Travel Diary 6: Camels of Rajasthan Inside the Nurpur Fort of Himachal

  The construction of the Nurpur Fort, belonging to the Pathania Rajput princely state,

began during the time of a king named Vasu. However, it is commonly seen that a fort is such a massive construction project that several generations of rulers pass before it reaches completion.

At the main gate of the fort, there are two tall tower-like watch posts on either side, and a strong gate for entry. The fort is built of the grey stone commonly found in the surrounding regions of Himachal. Interestingly, the kind of stone visible in Rajasthani forts is seen here at only one spot—just a single piece of such stone is found, whose mention I will make later.

Entering through the tall gate, stairs appear on both sides, leading up to the high surveillance towers built to the right and left of the doorway. Although their condition is not very good now, this main gate remains the only portion of the fort that survives almost in its original form. Inside the gate, only the walls of the buildings remain; the structures themselves have mostly perished.

It is said that in the 11th century, King Jhethpal of the Tomar dynasty laid the foundation of the Pathania Rajput lineage. The old name of Nurpur was Dhameri. At that time, it was known as the Fort of Dhameri.

This region of the Bari Doab—situated between the Ravi and Beas rivers and known as the gateway from Punjab to Kashmir and the hill areas—was ruled by the Rajput Pathania kings for eight centuries. However, they were not always entirely independent; during the Mughal era, they ruled under Mughal suzerainty.

The name Dhameri was changed to Nurpur in 1622 due to Mughal influence. It is believed that the name was inspired by Mughal Empress Nur Jahan, as she was fond of this place.

Upon entering inside the fort, the Government Senior Secondary School is located towards the right, and a little further on the left is the Government Primary School. The primary school building is completely new, while the Senior Secondary School functions inside rooms built under a large shed.

Nurpur town is situated on a high hill, which extends further northward near the fort area. At the northern edge of this slope stands the fort. Three sides of the fort are surrounded by a deep gorge, and a tributary of the Chakki River flows below it. This made the fort extremely secure from a military standpoint, as the deep gorge and river flow protected it on three sides, leaving only one direction from which enemy forces could attack.

Just after entering the main gate, there is an open courtyard. Several large, ancient trees stand there, whose size hints at their great age. These banyan trees must have seen many kings being born, ruling, and dying—yet they still stand firm today. A little ahead, on the right side of the open courtyard, a ruined platform (chabutra) can be seen.

Climbing its steps reveals only the remains of the foundations of what was once a grand building. I first walk around all sides of this structure. From the outside, the walls still rise up to about ten feet, but from the floor above, only three-to-four-foot-high walls remain.

Beautiful carvings are engraved into the outer walls of this structure. These carvings include figures of dancing men and women, along with cows, horses, and elephants. There are also depictions of individuals sitting in meditative postures. In the upper row, carvings of birds are visible. At intervals, semi-sun motifs appear—symbols reflecting the influence of traditional Indian Hindu architectural art.

On one part of the outer wall, carvings of camels can be seen. Camels—found

abundantly in Rajasthan—are neither found in hill regions nor suited to their climate or geography. Yet their carvings appear here, which I found quite surprising.

After circling this area, I climb the steps to the upper portion. A group of five or six girls from the nearby college is also present. With their help, I get a few photographs clicked. On the upper side, a slab of red stone is installed, with engraved figures on either side of it, whereas the entire fort otherwise is built from the local grey stone.

Some people say that this structure was the Diwan-e-Khas (royal private audience hall) of the local kings. Others say that it was later converted into a temple. There is indeed a temple inside the fort today, which I will mention later. The current temple stands in a newly built structure—not at the original place of the old temple. Hence, it seems likely that the earlier temple stood right here. We will explore this further when we reach the temple.

Returning from this structure, I move toward the back wall of the fort. Below lies a deep gorge.

Beside this chabutra, on one side, there is a large well, believed to have been the primary source of drinking water inside the fort. In front of the chabutra, indications of a large pond also appear.

(To be continue …)

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