Ramnagar Fort

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Ramnagar Fort
Part of
Fort
Site history
Built1750
Built byBalwant Singh
Materialschunar sandstone
Garrison information
OccupantsAnant Narayan Singh

The Ramnagar Fort is a

Balwant Singh. The current king and the resident of the fort is Anant Narayan Singh, who is also known as the Maharaja of Benares even though this royal title has been abolished since 1971.[1][2]

Geography

Rambagh Garden within the Ramnagar fort, 1905

The fort is at a scenic location on the eastern right bank of the Ganges River, opposite to the Varanasi Ghats. It is 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from Varanasi and 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the

Benares Hindu University by the newly built Ramnagar bridge. With the bridge built it hardly takes 10 minutes to reach the fort from BHU. Boat ride to the fort from Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi takes about an hour.[citation needed] A painted state barge with a twin emblems in the form of horses could be seen moored to the landing stage.[3] There is a well laid out garden within the fort which forms the approach to the palace.[3][4]

History

The Ramnagar Fort was built by Kashi Naresh Maharaja Balwant Singh in 1750. Inscriptions on the outer ramparts of the fort date it to the seventeenth century.[3]

Architecture

Left: The Maharaja's Fort, front view, 1869. Right: Entrance gate to the fort, 1905.

The building was constructed with creamy-coloured chunar sandstone. The fort houses the Veda Vyasa Temple, a museum, and the king's residential complex.[5] There is also a Dakshin Mukhi temple of Hanuman, which faces towards south.[6]

The fort has been built on high ground, which is above the flood level.[7] The fort has many carved balconies, open courtyards and pavilions.[5] Only a part of the structure is open for public viewing as the rest of it is the residence of Kashi Naresh and his family. The flag on the fort is raised when the Maharaja is in residence in his palace fort.[1] Within the fort, the palace has two white towers, which are accessed by a flight of steps. At the end of the flight of steps, there is an archway and many courtyards that lead to the white tower.[3] The private residence of the Maharaja is on one side of the tower while the Durbar Hall and reception rooms are on the other side. An inscription on the fort wall attests "Fortified House of the Rajah of Benares, with his state Boat".[8]

Museum

Ramnagar Fort

The museum is known as Saraswati Bhawan. The museum is in what used to be the

cartouches.[10][11]

Festivals

Ram Leela Mela. As Performed at Ram Nagar before the Raja of Benares, 1834

The fort palace appears very vibrant and colourful when beatified during the one-month-long

Phagun, (February and March) a festival called Raj Mangal is held in the fort with a procession of boats with people, dancing and singing; it starts from the Asi Ghat, goes along the river in front of the fort.[13]

In popular culture

Because of its scenic location on the banks of the Ganges, the fort and the palace are frequently used as an outdoor shooting location for films. The film titled Banaras is one of the popular movies shot here.[1][2] It was the seventh pit stop of The Amazing Race 18.

Gallery

  • Balcony of the fort
    Balcony of the fort
  • Balcony
    Balcony
  • Fountain in the courtyard
    Fountain in the courtyard
  • Cannon outside the fort
    Cannon outside the fort
  • Main entrance
    Main entrance
  • Outer wall
    Outer wall
  • The fort across the Ganges River
    The fort across the Ganges River
  • Ganges River
    Ganges River
  • Inner Courtyard
    Inner Courtyard
  • Painting of the fort c.1796
    Painting of the fort c.1796

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ramnagar Fort.
  1. ^
    ISBN 9788187780045
    . Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d "Lonely Planet review for Ramnagar Fort & Museum". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d "Fort, Ramnagar [Benares]". Online Gallery of British Library. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  4. ^ "Rambag (Ramnagar) [Benares]". Online Gallery of British Library. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d "Ramnagar Fort & Museum". Official Website of Eastern UP Tourism. Archived from the original on 30 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  6. ^ "Ramnagar". National Informatics Centre. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  7. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4000-1312-8
    .
  8. ^ "The Raja of Benares's palace at Ramnagar from the river, with the Raja's state boat". Online Gallery of British Library. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  9. ISBN 978-81-87952-12-1
    .
  10. ISBN 9788124603383
    . Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  11. ^
    ISBN 9788187780045
    .
  12. ISBN 9780415343558
    .
  13. ^ a b "Ram Leela Mela. As performed before at Ram Nugur before the Raja of Benares". Online Gallery of British Library. Retrieved 7 November 2012.

External links

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