), Birkhari (in northeast), Kathwan (in east), Kharaua (in southeast) and Saraswati.
Defence strategy
The fort was protected with four lines of defence. Constructing an outer rampart of 10-metre height surrounded with a trench created the first line of defence. Depositing the soil dug out from the trench inside the outer rampart created the second line of defence. Constructing a pucca trench with higher wall created the third line of defence. This wall 1 km in length, was safeguarded by Laxman Tal (pond) and deep Vaisli River. This wall had two gates namely ‘Hathai paur’ (east) and Sankal gate (west). Constructing a very high and the strongest wall half km long created the fourth line of defence. This was for the personal safety of the King and his places. Maharana Chhatra SinghChhatar Singh
Maharaja Chhatar Singh Rana was the ruler of Gohad Jat state in Madhya Pradesh, India. He became the ruler of Gohad after the fall of Bhim Singh Rana. Rana Bhim Singh had no son. Girdhar Pratap Singh became his successor in 1755. Girdhar Pratap Singh was son of Samant Rao Balju, a family friend of...
inside this wall except ‘Navin Mahal’ constructed all the important buildings.
The building material used for the construction of fort was locally available stone, the lime mortar and bricks. Rana Singhandev II had founded Gohad fort but Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana
Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana
Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana was the most powerful ruler of princely state Gohad in northwestern Madhya Pradesh, India. According to Alexander Cunningham and William Cook, Bamraulia gotra jats from village Bamrauli in 1505 founded the city Gohad near Gwalior.Singhandev was the founder of Gohad state....
, Maharaja Chhatra Singh
Chhatar Singh
Maharaja Chhatar Singh Rana was the ruler of Gohad Jat state in Madhya Pradesh, India. He became the ruler of Gohad after the fall of Bhim Singh Rana. Rana Bhim Singh had no son. Girdhar Pratap Singh became his successor in 1755. Girdhar Pratap Singh was son of Samant Rao Balju, a family friend of...
and Maharaja Kirat Singh
Kirat Singh
Kirat Singh Rana or Rana Kirat Singh was the last Jat ruler of Gohad state in Madhya Pradesh, India. He was the first Jat Rana ruler of Dholpur...
did the major construction works.
Other important buildings
Gohad fort has following important buildings inside the fort:‘Navin Mahal’, constructed by Maharana Chhatra Singh
Chhatar Singh
Maharaja Chhatar Singh Rana was the ruler of Gohad Jat state in Madhya Pradesh, India. He became the ruler of Gohad after the fall of Bhim Singh Rana. Rana Bhim Singh had no son. Girdhar Pratap Singh became his successor in 1755. Girdhar Pratap Singh was son of Samant Rao Balju, a family friend of...
, is the most attracting building used now as government offices. This has got Diwane Ām, Diwane Khās and other offices needed at that time. The architectural peculiarity of this building was that the King could reach the top storey riding on horse through a gently sloped rounded ramp. Other buildings are Khās Mahal, Shish Mahal, Sāt-Bhānwar, Deoghar, Khās Darbār, Ām Darbār, Bhandār Grih and Rāni Bāgh. There are temples of Rāma Jānaki, Laxman, Rādhā Krirshna, Shiva and Markandeshwar. There are also ponds namely Rāmsāgar, Bhimsāgar, Laxmantāl etc.
Maharaja Chhatra Singh
Chhatar Singh
Maharaja Chhatar Singh Rana was the ruler of Gohad Jat state in Madhya Pradesh, India. He became the ruler of Gohad after the fall of Bhim Singh Rana. Rana Bhim Singh had no son. Girdhar Pratap Singh became his successor in 1755. Girdhar Pratap Singh was son of Samant Rao Balju, a family friend of...
had also constructed a palace, called Chhatrapur, on the hill top at Behat
Behat
Behat is an ancient town and a nagar panchayat in Saharanpur district on the northern tip of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located on the State Highway No 57 on the banks of Eastern Yamuna Canal, about 26 kms north of Main Saharanpur City, 190 km from the Indian Capital New Delhi, and...
village which was used as a summer capital by the Gohad
Gohad
Gohad , also Gohud, is a city and a municipality in Bhind district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. A town of historical importance it is situated close to the city of Gwalior.-History:...
rana
Rana (title)
Rana is a Princely title of Royalty in Sanskrit. Rana is used by the Jats and Rajput of South Asia. The name is usually interpreted to mean "Prince".Compound titles Rana Sahib, Rana Bahadur, and Maharana.-Royal title in India:...
rulers. Behat is believed to be the birth place of famous singer Tansen. It was a marvelous site surrounded by forests.