The story which we are going to relive today, its main character is a fort. This fort has been claimed as ajinkya, meaning invincible. But still...this fort has been conquered thrice...then how it is ajinkya then? Because its story is wrapped around the tales of treachery, deceit and thumping rumours....and a history...which is still unknown...and silent, and unbelievable as usual....the story of ASIRGARH.
At the northern edge of the massive Deccan Plateau lies a forgotten fort that was once the key to open the doors to the Deccan, also called Dakkhani Darwaza. A survey by the British, extolled it as the strongest fort in the country and one that was never taken by force- depending on which version of its many histories you feel should be believed. With an antiquity that only grows older every time it is explored, Asirgarh is a treasure trove of fascinating spell binding stories so fantastic in their bearing that history and myth seem dyed in the same vat of riotous emotions.
Asirgarh fort lies 320 kms ahead of Bhopal. A fort as ancient and magnificient which was a dream for many dynasties to capture during Medieval times.
The forts were constructed earlier at such a height to protect them from impending invaders. By the end of the 14th century, the administration was ruled by Asa Ahir, who is considered as the pioneer behind the construction of this fort. Folklore states that the name 'Asirgarh' was inspired by his name. Its written history dates back to the beginning of Farooqi dynasty, whose first ruler was Malik Arza Farooqi, the chieftain of jagir of Khandesh.
The fort was spread over an area of 60 acres. Its way of construction was such that it really seemed to be a big achievement for Farooqis to win over it. History claims that Malik Arza's ambitious son, Nasir Khan wanted to exercise his sovereignty in the whole of Burhanpur. He made an appeal to Asa Ahir that his family is facing troubles and therefore allow the women of his palace to take shelter in Asirgarh. Asa Ahir accepted his plea and allowed the women of his royal family to stay in his fort. But Nasir Khan, occupied with his ambition to conquer Asirgarh, sent 5000
palanquins to the fort, who were actually soldiers in disguise of women. Asa Ahir stood at the main entrance to receive the newly arrived guests as a part of the royal tradition, but as fate would have it, the soldiers came out of the palanquin, Asa Ahir was murdered and Nasir Khan easily entered the fort with his army and took charge over it.
This story has quite a similar resemblance to Greek Mythology, the story of Trojan Horse where the Greek soldiers used the same tactics to win over Troy. Its quite strange...that we are familiar to the stories of other countries...but aloof from our very own history.
To make the security of the fort even more tight, the Faaroqis designed the fort in such a way that only the terrace could be visible to outsiders. Various pothole type structures were made on the terrace, which actually served as ventilators.
The fort was built in 3 stages....The uppermost level is called Asirgarh, the middle level is the wall encircling the mountains called Kamargarh and the bottom area was called Malaygarh and Tamalgarh. Basically the fort was designed in such a way, that the invaders would have to cross these 3 levels to take over the fort completely.
Asirgarh was one of the powerful forts of Farooqis in Khandesh which comprised of a mosque, an administrative building and resthouses for soldiers with proper food supply. The processions of the royal court were held in front of the mosque.
Surprisingly, this abandoned fort has got connections with Mahabharat also. A popular myth prevails here that Ashwathama killed all the five Pandava sons to avenge his father Guru Dronacharya's death. As a result, Lord Krishna cursed Ashwathama and said that he will bear the load of all people’s misdeeds on his shoulder, and he will roam around alone like an apparition without getting any affection or sympathy.
This curse is said to continue till the end of Kalyuga. It is believed that when Kalyuga comes to an end, Ashwathama would be the tenth avatar of Lord Vishnu and would get rid of that curse.
Nonetheless, local people still believe that Ashwathama has been roaming around Asirgarh Fort for the past 5000 years. Some people also believe that Ashwathama wanders around the fort during night time, and stops people for turmeric and oil to heal his bleeding forehead. Till date, it is said that anybody, who has seen him has either lost his mental stability or gone mad.
Another reason of this fort being abandoned was the tragic way in which the accused were punished. A long tunnel with sharp wooden nails was engraved on the other side of the fort. It is said that whoever was given a death sentence by the king, was thrown alive into that tunnel, and the latter would get stuck between those nails, his body hanging till death.
Another history states that apart from Farooqis, the great Mughal Emperor Akbar wanted to place his foot on this fort as a part of his Deccan annexation policy. Eventually he also captured this fort by deceiving one of the Farooqi badshah, Bahadur Shah. But this theory is yet controversial.
The Deccan wars were in continuation till the reign of Aurangazeb. Later it fell into the hands of the Marathas, and the British eventually paid ₹7 lakh to acquire the fort from them. This was the last major fort that had escaped British control, and after signing a treaty in 1819 at the end of the Third Anglo-Maratha War, a message was sent to British headquarters that they had finally conquered India. The remains of British barracks, a prison, church, cemetery and phansi ghar (gallows), hint at a once flourishing British cantonment.
The British appointed a small troupe of his army here uptil 1904, and when the last troupe was withdrawn, this magnificient fort became neglected and abandoned forever.
It seems really tragic and unfortunate to witness the magnificence of this fort lying in sheer silence. The strongest and impregnable fort of its times now stands aloof, unknown and abandoned. The silence prevailing here still echoes of its time, seems like they want to convey their story, but the fate has somehow sealed their lips. These stories...Is it a myth or rumour....only time can justify it.
#asirgarh #burhanpur #khandesh #asaahir #farooqi #mahabharat #ashwathama #trojanhorse #troy #maratha #mughal #british #abandonedforts #abandonedplaces #myths #folklores #mystictales #haunted #theunheardsecrets
History always amaze us.
ReplyDeleteNow I know a place where I can come to feed myself with India's unheard history.
Thank u so much🙏🙏🙏
ReplyDeleteThank u so much🙏
ReplyDeleteThank u so much
ReplyDeleteAshwatthama...hmmmmm.. sounds interesting
ReplyDeleteIndeed!!! Thanks for reading🙏
Deleteawesome read I must say!
ReplyDeletethanks a ton!!
ReplyDelete