Kangra Fort is an ancient fort situated on the outskirts of the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. This fort is situated at a distance of 20 km from the city of Dharamshala. This fort was built by Maharaja Susharma Chandra of the Katoch dynasty. The Katoch dynasty gave itself the distinction of being a descendant of the Trigat kingdom. King Susharma Chandra played a special role in the war of Mahabharata. He distracted Arjuna in the war of Mahabharata and in the meantime Dronacharya created Chakravyuh. In which Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu died. This fort is the largest fort among all the forts in Himachal Pradesh.
Kangra Fort History
The first attack on Fort was made by King Shrestha Sen of Kashmir in 470 AD but the fort was successfully defended by the Katochs. After this, the fort was subjected to many attacks but the most famous siege was by Mahmud Ghaznavi in 1009 AD. 8 out of 21 treasure wells were looted from inside. There was so much amount that even mathematicians could not imagine it correctly. Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq also looted this fort in 1337 AD. Firoz Shah Tughlaq also attacked this fort in 1351 AD during the reign of Roop Chand Katoch. But due to the failure of any side, the siege lasted for a long time. After the end of the Sur dynasty, the Mughal emperor Akbar unsuccessfully laid siege to this fort 52 times. But after a siege of 14 months, Akbar’s son Jahangir successfully captured Kangra Fort in 1620 AD.
And killed Raja Hari Chand, the king of Katoch. In 1775 AD, Susharma Chand Katoch, a minor boy sat on the throne of Kangra. He captured the Fort with the help of the Sikh army. During his reign, he built many new temples, gardens, forts, and gardens in Kangra. He also established the Kangra miniature painting style, in which 40,000 paintings were produced. In 1809 AD this fort went into the possession of the Sikhs and finally, in 1846 the fort went into the possession of the British and they looted the remaining wells as well. On April 4, 1905, the fort started getting damaged due to an earthquake. The British handed over the fort to the Khali Kra Katoch kings.
How to Reach
Gaggal Airport is the nearest airport to reach Kangra Fort. The distance from Kangra Airport to Fort is about 13 km. Tourists can reach Kangra Fort by cabs or taxis from Kangra Airport. The nearest railway station to reach Fort is Pathankot Railway Station, which is located at a distance of 87 kilometers from Kangra. Tourists travel by cabs and taxis to reach Fort. Kangra is well connected by road with every district of Himachal Pradesh. Several HRTC buses, cabs, and taxis are available to reach the Kangra district. You can take local rickshaws or cabs in Kangra city to reach Kangra Fort.
