In the vast territories of Kutch, on top of a forlorn hillock stands the fort of Roha. Once the biggest jagir in the region,it now stands neglected and forgotten. A close observer in the tragic death of 120 princesses, the seat of brave rulers, home to famous artists, a once burgeoning and rich principality, this is a story of riches to ruins as tempests of fate took charge of Roha and reduced the stone fortress to whispers in the wind.
Roha was considered as the biggest jagir (estate) in Kutch, consisting of 52 villages. But now it stands aloof, silent and abandoned.
This glorious Roha fort was established in 1510 by Khengarji-I's younger brother, Sahebji, on receiving the jagir of 52 villages. The place henceforth came to be known as Roha. Pramod Jethi, the curator of Aina Mahal, Bhuj, stated that Sahebji's 8th generation, Thakur Noganji Singh completed this fort in somewhere around 1730. Other renovations we're further implemented by their successors, as per the needs.
Thakur Pushpindra Sinh, one of the descendants of Roha jagir claimed that Devaji, the grandson of Sahebji, initiated the construction of this fort. A local myth tells us that Devaji saw a dream in which the goddess appeared and asked him to build a temple in her honour. Devaji was bound to fulfil this and realised meanwhile that Roha would be the best place as his capital and henceforth, 17 generations survived in this fort thereafter.
The structure of this fort was in such a way which seemed that it was renovated further in different phases by their different successors. The central portion of the fort was built initially, with a huge wall encircling it. Keeping in mind the progress of the jagir and its population, the fort was further rebuilt and expanded in size, with another huge walls encircling them. Overall, this magnificent Roha fort was spread over an area of 16 acres.
Once upon a time, it was said that Roha was more prosperous and flourished than Bhuj which was a reason enough for the King of Bhuj to instil a feeling of jealousy within himself.
The construction techniques of the fort were way ahead of its times. The king and the queen's chamber was built on either side of the fort which was connected through a covered bridge, basically designed so that they both could meet each other privately without any further disturbances.
The spiracles( jharokha) of the Roha fort are considered as one of the finest masterpieces in Indian architecture. A wooden screen was placed within those spiracles and was designed in such a way that the queen could have a glimpse of the outside view, but the outsiders could not see Her Majesty.
Roha jagir was the biggest and most powerful jagir of Kutch. The Thakurs ruling there had the full authority of taking control over law and justice of that area.
One of the most attractive and fascinating spots of the Roha fort is the Jailhouse. The Jailhouse had an upper and lower chamber. The accused was put in the lower chamber. The judge (kotwal) would declare his judgement in the upper chamber. The accused was transferred to the main lockup room. In all, there were 6 lockup rooms in Roha Fort.
Roha is quite well-known for its stories, specifically the one associated with its name. One such story is about the Soomro princesses, who attribute their name to Roha as Sumri Roha.
The king of Umarkot, Bhoongar Soomro, had two sons- The elder one named Chaanesar and the younger one named Goga. Goga was more efficient than his elder brother and therefore was made the next king of Umarkot. This made Chaanesar very angry and he sought help from Alauddin Khilji. He made an agreement with the Khilji Sultan to marry the 120 princesses of Umarkot. Driven by lust, the Sultan could not refuse this offer and henceforth he sends his army to attack Umarkot. But when his army started assassinating his subjects, Chaanesar was unable to bear this horrific scene anymore. Goga was killed and Chaanesar, driven with anger and revenge, fought back with the Sultan's army with full force, but unfortunately, he too died in this battle. Before dying, he sent those 120 Sumri Princesses to Abdasa, modern-day Gujarat. The Princesses took shelter in Roha Fort and sacrificed their lives and took samadhi here consequently. Henceforth, this place came to be known as Sumri Roha. 200 years later, this Sumri Roha became the biggest jagir in Kutch.
Roha played a very important role in the history of Gujarat. But the question arises that what might be the reason that a place so magnificent is now standing in sheer silence. In such situations, we often tend to believe in myths and stories to seek those answers, which even history might fail to justify it.
During the reign of Thakur Vijay Sinh, the 11th generation of Sahebji, one beggar (fakir) used to come daily asking for food. Vijay Sinh, being a kind-hearted man, always treated that fakir with respect. One day, it so happened that the fakir didn't receive his food like the rest of the days. He came to know of Thakur's death and could not resist himself to see him for the last time. As soon as he approached near the dead Thakur, he sprinkled some water on his face....and miraculously, the Thakur was alive! Therefore the fakir made a request to the Thakur to erect his grave at the top of the hill whenever he would die. But the ministers of the Roha court betrayed their Majesty and erected his grave at the bottom of the hill. The fakir's curse came out to be true. The Thakur died without his successor and his brother's grandson, Thakur Virsal Singh was made the next King of Roha. The localites believe that it was all because of the promise made to the fakir, which was denied thereafter, that made Roha an abandoned place forever.
Another story associated with this place was that the king wanted to build a horse stable in his fort but he did not possessed any of them. A local man of the nearby village mocked him of building a stable without having any horse. This made the king very angry and he killed almost every villager of that particular village and took charge of those 40 horses left there. This mass killing left a curse on the Roha fort and it became one of the reasons for the prevailing silence of this region.
It was Roha's misfortune that it was ruled by those kings who were weak administrators in reality, who could not uphold the honour and dignity of the heritage left by their forefathers. The 2001 earthquake in Bhuj had adverse effects in this region, and the Roha fort was destroyed completely.
It's quite painful and surprising to see such a magnificent fort lying in sheer silence. Once the largest jagir of Kutch is now lost in the test of time. Even history plays such tragic games. Myths, stories, folktales somehow justify it's significance.....but is it the reality? Curse, bloodshed, sacrifices.....this is what Roha is all about. Though history failed to keep it alive, but it still exists somehow in these folktales...which might be true...or maybe not.
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