It's safe to say that Gohad Fort (45km NE of Gwalior) is well and truly off the tourist trail. Having found the guard to unlock the gates I had the entire fort to myself for over two hours. I definitely got the sense that hardly anyone ever comes here.
Gohad Fort
There is no signage in the fort to help you interpret the ruins, there's not even any paths to speak of. It's as if the last person left the fort some 300 years ago and since then the entire place has been forgotten about.
Gohad Fort
It is documented that the following buildings reside within the fort complex; Navin Mahal, Khas Mahal, Shish Mahal, Sat-Bhanwar, Deoghar, Khās Darbar, Am Darbar, Bhandar Grih and Rani Bagh. There are also the temples of Rāma Janaki, Laxman, Radha Krishna, Shiva and Markandeshwar.
Gohad Fort
According to William Cook and Alexander Cunningham, the people of the Jat caste from a village near Agra (Bamrauli) settled the town of Gohad in 1505, and subsequently developed the area into an important Jat stronghold.
Gohad Fort
The fort itself was founded by the Jat ruler Singhandev II shortly after 1505, but the majority of the construction was undertaken by Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana, Maharaja Chhatra Singh Rana and Kirat Singh Rana. It is considered the most important of the 350 forts and defensive structures that were built in the region around Gohad to protect their people.
Gohad Fort
The rampart extends for 5km around the fort, and has seven gates that were named after the settlements the trackways would lead to; Itayli, Barthara, Gohadi, Birkhari, Kathwan, Kharaua and Saraswati.
Gohad Fort
I sometimes wonder if places like this are a missed opportunity for Indian tourism. Gwalior is vastly underrated and overlooked in my opinion with regards to tourism, and whilst it receives quite a lot of visitors due to its close proximity to Agra, there's no real emphasis on the heritage locations both within the city and in the surrounding countryside. I guess as always it all boils down to budgets and resources.
Gohad Fort
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Thoughts, history and tales.
The dictionary defines history as “the study of past events, particularly in human affairs” or “a branch of knowledge that records and explains past events.” As a historian myself, I’d argue that history is much more than that! But I’ll let you decide for yourself while you read these stories about what history is.
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If you have any doubts or questions, let me know.