Where the King’s Rule Once Reigned: A Journey to Nurpur Fort (Part 8)

The sun had completed almost half of its journey for the day. As I explored the ruins of

Nurpur Fort, I moved toward that part of the fort where the royal court once convened and where the king resided. There is no written sign placed there, but a local youth present at the site shared this information. This structure too was built within the fort, on a platform about 15 feet high.

Once, royal commands were issued from here, and the palace was filled with the fragrance of costly perfumes. An ordinary person may not even have been allowed to enter this palace. But look at the turn of time—today, even the courtyard bears the droppings of stray animals. This is a lesson for mankind:

time is extremely powerful, and no one should take pride in their power.

In the royal court area, the walls of the rooms have survived only up to a height of about four feet. Except for one wall about 15 feet high with three doors opening toward the rear, the rest of the structure survives merely as low walls of around four feet.

If we imagine the entire royal palace, then on its front side (toward the south) there is an open ground sloping down about 15 feet. When the king held court, the common people would have stood or sat in this open ground. Further south of this ground lies a pond. On the

side facing this ground is a place where the king would have sat to hold an open court. Behind it, the remains of rooms still exist. Traces of staircases are also visible, indicating that besides the ground level, there must have been at least one more storey above. Several rooms are connected to its central section. While the front side served as an open ground for the public, the extreme rear (toward the north) was the king’s residence.

The walls of the king’s residential area have survived to a greater height, although the roofs

have collapsed. Grass has grown over the walls. Government workers are cutting this grass so that its roots do not spread further and damage the remaining parts of the structure. The building is constructed of grey, brick-like stones, rectangular in shape and about four to five times larger than ordinary bricks.

In the residential section, the inner walls are plastered with lime. Inside, there are many niches where oil lamps must have been placed to keep the palace brightly illuminated. There is also a drainage channel left between two structures for the flow of water. Remains of staircases are visible here as well

, indicating that this part too had at least two storeys. The rear gate of the palace opens toward a deep ravine at the back of the fort, and from within the fort one can see the entire valley spread out behind it.

On the east side of the king’s residence is a structure resembling a water tank, while to the west are the remains of a few more rooms. However, there is a gap of about four to five feet between these rooms and the main palace. Wild plants have now grown around these areas. Even so, this place is still worth visiting and is excellent for understanding history. How such forts were built on high hills in those times reflects the courage and skill of the architecture of that era. From these ancient forts, lessons of history can be learned, and perhaps one can even hear the silent sighs of the taxes once paid by the people of that time.

Now I move ahead to see the temple built in the front part of the fort.

To be continued…

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ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿਚ ਪੜ੍ਹਨ ਲਈ ਇੱਥੇ ਕਲਿੱਕ ਕਰੋ।

हिंदी में पढ़ने के लिए यहाँ क्लिक करें  

See more pics

Entry towards Royal Palace

View from Royal Palace 

View towards Royal Court from Royal Palace 

Drainage System in Nurput Fort