Hill Forts of Rajasthan
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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Location | Rajasthan, India |
Includes |
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Criteria | Cultural: (ii), (iii) |
Reference | 247rev |
Inscription | 2013 (37th Session) |
Hill Forts of Rajasthan are six forts, spread across Rajasthan state in northern India. They have been clustered as a series and designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013. The hill forts series include—Chittor Fort at Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh Fort at Rajsamand, Ranthambore Fort at Sawai Madhopur, Gagron Fort at Jhalawar, Amer Fort at Jaipur and Jaisalmer Fort at Jaisalmer.[1]
Rajasthan has over one hundred fortifications on hills and mountainous terrain. The "Hill Forts of Rajasthan" was initially submitted to the UNESCO as a serial property formed by five Rajput forts in the Aravalli Range and were built and enhanced between the 5th and 18th centuries CE by several Rajput kings of different kingdoms. The Mehrangarh Fort at Jodhpur, is a hill fort but is not recognised by UNESCO as a heritage site. Some of these forts have defensive fortification wall up to 20 km long, still surviving urban centers and still in use water harvesting mechanism.[2][3]
Selection
A series was to be selected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site to highlight the culture and architecture of hilltop Rajput forts.[4]
The State Party of Rajasthan presented an overview of the process for the selection of component sites for the series of Hill Forts and the criteria selected. The criteria set resulting in the selection process followed the four following perimeters: The forts adapted to the Geography of the Hilltops, the fortifications were power centers, they included sacred grounds, and the fort was designed with urban settlements.
Rajputs adhered to architectural texts that categorized different typologies of fortifications based on their geography. The earliest literary references differentiated four types of forts; Hilltop Forts, Water Forts, Forest Forts, and Desert Forts. This series of world heritage sites was created solely on the Hilltop Forts of Rajasthan. This excluded many forts solely based on typology such as Junagarh Fort which is a ground fort. Furthermore forts that were not designed for urban settlement were excluded Mehrangarh,[5] although situated on a hilltop, was a fortified citadel for the court which lacked an urban settlement for the civilians. But it is not recognised by UNESCO as a Heritage site.
An initial list Forts of Rajasthan was created based on all forts recorded by the Archaeological Survey of India. Of the hundreds of fortifications, 54 forts were further examined as they shared integral characteristics of Rajput military architecture. The State party explained how from this initial listing, a smaller group was selected made of 24 of the most significant forts of Rajasthan which all shared key aspects of Rajput Fortifications. This number was soon shortlisted to 13. From this list five forts were initially selected, all of which were located on the Aravalli Range, and belonged to different clans. The sixth fort, Jaisalmer was later added into the series.[4]
Hill Forts
Chittor Fort
Kumbhalgarh Fort
Amber Fort
Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort is a hill fort that lies within the Ranthambore National Park, near the city of Sawai Madhopur.[26] It is a formidable fort having been a focal point of the historical developments of Rajasthan. The exact origin of the Ranthambore fort is still disputed but it is generally accepted that there was a settlement at the site of the Fort, as far back as the 8th century A.D.[27] The fort is believed to be constructed by the Chahamanas.[28] It is most likely that the construction of the fort commenced during the mid 10th Century A.D. and continued for a few centuries after that. In the 13th century the Delhi Sultanate captured it for a brief time.[29][30] The fort provides a panoramic view of the surrounding Ranthambore National Park and is now a popular tourist attraction.[31]
Jaisalmer Fort
Jaisalmer Fort is situated in the city of Jaisalmer. It is believed to be one of the very few "living forts" in the world (such as Carcassonne, France), as nearly one fourth of the old city's population still resides within the fort.[32] It is the second oldest fort in Rajasthan, built in 1156 AD by the Rajput[33] Legend has it that the fort was built by Rawal Jaisal, a Bhati Rajput, in 1156 CE.[34] The story says that it superseded an earlier construction at Lodhruva, with which Jaisal was unsatisfied and thus, a new capital was established when Jaisal founded the city of Jaisalmer.[35][36]
Gagron Fort
Gagron Fort is a hill fort situated in Jhalawar district. It is an example of a hill and water fort.[37][38] The fort was built by Bijaldev Singh Dod (a Rajput king) in the twelfth century. Later, the fort has also been controlled by Sher Shah and Akbar. The fort is constructed on the confluence of Ahu River and Kali Sindh River. The fort is surrounded by water on three sides and a moat on the forth side and hence earned the name "Jaladurg". The fort has reportedly seen 14 battles and 2 jauhars of queens.[39][40]
Gallery
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Vista ofAmer Fortfrom across the road
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Jain Temple inside Jaisalmer Fort
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Ganesh Pol Entrance,Amer Fort
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Sheesh Mahal,Amer Fort
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Amer Fort
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Aerial view ofKumbhalgarh Fort
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Trikuta TempleKumbhalgarh Fort
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Ranthambhore Fort
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Jain Temple, Ranthambore Fort
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Kirti Stambh at Chittor Fort
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Kirti Stambh at Chittor Fort
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Vijay Stambha at Chittor Fort
References
- ^ "The Hill Forts of Rajasthan - a UNESCO World Heritage Site, 2013". UNESCO - Official Website.
- ^ UNESCO series has been increased to six forts
- ISBN 978-81-7387-135-1
- ^ a b "The Fantastic 5 Forts: Rajasthan Is Home to Some Beautiful Forts, Here Are Some Must-See Heritage Structures". DNA : Daily News & Analysis. 28 January 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "History - Mehrangarh Museum Trust".
- OCLC 31045650.
- OCLC 14272201.
- )
- ^ a b Paul E. Schellinger & Robert M. Salkin 1994, p. 191.
- ^ Shiv Kumar Tiwari 2002, p. 271.
- ^ Chittorgarh, Shobhalal Shastri, 1928, pp. 64-65
- ^ "Hill Forts of Rajasthan".
- ^ "Incredible India | Kumbhalgarh". www.incredibleindia.org. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ Asawa, Dr. Krishnadas Nair (2004). Kumbhalgarh the invincible fort (5th ed.). Jodhpur: Rajasthani Granthagar.
- ^ "Kumbhalgarh Festival: It's Time to Gear Up, as This Cultural Fiesta, Held at One of the Most Famous and Historical Forts of Rajasthan, Is All Set to Open Its Doors to the Public". DNA : Daily News & Analysis. 28 January 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "Iconic Hill Forts on UN Heritage List". New Delhi, India: Mail Today. 22 June 2013. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ISBN 81-230-1002-8.
- ^ "View from the clouds". The Hindu. 7 May 2006. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
- ^ Kumbhalgarh, ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA, 2012 (1st ed.). New Delhi: The Director General, Archaeological Survey of India, Janpath, New Delhi-110011. 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-4039-3200-6.
- ^ "Maota Sarover -Amer-jaipur". amerjaipur.in. Agam pareek. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
- ISBN 9788185176482.
- ISBN 9781942322054.
- ISBN 81-250-0333-9.
- ISBN 81-208-1256-5
- ^ "Hill Forts of Rajasthan: Ranthambore". Amber Development & Management Authority. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ISBN 978-3-11-065959-7.
- ISBN 9780842606189.
- ^ IA, Vol. XLII, pp. 57-64
- ^ Mishra, Shyam Manohar (1977). Yasovarman of Kanau, p.123. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
- ISBN 978-81-7233-492-5.
- ^ "Fort full of life". www.frontline.in. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- ISBN 9780865652408.
- ISBN 1-85715-887-3
- ISBN 978-81-291-1501-0.
- ^ Sharma, Abha (23 September 2012). "Desert's sinking fort". The Hindu. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ^ "Jhalawar Tourism: Tourist Places in Jhalawar - Rajasthan Tourism". tourism.rajasthan.gov.in. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
- ^ Sharma, Meghna (2008). "Forts in Rajasthan and recent tourism inclination" (PDF). S Asian J Tourism Heritage. 1: 4.
- ^ Mehta, Juhee (4 March 2019). "This Fort in Jhalawar is India's only Fort Built without Foundation | Read to Know More | UdaipurBlog". Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ "Gagron Fort witness of sacrifice, thousands of women saved their chastity by sacrificing lives". www.maharajatrails.com. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
Works cited
- Paul E. Schellinger; Robert M. Salkin, eds. (1994). International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania. Vol. 5. Routledge/Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781884964046.
- Shiv Kumar Tiwari (2002). Tribal Roots of Hinduism. Sarup & Sons. ISBN 9788176252997.